Fairy Tail: The Final Chapters
by marcus00721
Summary: X795, one year after the finale of Dawn of Darkness. Lucy has accepted that Fairy Tail is over and that everyone has gone their separate ways. But a fateful encounter one day tells her that Fairy Tail isn't over just yet...
1. Chapter 1: One Year Later

DISCLAIMER:

Read Flames of Friendship, Darkness Rises, Dealer Arc, Isle of Dragons, and Dawn of Darkness in that order in order to get the best experience with this series.

* * *

One year later – X795. One year since the final battle against Emmeraude for the kingdom of Fiore. One year since Siegrain stepped down from the position of Council Chairman. One year since Lucy was finally freed of the hellish being known as Lambda. One year since Fairy Tail and White Eclipse disbanded. One year since Mii ran out on everyone because of the awful news. One year since Lucy saw Natsu and Happy, and everyone else at Fairy Tail. X794 truly was the end of an era. Nothing was the same after that battle. Since Emmeraude ruled the country for so long, the people of the country remembered her, and suffice to say the other countries didn't forget how Fiore's throne was usurped by a random outsider. It didn't make them look very good, but Hisui and Toma were working tirelessly to repair the damage Emmeraude's lack of rule left behind. Fiore was admittedly in a bit of a rough patch, but it was nothing it couldn't overcome in the end.

Hisui walked through the castle corridor to make way to her quarters. It felt like only yesterday where she was in a desperate race to ascend to the throne as quickly as possible to take it back from the wrongful ruler. But that race came at the cost of a few lives, a fact she wasn't blind to. The castle itself suffered damages that were repaired over the course of the last year. Upon reaching her room, the Princess closed the door and let out a heavy sigh. "…ah…" The jade princess wandered across her room, staring at a photo of her and Emmeraude. When was it taken? She honestly didn't remember…but both her and Emmeraude looked so happy in the picture.

" _Your feelings from that woman only stem from false memories. Can you honestly tell me that you would care about her if not for what she forced into your mind?"_

The words of King Ashnard echoed in her mind as she stared at the photo. Of course she had no 'reason' to care…but Emmeraude was like a mother to her, all things considered. It was a bit of twisted irony in the end. But there was only one thing she could do from this point forward – she promised Emmeraude that she'd help make a peaceful world anyway she could. It was going to be a long road ahead, but she was more than prepared for this.

* * *

The sun rose on Crocus City. In this time of peace, the capital of Fiore was asleep, yet roaring with excitement at the same time for the Grand Magic Games were in full swing this year! Only this time…the mantle of Fiore's strongest guild could go to anyone since Fairy Tail, the guild that previously held onto that title, disbanded one year ago. Not even White Eclipse was competing, for they too disbanded for reasons unknown. All Fiore knew was that the two strongest guilds in Fiore were no more, all of them moving on to other things.

But, that didn't stop Lucy Heartfilia from moving on too. After Fairy Tail disbanded, she was able to land a job which allowed her to get a rather nice place in Crocus, a far cry better than her home in Magnolia. With the sun's rays piercing through her window, she began to stir and soon she sat up with a yawn, stretching her arms above her head. "Mmmmph…" Another exciting day! Lucy got up and out of bed and went to the bathroom, getting ready with a nice long shower. Once Lucy was done with her morning shower, she dried herself off and wrapped a towel around herself, stepping into the main room where her guest was waiting. "Good morning, Tia!"

Tia was still half asleep, donning a simple nightgown after crashing on Lucy's couch. After Fairy Tail disbanded Queen Tia of Dealer was the first to hear about it from Lucy. As a result, Tia offered to visit Lucy frequently over the course of the year to stop her from feeling so lonely. "Mmm…morning…" Tia yawned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "You seem bright and chipper this morning…"

"Yup!" Lucy replied with a nod and smile. "The Grand Magic Games are on day 2, remember? And with the job I got with Jason, I can't wait to cover all of it!"

"I'm still surprised you managed to land a news writing job…" Tia stood up and stretched, crossing her arms as a coy smile formed on her lips. She pulled out a past article of Sorcerer's Weekly, which had Lucy debut as an underwear model. "I thought you really did well as a model. You really sold that underwear."

Even though the job did give Lucy a solid source of income until she convinced Jason to give her the reporter job (internship), she was absolutely aware of the fact that Tia was teasing her. That didn't stop Lucy from feeling extremely flustered and she pointed at Tia with a crimson hue on her cheeks. "Y-You don't have to say it like that!"

Tia snickered at Lucy's embarrassment. "You just make it so easy…"

"Hearing that doesn't make me feel any better…." Lucy huffed while adjusting the towel. Even though she wasn't a fan of being teased, she was happy that her relationship with Tia grew to the point where the normally tsundere girl could openly act this way with her. "We still have some time until the Games start…do you want to go out and do some shopping? My treat!"

"How much DO you get paid…?" Tia lifted a brow. It was considered rude to ask about someone's income, but clearly Lucy didn't have to worry considering the type of place she was living in. "Anyway…yeah, sure. Let me get dressed and shower too…" That said, it was Tia's turn to hop in the shower and get ready. "Also, I hope you're not planning to go outside in that towel."

Tia's parting words made Lucy realize she had yet to change! She was too comfortable around the Dealer member, but it was nice to have a friendly face around. It had been a year since she'd seen the others after all…but that aside, Lucy hurried into her room to change; putting on a shirt and a skirt, finishing off by tying her hair into a ponytail. "I'm going to do my best today too!"

* * *

With the buzz of the Games lingering in the air, the crowd was still just as huge as ever for this big event. Tia and Lucy wandered the Crocus streets as the people bustled about. "I'm glad to see that it's just as lively as ever." Lucy said with a soft smile. "This city has been through a lot…it never really gets to catch a break."

"You're telling me." Tia's gaze went to Castle Mercurius, which was visible from their location. "At least the Palace got fixed after all this time." The bluenette shrugged, orange eyes glancing around to one of the lacrima screens on display, showing everyone's favorite host: Chapati Lola! The main commentator had another wig on to make up for his lack of hair, now giving early announcements just before the Games started.

" _Good morning Fiore! The second day of the Grand Magic Games is going to begin soon! But first, we have a special word from our Council Chairman!"_ Chapati then gave the floor over to Fiore's new Council Chairman: Kemuri, the former 8th Wizard Saint.

" _Good morning Fiore. I understand this last year has been tough for you all…but don't worry. As the new Chairman of the Magic Council, I will make sure to clean up the mess that was left behind from the Emmeraude incident. The Council's job is to protect the people after all…and I assure you, citizens of Fiore, everything we do will be for your protection. But for now, enjoy the Games."_ With that, the announcement ended.

Tia wrinkled her nose at the announcement. "That's the new Council Chairman…? When did that happen…?"

"A month or so after Siegrain stepped down." Lucy explained. "Although he hasn't done a lot yet, he keeps saying he has plans for this country. With how things ended last year, there's been a lot of changes in the Magic Council as of late…"

"Eh…" Tia shrugged. "Something about him bugs me, but it's whatever." There was a more pressing matter at the moment…the delicious smell of food intruding their noses. Tia and Lucy felt their mouths water just from the scent! "…What is that delicious smell?"

"It's…coming from over there!" Lucy pointed. There was a food stall with a line of people just waiting to be served. "Oof…that's a long line. But the food smells so good…what is the name of this place…?" Glancing up at the stand name, Lucy saw that it was called Al Dente!. "Al…Dente!...?"

"That's a cute name." Tia said with a nod. "We should wait here. The food smells delicious."

It was on that cue that a woman passed by the both of them. This woman had beautiful black hair and yellow eyes; her outfit was a little tattered in places and her left arm was bandaged, but she was carrying a large bag of groceries in her hands. The woman walked behind the booth to where the two chefs were cooking and set the bag down nearby. "Rowan. Ezekiel. I got the stuff you wanted. I guess the others went to watch the fights. They'll just get bored, there's no talent this year."

The senior chef was an old man with gray hair, while the other was a younger male with purple hair. These were the two main chefs of Al Dente: Rowan Guillaume and his grandson, Ezekiel Guaillaume. "Thank you, Blair." Rowan said with a nod as he and Ezekiel began to cook. Not a single one of their movements were wasted as they cooked up a number of meals in a short time.

The woman known as Blair then proceeded take care of the money that the customers were paying for their food. Tia and Lucy could feel their mouths watering as each customer left with a blissful smile on their face. Soon it was their turn, and Blair cleared her throat to get their attention. "…Are you two gonna eat, or drool…?" The woman questioned with a curious brow.

"O-Oh…right…! Uh…" Lucy walked up to the booth, greeting Rowan with a smile. "What would you recommend…?"

"Pick whatever you'd like." The culinary senior responded. "To recommend a dish is to know the patron. I never forget a face, and this is your first time here, right? Please, choose whatever you desire, and it'll become your new favorite. Just grab a menu and order whenever you're ready."

"Okay!" The celestial mage responded and took a menu, veering off to the side a little in case the other people in line were ready to order without delay. Brown eyes scanned the items on the menu while Tia peered over her shoulder. "Wow…all of this looks really good."

"You're telling me…" Tia agreed while pointing at a menu time. "This. I'm in the mood for this pasta and sauce."

Lucy glanced at Tia with a curious brow. "…Are you sure? That looks really heavy, and it's like…10AM, Tia."

Tia stared at Lucy with a blank expression. "…What's your point? I'm hungry. Plus I can save some for Ace and Jack…if I don't eat it all."

The ending remark caused Lucy to snicker. "I can't stop you…I guess I'll just have something light." With the decision made the blonde gave Rowan the order. "These two, please."

"Excellent choices, we'll have them ready in a moment." Rowan said with a nod.

"Let's get to work!" Ezekiel grinned, and he and his grandfather began to cook! Already, the delicious scent of the food cooking got into their noses. It didn't take very long for the duo to complete their cooking and the meals were presented to the ladies!

"Here you are. Please have a taste to see if it is to your liking." Rowan said while crossing his arms.

"…That was fast." Lucy blinked, glanced at Tia, and they both took a bite of their meals. At that moment their eyes widened and the feeling was heavenly! The sensation of flavor exploded in their mouths and they almost cried out in pleasure! Luckily they were capable of keeping their composure to avoid something embarrassing…but that sensation was all just from one bite! "…Whoa…this is great."

"…" Tia was speechless! Did food really make her feel that way? Ace was about to have some competition.

Blair extended her bandaged hand, a serious expression plastered on her face. "You can stand in awe after you pay." She was all about the money.

"O-Oh right, of course! Thank you!" Lucy handed Blair the amount of jewel for the meal and then departed with Tia. The two of them savored their meals with content smiles. "Mmm…I didn't know food could taste so good…"

"Jack and Ace are never going to see this." Tia admitted, feeling a little guilty that her gluttonous side was showing…but with this food, she really couldn't help herself.

* * *

Day 2 of the Grand Magic Games was now underway. This year's games were a more traditional tournament style with a round robin set up. The guilds that gained the most wins overall would advance to the semifinals, and eventually the finals. "Hello everyone! It's your favorite host, Chapati Lola! Along with me is everyone's favorite former council man, Yajima-san, along with famous *coughlocalcough* actor, Alfred Brando!"

The blonde haired actor fortunately didn't hear that remark, but instead offered a smile. "Thank you for having me, Chapati! The Grand Magic Games is my favorite season! Behind award season, of course..."

"It's time to get into the fights! We have Black Phoenix B's Ethan Star vs The Dwarfgear, Berrick!" The crowd went wild at the announcement of the two mages. "What do you think about this, Yajima-san?"

"Well…" Yajima began. "Black Phoenix has been doing well for itself over the last year. Leon Shi has been doing very well as the new Guild Master. All of the mages in the guild seem to have a lot of potential."

"I think we'll be in for an exciting battle!" Chapati exclaimed and the battle was set to begin!

"YEAH! LET'S GO ETHAN!" The voice a female shouted. This was the voice of Asuka Ichiro, a brash female on Black Phoenix's B team.

Lucy and Tia had their passes and met up with Jason as the fighting portion began. "Sorry we're late…! Things got crazy!" Lucy said with a soft smile.

"She got sidetracked." Tia crossed her arms. "Are they not doing events this year? That's kinda dumb…I liked watching people scramble…"

"Yo! Lucy! Looking COOL as usual!" Jason said with a thumbs up. "I can feel it! This'll make a ferociously cool article!"

"Is that your favorite word…" Tia rolled her eyes, leaning over the railing as the battle between Ethan and Berrick.

"It's still early, so it's hard to tell who might win. But everyone's anxious to see what this Ethan guy can do! Black Phoenix has been exciting everyone so far!" Jason explained with a nod.

"ALL RIGHT!" Lucy had her pen and notepad in hand, excitedly throwing a hand into the air. Time to get us a scoop!"

"COOOOL!" Jason roared.

"Yer goin' down kid!" Berrick grinned as magic began to surround his hands. The short and stout male began to rush Ethan down, preparing to end him right then and there.

Ethan remained calm, bringing his right arm back as it began to shift into something. "Machina Soul…CANNON!" As soon as Berrick drew closer, Ethan brought his arm forward, revealing it to be a cannon of sorts! This cannon released a massive beam of magic that consumed the opposition, pushing him back into the wall on the opposite side! That one blast was all she wrote and Berrick was down.

"And that's it-kabo! Ethan Star is the winner!" The real Mato exclaimed from the commentator's seat.

"Amazing! And with just one shot Ethan Star takes it for Black Phoenix B!" Chapati exclaimed and the crowd roared.

"YEAH!" Asuka lifted up her bandaged arm into the air, cheering for her partner.

* * *

With day 2 of the Games drawing to a conclusion, people began to depart the stadium. Lucy was trailing behind Jason as they discussed the article for the next issue of Sorcerer's Weekly. "Okay, so I'll get the article and the layout down, so leave it to me!"

"Thanks!" Jason grinned. But his expression shifted and he crossed his arms, closing his eyes in thought. "But you know…this year's Grand Magic Games just doesn't have that…boom to it. Last year, it was the most intense thing we'd ever seen up until that point. Black Phoenix and Shaman's Haven have been doing a good job keeping the crowd excited, but….Sabertooth, Lamia Scale…Mermaid Heel…"

"Blue Pegasus…Quatro Cerberus…White Eclipse…" Lucy listed off the other guilds that hadn't shown up this year.

"And Fairy Tail, too…" Jason's gaze shifted to Lucy with a small grin.

Lucy brushed off the comment with a sheepish grin. "Well, that's because it doesn't exist anymore. Neither does White Eclipse from what I've been told."

"But that mark on your hand…" Jason noticed. Even though Fairy Tail was gone, Lucy still had the guild mark on her hand for one reason or another. "It's all over, huh? Such a shame, though…" With those words, Jason waved Lucy off as they parted ways for the day.

"…" Lucy let out sigh and her gaze dropped to the ground.

Tia tilted her head, approaching Lucy with her arms crossed. "Hey, it's getting late."

"Yeah…" Lucy nodded and the two of them returned back to Lucy's home.

* * *

As night time fell, Lucy was in her room while Tia was already asleep. The blonde was sitting at her desk, writing someone on a piece of paper. When finished, she ended off her day by getting into the bath, now alone with her thoughts. With her arms wrapped around her knees, Lucy stared down into the water with a heavy sigh. Jason's words lingering in her mind. _"It's really been over a year since I last saw everyone. I've been so busy…but that's just my excuse. They've all gone on their own paths…maybe I just can't face them. No…that's a lie too…"_ Lucy sighed once more. "I want to see them." _"But…I don't think I have the courage to…"_ "BUT I WANT TO SEE YOU GUYS!" Lucy flailed about in the tub, kicing water everywhere.

"Hey! SHUT IT!" Lucy's fit angered her neighbors.

"S-Sorry!" How embarrassing! She should have been more careful. She might have woken up Tia too…but she was a surprisingly heavy sleeper. Lucy got out of the bath and began to dry herself off, keeping the towel wrapped around her; she approached the wall where there were several news clippings about everyone's activities over the last year. The reason Lucy became a reporter was to gather information on everyone; even Plue was helping out by moving some books to the side. "Nothing on Natsu and Happy again…" The blonde spoke in a melancholy tone. Eventually the rush of emotions got to her and she pressed her head against the board, clenching her hand into a fist. She wanted everyone to get back together…but Fairy Tail didn't exist…and more so….

" _It's my fault."_ Lucy thought as she slumped against the wall, burying her head into her knees. One year later, and she was all alone. No Aquarius, no Fairy Tail, no Natsu, no Mii…even Tia couldn't stay by her side forever, hence why her visits were so short. Even with her company, Lucy still felt depressed. Even though she faced every day with a bright smile, things just weren't the same anymore. _"Master's decision came after what happened with Emmeraude…Fairy Tail was only targeted because of me. She was right…I really do bring nothing but trouble to those around me."_ Lucy blamed herself for everything that happened in the events leading up to Fairy Tail's disband one year ago. There was one little nugget of truth in Lucy's apprehension to try contacting the others.

" _I'm afraid…that they don't want to see me again…"_

.

.

Next Time: My Feelings.


	2. Chapter 2: My Feelings

Lucy's thoughts weren't kind to her over the night. She tossed and turned in her sleep, completely restless. A nightmare completely held the woman in its grip. What was she dreaming about? The final moments before Fairy Tail disbanded…although she was dreaming about it in a completely different light. There stood Natsu, Erza, Wendy, Cynthia, and Mii in the ruins of Fairy Tail, all of them staring at the blonde with disgust.

"This is all your fault." Gray spat.

"I-I'm sorry…!" Lucy shook her head, feeling the tears well up in her eyes. "I…I didn't mean for things to turn out this way, I promise…!"

"I expected more from you, Lucy." Erza's tone carried nothing but heavy disappointment.

"I can't believe we looked up to you…" Wendy frowned, her gaze going to the ground. She and Cynthia couldn't even look at Lucy right now.

"I can't believe I trusted any of you…" Mii's parting words carved a deep wound in Lucy's heart. She could feel her heart breaking with every word spoken by her comrades.

"But…I…I…!" Lucy took a step forward, reaching out to Natsu. He'd understand, right? "Natsu, I…"

"…." Natsu didn't even say anything. Instead, the Salamander turned his back on her, and that action alone hurt more than any words could.

"…!" Lucy's eyes widened, finally feeling her heart break into a million pieces after those words; her body shivered and she couldn't move. One by one, everyone started to walk off and fade into the abyss of darkness. "N-No…wait…come back, please!" She tried to give chase, but she ended up tripping and falling forward with a harsh thud. When she looked up, everything was black, but she could see her own reflection in the darkness as it rippled like water. In the reflection she could see herself as she was when she was bound to Lambda – black marks all along her body and her eyes crimson red. "Wh…?!"

A heel stepped before her. Lucy's gaze rose up to meet Emmeraude's own, and the woman did not look very happy. "Is this what you wanted?" Emmeraude questioned while swinging her leg forward, kicking Lucy right in the stomach with enough force to shatter her ribs. The celestial mage let out a cry of pain as she tumbled along the darkness, coming to a halt on her stomach. "Are you happy with how things turned out?!"

Lucy heaved, struggling to bring herself. "N-No…I never wanted this…" It was hard to look at herself now…how could she even look Emmeraude in the eyes? "I didn't mean for things to turn out this way."

"My daughter is dead because of YOU!" Emmeraude screamed, pressing her heel into Lucy's side once more, where she continued to stomp on her ruthlessly. "My dream is DEAD because of _**YOU!**_ Ross…Marisa…Drayden…they are dead because of _**YOU!**_ Was this worth the peace you so denied me of!? ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THIS!?"

Each stomp caused Lucy to cry out. The worst part was that she felt that Emmeraude was absolutely correct. Everything was her fault. If she didn't get involved with Emmeraude, Fairy Tail wouldn't have disbanded…Sophie would still be alive…the peaceful era Fiore was in wouldn't have had to come at the cost of the things she held dear. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" She repeated those words after each stomp, but it didn't look like Emmeraude was accepting forgiveness and neither were those from Fairy Tail….

.

Lucy shot awake with a gasp and a cold sweat, panting softly as she glanced around her surroundings. She was still in Crocus and the day was just about to start. A heavy sigh passed her lips and she stared down at her hands. "…That same nightmare again…" The past year was anything but kind to her in terms of thoughts. But she couldn't stay down in the dumps forever! She had to start each day with a smile – that was the promise she made to herself. "Another day…just have to keep moving forward…!" And so, Lucy was prepared to get ready for the day, taking a shower and everything! Once she was ready, she stepped out her room door and…almost bumped right into Tia! "Oh, good morning Tia! Did I wake you…?"

Tia had her arms crossed, staring at Lucy with a stern expression. "I heard you last night."

"Huh? Oh…" Lucy glanced away, assuming Tia was referring to her little outburst in the tub. "Ahah…sorry…I thought you were asleep and some thoughts crept up on me. Jason's words yesterday got me thinking…."

"It wasn't just that, either." Tia placed her hands on her hips. She wasn't one to beat around the bush with these kinds of topics. "I heard your sobs last night too…but when I went to check on you, you had already fallen asleep…"

"Oh…" Lucy glanced away. Up until now, she had done a good job at keeping her depressed feelings in check when Tia came to visit. The timing was unfortunate to say the least. "I…uh…"

"Are you still blaming yourself for what happened?" Tia questioned. "You can't do that. It's not healthy for you to keep that mindset. It wasn't your fault."

Even though Tia said that…it only made Lucy upset, because she couldn't see anything else being the truth. "It is my fault, Tia! If I didn't get involved, then nothing bad would have happened! Fiore would still be peaceful…Fairy Tail would still be together…and I…"

"Don't make me slap you again, because this time I'll mean it." Tia retorted. "You can't blame yourself for the events that took place! How could you have known things would turn out that way? You couldn't have. You were a victim, Lucy. A victim of a woman's ludicrous ambitious."

"But…" The blonde averted her gaze and rubbed her arm, walking over to the nearest window while staring at the Palace in the distance. "Was it really so ludicrous? All she wanted to do was make a peaceful world…and every day I'm reminded that I'm the reason such a reality could never happen…"

Tia snarled at Lucy's thought process. She forcefully turned Lucy around to look at her. "Don't tell me you honestly believe that. Stopping that woman was a good thing. You know what would have happened if she was allowed to rule unopposed with her plan in action? You know what that Lambda thing did to you. Imagine that on Fiore's military force. It would have cause wars all over the continent. People would die! It would be hell if that woman's conquest continued and you know it."

"A little girl died because of me!" Lucy snapped back. She was trying so hard not to cry, but not a day went by where she didn't think about Sophie's final words and actions. "She looked me in the eyes and apologized for everything…! How can I not feel guilty after that, Tia!? Fairy Tail was destroyed because Emmeraude was after me! They were targeted because of me, and now they don't want to see me anymore…" Now the tears fell, rolling down her cheeks with no control. "I…I couldn't even bring myself to contact you or anyone else…you came to me…"

Tia frowned upon seeing Lucy's emotions. She knew that Lucy was upset, but she honestly had no idea that things were this bad for her. It was hard for her to respond to the comment about Sophie dying…"Would you rather it one person, or the people you care about? Because that was going to be the reality if things played out differently."

"I didn't want anyone to die!" Lucy's voice rose in response. "I never wanted anyone to die, Tia! Least of all a child! I robbed her of everything and right in front of her mother too! That whole time…I put everyone in danger and acted like a monster. What if they never want to see me again? I'm just…a terrible person."

This was really hard to react to. Tia couldn't bear to see Lucy like this, but what could she even say? All she could do was try and keep the reporter from drowning in her own feelings, but that could only last for so long. "Lucy…they love you and you know that. You think they'd risk their lives for you so recklessly if they didn't?"

"…I'm scared to try and contact them again." Lucy brought her hands up to wipe away her tears. "I haven't tried in over a year…they might be better off without me…they've all moved on by now anyway."

"Come on…don't be like that." Tia said while letting go of Lucy. "You know why we're friends? Because you kept persisting when I was in a dark place…you taught me that it didn't matter who reached out first, what mattered is that the other person accepted. I can tell that you're afraid…but they're your friends, Lucy. I'm sure if you tried, they would too."

"…When did you become the pep talker…? I didn't know you could be so encouraging when you wanted to be. You're usually so grumpy." Lucy chuckled softly while wiping away any stray tears. She knew Tia was right…but that didn't stop her hesitation.

"Ah…." Tia felt an embarrassed blush cross her cheeks as Lucy called her out. She was quick to turn her head to the side, huffing out. "Well…I'm an older sister and I'm used to talking Jack down…so…don't think you're that special…!"

"Hahaha…." Tia's attitude gave Lucy a much needed laugh.

"Geez…" Tia sat on the couch. "You're such a handful."

"We're probably going to be a little late but…can I show you something?" Lucy tugged Tia off the couch and into her room, showing her the wall of information she was working on.

"What the…?" The bluenette blinked several times, orange eyes moving about all the information Lucy gathered.

"This is why I became a reporter. I wanted to gather information on everyone…but in the end, I only know where a few people are." Lucy admitted.

"Geez….." Tia was…admittedly impressed at Lucy's devotion. It was as she thought: Lucy did want to see everyone. "This is scarily detailed…" But as Lucy said, she didn't have reads on everyone. Most people had several question marks around their name to signify that Lucy was unable to find them. The biggest question marks belonged to Natsu and Happy and Mii. "…Eh?"

"Oh, Mii…" Lucy rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "She…she left as soon as Fairy Tail disbanded. I tried to look for her, but I don't even think she's in Fiore anymore. With someone like her, you'd hear something immediately…"

Tia sat on Lucy's bed, crossing one leg over the other. She wasn't going to say anything bad about Mii since she was considering Lucy's feelings, but…. "You guys were way too lenient with her."

"I know." Lucy sighed, walking over to a corner of the room where Mii's unfinished painting was. She brought it with her after moving from Magnolia. "...I wasn't there when she helped everyone and confronted her past, but she told me about it. She never was the kind of person to open up to us, but she did slowly. She trusted us…and just as she did, the place she grew to like was no more. She was a nuisance and still had a lot of questions to answer, but she was still one of us. She's the reason why we were even able to make it out of that fight alive…"

With a heavy exhale, Tia stood up and shook her head. She never personally liked Mii and for good reason, but it was clear that Lucy at least had a spot for the woman. "…They say you should switch up your routine when you're upset. I'm feeling depressed just sitting in this room if I'm going to be honest."

Oh. Ouch. There was the Tia she knew and loved. "S-Sorry…"

"So what are we waiting for? Let's go out. You have to cover the fighting soon, yeah? I'm gonna stop at that Al Dente! place and get more food." Tia was already on her way out the door. "So, I'll catch up to you later." That said, the bluenette slipped out the door and went into the city.

"…." With Tia gone, Lucy had a moment to herself. She had time to reflect on Tia's words…if it wasn't for Tia, she probably would have fallen deeper into her depressive state. So she was thankful for that. But she had work to do and a day to face, so she smiled once again and pumped her fist into the air. Everyday had to start with a smile! "Okay! Let's do this today too!"

.

It was earlier in the day than Lucy thought. There was still some time before the Games began, and since they were skipping out on the event portion this year, the Games started off later in the day. This allowed for some downtime and helped her clear her thoughts as she walked through the city streets. Living in Crocus did make her feel a little guilty since she was responsible for what happened…there was no way around it. What happened was partially her fault. But thanks to Hisui and Toma, most of the specifics were swept under the rug…

However, before Lucy could get absorbed into her thoughts even more, there was a shriek that caught her attention. A woman was panicking, pointing in the direction of the closest alleyway. "H-He stole my purse…!"

Thieves in Crocus in broad daylight? Well…considering most of the Council was stationed at the Domus Flau for the Games and the streets were crowded, it was no surprise someone tried to pull a fast one! Lucy pushed her way through the street to approach the woman, giving her a stern expression. "Don't worry; I'll get it back for you!" She was going to be late, but that didn't matter. She was still a mage, and her time in Fairy Tail prevented her from turning a blind eye. Without wasting any time, Lucy's feet carried her to the alleyway, where the thief was trying to escape. Luckily for her this wasn't the infamous Roy, so she was confident that this chase wouldn't last very long. "Hey, come back here!"

"Shit…" The thief grumbled. "Just trying to make a quick steal while everyone is preoccupied, now I got some reporter chasing me!? Buzz off!" The thief made a small attempt to shake Lucy off by knocking over some trash cans to obstruct her path.

"Not on your life!" Lucy exclaimed as her body lit up in a golden hue. "Star Dress: Aries!" The blonde performed a flip over the trash cans with ease. "Wool Bomb!" A cloud of pink wool exploded in front of the thief, immediately cutting off his frontal escape. Unfortunately he was just fast enough to avoid being swept up within the cloud of soothing wool, and immediately made a right!

"You'll never catch me like that!" The thief mocked, but little did they know they happened ot walk right into Lucy's trap.

Lucy knew the layout of Crocus fairly well after all the major events and even living in the city. What Lucy did wasn't a failed attempt, but rather she lured the thief into a corner. A brick wall was waiting at the right turn the thief took, and by then Lucy already had a golden key drawn. "Sagittarius! Now!"

"As you command, moshi-moshi!" The archer took aim, releasing several precise arrows aimed for the thief's back. But it wasn't for damage. The arrows flew with such intensity they pinned the thief's clothing to the brick wall, restricting all movement. Never underestimate a master marksmen.

"Gnk…!" The thief was stuck looking at a brick wall. They couldn't even see Lucy's face as they struggled to free themselves. "Hey! Lemme go!"

"Not a chance." Lucy returned to normal and closed Sagittarius' gate, swiping the purse from the thief. "The Council will be here shortly and I don't think they'll let you off with just a warning."

The woman who had her purse stolen followed the action, letting out a great sigh of relief when Lucy returned it to her. "Oh thank you so much…!"

"It was no problem!" Lucy flashed a smile, giving a peace sign in response.

"Wait a moment…" The woman blinked, narrowing her eyes while looking Lucy over. "I knew you looked familiar! You're Lucy Heartfilia, former Fairy Tail mage and reporter!"

"Ah…" Lucy had a sheepish smile on her lips as she was recognized. "That's me…!"

"Is it true that Fairy Tail really isn't coming back? That's a real shame. But then again…I heard that the incident last year did involve them…" The woman tilted her head curiously while Lucy just smiled nervously. "You know…I have a son around the same age as you. I think you two would get along great!"

Now the conversation was beginning to spiral into something Lucy didn't want. With an embarrassed blush covering her cheeks, the blonde waved her hand rapidly and started to leave. "S-Sorry…I'm sure he's a nice person and all! But I'm really busy and I'm already running late!" And zoom. She was gone, a comical cloud of dust appearing in her wake.

"Oh…" The woman blinked a few times.

Lucy turned a corner and placed a hand over head, feeling a dizzy spell come onto her. "Again…?" Yes, again, meaning that this was fairly common. She considered this a side-effect of having Lambda ripped from her body after being bound for so long. A year later and she was still suffering for it. She could feel her head throbbing and it was killing her! "Ah…please stop…" She groaned while sliding down against the wall, placing her hands on her head; the worst part was that she was definitely going to be late now. She could hear that the Games were already starting for Day 3. "Darn it…"

"Oi…" A familiar voice called out to Lucy as she sat on the ground. A hand was extended to help her up, the symbol of the three moons right on their hand. "You look like you could use a hand."

Lucy looked up, her eyes widening for a moment as she stared at the person who called out to her. A sight for sore eyes in this case: Luke Cloud; a friend whom she hadn't seen in a year. "Luke…"

.

.

Next Time: Nice To See You Again


	3. Chapter 3: Nice To See You Again

Lucy stared up at Luke, taking in the sight of an old friend whom she hadn't seen in so long. She really hadn't seen anyone since Fairy Tail disbanded a year ago. Without thinking she took his hand to help herself up, giving a sheepish smile. "Thanks. It's…been a long time, huh?"

"Yeah." Luke said while rubbing the back of his head. "I was stopping by to get a close look at the Games. I was running a little late, but I heard some lady scream for help. I was about to jump at the chance for a little action, but it seems you beat me to it. Reporter Lucy Heartfilia seems to be doing well enough for herself."

"Late…" Oh god. Lucy just remembered that the Games were starting! She was already behind and Jason was probably waiting for her. "Oh no…! I'm totally late for work!" Without even thinking, she began to scurry off to the Domus Flau. "Can we catch up after the events are over today!? I can't afford to be later than I already am! Meet me at the fountain!" And she was off, leaving Luke in the dust.

"Uh…sure…" Luke blinked a few times as Lucy ran off. She was a busy woman after all. "She looks like she's been doing well." Adjusting the bag over his shoulder, Luke began to walk towards the Domus Flau. "Well…let's see what Fiore has to offer this time around…"

.

"Things are heating up here at Day 3 of the Grand Magic Games!" Chapati had a new head of hair today for one reason or another. "This day is extremely pivotal for those who have fallen behind! If the guilds who've already taken a few losses can't take a victory today, then it's over for them!"

Jason kept his eyes on the action, but he also noticed that Lucy had yet to arrive! It was already time for the second fight! "That's weird…she's usually on time too…"

"That's super weird…" Tia remarked while looking around for Lucy. "She didn't leave too long after me…maybe she got held up?"

And right on cue, Lucy rushed to Jason and Tia, panting heavily. The blonde had to lean over, placing her hands on her knees as she caught her breath. "I-I'm sorry…! I…I got held up. Someone was in trouble, and I had to help them…and then I ran into Luke…"

"Whoa! COOL!" Jason yelled. "Luke Cloud from White Eclipse!? I didn't think any of them were still active in Fiore after they disbanded! You should've brought him here! An interview would have been so COOL!"

Lucy had a sweat drop on her forehead. At least Jason took her being late better than she thought! "I uh…kinda left him behind, but he said he'd be watching the Games!"

"Cool! Cool!" Jason was pumping his fists into the air. "After this, I want to get a scoop from the most popular food stand in the city right now!"

"You mean Al Dente? Mmm…that place is amazing. Best food I've ever had." Tia said with an uncharacteristic soft smile. The food was just that good.

"Heh…" Lucy had a grin of her own. But today was to be just like any other! So with her pen and notepad in hand, she let out an excited cry. "Come on! Let's do this!"

.

.

And later in the day, Day 3 of the Grand Magic Games came to a close. Things were exciting and tense as far as the audience was concerned…but there were a few people who could agree that it didn't compare to last years. That spark really wasn't there. Luke sat at the fountain, staring up at the orange sky. Being in Crocus sure brought back memories…

"Hey." Lucy took a seat next to Luke. "Sorry about earlier. I still do have a job to do, after all! And I was already running late."

"It's no big deal. I see you've been doing well for yourself lately." Luke had a small smile on his face. "Of course, I was surprised that the first thing I saw of you in the magazine was as an underwear model."

Oh no. He saw that!? Now Lucy felt extremely embarrassed and her cheeks burned red and she waved her hands in front of her face as if to cool her cheeks down. "T-That was the first job I had…! Before I asked him for a job as an editor!"

"And you live in Crocus now? You must be making more money than being a mage, huh?" Luke teased, although he didn't exactly know that it was a bit of a sensitive topic for Lucy.

"I don't have to worry about rent so much." Lucy responded while looking up at the sky. Talking with Luke made her feel a little nostalgic. "I didn't think I'd see you again, honestly. Ever since that last battle, everything just kind of…fell apart. Fairy Tail broke apart for seemingly no reason…and I come to find out that White Eclipse ended up doing the same as well."

"Yeah…" Luke tilted his head up. "It came as a surprise to everyone. Calium didn't give us a reason either. He just told us to clean up and do our own thing…and we just did. A lot of people were upset, myself included…but in the end, what could we do? So we packed our stuff and go out. I haven't really heard from anyone since then."

"Mmm…" Lucy nodded. "The same thing pretty much happened to Fairy Tail, too." There was a pause…she had something she wanted to ask, but she was clearly afraid to do so. "…A-About Sophie…I…"

"Hm…?" Luke turned his head to Lucy. One second was all it took for him to notice how nervous she was.

"…I'm really sorry…" The guilt was showing. The celestial mage felt her body shake a little bit. "It's…it's all my fault that Sophie died. White Eclipse must have hated me…She sacrificed herself because of something I did…and I…I…"

The copycat blinked slowly. Yes, the loss of Sophie did weigh heavily on the minds of those at White Eclipse. She was a member after all. But little did Luke guess that Lucy felt so directly responsible for what happened. "...Sophie was a valuable member to White Eclipse. She had her own ambitions, that much was clear. I…still honestly don't know what that entire deal with Emmeraude was about…"

"I'm sorry." Lucy shook her head, letting out an awkward laugh to change the subject. She didn't want to talk about this subject anymore. "I didn't mean to bum the mood. I'm happy to see you again. It's so nice to see an old face. Are you staying somewhere?"

"Yeah." The copycat pointed in the direction of the hotel. "I haven't checked in yet since I just got into the city today. But I planned to stay until the Games were over, which is going to be about 2 days I guess."

Lucy pondered a certain thought. It was around then she noticed that Tia was listening in on their conversation. "I currently have a guest at my home, but if you'd like, you can come over for a bit. It's starting to get late, and catching up would be much better there. I hope you don't mind, Tia."

Drats. She was spotted. But Tia casually shrugged it off. "Yeah, sure, whatever."

"Haha…sure, I can come over for a bit." Luke said with a nod.

.

Lucy, Tia, and Luke now hung out at Lucy's place. Since this was the first time Luke had been to Lucy's new home, he was very clearly surprised at the interior. "Whoa…! You've got a really nice place here."

"Like I said, I've been busy this last year." Lucy said with a small giggle. "Being a reporter has gotten me a lot of money."

"Even though most of the money came from her being a hit as an underwear model." Tia remarked from the corner.

Lucy's cheeks flared up again and she turned to Tia. "Stop bringing it up like that…!"

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with being a model." Luke took a seat and leaned back. "Look at Jenny, she's super popular! …For good reason."

"Well, yes…" Lucy sighed. "But modeling isn't exactly for me. I much prefer writing."

"Yes, the novel she's been working on is very exciting." Tia commented once again. She was having a little too much fun taking shots at Lucy, especially with Luke here now. It made things much more entertaining.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Lucy let out an embarrassed shriek. Why did people keep reading her stuff when she wasn't finished!?

"I'm not sorry. Messing with you is just…really fun for some reason." Tia shrugged.

"I know, right?" Luke let out a laugh, probably the best one he'd had in a long time.

"I don't know why everyone enjoys messing with me…" Lucy pouted while staring down at the cup in her hands. Even though she was being poked fun at, it did make her smile. It had been a long time since she felt even somewhat…normal after Fairy Tail disbanded.

"It could be worse." Tia pinched her nose, pointing at Luke accusingly. "I didn't want to bring this up, but it's been bothering me for a while now and I can't stand it anymore. But Luke, you reek. When was the last time you took a shower? You really think it's okay to hang around women and smell like that? No wonder you have girl troubles."

Luke blinked several times, his being comically becoming smaller and smaller the more Tia berated him. "I…uh…I have been a freelance mage, so…"

"Disgusting." Tia huffed and turned away, her words cutting deep into the copycat.

"I'm…I'm very sorry." Lucy apologized on Tia's behalf. "She's still learning how to be nice to people without hurting their feelings."

"No I'm not. I'm here to hurt feelings." Tia crossed her arms, scoffing loudly. "I know you smell it too. Stop trying to act nice just because you haven't seen him in a while."

"She really doesn't pull any punches…" Luke said with a small sweat drop. "I-I won't stick around for too long. I really just wanted to see how Lucy was holding up, but she seems to be just fine. Especially when she's got such wonderful company such as yourself." That last bit was clearly a shot and Tia knew it.

The woman sprang up from her seat, her staff in hand as she comically began to stomp towards Luke. "You wanna repeat that!?"

Left with no option, Lucy had to step between her two friends, who weren't friends. Luke and Tia probably would never hold a conversation if not for Lucy. "Okay, okay you two! Let's play nice! We're all friends here! We can get along!"

"Yeah yeah…" Tia turned around. "He still stinks though."

"A-Anyway!" Having defused the situation, Lucy returned to her seat and stared at Luke. "So…what exactly have you been up to lately?"

"I've just been roaming around really." Luke answered. "Being a freelance mage from White Eclipse does net me a number of requests when I pass through a town. I have a few new tricks under my sleeves as well…but I haven't gotten many chances to use them. I was hoping to run into the Challenger..."

"Wait, who?" Lucy tilted her head curiously.

"You haven't heard? There's been some dude going around beating up mages." Luke answered. "He calls himself a Challenger, so people went ahead to call him 'The Challenger'. So far I've heard he's undefeated...but I plan on changing that when I run into him."

"Unless he kicks your ass." Tia muttered. Luke heard it, but for the sake of peace he opted to ignore the cutting remark.

"What kind of magic does this guy use...?" Lucy was curious.

"I heard he uses some really intense fire magic." The brunet nodded. "Every place he goes to ends up ignited in flames and begins to melt. It's pretty ridiculous actually..." Digging in his bag, Luke pulled out a few pictures from sources that weren't Sorcerer's Weekly. "Look at this."

"Fire magic, huh...?" Lucy trailed off for a moment while staring at the pictures. "Natsu would probably get a kick out of fighting someone like him." The absentminded comment was mumbled, but her guests did happen to hear it.

"I'm pretty sure he can get arrested for arson. Look at that one. That town is practically in ruins..." Tia rolled her eyes.

The copycat continued on. "I've also been listening in on the news regarding the Magic Council…Calium dropped his position, as did Mac, Zios, Anri, and Avani I believe…"

"Yeah." Lucy nodded, her expression falling slightly. "I don't know what it was about that day…but ever since then; nothing really has been the same. But the Four Gods of Ishgar have taken up those roles of the Wizard Saints, so I hear. So things aren't a complete shamble...and Kemuri has appointed some new Council members and captains. I guess he really is trying."

"This country really is just a mess…" Tia sighed. "A lot of things go wrong, people give up positions of power….problems arise…it's no wonder the other countries tend to look at this place and laugh."

"You _were_ one of those problems before, remember?" Luke took the shot, and Tia scowled.

"The point is…maybe things aren't so bad now. An entire year of peace in this place?" The Dealer member hummed quietly. "….You know, now that I think about it, there is one thing I'm curious about. What happened to Emmeraude?"

"Yeah, I'm curious about that too. I have no idea what happened to her after that final battle that destroyed the castle." All eyes were on Lucy. "Do you know what happened?"

"…Yes, I do." Lucy nodded to the both of them. "There was a trial held for her but…it didn't exactly end well." She remembered that day well…because she was called there by Hisui as a key witness to the trial to speak on Fiore's behalf as a victim of what the Emerald Empress had done…

.

.

Next Time: The Trial.


	4. Chapter 4: The Trial

11 months ago.

One month after the incident and it was finally time for the woman known as Emmeraude to face her crimes. While her aspirations were supposedly for a better world, her methods were anything but legal. So now, there was the woman, standing in the middle of a room in Fiore, where Hisui, Toma, a number of councilmen and Lucy sat around her. The only reason she wasn't sent to public execution immediately was due to Hisui fighting hard for the woman's life, and King Ashnard didn't care enough to show up in person, so he was participating via lacrima screen. To ensure she wouldn't try anything funny, she was bound with magic sealing cuffs.

"Must we really go through with this?" Even though he was only present on screen, Ashnard's boredom was plainly seen. "The execution of her cohorts has already been carried out, it's only natural that the leader of such a rebellion follows suit. She could have suffered on her own, but now I must be involved because members of my army decided to get involved, thus making the situation difficult for me."

"I'm sorry if this intrudes on your very busy schedule, King Ashnard." Hisui stared at the screen with a serious expression. "But we must decide on a swift punishment for Emmeraude that doesn't include an execution."

"Wearing your heart on your sleeve, what a naïve thing to do…" Ashnard sighed. "I don't see why I'm here then, because I am not budging on this regard."

"Because we need to hear our witness speak." Toma said with a firm nod. The person in question was Lucy of course, since she was one of the biggest victims of Emmeraude's plot. "When we hear the story, we can decide how to punish her."

"Oh, is that how it will be?" Emmeraude finally remarked, causing all eyes to turn to her. The woman was well aware that her dream was dead, but she was going to remain as petty as possible until the very end. "If that's the case, shouldn't things be the other way around. I'm a victim because of that woman. My daughter is dead, and so are my companions all because she put her nose into a situation that never concerned her. I've never taken a life, but she's taken four, yet I'm the guilty party?"

"I-I didn't…." Lucy frowned, lowering her gaze as Emmeraude glared into her soul.

"Oh no no, you don't get to look away, Heartfilia." Emmeraude placed her hands on her hips. "I want you to look me in the eyes as you explain everything you've done. If you feel guilty about it, then that just means you know what you did was wrong."

"You're making it very difficult to keep you alive." Hisui cleared her throat. "Please, refrain from making any unnecessary comments unless spoken to."

"I've said what I wanted to anyway." The woman scoffed and crossed her arms, tapping her foot along the ground.

"A spoiled brat she is." Ashnard couldn't help but snicker at her defiance. It was making this dull meeting enjoyable.

Lucy stood up, clearing her throat as she was required to speak. "Ahem…it all happened a little over a year ago. I took a job that asked for someone to find out why people were disappearing and bring them back if possible. So I made my way to an underground lab…and that's when I saw Emmeraude working on what was the Lambda project. All the people that were reported gone were dead…"

"Because they were all failed test subjects." Emmeraude spoke out of line again. But this caused Correll to use his gravity to make her heavy. She grit her teeth, but continued nonetheless. "If you want the long story short, I intended to rule the entire world. It all started with Fiore and I planned to rule the world, in the process, my former companions from Pergrande wished to follow me to the ends of the earth. But…in the end, they died. My daughter died, my friends died, and my plans went awry. All because that blonde and her guild stood in my way. You can look at me as the bad guy, but they went ahead and threw away peace for the sake of guild pride. Guilds aren't heroes because they choose to be…they only do what suits their best interest."

"Emmeraude…!" Hisui shouted.

Hisui's concern was appreciated, but in the end Emmeraude simply gave a shrug in response. "What? I'm only explaining what happened. I'm not going to deny my 'guilt' in the matter either. If I had the chance to do it again, I would."

"And that is precisely why we cannot let such a menace roam around the world. She truly will attempt to dethrone everyone, just as she did you, Toma." The end of Ashnard's statement was a taunt, but it would not rile up the King of Fiore so long as his daughter was adamant about keeping Emmeraude alive for a suitable punishment. "She is a resident of no country…a dangerous wanderer who intends to tip the balance of the world. Her actions could be comparable to that of the Black Wizard."

"Even so…she was stopped and she can change." Hisui was firm on this. "I don't wish to send a woman to death if I can help it. Even time in prison is more humane than a public execution. I don't wish to make a twisted show of power with my decisions…that is what my father taught me."

"…Soft as ever, I see…" Emmeraude sighed. Honestly…at least her mother was still alive. That was the only thing keeping her going when she lost Sophie, Drayden, Ross, and Marisa. "Whatever you want to do with me, will you make it quick? These cuffs are uncomfortable and standing for so long is a pain."

"Kehehehe…" An unusual laughter came from Correll as the situation dragged on. All eyes were strangely on him for this out of character action.

"…Captain Correll? Is everything all right?" Toma had a worried expression on his face.

"So, are we settled on a punishment for the prisoner yet?" A dark purple aura slowly started to flow from Correll's body. The chill of death crawled up everyone's spine, but Lucy was the first one to stand up.

"Something's wrong with him!" The celestial wizard had a grip on her key ring. "Stand back, everyone!"

Correll let out a heinous laugh before his body erupted into a skull of purple flame. Everyone stood back as a scythe cut through the flames, revealing the Grim Reaper himself, Prometheus. "HAHAHA!"

"What the…" Emmeraude was just as confused as the others, which was a first considering how calculating she was.

"That…person…is from the demon attack in Crocus two years ago…" Hisui recalled Prometheus. "But…what just happened!?"

"What did you do to Captain Correll!?" Toma demanded to know.

"That fool has been dead for a long time now." Prometheus explained. "When someone dies, their soul leaves their body. As long as there is no interference, that soul goes directly to me. I am the one who claims the lives of the living after all. I can also use these departed souls in my favor…I granted the soul belonging to that Council Captain life again as my puppet to fill me in on everything this country was doing. My liege demanded that I do so…and his usefulness has come to an end at this very moment, so back to Hell he goes."

"We've been compromised…" The Jade Princess stood up, but Lucy placed in arm out in front of her.

"Well this is quite the situation." Ashnard yawned. "If it is an assassination attempt, I care not…don't call me again unless you advocate the execution." With no more to say, Ashnard cut the transmission.

"I can't really blame him for that one." Emmeraude shrugged. "Although I'm very curious as to what this guest wants."

"There's only one…I can take them." Lucy said with a firm nod. No time was wasted as a golden light illuminated around her body. As the light faded, Lucy was revealed to be in her Star Dress: Cancer. The two blades that came with the transformation were held tightly within her hands. Jumping down from the stand, Lucy pointed a blade at Prometheus, scowling the whole time. "So…what was the purpose of that little trick? Just to spy on Fiore? Who this liege you spoke of?!"

Prometheus' smile widened, teeth shown to the blonde as she continued to question his motives. "My liege is one you'll find out soon enough. But I've been tasked with two things…to destroy this building and leave no survivors. And then…the Emperor wishes to speak with…her." Prometheus pointed at Emmeraude, causing everyone to blink.

"…Me…?" Even Emmeraude was surprised at this, but then she rolled her eyes. "I'm tired of royalty right now…"

"I've heard enough." Lucy pushed forward, swinging both blades at Prometheus' midsection. "You won't be killing anyone today!" Both of her blades were blocked by Prometheus' scythe, and the Grim Reaper faced her with a deranged grin.

"If you're going to kill anyone, please let it be her." Emmeraude remarked, and it only annoyed Lucy.

"I'm not in the mood for your remarks…!" Lucy growled before leaping back.

"HAHAHA!" Prometheus' insane laughter filled the room as he twirled his scythe around before swinging it forward, unleashing a crescent blade of energy that shot towards…Hisui and Toma!

"Watch out!" Lucy stepped forward, bringing her swords up to cross them into an X, defending against the powerful beam. It was strong and Lucy was barely able to hold her ground before uncrossing her swords, deflecting the beam into the ceiling. Even though it was the best possible outcome, the ceiling was completely destroyed and started to fall in. The debris scattered along the floor but didn't hurt anyone. "You all must get out of here! I will hold him off! Make sure he doesn't get to Emmeraude either."

"You don't have to break your back for me." Emmeraude leaned on the stand, watching the scuffle play out. But of course Hisui was going to try and tug her along to safety since it was unknown what Emmeraude was even wanted for. "You simply won't yield, will you?"

"Your punishment has yet to be decided." Hisui's tone was more of a stern one. She was serious about not letting Emmeraude get off free for her actions.

"Very well…" Emmeraude wouldn't fight. She was just along for the ride at this point.

"Hurry!" Arcadios exclaimed, leading the way to the exit.

Lucy was doing well at keeping Prometheus busy. She refused to allow any more of those beams to shoot from his scythe, so she kept close range, slashing at him fiercely. Unfortunately she was unable to keep any leeway on him, but she forced him onto the defensive with her movements. _"Yes! Just a little longer and we should be in the clear!"_

"I hope that you weren't thinking 'Yes! Just a little longer and we should be in the clear'!" Prometheus' remark caused Lucy's eyes to comically buldge out of their sockets before a sweat drop rolled down her forehead. "If I were alone, then this would be a difficult job. But I knew this task would be difficult…and I am never alone! Pandora!"

On that call, Pandora appeared from the hole in the ceiling, twirling her staff around and wasted no time swinging it forward, releasing blasts of lightning and ice towards Hisui and Toma. "On it."

"Sagittarius!" Lucy had to turn her attention away from Prometheus to protect the royals! Sagittarius appeared as soon as his gate was open, bow and arrow at the ready.

"I won't allow a single shot to get through moshi-moshi!" With his masterful archery skills in play, Sagittarius released a volley of arrows to collide with the elemental blasts, resulting in an explosion!

The explosions caused Hisui and Toma to tumble forward. A stray beam of ice was coming towards Emmeraude, but she lifted her arms up and allowed it to strike the magic sealing cuffs on her wrists, freezing them over to allow them to break. "Oh…that's convenient." Emmeraude spoke while rubbing her wrists.

"Nice!" Lucy had a small grin, but the little victory was never hers to begin with. As soon as the explosion occurred, Prometheus stepped forward, slipping past Lucy while his scythe was already charged for another slash.

"EYAH!" Prometheus swung his scythe forward, sending another beam at Hisui's direction. "Hahahahaha!"

And Emmeraude didn't have much time to celebrate her freedom. Without even thinking on it, Emmeraude dove forward, pushing Hisui out of the way as the crescent slash cut deep into her side. The emerald haired woman landed on the ground with a groan of pain, wincing a little in the process. "You foolish Princess…"

"E-Emmeraude you…" Hisui had wide eyes. But before another comment could come from anyone else…time froze. Everyone was frozen in time except for…Emmeraude herself.

 _Click._

The sound of teeth clicking together was the only noise in the expanse of time. A woman with short blonde hair sauntered forward as though she owned the place, humming contently. "Your Majesty…is this the one you sought?"

Zeref walked forward, appearing from seemingly nowhere. "Indeed it is, Dimaria. Thank you, you have done well. You too, Prometheus, Pandora…"

"Thank you, Lord Zeref…" Pandora's monotonous tone held gratitude. The woman bowed and stood off to the side.

"The Black Wizard…" Emmeraude held her hand to her bleeding side, staying crouched since she couldn't be too bothered to move. "So…coming to personally erase me yourself, have you? Seems like a mundane task for someone such as yourself."

"Not at all." Zeref shook his head, a soft smile on his face. But that only served to unnerve Emmeraude. "I came for something much different. I've watched your efforts…and I must say, they were valiant indeed. You and I share a similar goal…we both seek to change the world."

"You should be honored. It's not often His Majesty offers praise." Dimaria held a smirk.

"His…Majesty….?" Just what was going on here? Emmeraude had no a clue.

"I can explain later." Zeref nodded while extending a hand. "You know very well that there is no peace in this world. Peace cannot exist as long as two things exist: Acnologia…and Fairy Heart."

"….?" Safe to say, Emmeraude honestly had not a clue as to what Zeref was going on about.

"Come with me." Zeref said. "You'll understand what I mean soon enough. You don't wish to stay here, do you? It would make this trip…quite a waste…"

When the Black Wizard of all people extended a hand to you…you took it. Emmeraude wasn't entirely sure what was going on with her life at this point, but she simply nodded. "Very well…"

"Hmmm…" Dimaria felt quite bored that she couldn't end of lives of anyone here. But she was going to have a little bit of fun before they departed. A blade was in her hand and she walked over to both Lucy and Hisui, slashing at their clothing. The results of this would be seen when time resumed…

 _Click._

Time resumed. Zeref and his subordinates were gone, their presence having never existed in the first place. "What the….?" Lucy glanced around but could see nothing. To her, as soon as the explosion occurred, the bad guys were just…gone! "What happened!?" _Riiiiip._ That was the sound of Lucy's top being shredded open. Luckily she was able to react on some strange instinct and covered her chest before anyone saw. "Ahhh! How did this happen!?"

"She's gone…!?" Hisui saw Emmeraude take a hit for her one second only to be gone the next. _Riiiiip._ And now, Hisui's dress was ripped in the process. She covered her chest with a flushed and embarrassed expression. "W-What…how in the…!?"

"Hisui my dear! Are you okay?!" Toma questioned with the upmost concern.

"…" Arcadios could only stare at what he saw.

"STOP LOOKING!" Hisui cried out. The situation went from bad to worse to…just plain strange.

.

.

Fast forward to 11 months later, where Lucy told the story to Luke and Tia, but obviously she was unaware of the key details such as where Emmeraude went off to. "And that's what happened."

"You mean…an explosion happened and she was just gone?" Tia quirked a brow. "She probably got free of her cuffs during the altercation."

"She got loose, and it was my fault…" Lucy sighed. Another reason she wasn't exactly in high spirits about the situation.

"You protected the King and Princess, I think you did fine." Luke reassured. "But still…that's weird. I wonder what happened to her…"

"She can't do much now." Tia yawned. "She has no assets…no comrades…and she can't get the drop on anyone now. Keeping an eye out for her is the best thing, but you shouldn't be worried about that. You should just enjoy your life now."

"Yeah, I guess." Lucy sighed. "I brought down the mood again, I'm sorry. I keep doing that a lot lately."

"It's all right." Luke stood up, stretching and yawning. "It's pretty late. I should go check in to the hotel."

"And take a bath while you're at it." Tia pinched her nose and waved her hand. "The stench is permeating around the room…and this is where I sleep when I stay here."

"OKAY! I get it!" Luke grumbled, slinging his bag over his back and waved to Lucy. "See you at the stadium tomorrow." And he left. The verbal abuse by Tia was too much for him to bear. He was a fragile dude after all.

"You need to be nicer to people…" Lucy sighed.

"No I don't." Tia shrugged, gathering her things to take a shower.

.

.

The sun shone on a brand new day. The Domus Flau was filled with people, all excited for Day 4 of the Grand Magic Games! "Good morning everyone!" Chapati yelled. "Today is the day! This is Day 4 of the Grand Magic Games! This is the last chance for any guild to make it into the finals! The top four will square off against one another today, and the winning pair will advance to the finale tomorrow! Fiore's new talent will shine here today!"

.

.

Next Time: Fiore's New Talent.


	5. Chapter 5: Fiore's New Talent

"AND THERE WE HAVE IT FOLKS!" Chapati yelled into the mic. "After a hard fought battle against Dullahanhead, Skull Millone surprises everyone with yet another miracle! Skull Millone will be moving onto the final round of the Grand Magic Games!" The crowd cheered while the members of Skull Millone basked in the results of a narrow victory.

"They've taken out the guild everyone assumed to be the winners. Now this truly is an upset." Yajima remarked with a smile.

"Cool cool COOOOOL!" Jason was absolutely ecstatic with the victory. "Skull Millone has been hanging on by a thread this whole time, but it looks like they could really take this thing!"

Both Lucy and Tia seemed a little…bored when it came to Skull Millone. "They really pulled that out of their ass, huh…?" Tia mumbled. "To me, it seems like they could have won the entire time…"

"Huh?" Jason stared at the two females with wide eyes.

"But we can't tell yet." Lucy spoke to Tia and Jason. "That was probably their hardest fight so far…but I could get the slightest read that they weren't trying their hardest."

"B-But why would they do that…?" Jason was scratching his head with his pen.

"For the money." Lucy suggested. "So far the underdogs this year have been Black Phoenix B and Skull Millone. They have competition with Black Phoenix's surprising team…but if they end up losing then Skull Millone will be worth a lot. Do you remember the fight yesterday? Alexander Khan from Black Phoenix was even with his Skull Millone right until the end. Alexander was able to win with a clutch maneuver, but it was clear that Skull Millone was holding back for one reason or another."

"Wow…that's one cool prediction." Jason said with wide eyes. If Lucy was right about this, then that would have been so cool!

"Black Phoenix B is really trying their hardest." Tia took a glance over at the team. "Since their A team got knocked out yesterday, it's up to the B team, which is weird. I guess they've been lucky with their match ups."

"Black Phoenix B, along with Skull Millone, have been the fan favorites this year!" Jason reported. "Many people want to see them duke it out in the finals. That would be so COOOL! But we can't underestimate the other guild remaining…"

"Now it's time for the final match of the day! The match that will determine the final round of the Grand Magic Games! Draco's Order's Takame vs Black Phoenix's Asuka Ichiro!" Chapati yelled. "Draco's Order and Black Phoenix have held the same record the entire Games…so many people are looking forward to which one will be facing Skull Millone in the finals!"

"After four days, we're finally seeing some of Fiore's new talent." Yajima put his hands together, watching as Asuka and Takame stepped into the arena. Takame was a big dude with blue hair. He clearly worked out and his physical presence was intimidating.

"Takame…cool!" Jason was already writing things down. "This was the guy in the preliminaries who lifted the heaviest weights with ease! Because of his magic, they call him the Genesis Champion, which sounds really cool. I wouldn't want to take a punch from that guy…"

"Genesis Champion? That's so lame…" Tia rolled her eyes, leaning on the railing. "But whatever…let's see who wins, though. I bet the girl is gonna get flattened."

"Ever the optimist…" Lucy sighed.

"I'm a realist." Tia shot back.

Asuka stood across from Takame, rotating her arms excitedly. It was her time to fight…and if she could win this fight, then Black Phoenix had a chance at being Fiore's strongest guild! "Okay big guy…I know you're strong and all…but my guild is counting on me to win this. So I have to win!" It was a fairly simple statement, but one that had Asuka psyched up and ready to fight.

Takame had a friendly smile on his face. "I understand completely. So let's give it our all!" As soon as he said that, there was a faint white glow around his body and the air suddenly grew heavy. It wasn't gravity, but merely Takame's magic coming into play.

"Let the battle begin-kabo!" Mato exclaimed and the bell rang.

As soon as the battle began, Takame sprinted forward, reaching Asuka within the blink of an eye. A fist was raised and swiftly brought down. Asuka was able to avoid the punch, but narrowly at that. What left her in shock was not Takame's speed, but the fact the ground completely shattered from the force of his raw power. _"From a single punch?!"_ If that was the fate of the ground…she could only imagine what a punch would do to her bones. She couldn't afford to let up. Lightning dance around her body for a brief moment and she began her counter attack. "Rajin Tempo…times two!"

"What's this? A speed enhancing spell!?" Chapati questioned.

With this speed increase, Asuka was capable of closing the gap between her and Takame within seconds. Water exploded from her elbow, propelling her forward with great speeds. "Ha!" The elbow crashed into Takame's jaw, the momentum causing him to stagger back.

"And Asuka lands the first blow!" Chapati was already sitting up in his seat.

"Oof…! That was a good hit." Takame said with a big grin. "Now it's my turn!" The male's magical output increased and he lunged forward, slipping behind Asuka before she could properly react. Takame threw a solid punch that collided against the girl's cheek, nearly sending her flying back!

"Gah..!" Asuka cried out from pain, but was narrowly able to catch herself. "That hurt…but not enough!" She had to keep going! With Rajin Tempo, she was faster than most could follow. Asuka used this speed to her advantage to gain distance, but Takame wasn't going to let her go that easily! "I need defense…!" The rookie shouted out before using earth magic to put a wall between her and Takame. "There…!"

Shatter. The wall of earth didn't last long at all as Takame's fist broke right through it! All Asuka could do before the inevitable impact of the punch was cross her arms. The girl slid back a great distance from the punch.

"Oof…I felt that." Tia cringed from that punch.

"Takame hits hard! I don't think she'll be able to take many of those. I know I wouldn't." Chapati nodded.

"She's fine! Keep pushing!" Ethan shouted from the stands.

"I know she won't give up that easily." Alexander Khan said with a firm nod. Even if he and Asuka were always at each other's throats, they were still guild mates.

"This is nothin'…!" Asuka spoke confidently while pushing forward once more. With her speed she zipped behind Takame, her fist now igniting in fierce flames. "Hono…HAMMER!" Takame was able to turn around, but as he did, Asuka's destructive fist of flame slammed into his chin, sending him spiraling backwards from the direct hit!

"A direct hit. How impressive." Yajima nodded.

Takame had a burn mark on his chin after that hit, but he wasn't upset! He was grinning! A good fight was always something he enjoyed. The blue haired male's red aura continued to grow stronger, causing his muscles to bulk up as a result. "You're strong, I like it! But I can't lose now!" The Genesis Champion rushed Asuka down with a series of punches. His strength was even higher than it was a few seconds ago and Asuka was well aware of this…but the only thing she could do at this point was fight back!

"The two are going blow for blow!" Chapati sat up from his seat.

Asuka's fiery punches had to collide with Takame's enhanced punches. Every punch that collided with one another sent an uncomfortable feeling through Asuka's arms, but she pressed on. Takame's muscular frame was damaged by Asuka's punches, but Asuka was catching the worst end of the trade since Takame's strength easily surpassed her own! As a last second maneuver, Asuka used wind to throw Takame off his balance for a moment before a blazing punch struck his chest. "There…!"

Takame staggered for a moment before regaining his balance, returning fire with a roaring uppercut for Asuka's chin! The impact sent the girl skyward and the follow through created a resounding shockwave that reverberated violently through the air.

"Oh…ouch…" Lucy winced from that impact. But it was kind of strange. Watching Asuka fight like this reminded her of…

"A resounding impact!? Will Asuka recover from that, or is it the end!?" Chapati asked as all eyes trailed up to watch Asuka fly, and eventually plumment back down to the ground.

"Not yet…." Asuka grit her teeth, fighting through the pain of such a disorienting punch. She had to win. Black Phoenix was so close to becoming winners of the Grand Magic Games…all she had to do was make sure they got into the finals! This thought fueled her and water exploded from her elbow, but at the same time fire ignited around her fist! Judging by the look on her face, this combination of elements was a first, but she wasn't going to question it. "HAAA!"

Asuka's battle cry sparked Takame's fighting spirit! His feet dug into the ground and he reared his arm back, red aura flaring intensely! The ground underneath the male started to shatter and break apart from the aura itself. This was going to be the finishing blow! One of them would fall here! "HAAAA!"

BOOM!

The collision caused a large explosion immediately. Takame's strength vs. Asuka's momentum created a thick cloud of smoke that blinded everyone.

"Wah…!" Lucy had to cover her eyes from the intense wind.

"Which one fell?" Chapati attempted to peer into the smoke as it cleared.

Both Takame and Asuka had their fists smashed into the others' cheek. Both were standing completely still and the arena was tense…neither of them were moving either. It was difficult to call at first…but both of them then fell backwards onto the ground, neither moving.

"I-Is it a draw?!" Chapati asked.

"I think they're both down…" Lucy blinked slowly.

"It is a draw-kabo!" Mato exclaimed. Everyone wasn't sure what happened next, but the mysterious pumpkin headed host was already about to explain! "Don't worry-kabo! This just means that the finale of the Games tomorrow will be…a THREE WAY FREE FOR ALL!" Now THAT was what everyone wanted to hear! The crowd roared in excitement at the thought of Fiore's top three contenders duking it out all at once for the title of the strongest guild.

"COOL COOL COOOOL!" Jason was jumping for joy. "Skull Millone vs Black Phoenix vs. Draco's Order! A cool finale!"

If one looked carefully, one could see the members of Skull Millone sweating slightly. Dealing with one or the other would have suited their interests perfectly…but both at once? This surprise finally didn't bode good news for them. Skull Millone watched as Takame and Asuka were pulled away to their respective guilds to heal.

"Ha…look, they're sweating." Tia laughed.

"This concludes today's proceedings! Get some rest everyone, for tomorrow will be the battle to decide Fiore's strongest!" Chapati told everyone.

"This will make for a good section…" Lucy was about to write something down, but Jason stopped her.

"Wait! I just got a COOOL idea!" Jason nodded his head frantically. "We should interview some people and get their thoughts on the Games so far! You said Luke Cloud was here right? He should be first!"

"Ah…well, yes, that does sound like it will make for good commentary…" Plus, Lucy was a little curious as to how Luke felt about these Games now too. "Okay! Let's do it! Just lead the away!"

"Since I'm not needed…I'm gonna go get more food." Tia waved and walked off.

* * *

With the Games ending for the day, everyone fanned out to prepare for the final day. Luke was exciting the stadium to buy something to eat. But he was stopped as Jason called out to him. "LUUUKE!"

"What the hell…?" Luke turned around only to see Jason and Lucy approaching him. Based on the pair he could only assume that the two of them were still on the clock. "Uh…yo."

"Sorry to bother you, Mr. Cloud, but we'd like to ask you some questions." Lucy held her professional tone with her pen and notepad in hand.

"Mr. Cloud…?" Luke had to keep from laughing. Did she say that on purpose? This was his first time actually witnessing Lucy as a reporter, so he'd play along. "Okay, what are these questions?"

Jason cleared his throat. "So, Luke! As a former mage of White Eclipse, what do you think of these Grand Magic Games so far? Are they cool, or are they lacking that certain fire from the previous years? What do you think of this new talent that's risen to the top without White Eclipse or Fairy Tail! We'd love to hear your thoughts!"

Luke stroked his chin at the numerous questions thrown his way, needing some time to think on it. "Well, from what I've seen so far…these Games are exciting in their own right. But it doesn't feel the same without the familiar faces taking part."

"I said the same thing! How cool is that?" Jason nodded, gesturing for Luke to continue.

"But these new mages look promising. That last fight was pretty intense." The copycat admitted with a shrug. "But if White Eclipse were here, we'd win obviously."

"Of course." Lucy rolled her eyes at such a statement. But she honestly didn't expect anything less.

"So, between the three of us…" Jason leaned in a little bit. "Which guild do you think will take it this year? Skull Millone, Draco's Order, or Black Phoenix?"

"Hmmmm…." Now this was a tough question. "I think Skull Millone has been holding back on their opponents…so they might just take it. When you've been a mage for this long, you can kinda tell when someone's holding back."

"Mmm…" Lucy nodded silently in agreement since she shared the same sentiments.

"Thank you so much for your time, Luke Cloud!" Jason had a big grin on his face before turning to Lucy. "Did you get all that?"

"Sure did." Lucy turned the notepad around to show what she wrote down. "I think he's been a big help…which is rare." Oh, shots fired. But a friendly smile was behind it.

"I'll be around tomorrow for the finale. I can only hope it's good." Luke waved both Jason and Lucy off as he made his exit.

"As expected from a veteran mage…he's so cool." Jason had a grin while Lucy just laughed.

"He's not that cool." Lucy replied before staring at her boss. "So…are we going to interview anyone else?"

"Yes! Have you heard of Al Dente!?" Jason questioned while leading the way. "You know the coolest, most popular food stand this year and last?"

"Oh yeah…I went there for food with Tia the other day." Lucy followed behind Jason, flipping through her notepad just to make sure she had everything ready for the eventual article that was going to come out next week. "What about them?"

"Rumors say that the members of their guild are actually SUPER strong!" Jason exclaimed. "Which would be so cool! Especially considering that their guild doubles as a restaurant."

"That place is a guild too? I…didn't know that." Lucy blinked a few times as she and Jason approached the Al Dente! stand. With the Games over for the day, they were extremely busy. What was surprising was the unfriendly aura emanating off of Blair as she was waitress. "Don't they look busy…"

With all the noise going about, Blair was getting more and more irritated with each second. "I swear to god, if this keeps up I'm going to devour all of them…" The woman groaned as her bandaged arm started to radiate.

"Did you just use the Lord's name in vain!?" A girl named Reiko shouted, helping along with a few others in assisting with giving people their food.

"Reiko, I swear…" Blair was not in the mood for any of this. If the food wasn't so good, many people would be backing away in the opposite direction.

Jason scanned the busy area to speak to a member that wasn't busy dealing with customers. He then spotted two men standing on guard in case anyone tried something funny and motioned Lucy to follow him. "Excuse us! We're from Sorcerer's Weekly, and we'd like a moment of your time, if that's cool with you?"

"Eh?" Both males turned, but one answered. This male was rather tall and had spiky light brown hair, brown eyes, and a few piercings in his ear. "What do you want?"

"We have a few questions for the restaurant and guild known as Al Dente!" Jason explained.

"…What do you think, Cloud?" The male glanced over to the other who was clad in hunting gear.

"Hmmmm…" The hunter glanced at his companion before giving a shrug. "Everyone's busy. I don't see why not, Keele."

"Perfect!" Jason grinned before clearing his throat. "We've heard rumors that Al Dente! is actually quite a strong guild. If that's the case, what do you think of the talent that's been shown in the Grand Magic Games so far?! Is it cool watching Fiore's finest duke it out?"

Keele and Cloud stared at one another for a good minute before laughing. The reaction caught both Lucy and Jason off guard and they awkwardly stared at one another. "There's talent this year?" Keele questioned with a condescending tone. "The fights have been so boring this year nobody even bothered to watch after day 2."

"I've had hunts more exciting than those battles." Cloud said with a laugh.

"Is that so…?" Lucy lifted a brow. It was probably Keele's tone, but Lucy already didn't like this guy. She'd be glad to know she wasn't the only one who disliked him either. "What about last year, often regarded as the best Grand Magic Games to date?"

"Weak." Cloud scoffed.

"Yeah." Keele nodded in agreement. "If we entered this year and the previous one, it would have been a clean sweep. That Fairy Tail guild won right? Not even a competition. Everyone here could crush mages like that easily! They disbanded right? I wish they were still around so I could prove my point. Hell, I could sweep through that entire guild easily!"

Lucy had to keep a professional face, but Keele's comments dug under her skin. If Natsu were here she knew he'd never let such a comment slide without a challenge. But Lucy wasn't here for that, she was here as a reporter. "I see…"

"This place is filled with strong people. Not stronger than me, but you get the point. If Cloud and I were even a little bit interested, we'd be watching the fights instead of standing guard." Keele explained. "If you asked everyone else, they'd say the same thing!" And there he was, starting to laugh again.

"But our interest dropped on the second fight. Nothing this year, or last was worth watching." Cloud simply nodded.

"Such bold words!" Jason was excited at this, definitely keeping this conversation in the back of his head. "This is cool! Now I wish we had the chance to see you all in action! Thank you for your time!"

"Yeah…" Lucy turned around and led the way back. She wrote down the comments, but that didn't mean she enjoyed hearing it.

* * *

After parting ways with Jason for the evening, Lucy walked down a street with Tia and let out a heavy sigh after telling her what happened at Al Dente! "I hope it's not just me, but that guy was really irritating…and he smelled. But I couldn't say that out loud."

"Eh…I don't know why it bothers you so much." Tia shrugged. "If I heard something like that about Dealer, I'd just drown them then and there."

"It bothers me because…well…I don't even know why Fairy Tail was disbanded." The blonde stared at the ground. "Whatever it was…Master didn't think we could handle it. On top of how I already feel…those types of comments just don't make me feel very good."

"Hey, no, stop that." Tia smacked Lucy upside the head. "No bad thoughts. That's how you wallow in depression and you can't afford to do that. It wasn't your fault, remember?"

"…" Lucy still thought that, but she wasn't going to argue with Tia on this one. "Okay."

"EEEEE! HE'S BACK!" The screams of several women filled the street and the all rushed past Lucy and Tia.

"The hell is going on…?" Tia looked over her shoulder with a curious brow.

"…" Lucy stared curiously at the gathering of females, having a bad feeling grow in her stomach. "….I'm getting deja ve. We should leave. Now."

"Ladies~" The smooth voice of a male rang out and the ladies swooned. "Lacy, Tracey, Stacy…good to see you my hunnies~" Red locks flowed in artificial breeze…a male walked forward with his annoying grin. It was none other than Zelos – the womanizer of one year's past was back.

"…Yeah, we're leaving." Tia turned with Lucy to sneak away, but nothing escaped Zelos when it came to woman.

"Well well! Lucy-chan! Tia-chan, it's been such a long time!" Zelos turned away from the group of females to meet his favorites with a wider grin. "One year? Far too long!" A flower vendor happened to be passing by and Zelos 'accidentally' tripped the cart, causing the flowers to fly out and land in the arms of all the ladies. "Flowers for all the pretty women. You don't need to thank me; it's just what I do!"

"Today really took a downward spiral…" Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled heavily. They weren't getting away from this man so easily.

* * *

A few miles from the bustling capital, a hooded figure strolled forward. They stopped when Crocus was finally within their line of sight. It felt like eons of travelling for this mysterious figure, but it all seemed worth it. "Heh…The Grand Magic Games are about to end tomorrow. I can't wait to see what Fiore's new strongest have to offer…"

.

.

Next Time: The Challenger.


	6. Chapter 6: The Challenger

Out of all the streets in Crocus, it would be the one Lucy and Tia were strolling through on the way back to Lucy's place. They met with none other than Zelos, everyone's least favorite person back when he loitered around Fairy Tail. But he never could take a hint and faced the two women with his usual grin. "My two favorite ladies! Long time no see!"

"I'm off the market, remember?" Tia scoffed, turning away from Zelos as she kept on walking.

"And I'm not interested." Lucy also turned around, both of them preparing to leave Zelos in the dust. But he was much faster than they remembered and he appeared right in front of them.

"Can't I catch up with my favorite hunnies? It's been so long!" Zelos had his award winning smile present.

Tia glanced between Zelos and Lucy before leaning against the nearest wall, crossing her arms. "He's all yours. You're the single lady."

"Being single has nothing to do with it…" Lucy pointed to all the women swooning over Zelos from afar. She was 100% positive that they all had boyfriends or were even married! She was certain Zelos wasn't the type to use Charm magic either…his natural charm was just that good. "Fine…what do you want?"

"To say hello, what else?" Zelos had a rose in his hand, twirling it around between his fingers. "It's been a year since that fateful day. I was worried about how everyone would fare since they all loved that place with their hearts. Even I could see that much. I also hoped that you weren't taking it too hard." For once, Zelos had genuine concern in his tone. Even he could tell that Lucy was shaken up by Fairy Tail's disbandment.

"…I didn't think you had a caring bone in your body." Lucy said with a soft laugh.

"How could I not be concerned? That beautiful smile was wonderful part of my daily routine back when I was hanging around Fairy Tail." Zelos then got on a knee, holding the rose up to Lucy. "Allow me to turn that frown upside down and take you on a dinner, so you may show us that radiant smile once more."

Tia rolled her eyes, lifting her hand up to conjure an orb of water that splashed down on Zelos. "I've heard enough."

"Oof…ice cold…" Zelos shuddered.

Although the events that transpired did succeed in making Lucy giggle. "That was a much needed laugh."

"Making a woman laugh is often the first way into their hearts." Zelos spoke with his winning smile.

"You're getting too ahead of yourself now." The blonde shook her head, placing her hands on her hips. "Now, if you'll excuse us…we have to get ready for the final day tomorrow."

"Ah yes…Fiore has had quite the Games this year. But it pales in comparison to the tension of last year."

"He's not wrong." Tia shrugged as she and Lucy walked off. "But I refuse to humor him with more conversation."

"He'll just find us tomorrow…" Lucy said with a shrug.

"I'm leaving tomorrow, so you have fun with all that." As soon as Tia said that all of the color drained from Lucy's face and her expression paled comically.

"Y-You're leaving already!?" Lucy turned, shaking her head a few times. "Come on, you can stay a little longer, can't you?"

Tia frowned. It probably didn't do Lucy any good to see all these familiar faces in passing…it would just make her feel lonely again. But they both knew that Tia couldn't stay forever. "Lucy…"

The celestial mage sighed, turning her back to Tia to hide the frown on her lips. "Please…? At least one more day?"

There was a heavy silence in the air. When Tia first met Lucy, she didn't imagine they'd be in a situation like this where she'd be pleading for her to keep her company. "Ah…I guess I could. It's not like I need to be home immediately…but I really can't stay after that."

Lucy knew that. She knew. She didn't want to ask Tia to stay any longer, but she just had a sudden rush of emotion lately. "Sorry…I didn't mean to bring the mood down again." That was unfortunately her go to statement as of lately. "You can leave tomorrow if you want. I'll be busy with the article covering the Games anyway." She then forced a bright smile. "I'll show it to you when it's published!"

Being a friend was hard. Tia pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a sigh. She really wasn't the right person to try and ease Lucy's loneliness. "Come on…let's get some ice cream and turn in." The woman grabbed Lucy's wrist and began to tug her off. At this point, she was hoping for a miracle to turn Lucy's mood around, but things never worked out that way in real life…

* * *

"This is it everyone!" Chapati grinned as he made his announcement. "We're entering the final day of the Games! This will decide Fiore's strongest guild!" The crowd was getting very excited. "For the final day we have a three way finale between Skull Millione, Black Phoenix, and Draco's Order! This brawl will be decider!"

Leon watched from Black Phoenix's side, a proud smile already on his lips. "Even if Alexander's team doesn't win, the fact they made it this far is commendable in itself. I'll be proud of them either way."

"This week has gone by so fast…." Jason was vibrating with excitement. "It's so cool…Fiore's new strongest guilds are going to be shown to us soon!"

"Mm…" Lucy leaned on the railing. Her expression showed nothing but boredom like before. "But Skull Millione may pull out their trump card today if they want to win. They're still the underdogs somehow…"

"If they win, they'd be worth so much money…" Jason said while tapping his pen against his forehead. "I heard they'd be worth 100 times more!"

Tia blinked several times, staring at Skull Millione as comical dollar signs appeared in her eyes. "100 times more? Is it too late to bet on them? I want some cash."

In the arena, Asuka stared down all the opponents. Skull Millione somehow managed to retain the title of underdog, while Draco's Order had Takame at the helm. Even though she did somehow manage to not lose to Takame, it was clear to her that the muscular male hadn't even gotten started in their brawl. But that strength didn't matter right now because she had her nakama to back her up. "This won't be an easy fight…but we didn't come in this expecting easy."

"I got your back." Ethan said with a firm nod.

"Heh…" The leader of Skull Millione had a smirk on his lips. "This is it boys. We've been fighting hard for this very moment. All we have to do is take down these chumps and all that money will be ours!"

"Yeah!" Skull Millione rallied together with that single thought in mind.

"This is it-kabo!" Mato exclaimed. "Are all the guilds ready!? Let the final battle…begin!" The bell rang and it was finally time for the finals of the Grand Magic Games to begin. As soon as the bell chimed, all three teams lunged forward to let the brawl begin.

* * *

Zelos was chilling at the fountain, sitting down with two girls wrapped around both arms. Of course he had many more women just yearning to get close to him and it only made him laugh. "Ladies, ladies…don't worry. There's enough of Zelos-sama to go around!"

"Zelos-sama~!" The ladies swooned as he winked at them.

Zelos was living the dream. Crocus was the capital of Fiore and beauty and he planned on staying here a while! Although…there was something strange about the weather today. It was supposed to be a temperate day today…but for some reason the heat rose and he started to sweat. "Eh…? I'm sweating? But I haven't even done anything yet…" He then glanced at the women, noticing they were starting to fan themselves too. "Is it hot in here, or is it just you?"

"Zelos-sama is so hot I'm actually sweating…" A woman swooned, comical hearts flowing from her body.

"Heh…" Zelos held a smirk on his lips at the comment. But he knew that his striking good looks weren't the cause of the sudden rise in heat. The male glanced around quickly for anything suspicious…and he saw it – a hooded figure walking briskly through the city, the heat following them. _"Now who could this be….?"_ More importantly this strange figure was making their way towards the Domus Flau!

"Is something wrong, Zelos-sama?" Another woman asked.

"Something urgent has come up, my hunnies. Worry not…I'll be back as soon as I can. I just have to check on something." Zelos spoke while standing up. One wink was all it took for the ladies to melt. Without further ado the great Zelos took a leap into the air and onto a nearby roof, tracking the mysterious hooded person as they made their way to the stadium.

* * *

Things were heating up at the stadium! A single punch from Takame sent Asuka and Ethan flying! The male's red aura was more intense than the previous day, displaying that he was indeed not messing around! "Damn…!" Asuka growled. She expected things to go like this, but Takame had much more strength than she initially thought.

"I can't hold back this time! This is our chance to win!" Takame exclaimed. The aura exuding from the male was frightening and quickly turned people's thoughts around about Skull Millione winning the Games! For a moment it seemed that Takame alone could turn the tide for Draco's Order!

"Wow…that one is really strong, huh?" Tia lifted a brow. "He could win this…that would be something."

"Could Draco's Order be the winners!?" Chapati asked. The audience was dying to know as the Genesis Champion stood tall in the middle of the arena, his aura giving off a threatening presence that made even Skull Millione sweat.

"Maybe things won't be as one sided as I thought…" Lucy stood up to watch things more intently.

The battle was about to reach its climax…but everything stopped as a strange presence washed over the arena. Chapati glanced at the arena entrance where a hooded figure strolled in casually. "What's this…something's happening over there…?"

The presence of this intruder caused everyone to sweat now. "An intruder…?!" Lucy asked with widened eyes.

"I don't like this…" Tia was ready to jump at any moment.

"So…which one of you is Fiore's strongest…?" The hooded figure questioned, not knowing that they interrupted the finale.

"Uh…we were in the middle of deciding that…" Alexander said while keeping his guard up. The feeling this person gave was incredibly frightening.

"Hey…" A member of Skull Millione whispered to the leader. "Isn't that the guy who's been…?"

"No way…"

"Who are you…?" Asuka asked and as soon as she did the arena began to swelter with an incredible heat wave. "W-What the…!?"

Lucy turned immediately and pointed at the nearest exit. "This feeling…we have to evacuate everyone right now while gathering mages who can fight! T-This heat is…!?"

Everyone was now in the middle of this unbearable heat. It was pretty bad all around, but the worst was in the arena where the competitors were. Everyone was nearly blown away by this sudden heat, but they all stood their ground. "I'm…a challenger." The rumored male himself finally arrived and didn't even waste time. The Challenger thrusted his arm forward, unleashing a powerful wave of fire that consumed nearly everyone in its wake, blowing them backwards without so much of a struggle.

"He attacked them…!" Chapati gasped.

That single attack was fierce, nearly knocking out everyone who was hit. If they weren't unconscious they were out of commission and heavily damaged. Takame growled and pushed forward, red aura blazing as he swung a fist at the Challenger without any delay. "Take this!"

"Heh…" A grin was visible on the Challenger's lips. A fist of flame met with Takame's raw fist, the clash resulting in a shockwave that destroyed the surrounding ground. Takame was able to hold his ground for a moment before the Challenger slipped forward and struck Takame with a fiery uppercut to send him flying.

Takame had a rough landing but managed to recover, spitting off some blood to the side. "Who is this guy!?" The Challenger was strong; there was no doubt about that. But Takame was enjoying this thrill!

"Heh…." Luke was watching from the stands the entire time. For some reason he wasn't surprised the rumored Challenger would arrive at the finale of the Games. "Took you long enough!" The copycat then jumped from his place in the audience as black and white god slaying wrapped around his fists. "YO! LET'S DO IT!" Luke screamed at the top of his lungs, completely denying Takame of his second chance to fight the rumored Challenger himself.

"Luke!?" Lucy gasped.

"Oh great, he's gonna die…" Tia rolled her eyes, but she was also prepared to jump in if necessary.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" The Challenger grinned with flames wrapped around his arm. He and Luke's fists collided and the overload of magic caused an explosion unlike ever before! The entire Domus Flau was trembling from the might of these two powerful wizards. Luke and the Challenger were forced back, but both of them had grins on their face. "I've been waiting for this…" The mysterious male lurched forward, unleashing a potent blast of flame from his mouth. The blast was so fast it consumed Luke and exploded in a vicious wave of heat and flame that caused the entire arena to begin melting!

"What's happening!?"

"Heat!"

"IT'S HOT!"

Various cries of confusion and terror filled the stadium as the audience tried to get out. "Our clothes are melting from the heat…no…the whole place is melting!?" Chapati was in disbelief! This was unprecedented, and the Games had some wild fights prior to this.

Lucy's clothes weren't safe from the intense heat and her shirt started to rip and melt away. "KYAAAH!" The blonde brought her arms up to cover her chest. "What IS this heat!? Is Luke okay!?"

"Oh come on…!" Tia wasn't exempt from this heat either, awkwardly hugging her chest to avoid having it exposed.

"Peachy!" Luke spoke from the flames as they died down. What was awaiting everyone was a most surprising sight! Luke's body turned into fire and he showed no signs of damages! "I've been waiting to use this! This is Adaptability. If I get hit by magic, I can turn into it and render it null…but if I'm feeling cheeky, then I can do this!" A pitch black sphere formed in Luke's hands and his body shifted from fire to a shadowy mist-like state. "Then I can turn into the magic I use and give it a boost, like this! Black God's Bomb!" Luke hurled the highly volatile sphere forward and it exploded violently, taking the shape of a black mushroom cloud that towered into the sky. The fruits of his one year training were finally showing!

"No way…!" Lucy gasped.

The dust settled and the Challenger managed to block the attack with ease. But the wind kicked up from the violent explosion finally knocked their hood off to reveal the identity of the man who so brazenly waltzed into the arena during the Grand Magic Games finale: none other than Natsu Dragneel himself.

Lucy felt like she was in a dream for a moment. Brown eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "N-NATSU?!"

"COOOOOOOL!" Jason yelled at the top of his lungs.

"YOU'RE KIDDING…!" Tia said with a loud gasp.

"NATSU!" Chapati's hair was gone at this point, but the smile on his face was unmistakable.

"NATSU-KUN!" Yajima was always happy to see a familiar face.

"OH I SHOULD'VE KNOWN IT WAS YOU!" Luke pointed accusingly at Natsu. "The urge to kick your ass on sight was way too high for some normal stranger!"

"You? Kick my ass!? Come on, Duke! We both know that's not how it works!" Natsu said with a wide grin.

"Oh I'm gonna kill you!" Luke yelled as a tick mark appeared on his forehead. One year later and some things still didn't change.

Happy flew behind Lucy and Tia, giving the two of them a wave. "Heya Lucy! Hi Tia!"

Both women turned around, still trying to process this turn of events. "Happy!? What's going on!?" Lucy asked.

Happy let out a sigh while keeping afloat with his wings. "Ah man…Natsu said he just HAD to come and see the fight. But he went overboard AND he was too hasty…I can't believe he interrupted the finale."

"You're telling me. But he never had a sense of good timing anyway…" Tia huffed.

"ANYONE'S FINE!" Natsu ignored Luke for a moment and spoke to everyone else who wanted to throw down. Even if it was one man against the world, he was ready for it! "I'M FIRED UP!" And just as he said that, the heat his body gave off exploded once more to continue broiling the stadium.

"Someone stop him!" A whole group of mages came out of the woodwork to try and stop Natsu, but it was no surprise that he made short work of them.

"I kind of want to get in on this…" Leon spoke with a small grin of his own forming. Fighting Natsu again after all this time? He couldn't pass on this! He'd wait until he was done with the weaker mages, however.

"What, am I just chopped liver now?!" Luke growled.

Happy watched the events with a knowing grin and as shrug of his shoulders. "That's Natsu for you. He doesn't know when to quit!"

The arena was cleared within seconds, Natsu standing around a pile of downed mages. Natsu's gaze quickly scanned the area for anyone else that was willing to fight him. That's when Leon and Luke would have both gone after him, but they stopped when noticing his gaze went to the stands…more specifically, his gaze landed on Lucy. The moment their eyes met, it seemed like it was just the two of them around. Natsu then gave a bright smile before saying, "Yo! It's been such a long time, Lucy!"

Lucy stared at Natsu in disbelief. "Natsu…" She didn't even realize it, but a soft smile slowly spread on her lips. It was then that she could hear it…a voice inside of her. A voice that said Fairy Tail wasn't over yet. "…How are you?"

.

.

Next Time: Message of Flame.


	7. Chapter 7: Message of Flame

X795. The Grand Magic Games came to an explosive finish as Natsu Dragneel made his return to wipe out the competition. Unfortunately his timing was awful as always and he ended up interrupting the Games before they could even finish, thus leaving Fiore without a technical 'strongest guild' this year. While his return did strike happiness in the hearts of many…he still had to face a punishment for his actions. So Natsu stood before the King and princess of Fiore who had to decide how to deal with him. The answer surprised the guard.

"An acquittal?" The guard questioned with a minor sweat drop. "As in…innocent? Released? Free to go?"

"Yup." Toma spoke with a smile.

Hisui brought her hand to her lips, stifling the giggle that escaped her. "Mhmhm…."

"He interrupted the Grand Magic Games and nearly destroyed the Domus Flau!" The guard objected.

"Let's just chalk it up to youthful experience." It was clear that Toma wasn't budging on this matter. Even if Natsu did make a mess of things, he did owe the dragon slayer a favor or two after all Fairy Tail had done in the past.

As such, cue the scene shifting to Natsu walking out of the palace with a wide grin as the guards yelled at him. "AND DON'T COME BACK!"

"Aye…" Happy had a laugh about the whole thing as he and Natsu walked out.

Lucy was waiting for the two of them at the front door when they got out. The blonde held her arms behind her back and gave the pair a soft smile. "Looks like you got acquitted."

Natsu's lips curved up into a bright smile at the sight of Lucy. "Lucy! You came to see us all by yourself?! What about the rest of Fairy Tail? Aren't they with you?"

Lucy's smile faltered and her gaze lowered to the ground. "Ah…that's right. You don't know, do you?" And judging by the curious expressions on Natsu and Happy's face, they had no idea.

* * *

Lucy brought Natsu and Happy to a bigger area where Luke, Tia, and Zelos were waiting before breaking the news to them about Fairy Tail's disbandment. She figured they would need a place to sit before telling them. The news shattered their hearts, blue lines wavering above the pair as they tried, and failed, to make sense of it. "FAIRY TAIL BROKE UP!?" Natsu yelled, but his voice carried nothing but depression and confusion.

"W-W-W-WHY!?" Happy asked, but nobody had an answer.

"It happened the same day you left." Lucy stated.

"W-What?!" Natsu then stared at Luke. "Okay Duke…what about White Eclipse!? You assholes are still around too right!?"

To that, Luke shook his head. "Nope. Same day Fairy Tail broke up."

"N-No way…" Natsu's world started to crumble around him. He planned to come back with a bang and surprise the others…but he honestly did not expect this turn of events. "W-Why did they break up!?"

"Why do you stink?" Tia pinched her nose and waved her hand. "And what the hell happened to your hair?" She pointed to Natsu's wild mane. His hair grew out over the year he was training.

"I still don't get it either." Lucy stared at the ground. "Can't wrap my head around the decision. After everything that happened, Master just decided to disband the guild…"

"Where can I find him!?" Natsu asked, grinding his teeth together as a scary aura flared around him. "I'm gonna bash his brains in! Better yet…I'll pluck what's left of his hair out! He won't miss it!"

"At least leave the mustache…" Happy shuddered.

"He's missing." Lucy casually responded.

"WHAT ABOUT EVERYONE ELSE?!" Natsu's voice rose as he tried to explore all possibilities. "Erza?! Gray!? The others…?!"

"They all went their separate ways." Lucy said casually once more. Even though she was still sad about it all…she accepted this. Now she had to witness Natsu do the same after a year of blissful ignorance.

It hit him hard too. Natsu's body shook and he had a cold sweat beading down his face. "I….I can't…believe this. Everyone….was okay with this…? The guild breaking up like that…?"

"I wonder…." Lucy muttered.

"Well how else could it have happened!?" Natsu's teeth were clenched. He wasn't giving up; still looking at any way things could have panned out. "Even if Gramps told them to break up they could have easily said no! Laxus could have taken over as the next guild master…!"

Lucy's hair created a shade over her eyes. The emotions that built over the last year suddenly bubbled to the surface with no warning. "Do you really have the right to say that, Natsu?" Her cold tone caused all eyes to turn to her.

"H-Huh…?" Natsu wasn't expecting Lucy to say such a thing.

"After all…you didn't ever think of the guild, did you? You didn't discuss with anyone when you left on your journey…you didn't even talk to me. You just left without a word following another one of your whims…and I just got a lousy letter. After everything that happened, you just up and left…"

Silence. Lucy's words left an awkward and tense silence marinating in the air as they struck true. Nobody could muster the courage to say anything.

"…"

"Er….." Natsu was metaphorically drowning, unable to muster a counterargument.

Lucy realized she may have sounded a little too harsh with that statement and waved her hand, presenting a smile. "Sorry. I'm sure you and Happy had a lot on your mind at the time. It was probably the same for the others, too."

"Wow…" Tia mouthed quietly before deciding to interject with a comment of her own. "But you know, it's kind of ironic. Fairy Tail and White Eclipse both disband and suddenly Fiore is peaceful again. It's almost like those guilds are cursed or something." This was one of those moments where Tia realized that she shouldn't have said something once she did. The comment did bring about an air of depression over Lucy, Natsu, and Luke. "…My bad."

"A lady with a sharp tongue, I didn't think it was possible for me to fall for you." Zelos hummed.

"…Why is he here?" Natsu pointed at Zelos as multiple question marks appeared over his head."

"I honestly couldn't tell you." Lucy shrugged. "You know how he has that annoying habit of just appearing and tagging along? That's my best guess."

"Right…" Natsu glanced around. The tension was still awkwardly high but a saving grace came in the form his stomach growling. "…All that fighting got me hungry."

"Ah!" Lucy clasped her hands together. "I know exactly where we can go to eat."

* * *

Even though the Games were…forcibly ended, there was one place that still got business: Al Dente! Still regarded as the most popular food stand, they got a lot of business. Luckily Lucy was able to get a table for the group and while they were hungry, it was clear no one was as hungry as Natsu as he shoveled food down his throat. "Whoa! This stuff is great!"

"Right? I heard they're actually stationed in Dawn City, but they've been making a killing here." Lucy said with a smile.

Keele decided to intrude on the group eating, peering at Natsu with a curious stare. "So…you're the guy that brought the Games to a close, huh…?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Natsu spoke while munching on a large chicken leg.

"Hmmm…" Keele was seriously considering something while glaring Natsu down. "You don't seem all that impressive…"

"You wanna go!?" Natsu immediately responded.

"He's not taking any challenges right now!" Lucy had to fight to keep Natsu in his seat and from causing a scene. This sure brought back memories.

"Stop antagonizing the paying customers you dirty animal." Blair rolled her eyes at Keele. As if she was one to talk.

"Shut up." Keele scoffed before walking off.

"The staff here don't really get along, do they…" Luke said with a nervous laugh.

"Perhaps not, but I do see a number of delicious meals _I_ would love to take a bite out of…" Zelos purred while staring at the women working at Al Dente. His gaze then came across Blair and if looks could kill, Zelos would have dropped dead at that moment.

"Anyway…during our training, we saw Gildarts!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Who?" Zelos blinked. "If it's a dude, I don't care."

Everyone ignored Zelos and stared at Natsu several times. "Wait, really? He hasn't been around in forever…" Lucy rubbed her cheek.

"We trained a bit!" Natsu said smugly. "I pushed him back a lot. You shoulda seen the look on his face!"

Happy snickered before adding on, "Natsu also got eaten by a monster. We also accidentally switched bags and we got his dirty magazines...he was really upset."

"We don't talk about that." Natsu immediately replied.

Luke stared at Natsu's bandaged arm, curious as to why no one else brought it up at this point. But he'd open that can of worms because he was curious. "I've been seeing a lot of people with bandaged arms around here lately. What are you hiding?"

Natsu's expression soured for a moment and he pulled his arm back under his cloak to keep it from Luke's prying eyes. "It doesn't concern you. BUT…if I DID use this against you, you'd go down in one hit." The Salamander was still smug as always and it only pissed Luke off.

"Oh yeah!? That's like saying I need an Eclipse overhead to beat you, which I don't. Well, I guess you WOULD need a secret weapon to beat me." Luke returned fire with a grin of his own.

"You wanna say that again!?" Natsu and Luke were already butting heads. "That Eclipse thing you guys had is stupid anyway!"

"It's not my fault having the symbol of Fiore's greatest guilds come with perks like that! One Eclipse is all I need in order to shut you up!" Luke shouted.

"What's this Eclipse business…?" Tia stared at Lucy.

"Oh…uh…Luke told me that those who have the White Eclipse mark on them gets a boost when an Eclipse happens. Eclipses are pretty rare so it hasn't happened over the last few years but…" Lucy had a sweat drop as Luke and Natsu argued. "They really can't go one conversation without fighting…" While this did bring back some memories…it was painful nostalgia for Lucy. She was reminded of the way things used to be…but things were different now.

"Boys will be boys…" Tia said with a shrug.

* * *

After parting ways with Luke and Zelos, Lucy and Tia brought Natsu and Happy to her home. The pair was surprised to see how nice her home was compared to the one in Magnolia. "WHOA! You live here now!?"

"Yeah." Lucy said with a grin. "It's pretty close to where I work. Please, just don't touch or damage anything."

Too late. Happy was already clawing at the walls with a mischievous smile. "Hehehehe…"

"WHAT DID I JUST FUCKING SAY YOU STUPID CAT!" Lucy screamed and Tia had to find herself pacifying Lucy before she hurt someone.

"Before Lucy is arrested for murder…" Tia coughed while gathering her things. "I'm going to leave you three to catch up."

"Eh? You're leaving?" Natsu blinked several times.

"Well, I was going to stay one more day…" Tia glanced at everyone. "But then things got interesting. This place is too small for three people and I'm not sleeping on the floor…so I'll check into the hotel for the night and let you guys catch up."

"You mean…we can stay here!?" Natsu and Happy spoke in unison while staring up at Lucy with pleading eyes.

"…Yeah." Lucy nodded. "You guys probably don't have a place to sleep, so I'll let you crash here tonight."

"THANK YOU, YOU GODDESS!" Natsu and Happy said in unison while bowing to Lucy. Tia had a soft smile and departed without anyone noticing.

"BUT! I'm laying down some ground rules! Don't damage anything ELSE! And DO NOT come into my room, kay?" Lucy exclaimed and the two nodded. "And…first things first." The blonde drew a key from her key ring and summoned Cancer, using the spirit to cut Natsu's hair and return it to its original look.

"Ah! Much better!" Natsu let out a content sigh.

"Now go take a bath!" The woman pinched her nose, now painfully aware of what Tia was talking about. "You two stink!"

Say no more. Natsu and Happy were already soaking in a bubble bath, cleansing their bodies with the relaxing warm water. "Ah…this feels great. You wanna join us, Lucy!?"

"LIKE HELL!" Lucy shouted. No way in hell was she getting in a bath with Natsu like this. Absolutely not.

Sometime later once Natsu was all cleaned up, he and Lucy just began to chat! It was a year since they last saw one another and they had a lot to catch up. Tia was aware of this which is precisely why she left, but she'd be happy knowing that Lucy was smiling the way she used to prior to Fairy Tail breaking up. "And then what happened?" The blonde asked, attentively listening to each and every part of Natsu's stories.

"And then this…!" Natsu trailed off and the two had a good laugh.

"Really!? No way…!" Lucy blinked several times in surprise as their conversation continued into the later hours of the night. It was just like old times. It had been a long time since she felt like this. It was almost like things didn't change. But that was the key word… ** _almost._**

Hours later in the dead of the night, Natsu and Happy were resting in the living room, but they couldn't sleep Natsu laid on the couch on his back, staring up at the ceiling with a somber expression. He was still trying to digest the information told to him earlier in the day but to no avail. "…Hey Happy…?"

"Aye…?" Happy muttered while lying on a pillow.

"Is the guild really…gone…?" Natsu's tone carried sadness in it. After everything that happened…he couldn't believe the guild was just gone. He left to get stronger for everyone's sake, but he never expected things to fall apart the same day he left.

"…I can't believe it is." Happy responded with a heavy sigh of his own.

Natsu sat up as an idea flashed in his mind. Since it was a Natsu idea, only he was really going to benefit from it. "Guess there's only one thing to do…let's go draw on Lucy's face while she's asleep!"

Such an idea caused the blue Exceed to perk up immediately. "I've got the pens ready to go!"

And it only took a few hours for the two of them to break both rules Lucy set in place. Happy already damaged the walls, and now the two of them were stepping foot into her room. If she was awake she probably would have kicked them out…but unfortunately for Lucy, Natsu could be stealthy when he wanted to be. Lucy's door creaked open and the pair tip toed their way inside. "Kukukuku…she's asleep…she dares sleep…!"

"Natsu…be sure you don't wake her…" Happy whispered.

Closer and closer, Natsu and Happy silently creeped their way up to the sleeping Lucy. "Softly…gently…" Natsu spoke in a hushed tone while drawing closer to Lucy. He was just about to do the deed when something caught the corner of his eye. "Eh…?" When he turned, he saw two things: the painting that Mii had done one year prior, and Lucy's wall of clues. "What…is all this?"

"Huh…?" Happy tilted his head up.

Natsu moved closer to inspect everything. First was Mii's painting. Lucy did mention this in passing during their conversation, but this was the first time he actually got to see it for himself. "…Mii made this…?" The painting was incomplete, but it was clear she was in the process of painting herself happy with the members of Fairy Tail. Natsu's attention then moved to the wall, reading all of the notes Lucy had posted on it. "These are…very detailed notes on everyone's location…the last time they were scene, rumors…She…she did all this…?" All plans of pranking Lucy went out the window and instead he stared at his sleeping partner with wide eyes. She…she really missed Fairy Tail, even more than she let on earlier. He knew this now…and with this in mind there really was only one option…

* * *

KNOCK KNOCK! The sound of a palm furiously hitting the door caught Lucy's attention. Good thing she was already awake and dressed, although she was still in the process of waking up. The blonde groggily made her way to the door and opened it only to see Tia on the other side. "Eh? Tia? What are you doing here at the crack of dawn…?"

"What did you two do?" Tia immediately asked while placing her hands on her hips.

The question left a visible question mark hanging over Lucy's head. "What do you mean what did 'you two' do?!" Panic was setting in. Did Natsu do something when she was asleep!?

"I was on my way over here because I forgot my food and was gonna kill Natsu if he ate it. But what do I see incoming from the other side of the city? The army marching towards your house!"

"HUH!?" Lucy's brown eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "A-Are you sure!?"

And in came Luke, panting soft in effort to catch his break. "Oh good…! You're still here! You're not going to believe what I saw…! The army is like…right behind me actually. They were marching pretty fast."

"There's no way…" Lucy hurried to the nearest window only to see that Luke and Tia were in fact telling the truth. The army was sitting right outside her front door and there were a lot of dudes.

"This is the house, captain."

"Should we bust in?"

"T-THERE'S NO WAY!" Lucy screamed. It hadn't even been 24 hours!

Natsu and Happy appeared shortly after Lucy's shout. Natsu rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. "Man…they work fast. They sniffed us out aready…"

Lucy turned to Natsu, her voice still high. "WHAT DID YOU TWO DO?!"

Natsu didn't answer. Instead he grabbed Lucy by the wrist and started to tug her off. "Time to haul ass, Lucy!" And it wouldn't be Natsu if he didn't scoop Lucy into his arms and jump through a window, breaking into a sprint with Happy right behind them.

"There they are…!"

"He's the culprit!"

Natsu had a devious grin on his face as he and Lucy were running away from the law. This sure brought back some memories of the time they first met. And of course Lucy was shocked and surprised all the while. "How did I get wrapped up into your antics!? Also you can put me down!" Natsu did that so Lucy could run herself and now it was time for the million dollar question: "What did you do, Natsu!?"

Natsu turned to Lucy, responding with an innocent smile. "I raised the beacon for Fairy Tail's revival…in the place where it would stand out the most!"

* * *

Only Natsu would think of branding the palace with flame. The flames spelled out Fairy Tail and it was clear as day for everyone to see it. "FAIRY TAIL!?"

"Hurry up and erase them!"

"We believe the culprit to be Natsu Dragneel…but that's no surprise."

"How dare they do this to our castle!?"

"They're trying to escape through the southern exit!"

"After them!"

Meanwhile…this was one action that even Toma had a very hard time trying to accept. "I…I will forgive….I will forgive…"

"Oh Father…" Hisui shook her head, but there was a smile present on her face nonetheless. "Fairy Tail's revival…"

"Fairy Tail's revival!" Jason gave a thumbs up. "COOL! Killer scoop bro! Go ahead and knock 'em dead, Lucy! Do it coolly, though!"

Keele stared at the message of flame, arms crossed with a slow smirk drawing itself on his lips. "Natsu Dragneel was it? I'll keep that chump in mind for later…"

* * *

Tia and Luke watched as Natsu, Lucy, and Happy fled from the army and out of the city. It was a sight that left both of them smiling. The turn of events put Tia in a good mood, so she asked Luke a question. "So…what are you doing now, Stinky?"

Rude nickname aside, Luke hopped from the broken window and stared to walk off. "Well…if Fairy Tail's coming back, it's only natural to assume that White Eclipse will follow. They don't like being left out of anything…so I'm going back to Mt. Fiore and see if anyone else had the same idea." With that said, Luke began to make his way out of Crocus and to the mountain where the White Eclipse building resided.

"Heh…" Tia let out a small laugh. "Leave it to that idiot to shake things up. Only he could cheer her up anyway…I just hope she doesn't bite his head off." The woman then pulled out a lacrima phone and held it to her ear. "Hey, Jack?"

"What?" Tia's younger brother asked. "Are you on your way back already?"

"Oh yeah. Something came up and I'm just dying to tell you about it." Tia was resisting the urge to grin.

"What is it?" Jack asked.

"I'm going to tell you guys everything when I get back. But let's just say you might be getting that rematch with Natsu sooner than you think…"

* * *

"If you're gonna do it, go big or go home!" Natsu exclaimed!

"Don't worry though, a flame like that will go away on its own." Happy reassured.

"But that's the least of my concerns!" Lucy said. "Even if you want to revive Fairy Tail…."

Natsu saw this reaction coming and his smile was still present. "We can do it if we just believe. We're gonna gather up everyone else…and bring back the guild!" There was that smile of his. That same smile that convinced Lucy to follow him to Fairy Tail all those years ago. The situation was nearly the same as well – the two of them running away from the law. "Come on!"

Lucy's eyes began to water and she found herself responding with a nod instantly. "YEAH!"

Their little moment didn't last very long. In came Zelos from above, running alongside them to keep pace. "Did I hear a Fairy Tail revival? Does this mean I get to see my favorite hunnies again? I have no choice but to follow now for the sake of my favorite hangout…! My ladies are waiting for me!"

"Way to ruin the moment…" Lucy let out an exasperated sigh. Leave it to Zelos to intrude, not get that he wasn't wanted, and stay nonetheless. Kinda like Mii…

But just like that…their new adventure began!

.

.

Next Time: Lamia Scale.

Note: For anyone who only watches the Fairy Tail anime, from this point on will be heavy plot spoilers. Just a fair warning for those who are not caught up to the manga yet!


	8. Chapter 8: Lamia Scale

Tuly Village. The trio of Natsu, Lucy, and Happy made their way through the familiar territory…with the awkward fourth wheel Zelos following behind them. Lucy was leading the way with a map in hand, surveying the area. "We've made good distance for the day…I think we can stop here."

Natsu's attention turned to the once broken clock tower, giving the building an empty stare. "…"

"Oh yeah…you broke that once." Happy tilted his head. "At least they fixed it now."

"Yeah…" Natsu replied, bored. "Makes a weird boundary line though…" The Salamander continued to stare at it before getting one idea. "Maybe I should break it again."

Immediately, Lucy swung the rolled up map at the back of Natsu's head. "ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

"AAAAH! BUT I'M BORED!" Natsu yelled out. "I was ready to show off, but the Games weren't nearly as exciting as they should have been! Nobody even won! After all that training I did!"

"That's because you interrupted it!" Lucy smacked Natsu on the back of the head once again. "You need to learn how to be more patient!"

It was too late. Natsu was too fidgety. "So much for crushing Gray, Erza, and Laxus when we get back together! Damn it…!" As if it would help his frustration, Natsu began throwing rapid punches at the air. An idea then clicked into his head and he glanced at Zelos, who was oddly quiet up to this point. "Hey! Let me punch you in the face!"

"Huh?" Zelos blinked before giving a laugh. "And let you ruin the definition of beauty? I don't think so."

"Can you even fight?" Lucy lifted a brow.

"Oh, how you wound me!" Zelos placed a hand over his head. "Lucy-chan, of course I can fight! I can be your knight in shining armor if you let me!"

"…Why is he here again?" Happy pointed at Zelos, multiple question marks appearing over his head.

"I don't know." Lucy sighed. "You really don't have to be here, you know…Natsu, Happy, and I are perfectly capable of this task on our own."

"Nonsense!" Zelos grinned while waving a hand nonchalantly. "Fairy Tail was Mii-chan's favorite place, I would feel bad if I couldn't do anything about it."

"Mii…?" Lucy tilted her head.

"You know…" Natsu's nose wrinkled the longer Zelos hung around. "I never noticed this with that strange scent around you all the time…"

"You mean my masculine sexiness." Zelos corrected and Lucy nearly gagged.

"No, not your stench." Natsu grumbled. "You…you kinda smell like Mii, which is weird."

"Oh?" Zelos lifted a brow.

"They…smell the same?" Lucy turned her head to stare at Natsu. "You mean they smell alike, right?"

"No…" Natsu stared at Zelos, burning a hole into his soul. "It's weird…because even if people are related, they should smell differently." It was so weird because he couldn't figure this out.

"I'm actually glad the topic shifted to Mii-chan. I actually have some news about her." Zelos lifted a finger with a proud grin.

"You do!? Is she okay?!" Lucy ran up to Zelos with a hopeful expression.

"Well…" Zelos stared, but Natsu's sudden movements caused everyone to go on high alert.

"Wait a minute…" The dragon slayer extended his arm out and glanced around.

"I-Is something wrong?" Lucy asked. Without warning Natsu ducked low and exhaled, shooting a blast of flame right under Lucy's skirt and between her thighs. "EEEP!?" Lucy's natural reaction was to grab her skirt and tug it down as the blast of flame traveled into the distance.

* * *

Miles away a poor old man was trying to get his carriage back from a thief. "Hey…! Come back!"

"Hahaha! No way! It's your fault for coming out alone, old man!" The thief exclaimed with a victorious smile. There was no way the man could catch up to him on foot so he was basically home free. That was until a random blast of fire slammed right into him and knocked him off the carriage. "ACK!"

The victim stood there, bewildered as some sort of divine intervention prevented his carriage from being stolen. "…Huh…?"

* * *

"What kinda shot was that!?" Lucy had an embarrassed red hue on her cheeks, her hands still tugging her skirt down.

"…Eh, don't worry about it. It was nothing. Just know that I've become pretty strong over the last year, you know." Natsu shrugged. To be able to sense danger from miles away and take it down…that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to his training. "Anyway…what were we talking about again?"

"Beats me." Zelos shrugged and started to walk off, leaving Lucy to fume since the topic of Mii was dropped. "I forgot what I was going to say."

"Damn it…" The blonde huffed. Unfortunately she'd have to wait a little longer before learning what happened to Mii.

* * *

Kotoko Inn. The quartet decided to rest here for the day. This was also where Lucy had to break the news and let the others know about her lack of information in some areas. "HUH!?" Natsu gasped. "You mean you don't know where everyone is!?"

"It was hard." Lucy propped her legs up on the table while reading the map. "I tried to keep an eye out for everyone, but it was impossible."

"I guess that's what all those question marks on the wall were about…" Natsu crossed his arms and nodded a few times.

This was the moment Lucy finally realized that Natsu went into her room. "W-Wh…? You went into my room after I told you not to?!"

"Yeah. Happy and I were gonna draw on your face while you were asleep, but we saw all that stuff you were working on." Natsu admitted.

"You shouldn't admit that you were in a girl's room without their permission." Zelos spoke from one of the beds, staring up at the ceiling. "They tend to get really angry you. Trust me."

"I can't believe you two!" Lucy growled…but her anger defused when she realized that this was probably why Natsu was so intent on getting the guild back together. "But I guess it turned out well in the end."

"Oh that's not fair…if it were me I would have gotten smacked..!" Zelos whined.

"That's because you're…you…" Lucy shuddered at the thought of Zelos being in her room. "Anyway…I think our first stop should be Magarett town, which is south east of here. That's where Lamia Scale is, supposedly."

"Lyon and Jura's place!" Natsu was already getting antsy. "Just the people I need for a fight!"

"And guess who made it into Lamia Scale?" Lucy winked at her own words. She had Natsu and Happy hook line and sinker.

"Who!? Who!?" Natsu and Happy asked.

To that, Lucy turned around and began to stretch. "You'll have to find out when we get there tomorrow!"

"Aw…you tease…" Natsu was very let down.

"I see Lucy-chan is well versed in the art of teasing…." Zelos trailed off.

"Okay, that's enough out of you. Go get your own room!" Lucy pointed to the door while placing her hand on her hip. Natsu was right about one thing…Zelos and Mii were extremely alike, but for some reason Zelos just came off even worse.

"All right, all right…I see I've angered our Blonde Bombshell…" Zelos hopped up and exited the room. There wasn't much he could do but his last comment left Lucy shuddering uncomfortably.

"I can't stand him…why did he have to tag along with us…" Lucy sighed. "Even worse…he knows something about Mii, but I don't think he's going to share."

"What happened to Mii?" Natsu blinked.

"She left as soon as Fairy Tail disbanded. She was so heartbroken…" Lucy recalled the memory with a frown.

"Then we'll just have to drag her back here when we get the guild back." The fact Natsu could say such a thing so casually was just one of the reasons why she believed in him so much.

"Mhm…yeah." Lucy felt a smile creep up onto her lips. "She always has a habit of showing up when she's most unexpected." But there were still some doubts in her mind. Would it _really_ be that simple? There was no guarantee that Mii wanted to come back…actually, there was no guarantee anyone wanted to come back. But that was a bridge to cross when they got there.

At least for now, things were calm and peaceful. Zelos decided to rest on the roof of the inn, his arms crossed behind his head as he stared up into the sky. There was a subtle grin on his face as he thought about the events leading up to Fairy Tail's ensuing revival. "Ah…Mii-chan. You had some good friends."

Night passed and morning came. Lucy, Natsu, and Happy gathered their things and prepared to leave the hotel. "All right! Let's get moving to Lamia!" Natsu was more than ready to get going! Honestly, he just wanted to see if Lyon and/or Jura were willing to fight.

There was a quick glance for Zelos, but he wasn't around! Maybe he left? Nobody would complain. "I guess he's gone…?" Lucy glanced around. There were a few more people leaving the hotel and she happened to spot a woman with black hair leaving. "Wait….is that…?"

Natsu's eyes narrowed and he extended an arm out. "…I think it is."

Feeling eyes pry into her back, Tayakata turned around with a curious brow lifted. "Oh, well isn't this nostalgic. I didn't think you two were still hanging around after that guild of yours broke apart."

"You're…" Happy recalled Taya, but he hadn't seen her in so long he nearly forgot about her.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" She asked Happy with an amused grin drawn on her features.

"What are you doing here?" Natsu narrowed his eyes. Was Taya still an enemy? He had no clue, but he was ready to test his training on her if that was the case.

"My affairs shouldn't concern you, as yours don't concern mine." Taya spoke with a dismissive tone. "But your antics have spurred some talk…so I'm making my way back to Mt. Fiore to see something."

"You're going back to White Eclipse…?" Lucy asked quietly.

"That's my business." Taya then began to walk off.

"What a ray of sunshine…" Lucy rolled her eyes. "Anyway…let's get moving before…"

Zelos dropped down from the roof with an elegant flip and bow. "Good morning~"

"…Before he shows up…" But it was too late. Zelos was already along for the ride. Regardless, to Lamia Scale!

* * *

Magarett Town! Banners and flags waved around town in celebration for the Lamia Scale Thanksgiving of x795! On the grand stage was Yura, introducing the members of the guild who were going to give various performances for the crowd. "Coming up….the ace of Lamia Scale! Lyon Vastia presents his ice performance!"

With confetti blasting all around him, Lyon made his entrance with good reception from the crowd. The dynamic ice mage extended his hand into the air, instantaneously crafting several birds of ice that flew into the air. Before they flew too far, Lyon drew his hand back and allowed the frozen birds to shatter into shards of ice. The shards of ice then fell to the ground and took the shape of bunnies that scampered around the area.

The children loved it. "Whoa! Bunnies!"

"It's so cute!" A little girl said while lifting one of the bunnies into the air.

"I do hope you enjoyed." Lyon said with a small bow.

"So…this is what they do during this time…?" Natsu looked at Lucy, who was enjoying the show herself. "Who are we waiting to see!?"

"Sssh…!" Lucy hushed Natsu and it just made him grumpier. He couldn't stand this wait!

"Next up…" Yura continued. "The ace archer, Raven!"

Raven stepped onto the stage with his signature bow at the ready. The male had a bit of a fan club as various females started to cheer for him. If only they could feel the awkward shift in the air from a certain pinkette…but Raven just decided to smile and wave. "All right…let's get this started. Throw out the targets!" On that cue, several targets were shot into the air and at least a kilometer high. The marksman simply grinned at what he deemed an easy shot and the bowstring materialized and was pulled back. "Trinity Arrow." Three arrows of differing elements formed within the bowstring; light, dark, and wind. Raven released the string and allowed the arrows to fly through the air. The arrows pierced through the center of the targets and converged on one another, resulting in an explosion of fireworks! The explosion turned into the shape of a heart and this just made the girls in the audience squeal.

"AHHH!"

"We love you Raven!"

"T-Thank you, thank you…!" The various cheers did make Raven blush a little. But soon a mysterious gust of wind blew in, ruining their hair! It was the best that could be done and Raven stood there awkward since he wasn't the cause of it. But he knew who was. "I…Uh…"

Lyon then came onto the stage again, dragging Raven off before any more damage could be caused by his presence. "Apologies..."

Awkward incident aside, Yuka continued onto the next one! "Next is Toby with his imitation act!"

"Oooon!" Toby ran onto the stage with an excited grin. "This is an imitation of me when I'm crying!" Toby then…started to cry. The tears were fast to fall during his weeping, although people in the audience were more confused than entertained.

"An imitation of himself…?"

"HUH!?"

"Is that…even an imitation then…?"

Lyon once again appeared on the stage, pulling an enraged Toby off. "Apologies…"

"HEY! IT AIN'T OVER YET!" Toby shouted angrily as Lyon pulled him off.

"No need to get so angry, man…" Yuka sighed before moving onto the next one! "N-Next up…an oriental dance routine by our very own master!"

That meant the old lady, Ooba Babasama was coming up. At least for now she was dressed in a kimono…but the mental scars this woman left in the past just weren't going to fade away so easily. The traditional dance ended with a fancy spin…but the audience was just silent through it all. It didn't look like they enjoyed it one bit. "….I'll strip now!" The old lady was actually about to do it too!

"NOOOO!" Everyone, including Zelos, screamed out in a panic.

Guess who? That's right. Lyon once again. He pulled Ooba off the stage before she caused another mentally scaring incident. "…Apologies."

Zelos placed a hand over his chest. "Oh thank goodness…my fragile heart can't take that kind of stress again…"

"For once, I agree…." Lucy exhaled.

"N…Now…it's time for the event you've all been waiting for…" Yuka could barely even get through the introduction before the crowd started cheer! "Our very own angels…" The curtains behind him opened up, revealing three figures: Chelia, Cynthia, and Wendy, all three of them dressed in angelic costumes. "The Sky Sisters! Chelia, Cynthia, and Wendy! Dancing to the song 'Angels Got Me Loving till Death!"

Natsu and Happy were…..mortified. The expressions on their face showed it. "…!?"

"You know those two were always great friends with Chelia…" Lucy spoke with a soft smile.

The three girls began dancing and singing on stage in unison. _"Love, love, till death…forever~"_

"Forever!" The crowd yelled.

 _"IThe feeling of falling in love! And tomorrow's weather!"_

"FOREVER!"

Natsu just…stared, horrified as he watched Cynthia and Wendy dance. "What the hell are they doing…?" It was a known fact that Cynthia couldn't dance to save her life, so he was wondering how and why she was doing a choreographed routine!

"You know…it kinda sticks in your head forever…" Happy admitted.

"I think they're doing an amazing job." Zelos remarked, mumbling the lyrics to the song under his breath.

Lucy turned to Natsu, confused as to why he was so against this. "Those two aren't the only ones in a different guild you know. Everyone needs jobs."

"That's **_not_** what I'm talking about…" The salamander groaned. "What the hell are they on stage forever-ing about!?"

"Forever!" Happy sang.

The song drew to a close and Wendy waved to the audience. "Ah…and that's…Lamia Scale's Thanksgiving!"

"Thank you all for coming!" Cynthia smiled. Upon closer inspection…Cynthia's hair underwent some sort of change, as half of it was red! What was the cause of this? Well, that question was bound to come up soon enough.

"This event is like a festival for the people of the town." Lucy explained. "It really helps people get a feel for the guild."

Nope. Natsu just refused to accept all of this. Comical tears flowed down his cheeks as he already made an executive decision. "We're taking them back from the dark side!"

"But…they're not doing anything bad…" Lucy lowered head. Sometimes there was just no getting through to Natsu.

A thought crossed Happy's mind and he started to look around. "Hey…where's Carla?"

Speak of the devil. The Exceed, in her transformed state, appeared before the quartet. "I just knew you guys would be coming soon. "Natsu, Lucy, Male Cat – er, Happy, and…." Carla's eyes wandered to Zelos, who gave her a wink. "Why is _he_ here?"

"I don't know." Natsu, Lucy, and Happy all responded in unison with a deadpanned look.

While that little reunion was going on, a couple of shadowy figures were watching the Thanksgiving from afar. "Look at those idiots…getting excited over a party."

"Love, love till death!"

" ** _Shut up."_**

The leader of this group turned around, his snake-like tongue slipping out of his mouth. "Today is the day we render judgement onto Lamia Scale. The bloodbath begins tonight."

* * *

Back at Lamia Scale, Wendy was bright red and everyone could see the steam coming from her ears. She was so embarrassed! "I don't want to do something like that ever again…it was so embarrassing…!"

"What do you mean?!" Cynthia tugged Wendy's arm. "It was so much fun..! Although I was sweating at the thought of tripping during the dance."

"You two did amazing!" Chelia responded with a bright smile. "It was really cute! And I'm just glad we were able to get that routine into your head after a few weeks…you two are so loved."

"But did you really have to mess with those girls…? Don't get me wrong, it was funny…but you haven't had your magic back for very long and you're not as strong as you used to be…" The omega dragon tilted her head, showing concern for Chelia.

Chelia puffed her cheeks out, a pink tint that matched her hair dusting her cheeks. "They were getting too close. I had to stop them. A-and it made good practice...!"

"Because you liiiiiiiike Raven~" Cynthia knew just the button to press to turn Chelia into a flustered mess.

"W-Well…I…uh…!" Chelia drank the cup of water in her hand to avoid further conversation. She just wanted his attention, but that task was difficult as of late since he was being oddly distant with her.

Just in time, because Toby and Yuka were strolling by, singing the song. "Love to death, love to death, foreverrr!"

"Forever…" Yuka mumbled.

"IT'S LOVE TO DEATH FOREVER, MAN!" Toby screamed.

"Don't get angry at me…" Yuka grumbled.

Wendy overheard this and wanted to die. The sky dragon buried her hands into her face and just tried to hide. Never did she ever want to do something like that ever again. "…Uhhh…"

Lyon and Raven both appeared, pointing behind them. "Someone's here to see you two." Lyon said.

"Huh…?" Cynthia and Wendy glanced at one another, neither of them expecting guests.

"Yo!" Natsu waved.

"It's been so long!" Lucy smiled, using one hand to keep Zelos quiet so he wouldn't say anything bad.

"How have you two been?!" Happy jumped up and waved.

"Natsu! Lucy! Happy…and…Zelos?" Cynthia was ecstatic to see everyone, despite being curious about Zelos' being there.

"It's so good to see you all again!" Wendy had a bright smile, happy tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

Natsu stood in front of Cynthia and Wendy, placing his hands on top of their heads. "Grown taller, haven't you?" He asked Wendy first.

"Ah…not really…" Wendy scratched her cheek during her response. "I haven't really changed at all, really."

"But Cynthia has…!" Natsu turned to Cynthia. "Dye your hair or somethin'?"

"Well, actually…" Cynthia began. "It just kinda…"

"Great!" And with no warning, Natsu hoisted both Cynthia and Wendy over his shoulders and began to march off to the front door. The girls let out a surprised squeal and flailed about in Natsu's grip. "All right! We'll be taking you two back now then!"

Lyon and Yuka immediately objected to this notion, shouting out, "HEY!" As Natsu really tried to walk off with two of their members!

"You can't just walk in and take them! Doesn't this count as a kidnapping!?" Raven looked between all parties involved with a nervous expression.

"Don't worry about it, it's fine!" Natsu was really about to just leave the premises with the two girls in tow.

"Natsu! Put us dooooooown!" Cynthia pleaded.

.

.

Next Time: Their Decision.


	9. Chapter 9: Their Decision

As expected, Natsu didn't get very far before he was eventually forced to put Cynthia and Wendy down. He did make it out the front door, though. Luckily an incident was avoided. Wendy and Cynthia sat at a table across from Natsu and Lucy with some tea at the ready. Wendy held Happy in her lap and he seemed pretty content there. "You're…bringing back Fairy Tail…and gathering everyone together?" Wendy stared at Natsu and Lucy.

"Yeah…" Lucy began. "The Master's been missing over the past year. I'm sure it's got something to do with the disbandment."

"Yeah," Lyon interjected. "Apparently he got in a lot of trouble with the Council over some things."

"The Council? That doesn't sound good…" Natsu's lips automatically curved into a scowl. Mention the council once and the mood already turned sour.

"Maybe he's dead already?" Happy suggested.

"Oh yeah…you guys were in the mountains or whatever the whole time…" Yes, the tone of Lucy's voice made it clear she was taking yet another shot at Natsu. "So it's only natural that you guys don't know."

"Uh…" Cynthia caught that shift in tone and stared at Wendy. The two of them felt awkward about it. Just what happened between them…?

"You can't be the master of a guild and part of the council, no…?" Yura said. "That's why they chose the Ten Wizard Saints as Councilmen. However…since many of the former Saints have disappeared or dropped their position, there are some vacant seats. Not to mention, the new Chairman, Kemuri, has been making some changes as well."

"JURA-SAN BECAME ONE TOO!" Toby yelled, oddly frustrated.

"Stop getting so mad…" Yuka chided his companion.

"Ooon." Toby just grinned.

"Hmmmm…" Natsu's usual boisterous grin formed. "The Wizard Saints, huh? I know they're strong!" Yes, he was thinking about fighting the people who were currently in office.

"So…the Master too…" Wendy lowered her head.

"He's missing…I wonder what happened…" Lucy turned to Natsu.

"Maybe he ran away? I mean…that stuff is a hassle." Natsu then turned to Cynthia and Wendy, displaying a small grin. "But the old man aside. Come with us, Wendy, Cynthia. We're going to be a guild again, I promise."

Things got silent. Wendy and Cynthia stared at one another for a moment before turning to Natsu and Lucy. "U-Uhm….we're now a part of Lamia Scale." Wendy said.

"We can't go with you guys." Cynthia's verbal follow up knocked the wind out of Natsu and Lucy. Their response was the one thing they weren't expecting to hear.

"What!? Wendy!? Cynthia!?" The fire dragon grit his teeth, hoping that the two of them were just playing some prank! Even Happy had to move and stood on the table to give them space.

"Why not!?" Lucy asked.

"I'm so sorry…" Wendy displayed a soft smile.

"Me too…" Cynthia also smiled. Chelia on the other hand…she didn't expect their decision to be this. It honestly didn't sit right with her either.

"You two don't have to feel indebted or anything, you know." Lyon said. "We knew this day would come."

"Yeah…" Raven said in agreement. "You don't have to stick around if you don't want to."

"We won't feel lonely without you…ooon!" Toby was crying.

Yuka, stoic as always, responded to his companion, "Don't cry, man."

Natsu didn't want to hear it. He couldn't believe this. Standing up, he placed his hands on the table and his voice rose. "What do you two mean you can't come with us?!"

"I…." Natsu wasn't making this easy. Wendy wasn't sure how to respond with him yelling at her.

"Please don't yell at them." Sherri frowned while returning with more refreshments for everyone. "That's not how you speak to someone after a year."

"This is their decision." Carla, in her human form, said. "So can you stop being so forceful with them?"

"Carla…." Cynthia muttered.

"She's right, you know." Zelos quipped from the corner of the room. "You can't yell at young ladies because you're not getting what you want. It's brash and doesn't make you look good." It wasn't often Zelos of all people got to chide people on their behavior, but when he did, you know it stung.

"Are you just a human now!?" Natsu yelled. Of course this wasn't his first time seeing Carla do this…but he'd yet to see her turn back into a cat, so he was very concerned.

"You know this is transformation magic." Rolling her eyes, Carla placed an elbow on the table while giving Happy a coy smile. "It increases my magic and psychic powers. I've been able to sustain it for a long time with my training over the year. What do you think, Happy?"

Happy stared at Carla, unsure how to respond because well… "I…I've been training too. I've…been learning…how to…eat less fish…"

"Just what were you doing exactly…?" Lucy shouldn't have been so surprised.

Training aside…Carla poofed back into her regular form and pointed at Wendy and Cynthia. "Are you sure that's what you two want, though?" The two girls nodded in response.

"No way…" Natsu, Happy, and Lucy all shared the same level of disbelief.

An exhale escaped Lyon. What a day this turned out to be. "Good grief…"

* * *

Viper Inn. Hours later and the trio was still in shock over Cynthia and Wendy's decision. Natsu stared at the ceiling, Happy lie against the bed, and Lucy laid on her back on the bed. All of them were just staring into space. Natsu mindlessly lifted Happy up and brought his tail to Lucy's feet, brushing it against her foot.

Lucy's blank expression flatered and she started to laugh. "That tickles…!" And then she swiftly brought her fist down onto the heads of both of them, smashing them into the floor with such force bumps appeared on their foreheads. "What the hell are you doing, you creep!?"

"…" Oddly enough, the two of them were unbothered by this. They were honestly still in shock that both Cynthia and Wendy rejected them. "I didn't think things would turn out like this…"

"Aye…." Happy groaned.

"I wonder if anyone else feels the same way." Lucy muttered. "I can't say I blame them…"

"I'm not giving up! I'll just have to kidnap them!" Natsu grumbled.

"Stop it!" Lucy yelled, but the tone of her voice was much more demanding than Natsu originally expected. "You can't just come back after a year and expect things to be the same, Natsu! They're not kids anymore! Things change! People change…"

"I won't give up Fairy Tail that easily!" Natsu replied to Lucy's outburst with one of his own. "I know they want to come back!"

"So why did they say no, then?" Lucy crossed her arms, lifting a brow. "You can't just assume _everyone_ wants to come back! A lot can happen in a year, Natsu!" For a moment…Lucy regretted taking Natsu's offer on this journey, if only because the refusal of the Cynthia and Wendy opened her eyes a bit to the truth she knew all along. "It's my fault things are like this…"

"What…?" Natsu tilted his head. "Lucy, what are you talking about…? This isn't…"

"If I never got involved with Emmeraude, Fairy Tail wouldn't have broken up." Lucy's depression was rearing its ugly head again.

"Hey! That's not your fault!" Natsu said.

Lucy laid on the bed on her side, letting out a heavy sigh. She already wanted the day to end. "We should just keep going tomorrow. Maybe things will be different with the next location."

"…." Natsu couldn't think of anything to say. He was only getting a glimpse of how Lucy really felt over the last year. But this was just why he couldn't give up. They had to be a guild again. They had to.

* * *

Chelia, Cynthia, and Wendy all shared a home. They were all in their PJs, getting ready for bed. Carla was asleep by this point…or at least they thought since her back was turned. There were only two beds, but it was no problem since Cynthia and Wendy always shared a bed. Chelia was still thinking about the events that transpired earlier in the day. "…Hey, guys. About earlier…"

"Ah…don't worry!" Wendy presented a soft grin. "We're not going anywhere."

"Mhm. We'll be here." Cynthia added. But that…didn't seem like what Chelia wanted to hear. It was noticeable as the pinkette lowered her gaze. "Isn't Sherri getting married…and leaving soon?"

"Plus…" Wendy added. "I know your magic has started to come back a little…but we're concerned. It's not as potent as it used to be. We don't want to leave you alone."

"I wouldn't be alone." Chelia corrected them. "I have the others at the guild. And…there's Raven too…" That last part came with a blush.

"But…he's been acting so distant towards you." Cynthia huffed and crossed her arms. "I don't get it either. You guys are so close! I know he cares about you."

"Mmm…" Chelia glanced away. "I don't know why he won't hang out with me as much. Maybe he just doesn't want to get in the way of the three of us hanging out? I don't know."

Carla wasn't asleep, but listening in on the conversation. She did frown at the topic of Raven. She knew something they didn't. "…."

"But you guys…" Chelia looked back up to her sisters. "Are you sure you don't want to go back to Fairy Tail? I know how much it means to you."

"We're members of Lamia Scale now. We promised you we wouldn't be going anywhere, remember?"

* * *

A few days Fairy Tail disbanded.

Only a few days…but it felt like forever for the trio of Cynthia, Carla, and Wendy. The three of them were sitting in a hotel, trying to figure out what to do. Unlike everyone else, they were young and not exactly capable of finding jobs. Cynthia held Carla in her lap while staring at Wendy. "…What are we going to do…?" She asked with a quiet tone. Her cheeks were puffy and her eyes were red from the bit of crying. Wendy was the same way.

"…I don't know…" Wendy frowned, placing her hands in her lap. "I can't believe Master disbanded Fairy Tail…"

"Neither can I." Carla stared up at the ceiling. "After we just got things back to normal too. The timing was really bad."

"At least Levy and Erza gave us a lot of jewel to use." Cynthia's head gestured over to the large bag of jewel sitting on the table nearby. While Cynthia was curious as to what everyone else was going to do, they had to focus on what _they_ were going to do! "But it's not fair..! He didn't even give us a reason!"

"I know…it's not fair at all…!" Wendy's voice rarely rose, but she was upset. Cait Shelter, her first guild and home for many years…was lost. Fairy Tail came around to give her another home where she was happy and met so many people, but now that was gone too! All this loss was tough on a young girl…

"It'll be all right, you two." Carla removed herself from Cynthia's lap, transforming into her human form to level with the two girls. "We'll be fine. We'll just have to find a new place to go to."

"Are we going to be able to find a place like that so easily?" Wendy asked the other two.

"Well…" Cynthia stared at Wendy, a soft flush coming onto her cheeks. "They say home is where the heart is, right? So…I think wherever we go, I'll be happy with you.'

"…I feel the same way." Cynthia's words did manage to bring out a small from Wendy.

With the mood lifting a little, Carla was able to think about a plan of action for the three of them. She was their guardian at this point and she had to make sure they would be able to find some place to stay at. "I have an idea. Why don't we go to Lamia Scale?"

"Lamia…?" Wendy didn't object. "Do you think they'd take us? I mean, I'd be happy to see Chelia again. I wanna see how she's been holding up, even though it hasn't been that long…"

"It…It's going to feel weird joining another guild, though." Cynthia's eyes wandered to the Fairy Tail emblem on her shoulder. The guild she first heard about…the guild she first joined…the place she met her new family and friends, and of course Wendy. It…felt strange thinking about going to somewhere. She still couldn't believe that Fairy Tail was even gone.

"We can't just be freelance mages." Carla did make a good point too. "You two aren't quite adults yet. I doubt many people will have jobs. It was easier to get them with the reputation Fairy Tail was getting right after the Games…"

"Mmm…" Cynthia nodded. "Maybe we'll have luck at Lamia Scale. It doesn't hurt to try…?"

"So we'll get moving tomorrow." Carla nodded and walked over to a bed, flopping down on it while returning to normal. "Try to get some sleep you two."

"Okay…" Wendy understood. Moving on from Fairy Tail was going to be difficult…but they had to walk their own path from now on. With Cynthia and Carla at her side, it wouldn't be so bad…"

Over the next few days, the trio began their trip to Lamia Scale on foot. They said goodbye to Magnolia and went to Magarett Town! During their trip, they could overhear the talk of various people. They were discussing the recent happenings of the Emmeraude incident and Fairy Tail's disbandment.

"Hey did you hear what happened to Fairy Tail?"

"What happened?"

"They disbanded!"

"Wait, really? But they just won the Grand Magic Games and usurped White Eclipse as Fiore's strongest guild! I wonder if it had anything to do with Emmeraude hunting down one of their members. I guess White Eclipse is the strongest guild again?"

"Nope! I heard they disbanded too!"

"No way!? What's up with that!? So...does that mean that Empyrean Dawn guild is the strongest guild in Fiore now? They came in third, right?"

"Yeah, but...they're kinda creepy. Plus, aren't they bad or something? Why don't we just say it's Sabertooth now?"

"Works for me!"

As they overheard this, Cynthia and Wendy frowned. News spread fast, and they were surprised to hear that White Eclipse also disbanded. But there was nothing they could do but continue their way to Lamia Scale. When they arrived at the building, Sherri was the one who answered and smiled to the two girls. "Oh hello you three! Are you here for Chelia? I'll let her know you're here."

"No…" Wendy shook her head. "Can we come in…? We actually have something to ask of you."

"Okay…." Sherri could sense that something was off. But she opened the guild doors and let the trio inside, getting them something to drink in the process.

A few members of Lamia gathered around and listened to their story. There was notable shock on their faces to hear that Fairy Tail disbanded! "So…Fairy Tail is gone…? After everything that happened?" Lyon was trying to figure things out, but it was no use.

"Yes." Carla nodded. "So…we've got nowhere else to go. We were hoping that we could join this guild if it wasn't too much trouble."

"Until Fairy Tail comes back?" Sherri asked, but the question didn't get as positive a response as she would have hoped.

"There's no guarantee that Fairy Tail will come back…" Carla said the words Cynthia and Wendy weren't able to say. "So…"

"Don't worry about it." Chelia spoke with a bright smile, already having the stamp with Lamia's insignia on it. "You three are more than welcome to stay for as long as you want to."

"We're not as lively as you may be used to…but we'll take care of you from now on." Raven had a soft smile on his face.

Cynthia had a slight grin on her face at those words. "Maybe we can help you with your lack of action, too." She was in the mood for a little teasing as Chelia branded her, Wendy, and Carla with the Lamia Scale insignia.

"W-Whoa whoa…!" Raven waved his hands and suddenly all eyes were on him. "You talk about me, but what even _are_ you two…!" He was remarking on the very ambiguous relationship that nobody really talked about.

"We're partners, duh." Cynthia responded with a cheeky grin.

"Something tells me things are going to get so much livelier…" Yuka chuckled.

"IT'LL BE EXCITING!" Toby was…mad for some reason.

"Don't get so mad, man…" The anti-mage sighed.

Wendy found herself smiling a little at the activity. It looked like the three of them were going to be just fine in Lamia Scale. And they were able to look after Chelia as well, so they couldn't complain about that. The adjustment was going to take time, but… "I think we'll be okay here…"

* * *

"So we're here to stay." Wendy stated.

 _"I think you two are doing the right thing."_ A voice came from Cynthia's mouth…but it wasn't Cynthia. But Wendy and Chelia didn't seem so bothered by it.

"Oh…it's you…" Chelia crossed her arms and huffed. She really didn't want to make her two sisters stay if they didn't want to, and she didn't need this mysterious forth party making things much more difficult. "This is an A, B, and C conversation, thank you…"

 _"Oh, come now. I'm just supporting their decision. They don't have to leave if they don't want to. I think it's important to abide by a promise."_

Cynthia wrinkled her nose as the feminine voice continued to communicate with her mouth. "Well…what she said!"

Chelia narrowed her eyes for a moment. A sigh escaped her before her gaze averted to the floor. "A friend isn't someone who would make another stay out of pity…" Those words struck something inside the two girls and they were unable to muster a rebuttal right away.

"Chelia…" Wendy was about to say something, but the sound of an explosion cut the topic short! "Huh!?"

Carla was abruptly startled by the noise and sat up. "What's all that noise!?"

The three girls looked at the window, noticing the cloud of smoke coming from the direction of the guild! "I-It's coming from the guild…!" Cynthia shouted.

* * *

Several explosions occurred from the Lamia Scale building. Many innocents were in danger of being caught in the crossfire, but Lyon and a few others were already taking care of it. "Get the people to safety!" The dynamic ice mage shouted. Yuka and Toby were on the job, leading the people out of the way.

Natsu, Lucy, Happy, and Zelos were rushing down to the scene. "What the hell's going on!?" Natsu shouted.

"Yeah! I was getting my beauty sleep and suddenly things got loud!" Zelos yawned.

Lyon turned, somewhat glad to see the fire dragon and company approach. It was then that a large monster leapt at Lyon from behind, but he was fast to react and swung his arm backwards, completely freezing the monster over. "Damn it…!"

"W-Was that a monster?!" Lucy stuttered.

"As you can see…a group of monsters got too close to the city and began to attack." Lyon explained.

"Monsters?" Natsu let out a silent 'tch'.

"But why?" Happy looked around while bringing up a great question.

"It's Orochi's Fin…" Raven said with his bow drawn.

Right at that moment, Chelia, Wendy, Cynthia, and Carla ran onto the scene. Chelia still had the bow Raven made for her just in case things got dicey. "We've always been rivals since way back…our guild and theirs." Chelia explained. "Although…Orochi really has taken it too far this time…!"

"They must've seen it as an opportunity since Jura-san isn't here…" Wendy grumbled.

"And we let out guard down because of the Thanksgiving festival…" Carla wasn't happy with this either.

"Damn them…!" Lyon groaned.

"I can't believe they'd stoop so low…" Sherri frowned. The situation wasn't looking good for Lamia Scale right now.

Things were only about to get worse. Yuka and Toby returned with bad news. "Lyon!" Yuka exclaimed. "This is only a small faction! We've got a large group coming from the west side! About a hundred thousand!"

Those numbers…that was way too much. Lucy's expression paled at the news. "A hundred thousand!? Are you serious!? And unfortunately, he was. Coming from the east was a large group of one hundred thousand monsters, all of them marching towards Magarett Town.

"The city isn't going to withstand an attack like that!" As Lyon said this, the others looked at him. This situation was quickly going from bad to worse, to unsalvageable.

"You'll go this far, Orochi!?" Ooba waved her old lady fist into the air.

* * *

Miles off from the city, Orochi's Fin was grinning at the assault they were preparing. "What a magnificent view…" The leader spoke as his snake-like tongue swirled around a lollipop before eventually popping it off into his mouth. "Lamia Scale without Jura is like a sitting duck. We'll shave off as much magic off them as we can. And then we'll wipe them all out in one go! **_KILL THEM ALL!"_** This rallying command brought forth a resounding cry from all members of Orochi's Fin as their assault on Lamia began. The monsters charged and prepared to finish the job before it even started.

* * *

"They have a monster tamer with them now…" Ooba observed. "If he were to get taken out, the monsters would go too."

"Yeah but…did you hear those numbers?" Raven shook his head. "There's no way we'd be able to mow all of them down that fast…"

"Well…" Natsu had a grin on his face, pointing up to the open sky. "There's always the sky." Wow! Everyone stared at Natsu as he had a good idea for once!

"…So his brain isn't empty." Zelos quietly remarked, but the finely tuned ears of a dragon slayer heard it.

"You tryna start something!?" Natsu yelled, but Lucy pulled his ear.

"You'll help us?" Lyon looked at to the fire dragon and he nodded.

"Yeah!" Natsu nodded.

Lucy had her keys at the ready, giving Lyon and those of Lamia a smile. "Count me in too!"

"I guess I'll help…these monsters are pretty ugly and could give anyone nightmares." Zelos' answer wasn't exactly filled with enthusiasm.

"Let's go!" Wendy nodded to Carla and the Exceed turned into her human form, wrapping arms around Wendy's waist from behind to carry her into the sky, while Cynthia spread her own dragon wings to take flight.

"Let's do this, Happy! I'm fired up!" Natsu pumped his fist into the air as Happy took to the sky to grab him…only for Chelia's shoe to press against his face, kicking him backwards as she grabbed onto Happy instead.

"Sorry, Natsu!" Chelia apologized as Happy kept flying. "Please, just keep going Happy…!"

"A-Aye…?" Happy was…very confused about this turn of events, but kept flying nonetheless.

"Chelia!? What are you doing!?" Raven shouted from below, but those in the sky were already pretty far away. "Wait…! Come back!"

"Chelia!?" Sherri wasn't happy about her cousin's decision either. "Come back here this instant! You're not ready for this kind of fight yet in your condition!" But it was no use. The elder Blendy was just screaming out into the open air.

Tayakata was watching the events unfold from around the corner. She came here for a little visit, but her plans just kept having various wrenches thrown into them, causing her to sigh. "What a mess…"

Chelia looked to Wendy and Cynthia, a determined fire in her blue eyes. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine! We're going to save Lamia, okay?!"

Cynthia and Wendy were worried about Chelia's condition, but turning back now would put Lamia in danger. They had a battle to win no matter what; so the two girls nodded and said; "YEAH!" In unison! The Sky Sisters took flight into battle!

Meanwhile…Natsu was just on the ground with Chelia's shoe mark imprinted on his face. "…She….she hijacked Happy…."

.

.

Next Time: Orochi's Fin.


	10. Chapter 10: Orochi's Fin

Several months ago, Chelia was able to get into contact with Ultear. While Crime Soricere had to remain on the move, she was willing to discuss with the young girl who inspired her a little. Chelia, Cynthia, Wendy, and Carla met with the time mage at an undisclosed location. "What is it you needed?"

"We're sorry to take your time like this…" Chelia said while staring Ultear in the eyes. "But there's something you need to see. It concerns the Third Origin thing…" It was difficult to explain with words so…Chelia held her arms out, wisps of black wind forming between her palms.

"What!?" Ultear was clearly not expecting this. After going over the risks of the Third Origin, here was Chelia using magic again, though it was slight. "You can use magic again!?"

"We said the same thing…" Wendy had a bit of a smile on her face. "It just…came back to her one day. It's still small, but…"

"Does this mean she'll go back to how she was before?" Cynthia asked hopefully.

"This is…not what was I expecting to see." Ultear placed a hand under her chin, observing as Chelia used magic. She could also see the strain it put on the god slayer, along with the steam coming from her body. "I see…"

"That steam…what does it mean?" Carla asked.

"It means that she's burning through the little magic she has at an exponential rate." Ultear explained. "My original statement about the Third Origin may have been slightly off. After some time, the erthano in her body has slowly begun to recover, but it's not quite where it used to be. In fact, I don't think you'll be as strong as you used to be. I cannot stress this enough either…but if you use more magic than your body currently allows, you would put yourself at risk and could deal permanent damage to your body…maybe even destroy it."

So there was a catch. Chelia's lips curled down a little before she actually smiled. "That's okay. I just have to avoid pushing myself, right?" She was taking this rather well. "Magic is the only thing I can do competently outside of school work. If I train, I think I'll be able to get back to where I used to be."

Carla crossed her arms, giving Ultear a glance. "This means no Black Sky, correct?"

"No Black Sky, no triple mode…nothing of the sort." Ultear said with a firm stare. "Healing and basic spells are all you seem to be capable of right now. Don't even _try_ accessing the power of the Third Origin again. There is no doubt in my mind that accessing that level of power would nearly, if not, kill you."

Oof. So many warnings, but it was only natural. Ultear's concern was genuine and that made Chelia smile. She was glad to have someone looking out for her. "Okay, I got it."

* * *

The Sky Sisters took flight! Wendy, Carla, Cynthia, Chelia and Happy flew across the sky, rapidly approaching Orochi's fin from above. They could see the large horde of monsters marching forward to Magarett Town. "Look at all of them…" Wendy whispered as Carla carried her through the air. "All of them approaching the town. I can't believe they'd really do something like this."

Cynthia shook her head, keeping pace with the Exceeds. She had gotten really good when it came to flying on her own. "They're not even attacking just Lamia. With a force like this, they really want to wipe this town off the map. We can't let that happen!"

"We won't." Chelia was firm in this statement. "We can trust Lyon, Raven and the others for the town's defense."

"Natsu's there too." Wendy felt a lot better knowing that Natsu and Lucy were back in town. She knew they'd be able to defend it. Zelos was there too…yeah…

"We need to get to Orochi's main army and take out the monster user." Carla reiterated their plan of attack. Nobody else mattered in the end. The battle to defend Lamia and Magarett town was lost if they couldn't bring down the monster user in time.

Chelia took the time they had to speak to Happy since he was nice enough to give her a ride. "I'm sorry about this, Happy."

"It's fine, you're light." Happy said. _"Lighter than Lucy, anyway…"_ He thought.

"No…that's not it. I just…I want to protect the guild with my power." Chelia explained, but her reasoning got looks from Cynthia and Wendy.

"Chelia, are you sure you can go through with this? This is a real battle. You're going to be in danger and hold us back if you can't keep up." Carla's harsh tone only meant that she cared. "It's only been a few months."

"I'll be okay." Chelia said with a firm nod. "That's what the bow is for. I don't need magic to use it. And you guys are here. We can do anything together."

Chelia did talk a good game…but in the end, it didn't stop her sisters from feeling concerned. But the topic wasn't going to last any longer because the enemy was right below them! "There they are!" Carla yelled. The time for talk was over and the time for fighting was now!

The members of Orochi's Fin noticed the girls approaching from above. "Wait…isn't that…?" One member began just as the three girls dropped. Wendy, Cynthia, and Chelia all slammed a kick composed of their signature elements right into three dudes, forcing them to fly backwards from the raw power. "The sky sisters?!" After the impact the three girls landed and all proceeded to inhale at once.

"Sky Dragon's…"

"Omega Fire Dragon's…"

"Sky God's…"

"ROAR!"

"BELLOW!"

The three girls lurched forward and parted their lips, their respective attacks merging together. A blast of cyan and black wind shot forward, fueling Cynthia's red flames for a crimson vortex of destructive fire and wind that plowed through a number of Orochi's Fin's members.

"You're having problems with three little girls?!" A man shouted. "Buck up!"

Carla then flipped forward, slipping past several members while her leg was reared back. "Oh…it's not just the three of them." Mid cartwheel, Carla placed her hand on the ground, swinging her leg down for a fierce axe kick that slammed him into the ground. "White Moon!"

Happy…watched all of this action with widened eyes. He didn't think he'd ever see Carla fighting like this, and his paws went to his bag to pull out a piece of fish. He was about to eat it when he had to make sure he didn't! "No, it's time…I must…show the fruits of my training…" The training of not eating as much fist as he used to. He was really struggling with this.

Carla turned, shouting at Happy. "What are you doing!? Go hide somewhere!" She demanded since Happy couldn't fight.

Hissssssss. That burning sound? That was coming from Chelia's body. That wasn't a sound her body shouldn't have been making. Just what was that sound? The sound of the magic she was using burning up. It hurt. The Etherano in Chelia's body wasn't fully restored…so when she used it, she burned it up. When it burned, she burned, thus the visible steam emanating from her body. But she pushed through the pain and kept moving. "I'll be fine…I'll take down the monster user!" The god slayer kept going, black wind swirling around her arms as she pushed her way through many people with ease.

"Wait, Chelia! You're moving way too fast…!" Wendy shouted.

"Slow down! It's not good for you!" Cynthia exclaimed. But it was no good. Chelia was being extremely reckless in this situation which wasn't good for anyone!

Wendy then felt a strange chill crawl up her spine. Past the hundreds of people and all the way in the back…there was a strangely familiar scent lingering up ahead. "What…? This smell…?"

* * *

Back in Magaret, the town defense was truly just beginning. The monsters flooded the town, facing with the first and only line of defense of Lamia Scale. "The monsters have reached the town!" Yuka yelled.

"Just how many are there?!" Toby freaked out.

"We'll protect the people." Lyon stated firmly.

"Yeah!" Lucy was right beside him.

"All these lovely ladies in the crowd? It would be a crime if we didn't!" Zelos' offhanded and somewhat selective remark wasn't appreciated…but the fact he was lending his assistance was.

Natsu, on the other hand, sat cross legged on the ground after Chelia pilfered Happy from him. But he could wait no longer. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAH! DAMN HAPPY THEIFFFFFFFF!" Suddenly, he sprang up and sprinted forward towards the horde of monsters. "YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY!"

"Natsu!?" Lucy couldn't even move to stop him!

Natsu began using his raw power to plow through the monster! The fire dragon punched and shoulder tackled the monsters out of his way. "MOVE IT!" Everyone could only stare in awe as Natsu cleared a path and made a beeline to Orochi's Fin itself. Lyon held a smirk while Lucy just stared with wide eyes.

"Hey, wait for me…!" Raven didn't think about it, he just followed behind Natsu. With the bowstring drawn back, a powerful arrow of wind formed and he narrowed his eyes for a moment, reading the wind. "…There!" And he fired, shooting the arrow off into the distance.

"Woah…" Yuka blinked.

"My goodness…" Sherry remarked, taken aback by Natsu's strength. Just what did he do during the last year?

"THE REAL MONSTER IS HIM!" Toby accused, and honestly he wasn't very far off the mark.

Natsu made have cleared a path but that didn't mean their monster problem was close to being solved. "Stay on guard! Here they come!" Lyon exclaimed. The real fight was only just beginning.

"Right. It's time to get started!" Lucy drew a golden key out and swiped it across the air. "Gate of the Lion, open!"

In a bright flash of light, Loke appeared at the ready. "I'm glad to be of assistance."

And just as usual, Lucy's body lit up in a golden hue. "Star Dress: Leo!" Lucy donned the black dress, Leo's sign appearing on her chest. "I'm ready to fight too!"

"Let's get to it then!" Lyon swung his arms forward and back, covering monsters in instantaneous frost. It was at this moment the defense began; Yuka, Toby, Sherri, Ooba and the rest of Lamia Scale began to fight back against the monsters.

"Regulas Impact!" Loke's fist lit up in his signature light and he took out a monster with a single blow.

"Haaaaaaa…" Lucy exhaled before light formed at her left foot. "Regulas Lucy Kick!" A swift kick was aimed at a monster, taking it out with ease. "Heh."

"Beautiful as always." Loke remarked with a twinkle at the corner of his glasses.

Zelos watched everyone do work. This was honestly a bit of a hassle, but with hunnies at stake, he had to act! The male reached for the hilt of the sword in its sheathe at his hip, pulling out a crystallized blade with a green eye between the hilt and the blade itself. "All right. It's time for Zelos-sama to get to work!"

"W-What kind of sword is that…?" Sherry asked.

"I'm glad you asked my pink haired cutie." Zelos pointed said blade forward, grinning as a shield formed in his opposite hand. "This is my beauty – the holy blade of light! The Last Fencer!"

"Last Fencer…?" Lucy was going to regret asking.

"Just watch and be baffled!" Zelos then charged towards the group of incoming monsters, lightning beginning to spark on the sword. "Lightning Blade!" The male thrusted his sword forward, stabbing a monster through the chest as a bolt of lightning dropped down from above. "Super Lightning Blade!" Zelos pushed forward, impaling even more monsters onto this sword while forcing a few monsters back. A violent discharge of lightning shocked all of the monsters and rendered them unable to move. The finishing touch was a beautiful backflip, the Last Fencer igniting with fierce flames. "Hell Pyre!" An elegant swing of the blade sent a gigantic sphere of fire down towards a small group of the monsters. The sphere exploded and the fiery blast cleared out a large number of them. Zelos landed and waved his hand through his hair before bowing. "Oh yeah. I'm so pretty."

"Whoa…." Once again, Yuka was taken aback.

"…I guess he can fight after all." Lucy owed Zelos an apology.

But there was no time for that. Even with the efforts of everyone, the monsters were slowly beginning to slip past the defenses! "Shit…! They're pushing through!" Before the monsters could get too far to the people, several transparent vectors pierced through their bodies and they were lying limp. "What the…?"

Tayakata finally decided to join the fray. The vectors at her disposal emerged from her back and tearing through the monsters viciously and with no remorse. "These are the creatures that have you sweating?"

"Wh-?!" Lucy's eyes widened. "You again!? I thought you were going to Mt. Fiore!?"

"I'm not obligated to tell you every aspect of my life." Taya scoffed at Lucy's disbelief. She had no intention of sharing everything she planned on doing with anyone. "And I'm not doing this out of the goodwill of my heart either. This is just a nuisance."

"So…are you helping or not…?" Lyon asked cautiously while sending out a frozen lion to maul a few monsters.

"Not for your sake." Taya reiterated. An obsidian magic seal formed in the sky, droplets of her own power violently raining down onto the monsters and taking out a large number of them.

"THE SCARY LADY IS HELPING?!" Toby was…needless to say, a little frightened of Taya and her power.

* * *

As the quartet pushed through Orochi's Fin's forces, Chelia's eyes wandered to the cliff side. "Monster user…monster user…there he is!" The pinkette sprang forward, not wasting a single second.

Chelia's guard seemed to be down, and that's when one of the members could see the opening to take her down. "GOT YOU…!" ….Or so he thought. The aforementioned arrow of wind pierced through his side, causing his eyes to widen for a moment before he collapsed. Chelia didn't even turn back, she kept going, but there was a hint of a grin on her face.

"Was that Raven…? All the way back there…?" Cynthia briefly glanced back at Magaret town. Raven's accuracy was incredible! "What a shot…!"

"I knew he still cared." Wendy had a brief smile on her lips.

Carla on the other hand remained silent. Raven caring wasn't exactly the issue here. But that was neither here nor there; they had a more pressing matter to deal with. "Stay sharp you three!"

Wendy noticed an incoming blast of magic coming Chelia's way. The sky dragon tackled Chelia off to the side, allowing the blast to narrowly fly over them. "Watch out, Chelia…!"

"Oof…!" Chelia turned her head to Wendy.

"Are you okay!?" Cynthia rushed over to the two of them.

"Yeah…sorry…" Chelia said. "But I can see him…!" Chelia stood up immediately, drawing the bow from her back and closed one eye, an arrow of wind forming within the bow. She had a direct shot at the monster tamer and it didn't seem like they were aware of it. Steady breathing, steady aim…

The master of Orochi's Fin stepped forward displeased that these girls were running through their main forces. "It's my turn now?"

"Not yet." The monster tamer said with a smirk. "They aren't opponents worthy of your powers…"

He said that…but the master of Orochi's Fin saw Cynthia and Wendy in the distance and his eyes widened. "…Those girls. I've seen them before." Arms dropped, a powerful aura beginning to emanate from the man that caused the ground to tremble.

"M-Master?!"

"Wonder if they can fly…" He grumbled before the ground itself started to crumble and break apart! What used to be a cliff side was reduced to nothing more than a crater by the almighty power of gravity.

"WAH!"

"What's happening!?" Carla shrieked.

"The ground!?" Happy was having a hard time.

Bluenote Stinger stood tall over the crater, staring down at the girls who dare tried to run through his forces. "…."

"B-Bluenote Stinger?!" Carla gasped, but the gravity intensified and forced her into the ground. It felt like her bones were being crushed. "Nggggh…!" This was bad. Bluenote hadn't been seen since Tartarus revived Grimoire Heart all those years ago…but even before Tartarus was defeated those of Grimoire Heart were dead or missing as of the major battle in Crocus after the Dealer incident. Nobody would have expected to see Bluenote of all people here.

"I-I can't move…." Chelia groaned.

"This gravity…" Wendy was struggling to move. She wasn't as helpless as one would think and was somewhat able to push herself up.

"We have to…move….!" Cynthia placed her hands on the ground, slowly lifting herself up. The gravity only grew heavier to force the two girls back down, but they were trying.

"There is no soul in this world that can move under my gravitiational powers." Bluenote said, proudly at that.

"Master! You're overdoing some things!" A few people shouted, because they were collateral damage.

"W-Why is he here…?" Happy asked the million dollar question…but nobody knew.

"Let's see…." Bluenote's eyes wandered to his victims. Cynthia and Wendy were forcing themselves to make progress, but they were taking too long to even move properly, Carla was of no concern…but he did see the steam on Chelia's body. What did this mean?

"I have to…move…I have to…save Lamia…" Chelia whimpered as the steam intensified.

"No! Chelia! Don't…!" Carla cried out. Was she really attempting to use the Third Origin here?!

"Let's start with that one…" The rise in Chelia's power was cause for concern. Better to nip that in the bud before it caused any problems.

Chelia's eyes widened as she felt herself lifted off the ground. "H-…!"

"CHELIA…!"

Natsu lifted Chelia by the back of her shirt, panting a little considering the mad sprint he did to catch up to them. "I finally found you!" Natsu's tunnel vision was so focused on Chelia, he legitimately had no idea about the situation around him. Chelia just blinked several times, unsure if she'd die from a heart attack or not. She was still processing this.

"Natsu!" Happy and Cynthia grinned.

"Natsu-san!" Always in the nick of time! One thing Wendy looked up to him about.

"Ah…ha…." Raven came by a few seconds later, hunched over. "G-Geez…what a sprint…" Thud. That was the sound of Raven's body collapsing into the gravity field comically. "Oof…!"

"My knight in shining armor…." Chelia would have laughed but…she was still trying to figure out if she was in trouble or not. Spoiler alert: she was.

"What the…?"

"He's moving even in the Master's gravity…" The members of Orochi's Fin mumbled about this surprising turn of events.

"How dare you steal Happy!?" Natsu really didn't get the situation. Chelia's thievery was the only thing he cared about.

"I'm sorry…" Chelia looked back at Natsu, pouting a little bit.

"Natsu! This isn't the time for that! We have trouble!" Carla chided while on the ground.

"That man is here…the one from Grimoire…!" Wendy shouted.

"Bluenote…" Happy said.

"Eh?" Natsu blinked absently while staring at Bluenote. Vague memory….vague memory…vague memory….. "I don't remember him."

"WHAT?!" Happy couldn't believe this!

Meanwhile, Bluenote stared down at Natsu. It had been quite some time since he laid eyes on the fire dragon himself. _"I've seen this man before…ah, the small fry…"_ Back on Tenoru, he could vaguely remember Natsu struggling to escape his gravity. _"But…why am I so annoyed at him!?"_ His mere thoughts fueled a sudden rage, the gravity increasing tenfold and left absolutely no one safe!

"E-Even someone of my caliber…can't move!?" The monster tamer gasped.

 _"He's dangerous…"_ Bluenote came to a decision while lunging at Natsu. "DIE!"

The ground Natsu stood under began to cave in immensely. Natsu's eyes widened for a moment before flames ignited around the hand not holding Chelia, which he used to propel himself into the air with a blast of flame. "LIKE HELL I WILL!"

"He rose up with flames!?

"Impossible!?

"This isn't the end for Fairy Tail!" Natsu yelled at the top of his lungs. Those words…they resonated with Cynthia and Wendy. Perhaps that was something they needed to hear after all this time…?

"Do you mind letting me go now!?" Chelia flailed about in Natsu's grip…but judging by the height, a drop from this height wasn't going to be pleasant. "Never mind…"

 _"That's right! It was FAIRY TAIL!"_ Natsu reminded Bluenote of Gildarts! THAT'S why he was so angry!

"DON'T KILL US OFF JUST LIKE THAT!" Natsu yelled at the top of his lungs.

Bleunote didn't want to hear it. He was charging full speed at the fire dragon! "I'll deal…with…TH….." Nobody even saw Natsu prepare the attack. A gigantic funnel of flame consumed Bluenoote, spanning the horizon while incinerating everything in its path. The size of it completely bewildered everyone, especially the members of Orochi's Fin. What made it more frightening is that Natsu just needed to take a small breath after unleashing something that devastating.

"…." Bluenote let out a small moan of pain, completely charred by the attack. And then he just…..collapsed.

"One…attack….?" Carla couldn't believe it.

"No way…." Cynthia stared with admiration.

"Just…just how much stronger has Natsu-san become over the last year…?" Wendy's mouth was open after witnessing such a feat.

"That's…crazy…" Raven wasn't even sure how to react…but his cheeks suddenly flushed when he saw Chelia's…predicament.

"Now then." Natsu turned to Chelia, who covered her chest because her shirt was completely melted just from being near Natsu. "A thief is someone that…"

"My clothes! You burnt them off!" The pinkette squealed while squirming about uncomfortably.

"Natsu, maybe you should look around instead of lecturing her." Happy said with a sweat drop.

Natsu dropped Chelia, and as soon as he did, Raven swooped in and took off his jacket to give to Chelia, who happily put it on to cover herself. The Salamander turned his head to face the enemy, lifting a brow in confusion. "Huh? The enemy's still here…." But they completely lost their will to fight.

The monster tamer was holding up the white flag of surrender. Behind him, the members of Orochi's Fin were sweating. Nobody wanted to mess with Lamia Scale anymore if they had forces like Natsu backing them up.

"We surrender."

.

.

Next Time: Because I Love You.


	11. Chapter 11: Because I Love you

The battle against Orochi's Fin lasted all night. But when Bluenote went down they lost the will to fight and pulled their forces back! Those in Magaret Town were a little confused to see the monsters suddenly pull back. "The monsters are retreating?" Lyon had his guard up just in case, but it looked like they managed to win?

"Did they beat the monster tamer?" Lucy looked around just to make sure the town was safe. "I think we won!"

"The monsters probably ran when they realized they could never match up to my handsomeness." Zelos twirled his blade around before stylishly returning it to its sheathe. "I mean, can you blame them?"

"I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you…" Lucy stated with a stale expression.

"WE DID IT! ON!" Toby shouted victoriously.

"You don't need to be so loud, man…" Yuka said in his usual tone, but this victory did warrant some smiling. They did manage to save Lamia and their town after all.

"That was getting tedious. Thank goodness that's over." Taya let out an exhale, feeling more inconvenienced by the situation more than anything else.

"Thank you for your assistance. You kept a lot of them at bay." Lyon gave Taya a nod of gratitude.

"Keep it." Taya waved her hand dismissively at Lyon's thanks. "As I said, I wasn't acting for your best interests. It just so happened to have coincided with my own."

"Which are…?" Lucy tried to fish, but Taya wasn't taking it. Instead Lucy received a glare which made her sweat. "Okay…got it. You really don't want to talk, that's far."

"I hope everything went okay…" Sherri looked off in the direction the monsters were fleeing. She was extremely worried for her younger cousin's wellbeing, but also upset that Chelia had the nerve to run off so recklessly. "That girl is in so much trouble when she comes back!"

Soon the monsters all ran from the town and spread out elsewhere. Natsu and the others finally strolled into town a few moments later, Natsu's expression showing that he was fairly grumpy. "Agh! Still no action, damn it!" Natsu exclaimed his frustrations and crossed his arms like a child.

"You took the enemy leader out in one hit, why are you so upset…?" Raven stared up at Natsu curiously.

"BECAUSE I WANTED TO FIGHT!" Natsu yelled. His yelling caught everyone's attention.

"You never change, Natsu…" Cynthia laughed a little.

"CHELIA!" As soon as Sherri laid eyes on her cousin she rushed over, patting her down with the most concerned look. "Are you okay? Why are you wearing Raven's jacket? What happened to your clothes? You didn't let off any of that scary steam did you!?"

All these questions made Chelia's head spin. She already knew Sherri was going to get in her butt. "Uh…I'm fine…! Natsu burnt off my clothes…and…nooooooooo…"

All she needed to know was that Chelia was okay. The elder Blendy did glare at Natsu upon hearing that he burned her clothes, but now it was time to scold her cousin. "What were you thinking running off like that!? That was super dangerous, especially in your condition! What if you got hurt, or worse!? How can I leave the guild and not worry about you doing stuff like this?!"

Chelia glanced away as Sheri began to scold her. She expected this the moment she ran off and her older cousin had full rights to yell at her. "I know…I'm sorry…" She tugged the jacket on her a little as Sherri gave her an earful. She wasn't going to escape from that anytime soon.

Lucy walked over to Natsu, Cynthia, and Wendy, glancing over just to see if they were injured. "Are you all okay?"

"Just fine!" Wendy responded with a bright smile. "Natsu-san managed to beat the enemy leader. It was that Bluenote man…"

"In one hit!" Happy added.

Lucy blinked several times. She shouldn't have been surprised. All Natsu did think about for his trip was just getting stronger. While she did see some of his training here and there, that didn't mean she was ready to accept his decision to leave. Instead she just smiled at the two girls, ignoring Natsu completely. "You two were brave. You've really grown up."

"We learned from the best." Cynthia said with a cheeky grin.

"They really are starting to become a little reckless. I think Cynthia's a bad influence." Carla teased.

"Just a little." Wendy added onto the tease.

"Heeeeey…" Cynthia puffed her cheeks out, but she was grinning all the same. She then glanced around the town, a sigh of relief escaping her. "I'm really glad that we were able to protect the town, though. With all those numbers, it didn't look good…is everyone okay?"

"Yes." Yuka said with a reassuring nod. "There are no casualties and no one is harmed."

"What a relief…" Wendy could let out a sigh before high fiving Cynthia. "We did it!"

"Yeah!" Cynthia grinned…before her nose picked up a familiar scent. "Uh…hold on. I'll be right back…" Without explaining anything, Cynthia started to move in the direction she scent was moving.

"Ah…Cynthia…?" Wendy tried to stop her but she was far too late.

"…Where's she going…?" Lucy tilted her head.

* * *

Cynthia's jog led her to Taya, who was about to leave the town. Luckily Cynthia encountered her just before she could. "Taya…?" She came to a halt. Her nose never led her astray.

Taya turned around, lifting a brow at first before a rare, soft smile appeared on her lips. "Oh. There you are. Here I was thinking I would never get the chance to say hello."

Cynthia didn't waste any time. She sprinted right into Taya's arms, wrapping her arms around the woman for an embrace. "…I was so worried. I didn't see you since Tartarus fell…I…I thought…"

"Your concern means a lot to me, Cynthia. But I wouldn't die that easily." Taya embraced Cynthia. "You don't need to worry about me."

"Okay…" The reunion did make tears well up in Cynthia's eyes, but she didn't cry. "I didn't expect to see you here…"

"I heard that you were in this town…and I wanted to say hello before I made my way to Mt. Fiore." Taya explained. "But…incident after incident prevented me from dropping by. I'm glad I decided to stay for a little while."

"Me too." Cynthia nodded, smiling bright.

"So…trying new hair styles, are we?" The elder woman questioned Cynthia's red hair.

"Oh well…this just kind of happened…" The dragon slayer responded with a small chuckle. Seems she didn't' exactly have an explanation for how half her hair changed.

"I see." The woman stood up, brushing own hair back. "Your performance earlier was surprising. I thought you couldn't dance?" That was clearly a friendly little jab. "But are you going to stay here? Lamia Scale never seemed like the guild for you."

Oh no, Taya saw that? Now it was embarrassing! Cynthia played with her hair and adverted her gaze when the real question was asked. "…I don't know. It depends on how Wendy feels, too…I don't want to leave her alone."

"You two are very much alike." Taya reassured while patting Cynthia on the head. "You know where your heart belongs. I'm sure you'll make a decision you won't regret." Those were her parting words as she finally left.

Lucy and Carla were watching the exchange between Cynthia and Taya. "Oh…so that's why she came here. She came for Cynthia…" Lucy muttered. "Those two were close…even during Tartarus…"

"I guess she has a lot of thinking to do too…" Carla muttered.

* * *

Magaret suffered some damage from the monster attack, but overall, everything was all right. A few hours after the attack and the cleanup went well. "Thanks for your help." Lyon extended his gratitude to Natsu, Lucy, and Zelos. "The monsters have retreated. I dread to think what could have happened to the guild and the town if you all weren't present."

"Ooon!" Toby cheered.

"You're welcome. I always knew my handsomeness was a dangerous weapon." Zelos remarked. All he got was a look from everyone else before they ignored him and kept talking. "Oof…I get the feeling that everyone's been ignoring my words of love lately…" They were.

"It was nothing." Loke said with a more casual tone than Zelos.

"I haven't even gone full berserk yet…" Natsu was still upset. So far he hadn't been able to really show the fruits of his labor and it was getting to him.

"No, that was more than enough Natsu." Happy said.

"You've helped us out in the past, so it was the least we could do to return the favor." Lucy placed her hands behind her back with a soft smile.

"Where did the girls go?" Lucy looked around, but was unable to find any trace of Cynthia, Chelia, or Wendy.

"Just a year or two and they'll be in my scope…" Loke's remark was definitely not unnoticed, but nobody decided to humor it…except Zelos.

"See, now that's just not fair. He can get away with saying something like that, but when I make a comment I get the evil eye?" Zelos narrowed his eyes. He wasn't taking it seriously, but it was something worth mentioning. "The double standards…"

"Anyway…." Sherri cleared her throat. "They have something they needed to talk about in private. We should wait until they're done and come back. I'm sure it's a very important discussion…"

* * *

Chelia, Cynthia, and Wendy gathered at a hill that oversaw the town. Chelia changed into a black dress, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, a heavy sigh escaping with her. "Well…that didn't go nearly as well as I thought it would."

"What exactly were you trying to prove?" Cynthia tilted her head.

"Yeah…what you did was really dangerous." Wendy frowned.

"I wanted to show you both that I'd be okay even if you did leave." Chelia explained. "I know my magic isn't back yet…and truthfully even using a simple spell hurts a lot. But I can push through it to protect those I love, you know? I'd do anything for Lamia, and I'm not alone. I still have Raven, Lyon and the others. But…Natsu screwed it up in the end."

"…Yeah, he does that sometimes." Wendy said with a soft laugh.

Chelia's gaze went down for a moment, pondering the same thought from their conversation earlier in the night. "You two have to go with him."

"Huh?" Both girls responded at the same time.

"You guys love him, don't you?" The pinkette turned to the both of them. The way she phrased it made it sound really awkward and they both ended up blushing fiercely and shook their heads.

"W-WAIT…! NO! It's not like that…!" Cynthia squealed.

"I-It's like…." Wendy tripped over her words. She was able find the right words. "He's like a big brother to us." The sky dragon was able to say. "I guess you could say we idolize him. He's always been there…he never gives up…and when he can't do it alone, that's what we're there for."

"Mhm…" Cynthia nodded in agreement. "I remember when I first woke up on that mountain after I escaped from Aiden's lab. The first thing I did was attack Natsu in a frightened frenzy. After I joined Fairy Tail, I ended up copying some of his moves without even realizing it. Before I knew it, I found myself looking up to him the most. I think he's part of the reason I ended up being the way I am now…"

"That's love too, you know." Chelia responded to their statements with a soft smile. "You two will regret it if you don't go with him. Natsu said so himself…that it wasn't the end for Fairy Tail." Blue eyes lifted up to the sky where the sun was beginning to rise in the distance. "And it's because he loved you both and Fairy Tail that he came all this way for you two."

Wendy and Cynthia looked at one another. Chelia's words did strike a chord in their heartstrings and they weren't able to say anything. "…."

"I saw it in your eyes when he and Lucy first arrived." Chelia continued. "When he said Fairy Tail was coming back, I saw your eyes change. There was a glimmer of hope. You may not have known it…but when you were at Fairy Tail, your eyes always had that same gleam. When you joined Lamia…I didn't see it. I know you two enjoyed your time here, but I saw that it just wasn't the same for you both."

Chelia knew them both way too well. Cynthia rubbed the back of her neck. "…I…"

"I know you two are still worried about me." The god slayer let out a soft laugh. "But I promise I'll be fine. Raven and I…we'll work things out somehow." She then sat between both dragon slayers, wrapping her arms around their shoulders to bring them closer. With both Cynthia and Wendy resting their heads against her own, Chelia used both hands to lace their fingers together to comfort them. "But I want the both of you to be honest with yourselves. It doesn't matter if we're in different guilds. You two will always be my sisters, no matter what."

Cynthia and Wendy wanted to cry, but they fought the tears back and rested against Chelia. "Yeah…."

* * *

[Flashback: six months ago]

Raven was busy with some refinements to his bow, ironically on the same hill that the girls were conversing on at the present point in time. Since he was avoiding Chelia, he found that he had a lot more time. "…Ah…" The black haired male sighed heavily while leaning against the tree. "Damn it…"

"And just what do you think you're doing up here?" Carla peered around the tree, still flaunting her human form.

"Whoa!" Raven jumped up, clearly startled by the Exceed's sudden appearance. "Why are…you here?"

"I've had a question for you that nobody has really wanted to ask. What's up with you?" The Exceed's tone was fairly blunt. "You and Chelia are almost as close as Wendy and Cynthia. I don't get why you've been distant to her lately after everything you've gone through."

"…" Raven was silent, staring off elsewhere as he tried to avoid the question, but it was clear that Carla wasn't letting him go without an answer. "As a wind mage, I have the ability to read the wind around me, so to speak. But as of late, I've been having nothing but winds of bad omens. The winds of death, so to speak."

"Death…?" Carla lifted a curious brow. Hearing that word used so…casually did make her a little concerned. "Are you sure you didn't eat something bad?"

"I wish." Raven scoffed at her reply. "You have powers of premonition, right? Surely you can sense it."

When Carla focused…Raven wasn't wrong. She could sense that something awful was going to happen to him in the future. But the problem was she didn't know where, when, or what…and neither did he. "And that's why you're avoiding Chelia?"

"If something deathly happened, I don't want her caught up in it." Raven stared at her bow. "She's already been through so much. The last thing I want her to do is worry about something she can't change. If I stay around her too long, she'll easily sense it and get worried. How am I supposed to tell her I feel like I might die soon?" When he said that...well, it just made his heart heavy.

"That's incredibly selfish." Carla huffed.

"I know." Raven turned his back to Carla. "But can you not tell anyone about this, please? Chelia's been having such a good time with Cynthia and Wendy, I don't want to spoil their mood."

"She'd like to spend more time with you, too…" Carla's remark hung in the air before she left Raven alone. Keeping that secret for half a year ate at her, but a part of her did understand Raven's concerns. Carla saw terrible futures in the past…but she didn't tell anyone about them, mostly because she didn't know if they were true or not. Her visions were proven wrong occasionally, but would this be any different?

[End flashback]

* * *

From behind the nearby tree, Carla and Raven were watching the moment between the sky sisters. Carla had a grin on her face as Chelia helped push the two towards the decision they were hesitating towards. Now it was someone else's turn. "…You have to tell her, you know." The Exceed spoke to Raven without even looking at him.

"Huh…?" Raven stared down at Carla. "But…"

"She's strong, Raven." Carla stared right at Chelia. "She's been through a lot over the years. But if there's one thing I've learned by watching her with Wendy and Cynthia, it's that she can take it. Keeping this secret isn't something I can do for much longer seeing them like this. So you need to tell her about it. What she _can't_ take is…wait; I shouldn't be the one telling you this! Go out there and just trust her. That lingering omen of 'death' could change if you trust her."

"Wait…now…?" Raven blinked several times. The three girls looked so content… "They're in the middle of a moment…I can't. There's no way she wants to hear all that now…"

"Oh for crying out loud…why are human males so pathetic? I really don't know what she sees in you." Carla transformed into her human form and gave Raven the boot, forcing him to stumble forward. "Don't beat around the bush. Just do it. You'll both regret it if you don't."

"N-Not cool…!" The archer stumbled until landing right in front of the three girls. The situation was awkward as he stared up at the three females. "….Hey."

"….Hey." Chelia blinked.

"…We'll uh…let you two talk…" Wendy took Cynthia's hand and…just guided her behind the tree where Carla was. The three of them were going to watch this play out.

Raven regained himself and sat next to Chelia, staring off into the distance with the rising sun. "…So…what was that earlier? Why did you run off ahead like that?"

"Because I knew you had my back." Chelia didn't miss a beat with that response. She didn't look at Raven, but rather just stared ahead. "…So, you're talking to me now? I thought you didn't want to be near me." Oof. Females as of late had perfectly good ammo for firing off shots.

"…I…" Raven wasn't quite sure how to begin. "I'm sorry for avoiding you lately. I just…" Don't beat around to bush, you idiot. "I've had a very ominous feeling about myself over the last year. I…I know that something bad is going to happen to me in the future. I just don't know when…and if it does happen to me, I don't want you getting caught up in my bad omen and getting hurt or worse. I…l…like you too much for that to happen…" SMACK. "Ow!?"

Chelia smacked Raven upside the head, pouting at his words. "Is that really why you haven't been talking to me as much? Because you're worried?"

"Well…yes…" Raven rubbed the back of his head. That hurt…

"You're dumb." The pinkette turned a bit to face Raven. "I don't care if you think something bad will happen to you. It's me. You can come to me for anything. Losing someone you love is the worst thing in the world, and I don't want to lose you." Chelia's cheeks darkened as she spoke, but she didn't turn away. "So if you don't want to tell me what it is, that's fine. But you should know that you're not getting rid of me that easily. I'll be there to protect you, I promise…"

"Chelia…I…" Raven wasn't quite sure what to say, but his cheeks were darkening. This was supposed to be the other way around…! Wait…when did they get so close to one another?

"Whatever happens, we'll deal with it together. I promise. I won't let you go anywhere. Because I…because I love you. So you're not allowed to leave." Chelia stated with a firm nod.

Cynthia and Wendy were both about to shout, but Carla covered their mouths in the nick of time. "Sssh…." Carla whispered.

"…You stole my thunder…" Raven said as Chelia's head rested against his chest. "But I…I love you too. And I trust you…so…if something bad does happen, I'll be counting on you."

"Good…" Chelia muttered a content smile on her face. Somehow she knew things would end up like this eventually for them. Raven took too long so she had to do it herself…but that wasn't so bad in the end.

* * *

The sun shone brightly on Lamia Scale. Cynthia and Wendy finally made their decision – they were going to join Natsu and Lucy (and Zelos) on the quest to revive Fairy Tail. The two girls were bowing their heads to those at Lamia Scale for the hospitality they received over the year. "Thank you for taking good care of us…" Wendy said.

"I should show my gratitude too, I suppose…" Carla sighed.

"Mhm…it meant a lot…" Cynthia followed suit. The two of them were really trying hard not to cry, but Wendy was having a harder time. "Come on Wendy…you said you weren't going to cry anymore, remember."

"I-I know…" Wendy sniffled. "But I feel so bad…making such a selfish decision…I don't even know what to say."

"Well, we did let you into our guild fully aware that you came with a condition." Lyon said with a soft smile.

"Wait…REALLY!?" This was news to Natsu!

Zelos had a light hearted chuckle at this news. "Well, how about that…seems like our two growing cuties just needed a little push in the right direction."

"Yeah," Carla began, running a hand through her hair. "We'd be in their care until Fairy Tail returned."

"Whether it be a year or two…or however many…" Cynthia rubbed her arm, giving a sheepish smile now that that information was revealed.

"Carla-saaan! Don't leave!" A few males at Lamia clearly had fallen for Carla in her human appearance, the poor things.

"But…" Wendy sniffled once more, rubbing her eyes to keep the tears from falling.

"Come now…straighten yourself up…" Carla said while patting Wendy on the back.

Lucy felt a soft smile form on her lips. _"So Wendy, Cynthia, and Carla…they never forgot about Fairy Tail after all…"_ Suddenly, those regrets she had from last night slowly started to fade away. Before she believed that they didn't want to come back and that everyone felt the same…but were things different…? Only time could tell.

Chelia approached Wendy and held onto one hand, laughing a little bit. "Geez, Wendy. You're such a crybaby! You too, Cynthia! I see you trying not to cry!"

"I-I'm not crying…!" Cynthia's hands began to wipe her eyes. She was totally about to cry.

"But…but…!" Wendy protested.

"I'll be the other half of the Sky Sisters!" Toby yelled while tears streamed down his face like a flowing river.

"Stop it." Yuka was not fond of the idea.

"My turn!" Ooba posed…she already had her hair in twin tails and wore a dress that was frighteningly similar to Chelia's.

"You stop it too, old lady." Yuka really needed these two to not.

After wiping some of the incoming tears from her eyes, Cynthia shot a teasing smile at Chelia and Raven. "We wish you two the best of luck too~"

"Ah…ahaha….thanks…" Raven said while rubbing the back of his head.

"Speaking of…" Sherri pinched Raven's ear and began to tug him off. "If you're going to be officially dating my precious younger cousin, then you and I have a **_lot_ **more to discuss than usual, Mr.! I have a number of ground rules!"

"Owowowowo! Sherri! Let me go…!" But it was no use. Raven was already pulled out of sight and the members of Lamia just laughed at the gates to his misfortune opening up.

"I'm sorry…!" Chelia said to Raven as he was pulled off by her older cousin. It came with the territory...as she was learning just now. At the same time, Natsu and company finally began to depart from Magaret Town.

"Good luck on getting Fairy Tail back!" Yuka waved.

"Yeah!" Natsu said while raising his arm.

"Say hi to Gray for me." Lyon said.

"Ah…we actually don't even know where he is…" Lucy responded.

"Good luck!"

"Be safe!"

"Ooooon!"

Chelia waved her two sisters off, keeping a bright smile on her face. "Be well, Wendy! Cynthia!"

The two girls turned back, waving in return. "We will! You too, Chelia!" Wendy replied.

"But we won't have to worry about her so much anymore…! She's growing up so fast…!" Now Cynthia was sniffling again. It felt like ages ago since she first met Chelia! But this wasn't goodbye…it was only see you later!

Chelia kept a smile on her face until Natsu and company were finally gone. Lyon placed a hand on her head while lowering his gaze to her. "You can cry if you want to now."

Chelia's lower lip quivered a little bit. In truth…having to part with Wendy and Cynthia like this did hurt a little bit. Saline built up in the corners of her eyes, but she winked and displayed a bright smile to Lyon. The tears weren't going to fall today. "I won't cry!" The god slayer proclaimed. "Because I want Fairy Tail to come back too!" Now that was the reply that got Lyon to smile as well. A world without Fairy Tail just wasn't the same…so to have a revival after one long year. Who wouldn't want them to come back?

* * *

The group had been walking for quite a while. Wendy was the most upset about having to part ways with Chelia, but she refused to let anymore tears fall! It was actually harder than it sounded…but she was trying her best! "…."

"How long are you going to cry, Wendy…?" Carla turned while narrowing her eyes.

"I'm not…crying…!" Wendy immediately replied. "It's just…when Fairy Tail disbanded, everyone at Lamia treated us so nice…but then Natsu and Lucy came back and….!" Try as she might, the tears still fell.

 _"Tears of joy and sadness at the same time?!"_ Lucy had a wide eyed expression. She then glanced to Cynthia, who was still silent, only because she was trying to hide the tears falling from her eyes. It was clear the dragon slayer was trying to be strong for both Wendy and Chelia. _"Cynthia too…? I wonder…"_

"Now now cuties…" Zelos' tone grew serious for a second, which got everyone's attention. "Those tears don't suit you. You told your friend you weren't going to cry anymore, yes? I think it's better if you brighten the mood with those wonderful smiles of yours. It can really go a long way." Wow…despite his attitude, Zelos could be encouraging when he wanted to be!

Natsu turned his head to the two dragon slayers, smirking as he repeated the words he was intent on following through with. "This is only the beginning! We're going to get everyone back! We WILL be a guild again!"

"YEAH!" Wendy and Cynthia responded in unison. Though their eyes were wet with tears, their smiles were bright. This was the right decision for them after all.

"…." Lucy was still silent. It was strange how Natsu always knew what to say to cheer people up…but she still couldn't let go of the fact that he left. Nothing he could say would change that, she was certain. But it was his words that led to this journey in the first place. But she still wouldn't let it go…not after what happened. But there was no need to ruin the moment with her thoughts now. She'd cross that bridge when they got there.

"So…where are we going next?" Happy glanced around.

"Well…" Lucy had a map handy. "There's this village east of here called Rainfall Town. Apparently it always rains there…"

"Could it be…" Happy trailed off.

"I hope so!" Cynthia interjected with a wide grin. "But…that place is pretty far right. It'll take at least a few days…" Sky blue eyes wandered to Natsu, a grin creeping onto her lips.

"Oh no…she's got that look again…" Carla crossed her arms and sighed. "It's been a year since we've seen it..."

"Natsu! When we find a place to rest, I wanna fight you!" Cynthia said, punching the air rapidly. "I've got a lot of new tricks I didn't get to show off! I'm itching to test them!"

That was just what Natsu wanted to hear! His eyes gleamed at a chance for a decent spar at last! "Ah! Finally! Someone I can fight! Let's do it right now!"

"NO!" Lucy waved her hands. "You'll destroy the area, are you insane!? In case you haven't noticed, we still need a path to follow. There won't be one if you two fight!"

"It'll be fine." Natsu said, dismissively while grinning towards Cynthia. "You ready?!"

"Oh yeah!" Cynthia responded with her own grin.

"Wait, Cynthia, this isn't a good idea…!" Wendy was trying to hold her partner back, but it wasn't working!

"Hahaha! Looks like our little group is just as lively as ever!" Zelos chuckled, staying in the back so he wouldn't get caught in the cross fire.

"Good grief you two…" Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose. "We're not letting you do this here!" Some things just didn't change….

.

.

Next Time: On The Road Again.


	12. Chapter 12: On The Road Again

Ultimately, Natsu and Cynthia were denied the sparring match, at least for the time being. Lucy made the executive decision to avoid any large damages in the area. The group rested in the middle of the woods for the time being. Their destination Rainfall Town was still a ways away and they couldn't cover all that distance in one night. With night falling, Natsu's group had a small bonfire going. The fire dragon himself was tasked with getting some more firewood and toppling a few trees did let him vent out a little frustration from not being able to actually fight lately, Happy joining him of course.

Lucy placed the map in her hands down on the ground for the others to see. "We've made a lot of progress today. If we keep this pace up, we should reach Rainfall Town within the next two days."

Cynthia sat next to Wendy on a log, peering at the map. "Rainfall Town. I wonder if that is Juvia…?"

"I don't know who else could make it rain like that." Carla said with her legs crossed. "I'm dreading it, but I'm fully prepared to get soaked…"

"It would be lovely to see Juvia-chan again." Zelos remarked while leaning against the tree. "Maybe she's just in need of someone to turn those rainclouds into a rainbow~"

"…Why is he here again?" Carla turned to the others.

"I don't know…" Lucy muttered. "He just tagged along with Natsu, Happy, and I when we left Crocus."

"I see…so he's just here…" Wendy mumbled. She didn't want to sound rude but…it did seem like Zelos was just awkwardly there.

"Yeah…I don't get it either." Lucy shrugged before turning her gaze to Cynthia. "So…Cynthia. Did you dye your hair or something…?"

Everyone was asking her this question! She understood why…but it really wasn't something she could explain. "It just…kinda happened." The girl ran a hand through her partially red locks. "Does it look bad, though…? I'm used to having black hair…but I don't think the touch of red is awful either. I kinda like it…"

"No no, it's fine!" Lucy quickly replied. "It'll just take some getting used to seeing you like that."

After a brief pause, Cynthia looked over to Lucy. "So…uh…I wasn't sure how to bring this up, but…are you mad at Natsu?" And there it was. Something Wendy and Carla had been wondering about as well.

"What?" Lucy let out a laugh. "Am I mad at Natsu? Why would I be mad? Because he left after Emmeraude incident and left everything behind? I'm not mad." She said she wasn't mad…but anyone could hear that in her tone she definitely was.

"…I'm sorry I asked…" Cynthia responded with a nervous sweat drop.

"Em…is Mii-san around here…?" Wendy looked around. The angel's scent was lingering in the air and she wasn't sure why. "I thought she left…"

"She did." Lucy said, her eyes moving to Zelos who was already asleep! He took to sleeping in the tree since it was better than sleeping on the ground. It would ruin his hair – his words. "But Zelos said he knows something about her. Furthermore…"

"He smells just like her." Wendy wrinkled her nose. "It's hard to tell since he wears some uh…interesting scents. But…it's there. That's really weird…" She couldn't figure it out. Two people smelling exactly alike? If they were related, then it was natural they at least smelled similar, but….

"We're not getting any answers from him." Carla rolled her eyes. "But at least we're making some progress. A part of me wonders how the others are doing, but I suppose we'll see them soon enough."

"We should be careful, though…" Lucy added. "Apparently…during the last year, someone completely destroyed the area near Waas Forest. If we ran into that person, things could get messy."

"Oh. Yikes…" Cynthia grumbled.

"Lucy-san." Wendy stared at Lucy attentively. "How have you been feeling lately…after that…incident?"

"Huh?" Lucy blinked, taken aback by Wendy's question. She didn't think anyone would bring it up…and she didn't exactly like talking about it. But she was left with a few lingering conditions. "I'm fine."

Wendy just wanted to make sure. She hopped from the log and waved a hand over Lucy, a soft sea foam light emitting from her palms. She was using her healing magic just to see if the celestial mage would have a reaction, but there was none. "…There doesn't seem to be anything left. I was worried you'd still be dealing with it over this last year…"

"Wendy…" Lucy wasn't sure what to say. The level of concern was touching.

"We're glad that you're okay." Carla said.

"Yeah…you had us worried for a while there. We never really got to check up on you…" Cynthia scratched her cheek. "But we're glad you've been doing okay!"

Doing okay, huh? That was…one way to put it, sure. She did manage to make it a full year after what happened. "I appreciate it you three." Lucy stood up and stretched, a yawn passing her lips. "Anyway…it's getting late. You two shouldn't stay up late either. We have a lot of walking to do." The blonde said while sliding into her sleeping bag.

"We're not kids anymore…." Cynthia scoffed a bit at having a bed time imposed on them.

"Come on, Cynthia…" Wendy said with a small smile.

"Yeah yeah…." The female rolled her eyes.

Lucy also wanted to go to bed because she had a question on her mind that she didn't have the confidence to ask. Sure, the girls seemed happy to join them in this quest…but how did they feel about Lucy after what happened? Paranoia took over and she assumed the worst…but that's why she wanted to turn in early for the night. To escape these thoughts before anyone noticed.

* * *

Morning soon came around. The sun shone bright and early on a brand new day! The gang was just about finished gathering their belongings to get going. "All right!" Natsu pumped a fist into the air. "Let's make it all the way to Rainfall Town today!"

"Are you crazy? We'd have to run all the way to do that." Lucy shook her head. "Absolutely not."

"No way am I working up a sweat." Zelos crossed his arms.

"Don't be such a diva…" Carla rolled her eyes.

 _"_ _Good morning happy people!"_ The voice came from Cynthia…but it wasn't her own, which did turn some heads. _"…Oh. Oops."_

"Cynthia…?" Happy tilted his head. "Are you okay? Your voice sounds…different."

"Ah…yeah, totally fine!" Cynthia responded. "I just uh…well…how do I explain this…"

 _"_ _You have another companion on this journey, that's all."_ The voice said. It was very confusing to hear two voices come out of Cynthia's body. At the very least with Rose, they had the same voice, the tones were just different.

"Explain." Lucy placed her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes.

"She's not bad, I promise…!" Cynthia waved her hands defensively.

"She…?" Zelos lifted a brow.

 _"_ _Oh, it's fine."_ The voice took the reins for a little bit. _"My name is Verona. I'm just a harmless soul stuck in your friend's body. I can't do anything but talk really."_

"That name…sounds familiar…" Lucy rocked her head back and forth. "Wait…how did you get in Cynthia's body!?"

"You should leave." Natsu narrowed his eyes. Something about this didn't sit right with him.

 _"_ _I'd love to, but I can't."_ Verona shrugged with Cynthia's shoulders. _"I'm stuck in here."_

"She is…" Wendy backed up the claims. "We tried, but we don't even know how she got in there. She won't talk about it either…but she hasn't done anything."

"Verona, huh…?" Zelos mumbled. "Well, I don't think there's anything we can do if she won't come out. You really have bad luck with sharing a body with someone, don't you?"

"It's my body…" Cynthia grumbled. "But Verona's harmless. She just talks a lot…"

"Especially when she's not wanted." Carla added.

"Well…whatever." Natsu shrugged. They still had a task to do and they were getting sidetracked! "Let's get moving!"

"We're not running." Lucy made sure to put weight onto each word, because she just knew Natsu was about to sprint off and leave them all behind.

"Damn…" Natsu grumbled and sulked at the back of the group.

* * *

The group walked for hours, eventually passing through a small village. They weren't going to have any trouble, but there was something odd that caught their attention. The village was a little run down. The people were making it by, but barely. Cynthia and Wendy both frowned from having to see this. "…Can we pick up the pace a little…?" Cynthia mumbled. "This place gives me a weird vibe."

"Yeah, me too…" Wendy said. One glance at the villagers and it was pretty much clear why the girls felt so unnerved. The villagers built a shrine to Emmeraude and made quite a habit of congregating around it.

"What…are they doing…?" Lucy could feel her heart rate increase just by looking at the shrine.

"Emmeraude devotees…" Carla crossed her arms. "I've heard about them over the last year."

"Devotees…?" Natsu blinked. "I don't get it. Why would anyone support her after all she did?"

"What exactly goes on in your head…?" Zelos proposed a very interesting question, but one that wouldn't get an answer for the time being.

Carla shook her head, still unable to believe Natsu. But she went ahead and explained it anyway. "What she did to us, and what she did for Fiore are to completely different things. The incident last year isn't one that can be forgotten. It seems that Emmeraude really did have a plan for everything…because even though she fell, she made it to where she couldn't be forgotten. In fact, there are some people who remember her in a fond light."

Suddenly, Lucy wasn't feeling so good. Her face paled a little bit, but she kept silent. "…"

Carla waited a little bit before continuing on. A few villagers were giving the group look, and the last thing she wanted was to name drop them as the reason Emmeraude fell. Once they were clear, the Exceed continued. "Despite everything…she did help the people of this country. I think that village was one of many she helped during her time on the throne. The person we fought and the person Fiore knew…they were pretty different."

"That doesn't change what she did to us." Natsu said.

"No, it doesn't." Carla admitted. "But the conflict wasn't as black and white as one would think…but in the end, we were right to stop her. She would have used that thing to make an unstoppable army to try and take over the world…."

"A peaceful world…" Lucy mumbled out of some strange instinct. When everyone looked, they realized all of the color drained from Lucy's face. The topic of anything related to Emmeraude clearly had an effect on the blonde and for good reason.

"Hey, are you okay?" Natsu's expression showed nothing but concern. After that brief outburst Lucy had back in Magaret Town, he knew that the incident was still weighing on her in some way.

"I-I'm fine..." Lucy shook her head, forcing a smile. Anyone could clearly see that she wasn't, but… "Could we not talk about her anymore? I already heard about her enough in passing in Crocus…" That and the trial which she had yet to mention, which continued to weigh heavily on her mind. It was taking all she had to not let the negative thoughts take over again. "Although it's a little late for some people to be worried." Bang, another shot. Lucy's tone carried a bit of spite in it.

Natsu could feel a small sweat drop bead down the side of his head. Once again Lucy had taken a shot at him and he couldn't exactly find the means to counter it. The tension was already high and a little awkward after that last remark… "….Lucy."

It was already too late. Lucy turned her head and started to walk ahead. Everyone was concerned, but they didn't want to push Lucy. All they really knew was that the incident still bothered her to say the least. "Okay." Carla finally said. "We should be moving forward anyway."

* * *

The journey continued through a small town next. Since they were walking and not running as Natsu wanted, the day was coming to a close and they were probably just halfway to their destination of Rainfall Town. "…Man, I'm hungry." Natsu said after his stomach grumbled loudly.

"We did go a while without stopping today…" Lucy stared at the map. "If we keep the same pace we had today for tomorrow, we should definitely make it by then. But for now…I do think we should eat something and rest here for the night."

"Agreed. I do not enjoy sleeping in the wilderness." Zelos let out an exasperated sigh. "Sleeping in that tree was bad for my hair and back."

"You are so high maintenance…" Lucy rolled her eyes. Zelos was just incorrigible. "You can leave if you want."

"Now why would I do that? This motley crew is just so much fun to be around!" Zelos said with a laugh. "Besides, I can pull my weight too!"

"Oh yeah…?" Cynthia said with a look of skepticism. "I'm sorry if this sounds rude but…I kinda want to see how."

"Easy." Zelos cleared his throat. "I've been in this town before and as such…" By adjusting his hair, Zelos began to walk into the center of the small town. As soon as he was spotted the women in town began to scream in delight.

"ZELOS-SAMA IS BACK!"

"AAAAAHHH!"

"…You're kidding…" Lucy groaned.

"What is…happening…?" Happy tilted his head in confusion.

"They really ah…seem to like him, don't they?" Wendy asked while shuffling closer to Cynthia.

"Stay away from people like him…and him, too." Carla was in disbelief.

"Ladies, ladies, please, calm down. There's enough of me to go around. I just need a few things for the night. My friends and I need two rooms at the inn and some food as well. We've been walking a while and could use it. Thanks, hunies!" The ladies didn't even object. Anything for Zelos-sama after all.

"…I don't feel good about this…" Wendy poked her fingers together.

"Free food? Awesome!" Natsu on the other hand heard free food and was already following Zelos to the inn!

"…Well, I guess we're staying here either way." Lucy conceded. Free food wasn't bad, but the way they were getting it really didn't sit right with her.

"It's only for the night." Cynthia shrugged and started walking. "I could eat too, honestly…

"Mmm…yeah…" It still didn't sit right with Wendy, but she was pretty hungry too.

It really didn't take long for the group to have a nice meal prepared for them, courtesy of Zelos' natural charm and the women for being so willing. It was odd but in the end nobody was going to question it…well, Lucy was. This was so weird. "So…what exactly have you been doing this whole year?" Nobody wanted to pry into Zelos' affairs, but the question had to be presented.

"I've just been going around, making a name for myself in all the little towns and villages. The ladies love me." Zelos grinned.

Lucy's head dropped down and she just let out a very heavy sigh. "I'm sorry I asked."

"Heeeeeeeey…." A woman peered around the corner as the group enjoyed their meal. "Are you guys from that Fairy Tail guild? That guild that disbanded right?"

"That's us!" Happy lifted a paw, enjoying a fish. His training failed him.

The woman tilted her head curiously. "That's, like, so weird. Fairy Tail finally beat White Eclipse and took the strongest guild title…and then like…disbanded. Was the pressure too much or something?"

Upon hearing this, Natsu wolfed down his food and then stood on the table in true Natsu fashion. "Oi! It wasn't like that at all! First off, Fairy Tail is WAY stronger than White Eclipse! They got lucky once and everyone remembers it!" The topic of White Eclipse always lit that competitive fire in his heart.

"If that's so true, then why did Fairy Tail disband? People are talking about it but they just have no idea. White Eclipse was then the strongest guild again…but then people heard they broke up too…" The woman let out a long drawn out sigh. "Nobody wanted that Empyrean Dawn as the strongest guild, so they settled with Sabertooth again."

"I remember hearing about that as well…" Carla confirmed the woman's statement.

Although the question of Fairy Tail's disbandment was one no one could answer. Lucy had her own answer of course, but didn't want to talk about it and instead just ate to avoid talking. "…"

"It doesn't matter why." Natsu held a fist into the air. "Doesn't matter what the old man was thinking. He should know that there's no way we'd give up that easily! Fairy Tail WILL come back, that I promise! We'll get everyone back and be a guild again! So let Fiore know that we aren't done yet!" Once again Natsu was making this loud proclamation for everyone to hear. Somehow, his words always managed to make everyone smile.

"I know, my sidekick is pretty amazing, isn't he?" Zelos leaned back in his seat. The optimistic mood shifted as all eyes went on Zelos.

"SIDEKICK!?" Natsu's eyes nearly popped out of his yeah.

"Oh! So it was Zelos-sama's idea to revive Fairy Tail! Of course, he's so generous." The woman nodded several times in understanding.

"That's not true at all! It was mine!" Natsu yelled angrily.

"You'll have to excuse him. He's prone to yelling, but let him take the credit for this idea. It was his guild after all and you can see he's so passionate about it." Zelos lifted up a mug of beer.

"You're so generous, Zelos-sama." The woman swooned.

"I'm gonna punch you." Natsu growled while leering over Zelos with a comical dark aura wavering around him, pink hair creating a shade over his glowing red eyes.

Uh oh. Zelos began to panic, waving his hands in front of his face franticly to the point where his seat tipped over and he fell back. "NO WAIT! NOT THE FACE! NOT THE FACE!"

.

.

Next Time: A World Without Fairy Tail.


	13. Chapter 13: A World Without Fairy Tail

While Natsu and the others continued their quest to revive Fairy Tail, the rest of the world continued as it usually did ever since that fateful day one year ago. A world without Fairy Tail was…admittedly a little boring. The Grand Magic Games lacked the splendor of last year as many people would agree on. While the finale was exciting in its own right, things only got hype because Natsu reappeared and crashed the ending. The news was slowly spreading around Fiore about a resurgence of the famed Fairy Tail guild…but in the meantime, everyone else just did what they normally did. The world may have grown a little boring without Fairy Tail, but that didn't mean it revolved around the entire guild. Everyone else had their own lives to life with or without the guild.

Mermaid Heel had business going as usual. With Fairy Tail and White Eclipse gone, a number of jobs that both guilds had were transferred to various guilds. Kagura was looking over several higher class jobs, trying to decide which one she should take. Her eyes wandered the request board, noticing that most of the added jobs had one thing in common. "All of these jobs would be suited for her…" The ace mumbled.

The search continued for quite a while. Business was pretty good since two of Fiore's top guilds were no more. Someone had to take those jobs after all. Milliana came through the door with a letter in hand. "Kagura-chan! You have a letter?"

Oh. That seemed to catch her attention but not in a positive way. "…Another one?" Was the woman's immediate response. Kagura narrowed her eyes and a frightening chill was sent down Milliana's spine…even though that was unintentional.

"You've been really popular as of late." Melody Silver remarked from a chair nearby. "Completing jobs meant for the popular mages like Erza and Reve. You're probably the most popular woman in Fiore right now honestly."

"We've been kept busy…" Kagura sighed and took the letter from Milliana. "It's no trouble at all really." The woman then opened the letter and began to read it. As soon as she read the first line she tossed it away. "Burn it."

"Wha!?" The two ladies spoke with widened eyes.

"Why!?" Melody hopped from her seat and picked up the letter. "Was it not from a job you did?"

"No." Kagura turned around and began to scan the request board again.

Milliana peered over Melody's shoulder, the two women reading the note in unison. "My dear Kagura-chan…oh." There was only one other person who had the audacity to call Kagura, Kagura-chan outside of the guild.

"Burn it." Kagura repeated.

"This is like…the fifth one this year." Melody didn't pull her eyes away from the letter – she and Mililana were invested in seeing what message was written on it this time. "My Dear Kagura-chan…how are you? I've been thinking about dropping by Fiore to visit one of these days, but Bosco affairs keep me bust…yada yada yada…man he really likes you, huh?"

"Burn. It." Kagura added more emphasis onto her words this time.

"Aw, why?" Melody had a teasing tone. "You should totally write him back~"

"No." Kagura didn't even bother. She was doing her best not to think about that man lately and she was kind of doing a good job except for now. Now she just felt that strange inexplicable feeling again.

"What even happened to the first letter he wrote you? Did you burn that, too?" Milliana asked.

"…Yes. It's gone." Kagura hesitated for a second, but her tone made it clear she'd rather not discuss it anymore.

Luckily for her this topic was ended when Beth, Arana, and Risley walked in after having completed a job. "We're back!" Beth exclaimed.

"Another job well done. Business has been very well lately." Arana took a seat, needing some time off her feet from all that walking.

"A lot of people were gossiping on the way back. Something about the Grand Magic Games…" Risley stated. "I think we should have entered. It would have been a very convincing victory if we did."

"It wouldn't have made a difference." Kagura said as she finally pulled a request off the board. "Being recognized as Fiore's strongest guild in this era wouldn't have the same feeling. It would just be a place holder status. If we want to really be known as Fiore's strongest guild, then we'd have to topple both Fairy Tail and White Eclipse. The world doesn't revolve around those two guilds, but they are the most popular in the country. Or were, rather."

"She's not wrong…" Arana placed a hand on her cheek. "Although the other guilds did likely put up a good show, it just wasn't the same as last year."

"I'm sure the other guilds realized this as well." Kagura turned on her heel and started to make her way out. "Just because they're gone doesn't mean we can just take their legacy. If we want to be known as the strongest, we must actually beat the strongest."

"That does make sense…." Beth nodded in agreement.

"Out of curiosity…who did win the Games?" Kagura turned her head back for a moment.

That question caused all heads to turn and look at one another. "You know…I actually don't know." Melody furrowed her brows. "If I'm remembering correctly…I think Natsu Dragneel ended up ruining the finale with his arrival…that's what the people have been talking about lately."

"I heard he's been causing trouble lately…" Risley added on.

"Of course he has…" Kagura shook her head and left the scene. But with Natsu's return, did that mean Fairy Tail was soon to follow? It was early to say, but even so, things would continue as they have been for the past year.

* * *

"Wild…" The infamous chant of Quatro Cerberus reverberated through the guild halls. Bacchus led the cheer, lifting up a mug of beer, the others followed suit to continue through.

"FOUR!"

"That's what I'm talkin' about!" Bacchus laughed while downing the mug of beer. "Living the wild life!"

"Heck yeah!" Various members of the guild shouted with vigor.

Out of everyone drinking from the mug of beer, Blues the water dragon slayer was sipping on water. The scent and taste of beer was appalling to him, but he did occasionally indulge in a drink for special occasion. There hadn't been such an occasion since…well, for a while now. "Woo!" He still cheered nonetheless.

"Although…as wild as it is here…" Bacchus trailed off. "It hasn't been so wild lately."

"I agree…" Rocker spoke with a nod. "Ever since both Fairy Tail and White Eclipse vanished, it hasn't been the same."

"Yeah…" Blues could also share the same sentiments. "I know that people hate thinking that those two guilds ran everything…but they really were at the top. It made the Grand Magic Games wilder! Taking those guys down really meant you were the strongest!"

"Yeah!" Bacchus grinned. "I got a few scores to settle with mages from both guilds, but…well, doesn't seem like that'll be happenin' anytime soon."

"It's almost worth crying over!" Warcry…well, he started to cry. The flow of tears was nonstop from this mage.

Blues thought for a moment before placing his mug of water down. "You guys didn't hear…? The Grand Magic Games didn't have a winner this year."

"What? Did they all tie or something?" Bacchus asked. It was clear that the guilds that didn't enter the Games didn't exactly keep up with the news of it either.

"Not quite. I was out in town the other day and people were talking about it. It turns out that Natsu ruined the whole finale." Blues said. "Took out just about everyone."

"Dragneel, huh…?" Bacchus pondered that thought for a moment before laughing. "Now I wish I was watching that! That sounds wild! I wonder if this means what I think it does."

"It just might…" Jager couldn't help but grin.

"Heh…" Bacchus felt a smirk curling onto his lips. "One more time then…Wild…"

"FOUR!"

* * *

"What!?" The members of Dealer had wide eyes at the news Tia had for them. Fairy Tail's reach did extend somewhat to the other countries after all since they were allies and friends with Seven and Bosco's strongest guilds. In a way…their reach did extend across the continent of Ishgar.

"Yup." Tia nodded several times. "It happened a few days ago. I was visiting Lucy again and it just so happened to be the week of the Games."

"I suppose that incident still weighs heavily on her mind…" Heartless remarked while looking through some files. "As expected…she was the victim."

"She's wasn't doing well at all…" Tia let out a heavy sigh. "I'm not good at pep talks. I could only do so much to make sure she didn't do anything to herself in that state of mind. It seemed to work…but I was a little worried what might happen when I left. Then…he appeared."

"Natsu, you mean?" Jack spoke with a scoff. "What a jackass, always showing up out of the blue like some reckless idiot."

"That's just his style, though…" Ace laughed. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

"It was so weird…" Tia placed a hand on her cheek. "The timing was just…impeccable, and I know for a fact that the fiery idiot doesn't even know how to read a clock. It was almost like he came when she needed him the most. Freaky when you think about it."

"The probability of all of that happening was very slim…" Spade mumbled. "But the people from that guild tend to turn slim chances into very probably scenarios...look at us. We were redeemed somehow thanks to them."

"Somehow is the understatement of the year…" Tia sat on a nearby chair, one leg crossed over the over. "I left her and Natsu alone to catch up. But in the time I did see them together…she wasn't happy with him. It probably has to do with what happened last year…but I'm a little concerned that their relationship may be strained if she bottles up those emotions. But she did seem happy when he dragged her off to revive Fairy Tail."

"A Fairy Tail revival, huh…?" Daigo assisted Heartless in her endeavors which also involved calibrating a 'sleeping' Joker. They were still working on restoring most of his functions for their cause. As of late, Heartless was a little more distant than usual. All that work of trying to understand emotion…it just kind of faded away.

"I'd pay to see that." Diamond scoffed.

"I do hope they can succeed. I liked Fairy Tail." Ace began to munch on a snack bar again, much to Tia's chagrin. No matter how many times she slapped that damn thing out of his mouth he always had another! The annoyance was visible on her face as her eyes closed and a comical tick mark appeared on her forehead. She didn't even say anything about it this time, but Ace knew he was in trouble for this later.

"So…when can I fight Natsu again? I gotta kick his ass one more time." Jack spoke with a growing grin.

"Easy there," Tia shook her head. "I'm sure we'll hear if Fairy Tail comes back. I just hope Lucy doesn't break in the meantime…"

"Awww, look at you worried about someone…" Club Strong spoke with a teasing grin. But he was clearly teasing the wrong person as Tia's scepter immediately crushed him into the floor. "OW…."

"Don't mention it. Ever." Tia growled. It was all fun and games until someone actually brought up Tia's change.

Despite the antics going on and the good news of Fairy Tail's potential revival, Heartless could not muster a smile. Instead she started to leave with a few files in hand. "…I wish the best for Fairy Tail. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to try and speak to Midi's new ruler again."

"…Heartless…" Ace donned a serious expression, but Heartless ignored him and walked out. "…ah…I guess even she can feel sour. But I can't blame her after what happened…"

* * *

Cosmic Star was no different, although they were more closely listening in on Fiore's news. They were busy with business around Bosco, but there was still time for them to listen in. While Natsu crashing the Games was big news in itself, Daryan wasn't focused on any of that. Instead he just stared out the window longingly.

Alex came by, sweeping the floor with a broom while staring at Daryan. "What are you doing, you idiot?"

"Waiting." Daryan responded. His Exceed, Hiruka, was standing on the windowsill as well. "Just…waiting."

"She's not gonna write you back dude." Alex sighed. "But I can appreciate the effort."

"We were getting so close, too…" Daryan recalled their conversation last year. It was only a year since they last saw each other, but it was a fond memory. Plus, Kagura did kind of save his life.

"Uh huh…" Alex continued to sweep, somewhat dismissive of Daryan's melancholy attitude.

Magnus soon entered the building with Yakuza, tilting a brow at the boring air. "My my…I was certain you two would be jumping for joy right about now…" The know-it-all stated, causing all eyes to turn to him.

"What'cha talking about…?" Alex tilted her head.

"There's been some rumors that Fairy Tail might come back." Magnus clarified.

"Oh. That's cool." Daryan shrugged.

"AAAAAAH!" Meanwhile, Alex was leaping for joy. "That's great news! Cynthia told me what happened and I was so heartbroken for her…but I imagine she's taking up the journey to help bring the guild back! That guild has done so much good for her."

"Leave it to that Natsu guy to make a scene…" Yakuza let out his trademark sigh.

Gaia leaned over the railing to the second floor of the building. "Oh, is that so? That's great. I always did like Fairy Tail. It would be a real shame if Fiore's strongest guild truly did just…vanish after winning. But after the incident that occurred I can't say I blame Makarov for disbanding the guild."

"Emmeraude or whatever…man, she was something else…" Shadowlore remarked from the corner. How long was he there? No one knew.

"I wonder how poor Lucy is doing, though. I can only imagine the emotional, physical, and mental turmoil she went through." With a shrug the dragon began to walk to her office. Being a guild master over these people was a little taxing at times, but she had ways to keep them out of the house. "That aside…Fiore affairs don't concern us yet. I have work for all of you."

"Of course you do." Daryan stood up. "Whatcha got boss?"

Business as usual in Bosco. Sure Fiore may have had some exciting things going on, or dull things…but it didn't really matter. It was just one mage guild after all…but that mage guild had more influence than people realized. But you know what they say…you only realize the importance of something when it's gone. "Okay, listen up…here's what I need you all to do…"

.

.

Next Time: Rainfall Village.


	14. Chapter 14: Rainfall Village

Crime Soricere continued their journey. Even over the past year they were kept busy as well with various objectives. During the night fall the group settled around a campfire. Midnight was asleep of course, while Meredy and Ultear weren't present as they had some business to take care of. Jellal sat on the ground with his legs crossed, counting the stars in the sky. "…This past year has gone by rather fast, hasn't it?"

"Most people call it boring." Cobra remarked, standing off to the side a little bit. "But there has been a little shift as of late."

"Hear something interesting?" Jellal questioned.

"There is plenty of news." Cobra stated.

Angel, on the other hand, decided to get the news by reading various Sorcerer's Weekly articles. The woman's brows furrowed as she scanned through them. "Ugh…how old are these issues anyway? Something about the Grand Magic Games…Editor Lucy Heartfilia…bleh, is that what she does now?" She crumpled up the magazine and tossed it away.

"Don't liter." Jellal said.

"…." Angel grumbled before grabbing the magazine again. "Whatever. When are we going to have that thing finished? I'm anxious to pilot it!"

"I don't trust you behind the wheel of anything." Racer remarked with a sly grin, but his remark only caused Angel to puff her cheeks out.

"Soon." Hoteye said. That was enough to make Angel smile again.

"Good. Don't worry; I'll take good care of it." Angel spoke with a confident grin.

It was at this time when Meredy and Ultear returned to their camp for the night. "Just don't blow it up. The last time you handled heavy level machinery, it ended badly for you." Ultear's tone was a little sharp, but they were all trusting Angel with something huge.

"Okay, so I made one mistake like 3 years ago…bite me." The woman huffed.

"How did it go? Are things set?" Jellal asked the two women.

"Yes!" Meredy nodded. "This whole Avatar business is really fishy, though...It won't be long until the Purification Ritual…they are seriously willing to do whatever it takes to get closer to him,. Their devotion to him is really frightening…"

"Devout followers of Zeref. " Jellal remembered the time he was one of them, but now he walked the path of light. They still had many things they needed to take care of. "We must press on, however…"

* * *

After days of walking, Natsu and company were finally nearing Rainfall Village, and it really lived up to the name. The skies were clear, but over the village and the village only was a dark cloud that let loose moderate precipitation. "And here we are…Rainfall Village. Whoa…look at that rain, and it's only in the same place." Lucy placed her hand right above her eyes to get a better view. She then took a brief glance at the ride boar they had to carry their stuff, which Happy and Carla were sitting upon.

"That's really weird…" Wendy said while standing at the outskirts of the town.

Happy had a great idea. The Exceed ran into the rain with a wide smile. "It's raining here…." He then threw his body to the other side outside of the rain. "But sunny here!"

Natsu smirked as Happy ran in and out of the rain. "Kukuku…you've still got a long way to go, Happy…." The Salamander then stood with half his body in the rain, while the other half was in the sun! Arms extended into the air, Natsu gave a proud grin at the concept he just created. "Behold, the half rain!"

"Are you serious…" Cynthia still couldn't help but snicker despite how stupid it seemed.

"Really, guys…?" Carla couldn't believe this.

"Give him a stick and a rock and he'll probably be entertained for hours." Zelos said…and it was pretty weird how he wasn't entirely wrong.

"You're going to get sick if you keep playing in the rain like this." Wendy tried her best to sound assertive…but it didn't work. The effort was appreciated and Lucy gave her a small head pat and they ventured into the rainy village. It was a shame no one prepared an umbrella because they all got drenched fairly quickly.

"This water is doing horrors to my hair…" Zelos whined. His red locks were now wet and damp, hanging over his shoulders. But the looks he got from Lucy and Carla said it all – what a diva.

"Nobody's even here…" Cynthia glanced around. "Not even a shadow…"

"Maybe no one even lives here anymore…?" Wendy suggested.

"Someone has to." Lucy stared around at all the empty houses. "This rain is far too unnatural…"

Natsu pointed ahead. "Yeah, someone's here. I can smell Juvia….that way." Speak of the devil. There was Juvia, sitting in the rain on a bench with her gaze lowered to the ground. "Hey, Juviaaaaaa!"

Juvia's gaze rose to see numerous people approaching. But her mind warped her perception and she only saw Gray, thus causing her eyes to widen. "Sorry I kept you waiting…" The illusion of Gray waved to Juvia.

That was enough to put a spring in Juvia's step! "Gray-sama!" The woman's cheeks flushed and comical hearts started to flow from her being.

"I've come for you…"

Juvia was rushing towards Gray with grabby hands, prepared to embrace the ice mage. "Gray-sama! Juvia's….Juvia's…!" And she was immediately brought back to reality when Natsu palmed her cheek to keep her from getting too close.

"Calm down." Natsu said flatly. When Juvia backed away she could finally get a good view of everyone. Natsu greeted the woman with his usual grin. "Yo! How've you been?"

"I'm glad you're still the same…" Lucy said with a soft smile.

"It's nice to see you again!" Cynthia beamed.

"It's been so long, Juvia-san…!" Wendy was still short so she wasn't in Juvia's immediate view.

"I missed you dearly, Juvia-chan~" Zelos hummed.

Juvia had to take a moment to process what she was seeing. Even though she was waiting for Gray, she didn't expect to see everyone else! "Natsu-san…Lucy, Wendy, and Cynthia too. And…" She glanced at Zelos, her expression saying it all. Out of all the people she expected in this scenario…he clearly wasn't one of them.

"We're here too…!" Happy had to raise his voice.

"Are you living here alone…?" Carla looked around. Since they discussed the fact that nobody else was here, it only meant that Juvia was alone.

"…." Juvia stared at the others. Suddenly she felt lightheaded and there was a flush on her cheeks as her body temperature skyrocketed. The woman collapsed with no warning but luckily Natsu was able to catch her.

"What's wrong!? Juvia?!" Natsu shouted in worry, but Juvia was unresponsive.

* * *

With no other options, the group was forced to take shelter in what they assumed to be Juvia's home. The girls changed into casual clothing while their soaked clothes were left to dry. As for Natsu and Zelos, they just dealt with the water on them. Juvia was in bed, a damp cloth on her forehead. Wendy sat on a chair next to the bedridden Juvia. "She's got a really high fever…"

"She's been in the rain this whole time…" Carla said while drying herself off with a towel. "Not surprising really. I guess even water mages can get sick standing in the rain for too long."

Cynthia had another damp cloth on standby, switching out the one on Juvia's head with a fresh new one. "She's burning up. She must have been sitting there for a really long time…"

"I wonder if this is her home…" Lucy glanced around with a towel wrapped around her neck.

Natsu stood, arms crossed, glancing around the building's interior with furrowed brows. "Hmm…kinda smells like Gray, too."

"Gray's been here too…?" Happy looked at Juvia.

Juvia was still conscious, but she was sweating and breathing hard. The fever was really bad and already took its toll on her. "Juvia…once lived here with Gray-sama…" The water mage huffed and panted between words and sentences.

News like that caused the eyes of Lucy, Wendy, and Cynthia to widen. "HUH!?"

"Alone~" Juvia added, a coy smile forming.

"Wow…she's pretty proud of herself…" Lucy said.

Zelos removed his headband to dry his hair. "Huh, I didn't think Gray had the balls to live alone with a lady. I guess that means he saw plenty of action…" Natsu was ignorant to what Zelos was referring to when he said action and just assumed he meant fighting! Lucy and Carla on the other hand…they knew and just glared at him for such a comment.

Juvia stared at Zelos for a moment, the confusion written all over her exhausted face. "…W-Why is he here…?"

"I don't know." Everyone responded in unison.

"I see…" Juvia stared at Cynthia for a moment. "…What happened to your hair?"

"…It just kinda…happened…" Cynthia said the same thing, playing with the locks of her hair that were red. "It's not important right now."

"Mmm…" Juvia nodded and then stared the ceiling, recalling her time with Gray. "We ate together, trained together, worked together….slept together." The last one caused Wendy and Cynthia to blush since they took it well…the same way Zelos and Lucy did.

"UNNESSCARY INFOMRATION." Lucy exclaimed.

"Well…tried to, but he kicked me out." Juvia continued and the girls just let out a heavy sigh. "We were…happy…but then one day…"

* * *

[Flasback]

Juvia was attending to Gray's discarded clothing scattered along the ground. "Gray-sama! You're leaving your clothes all over the place again…." But when she finally looked at him…he looked different. She was used to seeing his Devil Slaying markings before but this…looked a lot different than before. It didn't even seem like Gray had control over it. She could feel the chill from his body just from standing a few feet away. "What's…wrong with your body…?"

"It's nothing." Gray said with a reassuring smile. Even though Juvia continued to stare, he dismissed the topic and walked off. "All right, time for food."

[End flashback]

* * *

"And from that day onwards, he'd just go out alone…" Juvia sighed. "And he stopped coming back altogether…"

"No way…" Wendy lowered her gaze.

"He left a pretty lady alone? And you've been waiting for him ever since? That's some devotion…" Zelos was admittedly impressed. No annoying remark for once since everyone was in the same boat.

"What a bastard, leaving you all alone…" Natsu grumbled.

Almost immediately, Lucy cut her eyes at Natsu. "That's funny, coming from you."

"Uh oh…" Cynthia bit her lip. They were doing so well…but Natsu had to go and unknowingly open the flood gates. The tension in the room spiked immediately after Lucy made her comment. All eyes were on Lucy and Natsu again now.

"We left a will, didn't we?" Natsu shrugged.

"Natsu…it's a note…not a will…" Happy corrected.

But Lucy already took aim. She placed her hands on her hips, leaning forward a bit. "Either way, you technically did leave me behind…us behind, as well you know." Another shot. The quest to revive Fairy Tail was nothing but simple. Natsu and Lucy kept having these awkward clashes…or rather, Lucy kept taking shots at Natsu and he had no defense for her words, just like now. "And those left behind…."

"Get a room, you two…" Juvia cut in.

"WH-!?" Lucy shouted.

Luckily, Juvia's remark did cut the topic short before it could escalate any further. The tension fell flat thanks to the water mage, so everyone could take a breather. Happy used this chance to shift the topic back to Gray so Natsu wouldn't have to deal with Lucy. "So you don't know where he is?"

"If she knew, she wouldn't be asking now would she?" Carla didn't mean to sound so sharp.

"Juvia tried looking for him for days…but Gray-sama was nowhere to be found. So Juvia decided to wait. This is where Juvia…and Gray-sama…had such happy memories…." As she spoke, tears started to stream down her cheeks. "Juvia is sure Gray-sama will come home eventually." The air in the room grew heavy. Everyone was silent and glanced elsewhere, unable to look at Juvia as she turned on her side to face away from them. "Juvia's sorry you had to see her like this."

Natsu stared out the window. He already made the decision. "I'll find him for you…no wait, I'll definitely find him." Turning back, Natsu flashed a small, genuine smile to his guild mate. "I'm bringing everyone back together so we can be a guild again." Juvia's eyes widened for just a moment...before she closed them and drifted to sleep. But at least a positive thought could linger in her mind.

* * *

After Juvia fell asleep, everyone sat outside under the protective roof. That way they were safe from the rain. "Juvia-san's finally asleep." Wendy reported.

Lucy was still feeling a little sour and it showed in her tone. "You said you'd find him, but do you even know where to look? I couldn't get anything about him on my memos." In other words, how could he promise something so important to Juvia when he didn't have the first idea where to look? That's what she really meant to say.

Natsu remained silent, scowling for some reason. "…What's wrong, Natsu? Your face looks really scary…" Happy stared up at his partner.

"…It's around here somewhere, right…?" Natsu mumbled to himself before looking over his shoulder. "We're going to Sabertooth."

"What?!" Lucy's eyes widened. "Why Sabertooth!?"

"There's something I gotta do there!" Natsu said, leaving the details vague intentionally.

"If you guys have to go, Wendy, Cynthia, and I will stay here." Carla said and the two girls nodded. "Someone has to look over Juvia."

"…That means…" All eyes went to Zelos, who was busy with his headband to participate in the conversation, but he was listening. "He has to come with us…"

"I would very much enjoy your company." Zelos spoke with his usual annoying smile. "But I also wouldn't mind providing adult supervision for these budding young ladies."

"…That single sentence makes me uncomfortable." Cynthia admitted.

"I-I think Carla is enough for us…" Wendy stuttered but tried to give a smile to ease the pain of telling Zelos that he wasn't considered an adult to them.

"…I guess we're stuck with him again…" Lucy sagged her shoulders. "And maybe you, too…" In her mind, there still was still a chance Natsu could run off again. His prior comment about Gray being a bastard for leaving Juvia alone still bothered her in plenty of ways.

"It doesn't matter. We've got to get moving." Natsu's tone was…strange. But there was a sense of urgency to it. Their next destination was Sabertooth.

* * *

In the depths of a dark forest sat a strange building. Several mages gathered around a table as their leader began to speak. "Oracion Seis…Grimoire Heart…and most recently, Tartarus. The Balam's Alliance's fall symbolized the end of the dark guild era. From this day onwards, this is the start of the Avatar Era…" The man who spoke was the leader of Avatar: Priest Arlock. A man who donned a metal mask and a religious robe. "Our creed: A world that belongs to the Black Wizard, Zeref."

Multiple members began to speak up. Mary, Braiya, Jerome, Goumon, Abel, and D-6. All of them said the same thing: "All is to be done for Zeref." One man, however, was not like the rest. Rather, he was the most different from all of them there.

Gray Fullbuster sat in a chair, the black markings along his the entire right side of his body and his hair was different as well. But there he sat with a sinister smile on his lips, repeating the mantra along with the others: "All is to be done for Zeref."

.

.

Next Time: Avatar.


	15. Chapter 15: Avatar

Natsu, Lucy, Happy, and Zelos departed to Sabertooth for some strange reason. This left Cynthia, Wendy, and Carla to watch over Juvia back in the rainy village. Wendy held her hands over Juvia, a soft light emitting from her palms as she tried to heal Juvia to ease her fever, but alas it was for naught. "Even with my healing powers her fever isn't going down…" Wendy was sweating a bit from the effort she was putting in to keep Juvia stable.

"Her fever is super bad…" Cynthia brought yet another wet cloth to change out. No matter what they tried or how much they tried, Juvia's fever just wouldn't go down.

 _"It might be a combination of standing out in the rain and exhaustion."_ Verona said, becoming a little more talkative with Cynthia's mouth when the others were away. _"Look at the poor girl. She looks like she hasn't slept in ages…"_

"Right…you're still here…" Carla wasn't a fan of Verona, especially her using Cynthia to speak…but there wasn't a lot they could do about it until they found a way to separate the two. "But you may be right. She was hallucinating earlier as well…I wonder how hard she pushed herself."

"Ehm…I'm worried about Natsu and Lucy too…" Cynthia stared out the window and into the rain. "They haven't gotten along well at all since we started this trip."

"Mmm…" Wendy nodded in agreement. Anyone could see that Natsu and Lucy's relationship was rocky since they reunited. It was the first thing the girls noticed back in Lamia Scale. "It's not good for her to bottle up her emotions like she has been…if this continues, she'll explode…"

"It won't be pretty either…" Cynthia added.

"We'll just have to trust that they can handle it." Carla crossed her arms. "Although…I'm also worried about Zelos…who knows what kind of trouble he'll get them into if Natsu doesn't. I wonder if they made it to Sabertooth by now…"

"I hope so…" Wendy wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Leave this to me, Natsu-san. So please bring Gray-san back as quickly as you can!"

* * *

Natsu, Lucy, Happy, and Zelos were on the fast track to Sabertooth. Natsu and Lucy shared a boar to ride on at high speeds, Happy flew, and Zelos…well, he had to get one too, but he was not good at riding these things. He was barely able to hold on! "Whoa…! Agh…! Get me off this crazy thing!" But alas, his cries for help were ignored. There was not much they could do anyway.

Lucy was too wrapped up in her thoughts to focus on anything else. Ever since leaving Juvia's place, she thought about what the water mage told them about Gray's condition. _"Black markings…? Could it be…Lambda…? When I fought them, I did strike hard…but is that possible…?"_ She didn't forget a single moment of agony when she was attached to Lambda. Why was she thinking about it now? _"Was he trying to distant himself from Juvia like I did them so she wouldn't get hurt? But no…that doesn't make a lot of sense…what happened to Gray, then?"_

"I see it!" Happy exclaimed. Sabertooth's guild was a huge building standing in the middle of its own town.

"What the…it's huge…!" Lucy was shocked! This was the first time she'd actually seen Sabertooth's guild. "Mmm…Hey, Natsu. Are you sure about this? Gray, I mean…are you sure Sabertooth would have any information on him?"

"Can't say for sure…" Natsu said while focusing on the road ahead.

That wasn't what Lucy was expecting to hear, especially since he was so determined to come to Sabertooth. "What do you mean by that…?"

Without missing a beat, Natsu turned around to face Lucy as the beast continued to charge ahead. Lucy's eyes widened in complete surprise at this act of idiocy. "Listen up, Lucy…"

"HEY!" Lucy began shouting while pointing ahead of them. "TURN BACK! THE FRONT! THE FRONT!"

Natsu completely ignored her worried cries to expression his concerns. "I believe in Gray. But this time, I won't get any information on him unless I stop trusting him."

"I don't understand what you're trying to say, but TURN AROUND!" Lucy kept screaming.

"It means I'll stop trusting him until I find him." Natsu clarified, as if that was enough to explain what he was thinking right now.

"I STILL DON'T GET IT!" Lucy just wanted Natsu to turn around and steer the damn animal. They wouldn't be able to find anyone if they crashed and got hurt!

"Lucy…" Natsu leaned in close, staring Lucy right in the eyes. "I will definitely bring Gray back. I promise you. So until then, don't ask…"

Lucy stared at Natsu for a moment before her gaze shifted away, and then…SMACK! Lucy's palm forced Natsu to turn his head to the side. "Look forwards, stupid!"

"Gwoh…!" Natsu grunted as Lucy slapped him. He turned around and just in the nick of time, too.

"Incoming…!" Zelos yelped for the person that was ahead.

"Huh…?" Cygnus was on the road and turned to see two speeding animals closing in on him. "What the…!? Natsu!? Oi…just the person I wanted to see! Let's fight!"

Natsu could see Cygnus coming. Normally Natsu would jump at the chance to fight Cygnus, but finding Gray took priority. "Sorry Cygnus, kick your ass some other time, I got something more important to deal with…!" Natsu's voice carried as they passed Cygnus, just leaving him in the dust.

"…." Cygnus sat in silence, wondering what the hell it was Natsu prioritized over a fight. "The hell was that…?" And now he was curious…

* * *

"Natsu-sama, Lucy-sama, Happy-sama, and….." Yukino was the one to greet the group when they arrived at Sabertooth but…just as everyone else before them; she was not expecting to see Zelos with them. "Zelos…sama….pardon my asking, but why is he with you?"

"We don't know…" Lucy rubbed the back of her head before smiling. "But how are you? It's been so long…!"

"I'm good, thanks! How are you…?" Yukino did have some concern for Lucy after the incident last year.

"I-I'm all right." Lucy forced a smile.

"Heh…" Orga spoke with a wide grin. "All the jobs from Fairy Tail and White Eclispe got sent over here."

"Thanks to you all, business has been better than I can remember." Rufus remarked. "It seems that Fiore has taken to claiming us as the number one guild."

"U-Um…that's not what I meant…" Yukino spoke with a small sweat drop.

"I know." Lucy shrugged off the comments. "Plus, Fairy Tail is coming back anyway!"

"Really?!" Yukino started to cry tears of happiness. "I'm really looking forward to it!"

"You…don't have cry over it…" While it was nice Yukino was excited for Fairy Tail's return, Lucy felt strange watching her fellow celestial mage cry over it.

"Allow me to wipe those tears…" Zelos slid in with his usual grin, preparing to attempt to woo Yukino.

Lucy then gripped his ear, pulling him back with a harsh tug. "You should stop before she cries for a different reason…"

"I thought I heard a familiar voice!" The voice of the white dragon caught Natsu's attention.

"Yeah, hi!" Lector waved.

It was Sting! But…he was…really, really fat. It was actually unbelievable how much weight he gained over the last year. "It's Natsu-san and Lucy-san! And uh…that other guy!"

"And Happy-kun too!" Lector said.

"Wha….?" Lucy's eyes grew wide in shock.

"Yo, Sting!" Natsu simply grinned.

"You haven't changed a bit, have you, Natsu-san?" Sting spoke with a happy smile.

"Yeah, you too!" Natsu really didn't see the difference.

"No way…he changed all right…." Lucy muttered.

"Oof….." Zelos whistled. His handsome eyes couldn't dare lie on Sting's rounded figure much longer.

Lector walked up to Happy, looking around somewhat curiously for something that should have been there that wasn't. "Huh? Where's Carla? Wasn't she supposed to be with you?"

"Well, what about Frosch? Isn't he usually with you?" Happy asked.

"Oh, Frosch is on a mission with Rogue and the Lady." Lector explained.

…And as soon as he did, Natsu turned and clasped his hands onto Lector's cheeks. That seemed to be the information he was betting on. "WHERE'D HE GO!?"

Sting turned around, bumping Lucy and Zelos out of the way intentionally. He simply had too much girth and it couldn't be avoided. "Natsu-san, what are you doing to lector?"

Yukino was concerned as well. "Natsu-sama?"

Lector was caught off guard by this sudden event and needed a moment to think about it. "I…I dunno. But they didn't leave that long ago, so they should still be at the town's entrance."

"I see…" Natsu set Lector down and proceeded to sprint out the door. "Thanks Lector!"

"What the!? Hey, wait up!" Lucy turned and Natsu was already gone!

"Waaaait!" Happy pleaded.

"Weird. I wonder what he wanted." Sting said, back to his normal figure already.

"What!? How!?" Lucy squealed and took a step back.

Yukino held up Virgo's key, a sheepish grin spreading on her lips. "Well, it was starting to get a little too much, so I had to use Libra's powers on him." And the spirit simply chuckled in the background.

"It was only 'starting' to get too much?" Zelos lifted a brow. "Riiiight…."

* * *

Natsu was in a full speed sprint to the town's entrance. Up ahead he could see Rough, Minerva, and Frosch! "ROOOOOOOGUE!"

That was…an obnoxiously loud call. Rogue and Minerva turned around only to see Natsu speeding towards them. "Natsu…?" Rogue didn't even have the chance to ask a question.

As soon as Natsu neared him, he snatched the shadow dragon from his position and carried him off without pause. "C'MERE! LET'S TALK!"

"What the!? What's this about!?" Rogue cried out in confusion as Natsu lifted him off.

"…." Minerva didn't say a thing. She just watched as Natsu kidnapped Rogue. But when she turned, she could see Lucy, Happy, and Zelos approaching. "Huh…?"

"NOBODY MOVE!" Natsu shouted. "We have to talk in private!"

"WAAAIT!" Lucy and Happy ran after Natsu, eventually having to come to a halt. "Geez…" Lucy huffed. Suddenly she found herself standing next to Minerva and offered a somewhat awkward smile. "…Hey."

"Do you have any explanation as to why your cohort kidnapped Rogue?" Mineva lifted a brow.

"…I wish I could tell you, but I have no idea what goes on in his head." Lucy shrugged.

Zelos whistled while looking over Minerva and her dress, checking her out just as he did Yukino moments prior. "You know…I don't know what it is with you women of Sabertooth and not wearing pants, but please continue this trend, you're doing the world a great service."

Minerva's brow twitched and she glanced at Lucy for a moment. "He's not with you, right?"

"…Well, not officially or anything. I think he's just along for the ride…" The blonde spoke with a sweat drop.

"I thought so." With a snap of her fingers, Minerva formed a territory rift behind Zelos and pushed him in.

"Gah…!" Zelos couldn't even move. He was shoved into the distorted space that immediately closed after.

"There." Minerva dusted her hands off. "He won't be bothering us for a while."

Lucy wondered why they hadn't thought of that before…but oh well. "So…what was up with Sting?"

"Oh, that?" Minerva glanced into the sky for a moment. "We had our annual Saber eating competition, the Tora-Tora-Tora."

"Is that why he puffed up…?" Lucy assumed.

"Yeah, he let himself go." Minerva shook her head before displaying a proud smirk, "But in the end, I was the one who won."

"So that's why you didn't enter the Games?" Lucy tilted her head.

"No." Minerva shook her head. "Sting believed that the Games weren't worth entering if Fairy Tail or White Eclipse weren't in it. I was inclined to agree with him."

"Fro thinks so too." Rogue's Exceed remarked.

Speaking of Games…Minerva did recall something from about four years ago: the way she treated Lucy in the Naval Battle event. "…Uh…you know. About what happened way back then…I'm…sorry…" She was still new to this whole being a better person thing so her apology was awkward.

Lucy blinked, not expecting Minerva to say such a thing. She'd honestly almost forgotten about that. "Oh, don't worry about it. That was a long time ago and it was just a battle between guilds. I've been through worse…"

"I still went a little too far…" Minerva sighed before glancing at Lucy once more. "And I suppose you have. That incident must have been more painful than anything I could imagine. But at least you all prevented Emmeraude from truly ascending to the throne and carrying out with her asinine ambitions."

This topic always made Lucy feel uncomfortable for many reasons. The blonde glanced away and rubbed her arm. "…You could say that."

Minerva sensed Lucy's discomfort. "…It doesn't take a genius to know you're not at fault. But I can see this topic isn't an easy one for you, so I'll ask a different question: where's the other red head? The one who defines chaotic neutral. I heard you two were attached at the hip."

"Do you mean Mii?" Lucy furrowed her brows. "When Fairy Tail disbanded, she was the first one to leave. She was so upset and flew off…I tried looking for her, but I couldn't."

"I see…" Minerva glanced elsewhere. "It's a shame that Fairy Tail is no more. Despite all annoyances, you lot were good people."

Lucy held up the back of her hand, happily displaying the Fairy Tail mark on her hand. "Ehehe. Fairy Tail isn't over yet. The guild still exists in our hearts…" Minerva found that to be a good response.

"…Are you going to need him back?" Minerva questioned.

"You mean Zelos…?" Lucy let out an exasperated sigh. "…Not exactly need, but it would be best if we could keep an eye on him…he is trying to help after all."

"All right…" The Tigress lifted her hand up, opening up a territory rift and Zelos came falling out of it.

Frosch, as usual, didn't entirely understand what was happening, but he got the gist of the situation and smiled. "Fro too."

"I think so too." Happy said.

And not too far away, Natsu and Rogue were having a discussion. "Okay, what's the big deal!?" Rogue asked, wondering why he was pulled away so violently. "It's been a year and the first thing you do is this!?"

Natsu ignored Rogue's questions and just answered with a demand. "Lemme see your work request!"

"Huh?" Rogue didn't get it.

"Just let me see it!" Natsu continued to demand. Rogue conceded and handed Natsu the request. The request read: "Destroy the Avatar!" The Salamander's eyes widened. This was the lead he was looking for. "This…let me do this."

"WHAT?!" Rogue was bewildered. Sure Natsu pulled off stunts in the past, but this was ludicrous! "You're not even a guild anymore! You can't just-!"

"I'm in Fairy Tail!" Natsu cut Rogue off immediately with his response. "Listen Rogue. This job is really important. I'll do it and you can take the reward. So promise me this: you and Frosch don't leave town. Until I come back, just don't!"

"You're…crazy…" Rogue wasn't sure how to respond to these wild claims anymore.

"Let's go Lucy! Happy!" Ignoring Zelos' presence, Natsu grabbed Lucy by the wrist, scooped up Happy into his free arm, and proceeded to dash off! Zelos ended up stumbling behind them!

"Wait…!?" Lucy cried out.

"Minerva, keep an eye on those two!" Natsu's voice trailed off as they rushed off. "Don't let them leave town!"

Minerva stared at Rogue, judging him for some reason. "What did you do?"

"I…I didn't do anything…!" Rogue denied the accusation.

 _"Please tell 'me'…to protect Frosch four years from now. In X975…Gray will kill Frosch."_ The words of Future Rogue echoed through Natsu's mind.

"Fairy Tail…needs Gray…!" Natsu said those words, but the suddenness of it left Lucy, Happy, and Zelos confused…

* * *

After leaving Sabertooth, Natsu's group rested in a clearing in the woods. They needed the small break from walking. "So…what's this Avatar thing Rogue was supposed to go after?" Happy inquired.

"Dunno." Natsu shrugged, grumbling as his face rested against his hand.

Luckily for them Lucy had some information. "Apparently it's a cult filled with Zeref's followers. They've been on the rise since the dark guilds began falling and I think they fully formed when we defeated Tartarus."

"Zeref?" Natsu turned immediately.

"I…don't think he's involved, I can't be sure. But the people there revere him like a god or something." Lucy clarified.

"His underlings? That's all I needed to hear! I'm fired up!" Natsu's tone shifted to something more positive.

"A cult huh?" Zelos leaned against a tree. "Cults are pretty scary business. They have a cause and will do absolutely anything for that cause. That's why they're cults. They're borderline insane, no matter how cute some members may be." He wasn't entirely wrong, but that last part was unnecessary.

"Outside of that, what does this have to do with Gray?" Lucy and Happy stared at Natsu, both of them having the same question in mind.

"Oh right…" Natsu began to think. Really hard. He started pacing around the area until he stopped in front of a tree. "Hmmmm…hmmmm…."

"Huh…he's using his brains for a change…" Happy was astounded.

"He has a brain?" Zelos scoffed, finding it hard to believe.

"I guess he really can't tell us…" Lucy sighed.

"I think I'll tell you." Natsu finally came to a decision. "Future Rogue told me so."

"Future Rogue!?" That was a name Lucy wasn't expecting to hear. The last time anyone saw Future Rogue…was in the battle against Acnologia in Crocus, and his long awaited confrontation with the apocalyptic dragon was his swift, gruesome death.

Zelos of course was out of the loop. "Who?"

"He told me that four years after the Grand Magic Games, which is somewhere about now, we'd be meeting Gray, but as an enemy."

"An enemy?!" Lucy and Happy exclaimed in unison.

Natsu continued. "So that got me thinking, hey, maybe he'll meet him there. You know, where Rogue's supposed to be."

Lucy crossed her legs, trying to figure out this situation. "But the future he came from should have changed by now…unless everything that happened up until now was exactly the same. But then he was pulled from his time to here where he died…" Suddenly, her head started to hurt. God damn it Aiden, why did he have to make things so complicated by pulling Future Rogue from his time?

"This is why time Travel is a pain…" Zelos groaned. "Nobody should be an expert in it and the topic itself is just asinine. Let's just assume that this future guy came from a timeline where everything was the same until now…minus the part where he died. This is where things diverge."

"…That makes sense…?" Kinda? Lucy wasn't sure. "But as an enemy?"

"Remember what Juvia said? About his markings?" Natsu actually took Zelos' words into consideration. "The marks…his Devil Slaying was pretty strong back then. But when we battled Marde he took a pretty heavy blow and half of his body was like that. Maybe it reached a point where he couldn't control himself?"

"No way…" Lucy brought a finger to her lips. _"So that's why he knows what will happen if Gray fights Rogue. But how could he hold this from us this whole time? But then again…am I really any better? Lambda was inside of me for so long and…"_ Lucy was pulled from her thoughts when Natsu's head rested on her head.

"Don't worry. Gray's still out friend no matter what happens." Natsu spoke with his usual encouraging smile.

"Yeah." Lucy averted her gaze but managed to smile.

"Aye!" Happy cheered.

"I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out." Zelos muttered.

* * *

In the depths of the forest and Avatar, Priest Arlock was in the middle of his prayers for the incoming Ritual. "The day of Purification draws near! Our Lord Zeref, please accept this humble sacrifice of ours…and lead us from the top of this world of magic. Destroy this defiled world and rebuild it once more."

Jerome walked in the middle of Arlock's prayers. "Master Priest..are we to go along with the plans for the Purification Ritual, then?" There's a high chance the Council has caught onto us." Jerome didn't receive a response. Arlock glanced behind him, breathing hard and heavy through his mask. The only response Jerome got was the Darth Vader-like heavy breathing that was even visible from his mouth.

Braiya then walked in. "That's why I'm telling you we should remove the root of our anxiety right away. Think, Shaggy, think." Shaggy was Jerome, and the new nickname was due to his shaggy hair.

"Shaggy….?" Jerome mumbled. Arlock still didn't respond, he just stared at the two while breathing. "Shaggy, huh…."

"I'm in the middle of my prayers." Arlock finally said without turning around. "Please leave for now. If you wish to discuss the ritual, speak to the advisors."

And so the two left. The small red haired girl Mary was waiting for them, giving a bright smile. "Well, Gramps is kinda stubborn in some ways. Why won't he just die already, _haha_."

"Shut up, you wicked little thing." Braiya spat.

"That's mean, Braiya!" Mary puffed out her cheeks childishly. "You always give people terrible nicknames too, don't you! And most of the time it's tasteless! Such a shame!"

"Hmmm…" Goumon began to speak. "If the Council's already caught wind of our plans, then that means we'll be in a mesh."

"Don't you mean, in a mess? Now that's one hilarious mistake right there, haha…" Mary's eyes twinkled as she corrected him.

"Now where will fate lead us…" D-6 pondered aloud.

Abel was playing with an eerily familiar doll. The tiny person seemed to enjoy the situation. "As long as it's gonna be fun, we're all good."

"The problem isn't the Council." Jerome said as everyone grouped up. "It's how they found out about it."

"That's easy." Gray leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "We've got a spy, and of course, you all think it's me." He wasn't wrong, as all eyes cut to him.

"Well, you did come from the 'best' guild in the country." Mary kept that annoying tone intentionally. "That guild that destroyed Emmeraude's ambitions and then broke up after? Seems pretty fishy to me, haha."

"We've done our research on you, Gray Fullbuster." Jerome closed the distance between them. "Your entire family was killed by a demon from the book of Zeref. Your teacher followed suit just by getting involved. As for her daughter, she too was involved with Zeref at some point and also died."

"There's no other explanation then." Braiya was convinced.

"We've all been together for at least half a year, excluding you." D-6 added onto the list of suspicions concerning Gray.

"So at the very least, you of all people don't have a single reason to worship Zeref." Jerome stared directly at Gray.

"Incomplete research, Mr. Blade of Darkness." Gray said, acting indifferent to the accusation and suspicions. "Ultear, Ur's daughter, isn't dead."

"I still don't see why you'd be here." Jerome wasn't letting Gray go that easily.

"Stop it, Shaggy." Braiya tried to intervene.

"It's fine, Braiya." Gray shrugged. "I'll make things clear if that's what he wants." The ice maker then pointed at all of them. "I'm here for the book of End. That's my reason and purpose." That was not what they were expecting to hear. "As long as I've got that book…I don't give a damn about anything else." Gray's smile was…odd and almost twisted.

 _"What darkness…"_ Braiya thought quietly. _"The lust for vengeance has covered both his mind and body."_

"I've long forgotten about that guild. All I want, no, need, to do is…destroy END. That is my whole reason for living. And to do that, I'll do whatever it takes, even if that means using the lot of you." With that reasoning out of the way, he began to walk off. "So until then, we're comrades."

"Wow…someone like him definitely can't be the spy. Did you see how evil he was? It was kinda cool though…" Mary smiled.

"Hmmmmm…" D-6 was pondering the situation.

 _"I wonder, though…"_ Jerome then turned to Braiya, who seemed confused. "I've been thinking, Braiya…I quite like…Shaggy." That was one way to surprise a woman.

Before Gray could get too far, a scythe stabbed into the wall next to his head, causing everyone to go on edge. Prometheus wore a wide grin and everyone grew tense. "So…you say you're over Fairy Tail, are you?"

"Prometheus…" Pandora floated behind him. "Do not spoil the incoming Ritual."

"I know what I'm doing." Promtheus responded while staring at Gray. "But how can we be so sure HE won't ruin this? You know, Priest Arlock has been waiting so desperately long to meet with Lord Zeref. Would you be so cruel to dash his hopes like your blonde friend did to Emmeraude?"

Gray was silent, but he had to say something. "That was her own fault for getting involved."

That response seemed to be what Prometheus was trying to goad out. "So, you firmly believe that Emmeraude's fall was due to that woman? Along with the death of her child? After all, it's because of what incident that Fairy Tail disbanded. Are you grateful for your friend's heartless and murderous nature? To have the chance to become a part of something even greater than Fairy Tail ever could be?"

"…Yes. Not like I care." Gray scoffed. "It happened and it's over already. You already know why I'm here."

Prometheus relented and chuckled. "I can't wait for you to prove yourself later, Fullbuster. I want to see just how black your heart has become." Gray stared at Prometheus a little while longer before finally leaving.

"Crisis averted…" Pandora almost let out a sigh with that robotic, monotonous tone of hers.

"Where did Gramps find these two lunatics…?" Mary still had that sparkle in her eyes.

"Apparently they're going to help him with the ritual. They claim to be close to Lord Zeref and said they would bring him to us when the Ritual succeeds." D-6 said. "Master Priest seems to trust them…so fate should take us to Lord Zeref."

* * *

Natsu, Lucy, Happy, and Zelos were right outside Avatar. The building was a few yards away and they were perfectly poised to attack. "I see it! Right there!"

"It looks like…an abandoned church…" Lucy said.

"I doubt any holy activities are going on in there." Zelos leaned forward.

"So, what's the plan, Natsu?" Happy looked up to his partner.

The same plan Natsu always had. "Attack of course!" The Salamander grinned.

* * *

Elsewhere, a unit of the Magic Council was moving in onto the forest. Everyone's favorite justice enforcer, Fullbright was a part of this mission along with a spearman placed into the Council by Kemuri himself: Arlen. Arlen had tan hair and blue eyes, donning his own set of armor as opposed to the standard uniform. "Captain…we'll be reaching the Mikage Forest soon. The Avatar's main base is located there."

"Yeah…" The captain spoke with a grin, seemingly looking forward to this confrontation.

"However, sir…" The advisor hesitated with his words. "We have word that Gray Fullbuster is currently in that cult as well."

"Gray?" Gajeel crossed his arms, giving a grin as Panterlily stood right beside him. "Like I give a damn! We'll arrest them all! That's what we do! We're the Council's detention enforcement unit!" That's right. He was the captain of a Council unit. The confrontation with Gray and Avatar was about to get messy…

.

.

Next Time: If Our Paths Are Different…


	16. Chapter 16: If Our Paths Are Different

"ATTACK!" Natsu kicked off and prepared to sprint. His genius idea was to charge in head first like always and beat people up!

"AYE-SIR!" And Happy was going to follow without any hesitation.

"WAIT!" Lucy exclaimed, grabbing Natsu and Happy by the back of their collars. She was barely able to stop their momentum and they all ended up falling to the ground.

Natsu turned back, visibly irritated that Lucy stopped his momentum. "What the hell, Lucy?"

"We don't even know who we're up against." Lucy huffed. "We can't just charge in like that."

"But Gray might be in there, y'know." Natsu said.

"That's why we need a plan. We need to prepare ourselves." Said the celestial mage as she pulled out a golden key.

"Think of it like this." Zelos began walking forward a little. "Gray's in there, right? So, that means there's at least one person in there that's as strong as you, if not stronger. Now that's one person…who knows what kinda crazy people this cult has."

"He's not." Natsu grumbled, but he did get Zelos' point.

"We'll break in with Virgo's help!" Lucy finally had the key she wanted and it had everyone's attention. "All right, Virgo! Gate of the Maiden, I open thee! Vir…" Virgo was summoned…but she was completely tied up in what most would call a humiliating fashion on the ground. "….go…?" Natsu and Lucy looked horrified while Zelos just lifted a brow, unable to help that smile on his lips. Lucy hurried to Virgo and began to untie her. "Hey? What happened! Are you okay!?"

"Who did this to you?" Natsu asked.

Virgo's eyes averted. "Don't mind me." Her lips then curled into a strange smile. "I had some free time so I decided to punish myself."

"What…is wrong with you…" Sometimes, Virgo was just too much for Lucy.

"You celestial spirits sure are profound…" Natsu didn't really understand, but he didn't need to either.

"It's been a long time, Natsu-sama, Happy-sama…" The spirits eyes then drifted to Zelos, who winked to her. "Zelos-sama. I didn't expect to see you here. What brings you with the Princess?"

"Don't ask me…" Lucy rolled her eyes. Then, in a flash, Lucy transformed into Star Dress: Virgo! Everyone already knew what this did, so Lucy's plan seemed pretty obvious from this point on! "Let's go, Virgo!"

"Very well, Princess!" Virgo followed Lucy's lead with no hesitation.

The two of them used Driver to burrow into the ground, creating a tunnel right into one of the empty rooms of Avatar. Virgo popped out of the hole first to take a look around. "We're in the basement?"

Lucy crawled out after. "We've made it in. Nobody's here either."

"Hey, move your ass aside!" Natsu shouted from under Lucy.

"Look, Natsu. You can see Lucy's underwear from here…." Happy said.

"Wait, really? Move outta way, I want a peak!" That was Zelos, acting a little too excitedly about this.

Lucy presumably heard all of this, but chose to ignore it. After crawling out of the hole, she glanced around the area. "We need to find Gray while keeping out of sight." Natsu and Happy followed out of the hole, and Zelos was just about to when…

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! I KNOW YOU'RE HERE! COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE!" Natsu screamed at the top of his lungs!

* * *

Natsu's loud scream alerted…well, literally everyone inside the church. "From inside the building!?" D-6 was startled along with Jerome and Braiya.

"Intruders? Interesting…" Abel had a grin creeping on his lips.

Gray tilted his head, unable to believe the voice that called out to him. "…..Natsu?"

* * *

Lucy placed both of her hands on Natsu's cheeks, violently squeezing her face together. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND!? WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE SNEAKING IN, S-N-E-A-K-I-N-G!"

Because of this, Zelos elected to stay inside the hole. "You know, you really are some kinda stupid! Why would you alert everyone in the building that we're here!? I'm not ready to be a cult sacrifice! I'm too handsome for that!"

"It's punishment time, Princess?" Virgo placed a hand on her cheek, a soft flush spreading on her cheeks as she gestured to the wooden dragon next to her. It seemed they were in some sort of torture chamber and well…Virgo was very excited. "Please use this on me then."

"SHUSH!" Lucy shouted. Gods, why was Virgo like this?

"I'll do it." Zelos lifted a hand from the hole.

"WE DON'T GIVE VIRGO WHAT SHE WANTS!" Lucy turned to shout at Zelos. What a mess this became.

"He's here." Natsu's tone grew serious and everyone turned. "I can smell him. He's here."

"Gray's here…?" Lucy and Happy asked in unison.

"Hey, what are you doing in our base?" Abel asked, seated on a small vent above them. "Is this fun for you? Is that even fun?" The tiny male asked while fiddling with the doll in his hands.

"An enemy…!" Lucy turned, a cold sweat dropping down her forehead. "T-That doll…"

"IT'S NORO-SAN!" Happy cried out. The memories of battling Cain on Tenorujima and with Daryan came flooding back.

"Oh, you know Noro-san?" Abel hopped down from the vent. "Now that's interesting. This doll here was from some bigwig of Grimoire Heart. This world is filled with really interesting…black magic…"

"That…brings back bad memories…" Lucy couldn't help but shudder. The memory of her head almost being squished like a grape came flooding back…

"Be careful! His powers are not to be trifled with, despite looking like that…!" Virgo warned.

Before Abel knew it, Natsu stood over the tiny man with his hand flat. Fire blazed around his hand and he swiftly chopped Abel into the ground, taking him out in a single hit. The swiftness caught everyone off guard and they just stared in awe. "Sorry, but the only one I have beef with his Gray."

Goumon came rushing in at the sound. "ABEL! Ochaaa…! How dare you do this to Abel, intruders! However, for you to appear in my training room must be my lucky day! Prepare for a torture session!" As the wide male shouted, several torture devices and straps were flung at Natsu. "Ochaochaochaocha!"

Natsu preformed a series of flips to avoid the traps. "Whoa! Whoops! Heh! Ha…!"

Virgo watched in awe…but for a different reason. Her eyes sparkled as she watched all of the devices flying at Natsu. "…."

"Why are you so excited?!" Lucy sighed.

"WOODEN DRAGON!" Goumon hurled the wooden horse at Natsu who easily stopped it with his foot.

"You call this peace of crap a dragon?" Natsu asked, unamused.

"And…eat this!" It was a trap! Goumon moved his hands and the wooden dragon turned into an iron maiden! Natsu was genuinely surprised at this change. "It's actually an Iron Maiden!" The maiden opened up, spikes all over the interior, and was about to shut on Natsu.

"Natsu…!" Lucy worriedly cried out.

"What the hell is this? It looks like it'll hurt-" And the maiden shut on Natsu.

"Punishment complete. Ocha." Goumon was pleased. But then…the wax of the maiden began to melt and drip form the eye. "…!" Lucy let out a silent sigh of relief, but Goumon didn't like where this was going. "The metal…is melting!?"

Natsu lunged from the melted maiden and sprinted past Goumon, punching him into the ground with ease and knocking him out cold. "Number two…" D-6 silently jumped from above, attempting to take Natsu out with a sneak attack! The Salamander easily saw this coming and ignited his leg in flame, swinging it back to smash D-6 into the ground, "Number three…" He counted off silently.

Zelos poked his head out from the hole, still remaining out of sight. Honestly Natsu and Lucy just forgot he was there too. "…Wow, not bad…" He muttered.

"He's strong…" Virgo was impressed.

"That's our Natsu!" Happy cheered.

"Im-Impossible…." Goumon groaned. "We are all powerful black wizards…how could a brat like that…"

A silhouette appeared from the top of the stairs. "He isn't someone that the likes of you can defeat." Gray peered down at Natsu with a scowl. "I'll deal with this one myself.

Finally. There he was. Natsu's lips curled up into a grin as he stared at Gray. "Yo…you been doing well?"

* * *

Back at Rainfall Village, Wendy and Cynthia were still taking care of Juvia while Carla sat on a box to have some tea. "Juvia-san, let me wipe you, okay?" Wendy moved in to unbutton and remove Juvia's shirt and…well, she got a full look at her breasts. For a moment her cheeks flushed. "Woah…."

"…Whoa…" Cynthia also said.

"I wonder if they've found Gray yet…" Carla wondered.

Cynthia brought over a bucket of cold water so Wendy could begin wiping Juvia. "Me too…it's been a little while since they left."

" _Maybe they got lost."_ Verona spoke. _"I mean, that Natsu doesn't look like the best with directions or anything…"_

"Mhm…" Wendy shared the same sentiments. "It'd be nice if they did though."

"I hope they're not fighting…" Carla groaned at the thought.

"Fights aren't anything new to them. It is Natsu-san and Gray-san after all." Wendy said with a soft smile. Cynthia turned Juvia over gently so they could reach her back and sides with no trouble.

"That's true…" Carla had her own smile.

"They're probably punching each other in the face as we speak…" Cynthia muttered.

* * *

WHAM! Natsu and Gray punched each other in the face with such intensity they both slid backwards a great deal. Natsu was smiling, but Gray? Gray was not amused. Lucy, Virgo, and Happy watched worriedly. "Hey! Stop it! Both of you!" Lucy shouted, hoping that it would somehow stop the situation, but she was wrong. It was Natsu and Gray after all.

Gray sprinted forward, ice manifesting itself on his black arm. "What the hell are you two doing here?" Gray swung, but Natsu blocked with his forearm.

"Back at ya!" Natsu fired back.

"I do what I want." Gray's tone was indifferent.

Natsu kicked his leg up, though Gray blocked the hit and was forced backwards. "Juvia's waiting for you, bastard!" Natsu then jumped, flame coating his fist. The gap was closed with considerable quickness, Gray was almost caught off guard, but he managed to evade in time." I'm waiting for you! And we need you to bring back Fairy Tail!"

As soon as Natsu said that, Gray's fist slammed against his cheek to send him stumbling back. "This is stupid…" Gray then swiped his hand, creating multiple spires of ice to freeze and consume his former comrade. "Fairy Tail is no more!"

No sooner did the ice appear was it blown away by Natsu's flame. "That's what they've all been saying! That Fairy Tail doesn't exist anymore, but they're wrong! All the memories and bonds are still there!" The pink haired male placed his fist against his chest. "Fairy Tail is right here. Has been and always will be."

Gray let out a sigh. "Your solutions right there, isn't it?" Lucy's gaze went to the ground as Gray spoke. "If it's as you say, then you'd have no need for me. So leave me alone, will you? We're not on the same side anymore. Our paths are different, Natsu." Gray formed a bow and arrow of ice in his hands and fired it without delay.

The arrow traveled at breakneck speeds and Natsu had to roll to avoid it. The arrow exploded and covered the entire back wall with frost, although most of it was destroyed from the impact. "Tch…! You don't mean that, I know you don't!"

"Gray…" Happy couldn't believe what Gray was saying!

"Fairy Tail is no longer a part of me. So could you please drop the whole BFF act with me?" Gray asked. "Leave. This doesn't concern you anymore."

That was it. Lucy couldn't take it anymore. Listening to Gray speak like he truly dropped Fairy Tail from his heart…the blond clenched her hand into a fist and approached gray with a shade over her eyes. Suddenly, her hand swiftly smacked Gray across the face. All he could do was stare at her, confused. "BFF Act?! It wasn't an act, Gray! We're comrades until the very end! So please don't say things like that!"

Gray didn't say a word. "…."

"If you say things like that…and if you're like this…then is it my fault?" Lucy stared up at Gray. "Is it because of what happened that you walked this dark road? B-But you should know…that we won't give up on you…like you guys did with me…!" She was trying really hard. It hurt to think that because of her, Fairy Tail disbanded and Gray started to wander down a dark road. But to her, they were comrades…and she wanted to help him no matter what. Just like they did with her. "I don't want to…hear….I…we…" Lucy felt like her stomach was literally twisting and turning inside her body. "Uh…." She collapsed to her knees, clutching her stomach in agony. "My stomach…it hurts so much…"

"Lucy!?" Natsu didn't know what was going on.

Gray didn't even have to look to see who the cause of this was. "Mary?"

Mary was standing right behind Gray, a smile plastered on her lips. "Who are you people? Gray's old friends? From that guild that doesn't exist? The one that Emmeraude outed as bad guys? The guild with the child murderer? Haha." Oooh…that wasn't good. Lucy eyes widened from both pain and shock.

"What did you do!?" Natsu was about to sprint forward to save Lucy, but he was tripped up by the magic sealing cuffs Goumon sneakily placed on him.

"OOOCHA!" Goumon didn't just get Natsu, Virgo was bound as well!

"These magic seals are…" Well, at least Virgo finally got tied up like she wanted. But this wasn't the time or place.

"Natsu!" Happy rushed to help Natsu, but his entire body was no longer under his control and he just fell backwards. Abel was back up and snatched some of Happy's fur when he wasn't paying attention. As such, Happy was at the mercy of that doll once more. "Noro-san…"

"Huh…you've saved us trouble, Mary-san." Goumon bowed his head…but not at Mary, which was weird.

Mary's eyes twinkled once again. "You weaklings shouldn't have even come here in the first place. Dear me." Lucy was just on the ground, whimpering in pain. "Does it hurt? It hurts, doesn't it? It's my black magic…but dear me. You've already been infected by something in the past, haven't you? That must make it hurt even more." Mary crouched down, peering at the suffering Lucy. "It's strange, isn't it? All this pain you feel now…it's probably nothing compared to what that child suffered, right?"

"Oh yeah…" Abel was flinging Noro-san back and forth, thus taking Happy on an unwanted ride. "That must have been fun. She sounds even more twisted than people think we are."

"STOP IT…!" Happy cried.

"GRAY!" Natsu tried to lunge, but he was held back by Goumon.

"Ooochaaa!" This was a struggle! Goumon was barely capable of holding Natsu back! "Even while his magic is sealed, he's so strong…"

Clack. A black sword touched the ground near Lucy's head. Jerome was finally on the scene and threatened to slice her head clean off. "Don't move."

Lucy heard everything too. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her body was sweating profusely, and tears threatened to fall from her eyes. But every word spoken pierced into her fragile mind and she could only lie there in pain. "Ow….please…stop…."

"Princess…!" Virgo cried out.

"This is what you get for sticking your nose in business that doesn't concern you." Gray turned around.

"Snap out of it, Gray! You're being possessed by a demon! Or something!" Natsu shouted at the top of his lungs. He was pleading for Gray to come to his senses in this moment of peril!

"I'm perfectly sane." Gray dropped his shirt, revealing the mark of Avatar in the spot his Fairy Tail mark used to be with a proud smirk. "I've destroyed that family link of ours on my own accord. Now does that answer your question?"

"He erased the mark…?" Happy grit his teeth.

"Gray…" Natsu growled. How could this happen?

"G…ray…." Lucy lifted her head up. Her eyes were open, but she was completely strained thanks to Mary's magic.

"KYAHAHAHAHA!" Prometheus' cackle echoed through the basement. He and Pandora showed up, but he was the only one grinning at the sight. "Well now! What do we have here? A few intruders?!"

"Y-You're…" Lucy looked up, remembering Prometheus from Emmeraude's trial. Pandora too…

"We heard a noise…but decided to let Gray handle it." Pandora explained. "The situation was under control from the beginning. Please relent, Jerome."

"…" Jerome silently drew his blade. Priest Arlock told them to listen to Prometheus and Pandora's words as though they were his own. "Why, if I may ask?"

"Because…this is Gray's chance to prove himself." Prometheus' grin widened. "He claims to have cut all ties with his family. There is still doubt that he's the spy…so why not give him a chance to prove that he isn't?"

"What are you talking about?" Mary kept her eyes on the suffering Lucy, enjoying watching the blondes torment. "Freeze them into popsicles or something?"

"Even better." The Grim Reaper stood back. "Gray. Kill her…oh no, wait! Tell her what you told everyone earlier, and THEN kill her!"

"GRAY! DON'T DO IT!" Natsu tried to lunge once again, but was still held back.

Gray stared down at Lucy, a sharp blade of ice forming within his black hand. "…It was all your fault, Lucy. All you had to do was not get involved. But you just couldn't help yourself, could you? Not like I care in the end since this is my path now. Though I suppose I should thank you, since Fairy Tail's disbandment allowed me to walk on this path."

Those words…it was everything Lucy was afraid of. Her eyes were wide and she almost cried from both the pain in her stomach and her heart being cut with Gray's words. "…."

"You don't mean that!" Natsu snarled. "It wasn't her fault!"

"But it was." Gray cut Natsu off. "Sophie's death and Emmeraude's dreams were killed by Lucy."

"Hahaha…" Mary laughed once more. "I heard that Fairy Tail took a strong creed against killing people…but maybe they were just a bunch of murderers after all? Who kills a child? That's pretty twisted~"

"The pain she may feel now is nothing compared to how dear old Emmeraude feels." Prometheus piled on the guilt. "Her friends, dreams, and even child…all dead because of her. She lost everything because someone stuck their nose in business that didn't concern them! HAHAHAHAHA! Now severe that family bond with your own hands!"

"…You're right…." Lucy barely managed to get the words out. No longer could she gaze at her former comrade. She knew it all along…it was all her fault.

Pandora stared down at Lucy. "…It seems her mind was very fragile to begin with. She's broken."

Gray lifted his sword up, staring down at Lucy, who just lowered her head. It looked like she was prepared to accept her fate. All eyes were on Gray as he was the one who commanded this moment of fate. "I'll make it quick. You deserve that much. This is where our paths diverge." All was tense and silent as Gray's sword glimmered and then…he brought it down…on Zelos' blade. "Huh!?"

"Zelos!?" Happy, Natsu, and Virgo exclaimed in shock. They forgot he was with them…

"Man…" Zelos shook his head. "You seriously need to learn how to talk to women. I thought you were a decent enough guy before since Juvia-chan is all over you, but I have _nooooooo_ idea what she sees in you."

"What the hell!?" Gray slashed his blade and Zelos elegantly flipped back. "Why the hell are _you_ here?!" His tone held genuine confusion…and a little bit of anger.

"I'm just here for the ride." Zelos admitted with a shrug. "Besides, Mii-chan would be very upset if she heard something happened."

"Who's this fruitcake?" Mary tilted her head.

"The handsomest guy you'll ever meet." Zelos responded by running a hand through his hair. It was then he actually saw Mary and comical hearts appeared in his eyes; in the next second he was crouched before the female. "And who, pray tell, are you? What is such a wonderfully cute girl doing in a nasty cult like this? This is no place for a pretty woman. Come with me, Zelos-sama, and I'll show you the path of light."

"OCHA!" Goumon yelled, and suddenly magic sealing cuffs were on Zelos' wrist, causing his sword and shield to disperse.

"Oh right. There was a dude here." Zelos sighed before looking at Gray. The knight in shining armor really botched that one up. "Heeeey…Gray…buddy. You wanna help a friend out? There's a really high chance that if I die here, I will come back to haunt you…" This was déjà vu all right…

"Awww, he's so flattering. I almost said yes." Mary laughed. "Haha, just kidding."

"…This is stupid…" Gray's sword vanished. The ice maker grabbed his coat and walked off. He lost interest in the situation.

"Hmmm…" Pandora watched Gray walk off. Even if Natsu and the others tried to fight, Lucy was dead weight now. Mary's magic still plagued her, and she looked like she lost the will to do anything now. "…They may be in with the Council. It is wise to keep them restrained and bring them to the torture chamber. If they refuse to yield any information, we can sacrifice them to Lord Zeref."

"Damn it…." Was the only thing Natsu said…it was the only thing he could say. Even after a year…he was in yet another powerless situation where he couldn't help Lucy.

* * *

Gajeel's unit set up a base camp to halt their. Normally he wouldn't have the likes of Fullbright or Arlen in his company, but the task at hand required some heavy hitters. Panterlily sat next to Gajeel. "…Someone's coming."

"Yeah, I hear it." Gajeel said while glancing back. "But this smell…"

It was Levy McGarden. She took wore a Magic Council uniform and had a few members behind her, including Layanna. "Thanks for waiting."

"Of course!" Fullbright saluted. "You did a wonderful job, Ms. McGarden! It must have been easy for you to slip inside the enemy!"

"Oh, that?" Levy had a small sweat drop on her forehead. "It was pretty easy to get in. The only problem was getting out…" There were some…complications in that regard.

"I believe we are adequately ready to strike down Avatar." Layanna said in her usual indifferent tone.

"Good. I can't stand waiting." Arlen spoke while examining his spear. He was prepared to fight as the orders said to.

"Aside from all that, have you heard about Gray, Gajeel?" Levy approached the iron dragon.

"Yeah." Gajeel said.

"I wonder what happened to him. It's almost like his entire heart has been engulfed in darkness or something." Levy was trying to figure out the cause of Gray's sudden turn.

"Got nothin' to do with me, though." Gajeel scoffed. "Frankly, I don't care. Our job is to stop this Purification from happening."

"Nothing to do with you?" Pantherlily cut his eyes at Gajeel. "He used to be a comrade of ours."

"He sure as hell ain't one now." Gajeel didn't miss a beat with that response, standing up while staring at Levy, Pantherlily, Layanna, Fullbright, and Arlen. "If this Purification happens, a lot of innocents will die. You're telling me I shoulder consider a man who's willingly involved in that crazy ass plan as a comrade of mine?

"Wil you be able to fight, though?" Pantherlily could see Gajeel was firm in this regard, but he just wanted to make sure. "That used to be one of our own."

Gajeel turned his back to his current unit. "If our paths are different, that doesn't make us anything but enemies." His response made Levy frown. "And that's why we have to stop it. The Purification Ritual."

.

.

Next Time: Code Blue.


	17. Chapter 17: Code Blue

Natsu, Lucy, Happy, and Zelos were all imprisoned with Avatar's basement. After the failed sneak attack, things went downhill and they were trapped with magic sealing cuffs. There wasn't a lot they could do in this moment. Lucy stared down at the ground, Gray's words playing over and over in her head. "…."

"Are you feeling okay now, Lucy…?" Happy asked with obvious concern for the celestial mage. She went through a lot in such a short time, it was only natural he was worried.

"…Yeah, I'm good." Lucy lied.

"What happened to our maid friend?" Zelos was tugging at the cuffs with a frown. "Man…these are so not my style…"

"She was sent back because of the sealing stones…." Lucy's voice was low. She turned her back to the others and stared off into space with dull eyes.

"Damn Gray…" Natsu mumbled in the corner. "What the hell's gotten into him…?"

"Does it matter…?" Lucy muttered and yet everyone heard it.

"Of course it does!" Natsu sat up. "He's our comrade! I bet that guy in the scythe is controlling him or something! He didn't say those things until he showed up!"

Zelos shook his head silently. "…I don't think that was it…" But he didn't dare say that too loud. Lucy really wasn't doing so well and if it was possible to make her any worse, he certainly wasn't taking that chance.

"What he said wasn't wrong, though." Lucy sighed. "It was all my fault. If I didn't get involved…Sophie would still be alive at least. Fairy Tail would probably still be together, too since it wouldn't be a target. And then…Gray wouldn't be here on this dark path."

"Wha? That's not true at all!" Natsu shouted. "I know Gray and I know this isn't something he'd do! And it's not your fault either, Lucy! He's just…"

"How can you say that?" The blonde immediately turned to Natsu and those dull brown eyes glared daggers into him. "How do you know what he's thinking? You don't have the slightest idea what I've been through over this last year because of what happened. You were gone for a year, Natsu. I told you before, things change, people change. But you're still here, acting as if absolutely nothing changed in your absence!"

Natsu furrowed his brows at Lucy's tone. This was more than just taking another shot at him. "…Lucy, why are you so upset? I told you I was going to come back in a year. I did it because-"

"I know why you did it." Lucy remembered the contents of Natsu's ready. She read it multiple times because she couldn't believe it. "Because you thought it 'wasn't fair' that I could be there for you when you lost Igneel, but you couldn't be there for me otherwise."

"What's wrong with that!?" Natsu didn't see the issue. "There have been times when everyone has suffered…especially a year ago. Back then, I hate admitting it, but I wasn't strong enough to do anything when it mattered! I wasn't strong enough to help you back then until the very end. Emmeraude mocked us and called us weak, and for a moment there wasn't anything I could do about it. That feeling? It felt awful. So I wanted to do something about it!"

"Were you so short sighted you didn't think of anyone else!?" Lucy's voice continued to rise. Those emotions she felt over the last year…they were finally spilling thanks to what happened only moments ago. "You say you left because you wanted 'be there' when it mattered, but do you know how stupid that was!? Do you know why I've been so mad at you ever since you came back, Natsu? Because right after the most horrible and traumatizing experience of my life, you _left_ when I needed you the most!" And there it was – the reason for Lucy's occasional animosity towards her own partner finally revealed. Happy and Zelos were completely silent at this back and forth…there was nothing either of them could say, and even if they had words, they didn't have the courage to speak up.

Natsu was speechless for a moment. He tried to think of something to say. "Lucy, I…."

"You don't understand." Even though Lucy lost her will for pretty much everything after being slammed by Gray and the other members of Avatar, she had no problems taking out this aggression on Natsu that was building for a year. He was partially responsible for how she felt anyway. The tears were already streaming down her cheeks. "No one will ever understand how awful it was being with Lambda. I attacked my family, hurt them, myself, and others…and to top it all off, Sophie killed herself just to get rid of it all because I got involved – Emmeraude's comrades died, her child died, and then her dream died, all because of me. Then, when I think things can finally go back to normal, Fairy Tail disbands and everyone goes their separate ways! I thought I could at least have some company with you around…but you left me behind too. Even though I moved forward on my own…I was alone. Aquarius' key is still broken, my family is all gone, and Fairy Tail was no more." Lucy turned her back to Natsu and started to wipe her eyes. The more she talked about it…the worst she felt. "All of this…because I got involved in something I shouldn't have…and now the consequences are coming back and I deserve them. I came with you because I wanted to see everyone again, but now I'm positive they'll act just like Gray, or even Wendy and Cynthia when we first ran into them. Maybe I really am just a monster."

Not even Zelos could muster the will to spoil the moment with a flirtatious quip. This was bad…even worse than he imagined. "…"

Natsu was struck silent. Was Lucy really bottling up these emotions this whole time? He thought she was just mad at him, but it ran so much deeper than that. "…Lucy…" What could he even say to this? Gray's words were the final nail in Lucy's coffin and he was worried she wouldn't be able to recover from these scars. He did have one thing in mind, but before he could open his mouth...

The conversation was brought to a halt as the sound of footsteps clacked loudly against the stone floor. "Someone's coming…" Lucy turned to the bars. It was Goumon, and he bowed…at absolutely no one. "W-Why is he bowing when no one is in front of him…!?"

"That's creepy…" It was the first time Happy spoke in a while.

Natsu immediately rushed over to the bars and slammed into it with a shoulder tackle. The conversation with Lucy was not over, but he was also concerned about Gray right now. "WHERE'S GRAY!? Bring him here!"

"Gray-dono, along with everyone else, isn't here anymore." Goumon explained. "They've all gone to prepare for the Purification Ritual. And I've come to get some information from you, even if it means by force."

"…Could you not?" Zelos grimaced. He didn't like the idea of this ugly dude trying to force information from them.

"Purification Ritual…?" Happy didn't like the sound of that.

"The purification of the soul, told to us by Prometheus-dono and Pandora-dono." Goumon said. "The only way of obtaining it is by death, and the smell of death only brings us closer to Lord Zeref."

"What is wrong with you people?" Zelos shook his head. "That's ridiculous…that's not how things work…"

"D-Don't involve Gray in such strange things!" Lucy shouted.

"Hm?" As if he noticed something, Goumon turned to Lucy. "So you've noticed….that…that I've been cosplaying as Lord Zeref…"

"…Who cares!?" Lucy just…didn't understand. Her mind was everywhere so she couldn't exactly focus on this strange man pretending to be someone else.

"My admiration for him is so strong that I got this done back in the east." Turning around, Goumon began to stroke his chin. "I don't really know much about kanji, but this apparently is read as Zeref."

Lucy tilted her head. "…Uh…no? That's read as matcha." The writer in her couldn't help but correct this mistake.

This didn't please Goumon. How could he make such a mistake!? Well, it was easy to ignore it since Lucy was not in a favorable situation. "Sh-shut up little girl!" Lifting two fingers into the air,

The cuffs around Lucy's wrist suddenly lifted her up into the air, a chain shooting up into the ceiling to keep her hoised up. "Aaahhh…!"

"Lucy!" The others cried out in worry.

"This freak…he's controlling the things in here!" Happy couldn't do much with a sealing stone wrapped around his entire body from the waist down.

Natsu grabbed the bars, growling at Goumon. "Let go of her!"

"Heh…" Goumon snapped his fingers. Natsu, Happy, and Zelos were all dragged to the back wall, practically glued to it. "Just stay there and watch. You get a front row seat to my torture show."

Lucy's body began to tremble and she started to sweat nervously. Although she did say she was ready to accept whatever came to her as penance for her actions, the thought of this man actually torturing her didn't settle well. "Ngh…"

"Hey! Let her go!" Natsu yelled at the top of his lungs, but he couldn't move a muscle.

"I can't get it off…" Happy tried but it was no use.

"No good…these cuffs are just way too tight…I'm normally okay with this…" Zelos grumbled that last bit but he was stuck as well.

"These are all anti-magic restraints, you see…" Goumon wheeled a table with a white cloth draped over it. When the cloth was revealed, various items were on display and they were not going to be pleasant. Lucy felt her body go cold as she stared at what was waiting for her. "Whipping, candlewax dripping, watering, roping, or even the licking of your feet." The man continued to list off various methods of torture, the color draining from the blonde's face with each suggestion. This was…way too much. "Where oh where should I start first…" And then he just bowed off to the corner where no one was.

"Y-You're sick…" Lucy shook her head, swallowing the lump in her throat. "And stop bowing where no one is! It's creepy!"

"Yeah, uh…" Zelos interjected. "I'm beginning to think that there's something wrong with you. You're about to subject my lady friend to a bunch of weird borderline kinky, borderline creepy things and I'm not okay with that, so if you'd be so kind to…" And that's when a gag was stuffed into Zelos' mouth, silencing his voice as he let out muffled cries of annoyance. The one time he was actually shut up was at the worst possible moment.

With that, Goumon drew his own conclusion. "Alright, I've got it. We'll start with the licking! It hurts the least!"

Everyone's eyes were wide at this weird suggestion. "No way…! Just the sound of it…" Lucy didn't like the direction this was going at all.

Goumon glanced back as he prepared to set things up. "I see, you don't understand why it's classified as torture. We start with dripping the soles of the feet in salt water in a fixed position. And then a goat will start licking the soles for the salt content, but as time goes by, the barbs of the tongue of the goat will tear through the skin and into the meat. Even then, the goat won't stop and will keep going…."

That explanation left everyone dumbfounded. "That…seems to hurt a lot more than I imagined… Happy's voice was shaky.

"So, let's try it out?" Goumon walked over to Lucy and began to remove her thigh highs.

"Wait…no! I don't wanna to this…!" Lucy whimpered as she strapped down. First was a mental break and now they were moving onto something physical? She honestly wasn't sure she'd make it through this…

"Damn it…!" Natsu struggled against the magic-seals. His body violently moved and his arms trembled, trying to pry them from the walls. His physical strength wasn't in question, but the cuffs were actively pushing against him with roughly equal force. Time was not on his side.

Lucy was tied and gagged, muffled noises the only thing she could make. "So, tell me who sent you here before the feet of this girl are no more." There was even a goat at the ready now, getting into position.

"I TOLD YOU! WE'RE HERE FOR GRAY!" Natsu yelled. But it wasn't convincing the torturous man at all.

"Hmmm…don't make me repeat myself, boy! Gray-dono is _our_ comrade now. Whatever relationship you once had is now over." Goumon was getting more irritated the longer he didn't get any answers.

"No, he's still our friend." Natsu's conviction in Gray was unwavering. "And if he doesn't believe in himself, then we will."

That answer was not the right answer. Goumon's eyes shot open. "SHUT UP!" Suddenly, Lucy's restraints shifted and she was now in the air, arms over her head and legs spread apart, unable to move an inch.

"LUCY!" Natsu's arms were slowly pulling their way through. The wall was nearly going to crack from the intense amount of pressure on it…but Natsu still didn't have the time.

"What are you going to do!?" Happy screamed. All Zelos could do was make noises since he was gagged.

Goumon had a large axe raised over his head. All this talk infuriated him and once his anger reached a boiling point, it bubbled over into seething rage. "We're not going to do the licking anymore! I'm just going to split her in half!"

No…no…Natsu couldn't let this happen! He was right there and Lucy was in mortal danger! Was his training really going to be for nothing!? Was he about to watch a comrade and his closest friend die in front of him!? "STOOOOOOOOOP!"

"LET'S SEE IF YOU BELIEVE IN GRAY-DONO NOW!" Goumon's voice echoed loudly through the halls as he brought the axe down full force. Lucy shut her eyes, unable to watch as her judgement finally followed through. And just before the axe could slice through Lucy, Goumon froze. Literally. His body was encased in solid ice and he wasn't moving anywhere.

"…"

An uncomfortable silence filled the room as the devices all vanished, freeing everyone from their confinement. "Gray…." Natsu was surprised, but thankful.

"Peh!" Zelos spat out the gag. "That was the grossest thing that's ever gone in my mouth…"

Gray began to scratch his head, visibly agitated as his free hand dug into his pocket. "Ah, dammit! All that hard work, gone because of you people." Gray then pulled out lacrima phone and placed it to his ear. "This is a code blue. We've got trouble."

"Whoa whoa whoa…!" Zelos shook his head. "Don't just skip over us like that! This really the time for a phone call!?"

Gray held his hand up, acknowledging Zelos' complaints and intended to answer them later. Right now he had to report to the person on the other line. "No. No, that's not it. Yeah…" As Gray talked, the markings on his body steadily receded. "I don't know, you talk to him.…Yeah." The communication device was then tossed to Natsu, who stared at it with a baffled look. But he did as he was told and placed it to his ear. "The hell is this?"

" _Is that you, Natsu?"_ Uh oh. That voice. The only voice that could make Natsu break out into a cold sweat. On the other line of this phone was none other than Erza Scarlet. _"Good grief…now what have you gone and done to Gray's undercover mission?"_

"Undercover mission!?" Natsu stared at Gray.

"That's right." Gray nodded. "There's no way I'd join some creepy guild like this anyway. But we don't have time now, so let's talk while we move."

* * *

" _I found out about Avatar and how it was connected to Zeref about a year back…with some help from Jellal of course."_ Erza was still on the other line, now filling the others in as they rode on the back of a cheetah, speeding towards the location of the Purification Ritual. She was getting ready to depart as well _"But we hit a dead end and it was then that I met Gray."_

"You know those devil slaying marks? They started to get worse." Gray now explained his part. "I went to the old lady, Prolyusica's place and she helped me control it. Getting hit by Marde's attack back was finally starting to take its toll, but it's all good now."

" _And then we talked about how we were and then came up with this plan."_ Erza was getting on a horse at this point, taking off to her destination.

"I guess you could call it a request from Erza. After all, I was interested in the book of END personally since my old man's last request was to destroy it and Ur's too…"

Natsu grit his teeth at that last part. "But man, you didn't even tell Juvia about it? You're a jerk." Even now, he could feel the glare from Lucy, but it really didn't have as much animosity as before…she didn't seem to have the energy right now. Gray, however, didn't have a response.

" _I told him not to."_ Erza said. _"It's always better to have less people know about the mission as it raises the rate of success. And one could never tell what…what if she got in trouble over it?"_

"So, it was for Juvia's sake too…" Happy was starting to understand.

Natsu, however, still disagreed with the notion of keeping Juvia in the dark after seeing how bad she was. "But still…"

" _I do feel sorry for Juvia…we didn't think this mission would drag out so long. The situation changed. It was only supposed to be a scouting mission at first, but then came this whole purification mess. Avatar is planning on wiping out an entire town. They believe that Zeref appears in places where death is abundant…I believe that to be due to the influence of Prometheus and Pandora."_

"I remember those two from the battle against the demons two years ago…" Gray grit his teeth. "They were with Zeref back then, so it was probably really easy for them to convince Avatar to go through with this Ritual. They wreck of death – at least Prometheus does. He alone instilled the belief that Zeref would appear, and Pandora is the one who spread word of the Ritual. I don't know what they're planning…"

"But we've gotta stop it from happening!" Natsu yelled. "All you have to do is crush them! With you and Erza it would be easy!"

" _No, we can't."_ Erza shot down the idea. _"Avatar isn't a small organization that can be crushed so easily. Its size alone is more than we could have ever imagined."_

"That place we were in? That was only one small part of it. The whole time I was there I couldn't get anything on the main branch's location or even the other branches." Gray really was working hard.

" _And if we made any careless moves, we could have lost the chance to stop this whole ritual. That's why we've been waiting up till now."_

"Yeah…for the day when all the branches get together…and destroy them once and for all." Gray held a serious visage when uttering these words. Once they were out, he turned to Lucy with a genuine expression of concern. "Hey, Lucy…I'm really sorry about what I said. I didn't have much of a choice because of Prometheus…he was making a scene out of the whole thing, I don't know why either…"

Now was when Zelos finally decided to get his two cents in. "Yeah, hey, excuse me genius. What exactly were you gonna do if I didn't show up like the shining knight I am?"

Gray didn't miss a beat with the response either. "There was no way I was actually going to kill Lucy. You just…caught me off guard. Speaking of…why is he here?" He looked to the others for an answer, but they didn't have one. "Right…well, the worst case scenario was that I'd have to break my cover in an unfavorable situation…so really, you made my job that much easier. So…..thanks for being an inconvenience."

"Backhanded compliments don't really sting more than that…" Zelos grumbled.

"Either way…I'm sorry, Lucy. I didn't mean any of it." Gray did apologize. But he really didn't know how much Lucy was going through.

Lucy did manage to force a smile. She wanted to believe Gray but it was just… a little difficult. "I'm sorry too. For hitting you like that."

"Well, having a maid hit me though…hahaha…" Gray did have a bit of a coy smile.

That kind of response ended up flustering Lucy. "U-Uh…that's…not…"

"You guys are still my friends, you know. No matter what." Gray had a firm nod.

"…That's great to hear." Lucy's response was a little halfhearted.

"Now that makes our job easier." Natsu had such a big grin on his face. "Let's go wreck that ritual together then!"

"Yeah." Lucy could push her thoughts aside for now. They had much bigger things to deal with.

"I'll do my best too!" Happy's tone held determination.

"I've already come this far. Might as well see it through." Zelos said.

"You guys…" Gray didn't immediately like the sound of this.

" _We didn't want you to get involved…"_ Erza said.

"It doesn't matter if we did or didn't!" Natsu was getting excited now.

"We're gonna fight together again! It's been a year since!" Natsu pumped his fist into the air. This feeling caused Gray and Erza to finally smile as well. There was only one thing the team of four could say after so long.

"I'M ALL FIRED UP!"

* * *

On the outskirts of Malba Town, the entire organization of Avatar gathered together. The townspeople had no idea of what was to occur. Avatar was led by Preist Arlock, who had Prometheus and Pandora standing at his sides. Jerome glanced around for a moment, unable to find who he was looking for. "Where are Goumon and Gray, Braiya?"

"With the prisoners, probably?" Braiya shrugged.

"Well, I understand Goumon…but Gray?" Jerome tried to figure this out. "Could it be…"

"Who cares, Underlashes?"

"Underlashes…?!" Another nickname? …One that Jerome was also pondering as well.

"Look at the numbers we have. Everyone from Avatar is here now just for this ritual. Even if the traitor comes forward, there's no way they'll win with our numbers. We have at least 2000 people behind us."

"Hmmmm…you have a point…" Jerome conceded. "Underlashes works too…"

"So it's about to start at long last…our ritual…" Abel grinned widely.

Mary clasped her hands together, a soft, but excited look on her face. "We're finally meeting Zeref! Lol!" Yes, that last bit was something she actually said. There was something wrong with this girl in particular, but nobody cared enough to question it.

Arlock, Prometheus, and Pandora stood before the massive group. Arlock was the one to speak, getting everyone prepared for what was to come. "We begin our Purification Ritual with the town of Malba! This town has no sin, and it's population of 30, 000 people continue their daily lives without an inkling of what's to come. I'm positive that this purity will bring our savior to us."

"THAT'S RIGHT!" Prometheus yelled out. "Lord Zeref is drawn to the scent of death! Make this purification as 'pure' as possible and he will come to you! The ritual will only succeed if every person in this town is sacrificed to our glorious lord and savior!"

"Yes." Pandora nodded. "This is the moment you've all been waiting for. Now is the time to show your devotion to Lord Zeref. Do not disappoint."

"ZEREF! THE BLACK WIZARD!" The members of Avatar cheered.

"Accept our offering of 30,000 souls so that you may walk alongside us!" Arlock then lifted his staff high into the air. "WE WILL PURIFY THE SOULS OF THIS TOWN!"

"CHAAAARGE!" And so, the army of black wizards began to charge forward, but…

"There's someone in front of the town!

"It doesn't matter, we'll start with them!"

"Purification!"

"FOR ZEREF!"

BOOM! An explosion caused multiple members of Avatar to fly backwards. This sudden intervention caused the eyes of the main members to widen. Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Gray, and Zelos were all in the front lines, acting as Malba Town's first, and only line of defense. "YOU AIN'T GETTING PAST ME!" Natsu yelled with his trademark grin, fist blazing with fire. "SO COME AT US!" Another explosion and numerous members were sent flying back. Natsu then eyed Gray, smirking at his best friend and rival. "I hope you've been training."

"Wanna try it out later?" Gray replied with a smirk of his own.

"I'm fighting too!" Lucy's attire changed into Star Dress: Taurus! She also summoned into the fray as well.

"Moo! Unbreakable!" The golden bull mooed out his battle cry.

Zelos drew his sword and shield once more, slyly pointing to the enemies ahead. "All right…I don't like all this cult business, but anything that endangers the lives of many beautiful women has to be put down."

Jerome clenched his teeth in anger. "Gray…! You…!"

"KYAHAHAHA!" Prometheus' cackle filled the air. "So, they've finally come to spoil the fun have they!?"

"It was only a matter of time. Fullbuster could never be trusted." Pandora lowered her head. "It is a shame he believed he could fool us for so long. It is too late to stop the Ritual…"

"What are you doing!? There's only 4-5 of them! Get rid of them all!" Braiya yelled.

Another member of Avatar scurried over to Jerome, shakily pointing at their rear. "J-Jerome-sama! We'er under attack from behind as well! And it's blowing holes in our ranks!"

"What!?" Jerome growled. "The Council's forces have already…?!"

That's when the member shook his head, the cold sweat on his face dripping faster. "T-That's the problem…it was only one…" And that one was Erza Scarlet, riding on a horse as she plowed through the forces of Avatar.

Team Natsu was back in full swing. The Salamander grinned as his hands were ablaze. "So, let's get it started."

"Let's go out with our guns blazing…" Gray was ready.

Even Lucy had a smile on her lips. Despite how she felt, the idea of fighting with Natsu, Gray, Happy, and Erza again did get her excited. "I missed this feeling…"

"Aye…" Happy gave a nod.

"You're the ones that will be purified." Erza wore a confident grin on her lips. With Team Natsu on the case, Avatar wasn't getting their way anymore. It was a full year since they battled together, but absolutely nothing could beat this feeling. It was time to get to work.

.

.

Next Time: Purification Ritual.


	18. Chapter 18: Purification Ritual

"LET'S GO!" Natsu shouted as flames covered his fist.

"YEAH!" Gray was right behind him. The two of them attack everyone in front of them; Gray's punch created a large glacier that spread out to cover a long distance, while Natsu's punch was a wave of flame that swept and burned everyone in its wake.

"They're strong!" Taurus moo'ed in awe.

"We should go too!" Lucy pulled her whip back before whipping it forward across the ground. "Earth Wave!" Due to Lucy's increased strength in Star Dress: Taurus, the landscape was utterly ruined just from this simple motion. Various members of Avatar were blown away from the rupturing ground.

"MOO!" Taurus let out his battle cry while using his axe to power through the horde of enemies.

Someone did manage to catch Lucy's whip, but she shook her head for the poor soul. "You know…when I don this dress…I'm very powerful." They didn't stand a chance. Lucy pulled her whip back with no resistance, pulling the poor soul across the ground while taking out a few others in the process. The celestial mage turned with a somewhat confident grin, not even looking back as several bodies dropped from the sky.

There was someone who attempted to jump at Lucy from behind, but Gray was already on it. Two fingers were pointed to the airborne attacker, instantly freezing them over. Gray then pointed his fingers down, commanding the ice to drop down into another group of shoulders. The ice maker then ended it off by snapping his fingers, turning around and lifting his hand into the sky, causing a large glacier to rise and send many bodies flying.

As soon as the glacier formed Natsu began to sprint along the side of it. Fire ignited around his fist and he jumped into the air, preparing to land dead center into another crowd of Avatar members. "HERE YOU GO!" The Salamander roared as his fist struck the ground, an eruption of flame occurring. That was only his start! Cheeks inflated and he exhaled, covering a wide and far radius in front of him with a torrential wave of fire!

Zelos watched as they all went to work. Their teamwork really was something else and it made the male laugh. "Ah…that beautiful mutual trust. You'd sure love to see this, Mii-chan. I suppose it's time I get serious in your stead…" The red headed male snapped his fingers, a golden light emanating from his body and shot into the air as a pillar. "So, here I go!"

"What the…what's he being flashy for…!?" Gray brought his hands up to shield his eyes from the light.

When the light faded, golden angel wings sprouted from Zelos and he was finally revealed in his full angelic glory. "Ah…much better."

"What the…!? He's an angel too!?" Gray was baffled!

"Of course." Zelos scoffed. "Did you think this level of beauty was obtainable by humans?"

"Ugh…" Gray walked right that one.

Zelos winked for a moment before taking his blade and dashing into a horde of people. "Demon Spear!" With one upward slash of his blade, a beam of energy traveled across the ground, barreling through multiple cult members. It was at this time a few of them tried to jump him, but with a spiral jump and slash, they were all taken down before they had the chance to move. Zelos bowed and grinned. "Like I said…I'm so pretty."

"It's one thing after another with him…" Lucy rolled her eyes. At least Zelos was helping.

* * *

Mary watched in shocked aw at Team Natsu's display of power. "What's that!? They're monsters! No…animals…no, beasts!"

"Stop showing off how poor your vocabulary is, Mary…" Braiya shook her head, gaze moving down to the ground. "Are we the only ones that can stop them?"

"I'll go after the enemies in the back of the army." Jerome said. "I leave the rest of them to you." Jerome then departed to take on this lone mage who dared to attack from behind them.

Mary, D-6, Abel, and Braiya were going to challenge Team Natsu. The dark skinned woman scoffed while taking the lead. "It's about time we show those rats how scary black magic is…"

Arlock watched the ensuing fight, but his expression was impossible to discern from behind his metallic mask. His breathing was unchanged and still visible. "Huh…"

Prometheus grinned at Arlock. "Well, Priest Arlock? How do you feel about this intervention?"

"…It doesn't change anything." Arlock said rather confidently.

"That was the correct answer." Pandora simply nodded before returning to watch the battle unfold, unbothered by its current outcome.

Jerome drew his sword, a ghastly black aura radiating from it. "They're pretty good if they can throw the army into chaos and disarray with one solider. However…I shall purify them forbidden magic of my dark sword."

"That was…really edgy…" Mary snickered as Jerome made his way off.

* * *

Erza changed through the numbers of Avatar with ease on horseback, not even breaking a sweat. The cultists were beginning to freak out before one of them had the courage to speak up. "Counter them with magic!" On that command, multiple magic weapons were aimed and fired at Erza.

Titania hopped off the horse and allowed it to gallop forward. As for the woman herself she front flipped as her body changed into her Wingblade Armor. "Dance!" The scarlet knight exclaimed as her blade began to 'dance' around her, sweeping up and slicing everyone who was within her range.

"She has wings?!"

"Those are swords!"

"They're flying around!?"

Erza's swords alone caused so much confusion it was difficult for them to focus and they were taken down with ease. Erza stood in the middle of all the fall bodies, staring down at all of them. She didn't get everyone, but she did strike fear into the hearts of those who weren't immediately within range. "Are you going to give up?" It was then something caught her attention. Jerome attempted to slash at Erza's right side, but she brought up a few blades to block the attack.

A slow grin etched itself onto Jerome's lips. "What a beautiful knight…" The darkness of Jerome's sword began to corrode Erza's blades. She took notice of this and hopped away before the sword itself could touch her.

"It's Jerome-san!"

"Jerome of the Dark Sword!"

Jerome's arrival boosted the morale of the Avatar members. But he didn't care so much about that – he wanted to destroy the woman that was attempting to put a stop to the Ritual! "I won't allow you to get in the way of my Purification plans!" Another slash, this one also blocked by Erza's flying blades. The same result: Jerome's blade reduced her own to nothing, and that wasn't good. If it touched her, that was going to be a problem. "Have you noticed it yet?" Another slash, this time Erza simply avoided by flipping backwards. "This is a dark sword. It corrodes everything it touches."

Erza had one blade in hand and as soon as her feet touched the ground she pushed forward, swinging her blade at Jerome's chest, but this was parried, and since the blades connected, hers was corroded. "…I don't appreciate this." Erza remarked while narrowly avoiding another slash from Jerome.

"You're out of blades." The shaggy haired male grinned. "Do you think you can hope to best me in a contest of swords? Every sword that touches mine will simply turn into nothing and you will follow."

"That does seem like a problem." Erza said this, but she seemed unfazed. "Although, I'm rather confident I can beat you in a duel. Swords aren't the only type of weapons I use." Erza held her hand out as a golden hue formed within, this shine manifesting into a very familiar spear: The Ten Commandments Spear. Knightwalker's body may have returned to Edolas in her final moments, but her spear remained…and Erza was going to wield it.

"What is that…?" Jerome was weary of this weapon since he hadn't seen anything like it.

"A parting gift." Erza responded before pointing the spear forward, shifting it into Mel-Force. "Mel-Force!" From the tip of the spear, a gigantic vacuum wave shot forward, pushing Jerome backwards a great distance and even caught a few members of Avatar in its wake.

"GAAAAH!" Jerome cried out as he was sliced by the winds. When the twister came to a stop, the man of the black sword slid to a halt and gripped his chest. "Where did she…"

Erza did not relent. Donning her Flight Armor along with Blue Crimson, she sped forward and slashed Jerome with the dual elemental spears before he had the chance to react. Jerome of the Dark Sword didn't have a chance to react as fire and ice burned into his body, soon erupting into an elemental twister of fire and ice with the male within the eye of the storm while Erza was on the other side of it. "Do you give up yet?"

Before the dual twister died down, Jerome's blade of darkness dispersed it. He was getting clowned and he knew it, which only infuriated him! In an enraged frenzy he sprang forward, the darkness of his sword responding to his dark emotions. It does sound edgy, but Black Magic worked in frightening ways. "DAMN YOOOOU!" Jerome's blade cut clean across Erza's side, and yes, that hurt. The cult members watching both gasped and cheered.

"It's over!"

"Anyone hit with that blade is as good as dead!"

"Jerome-san has won!"

"…!" Erza's eyes widened for a brief moment as the darkness of the blade sliced into her side. The hissing sound wasn't from her, but rather, her skin as the darkness corroded it like acid. "…I don't…appreciate that…" Erza grit her teeth and shifted the spear into the Explosion spear, stabbing it into Jerome's chest. The spear exploded violently and Jerome was sent flying backwards.

"What!? She can still stand!?"

"Jerome-san is getting overwhelmed!?"

"What do we do!?"

"You give up." Erza didn't even turn to face them. The wound on her side didn't faze her as she had much worse. Most members of Avatar trembled in fear from the mere thought of Jerome's sword cutting into them, but here was Erza, acting as though such a wound didn't even exist. And to her, it didn't.

"Gnk…" Jerome shakily brought himself to his feet, panting heavily. "I don't understand…what are you!? Why are you trying to halt the Purification!?"

"Your purification is anything but pure." Erza's eyes narrowed and the spear shifted to Silfarion, still coupled with her Flight Armor. "That alone is enough to stop you. The darkness your sword emanates…" In a flash, Erza was just…gone. She appeared behind Jerome before anyone could even blink and it took a moment to register that she even moved. "It will be pierced by the light of my spear."

"….." Jerome was confused…where did she go? How did she get behind him…? His body and mind didn't even register it until it was too late. Various slash marks appeared on his body and he cried out in agony before falling backwards, his eyes pure white to signify his defeat.

Erza turned back to the members of Avatar, lifting a brow at their fearful expressions. "Giving up now?"

* * *

Gray was doing just fine on his own, freezing multiple clusters of people solid to keep them from moving. Braiya began to charge at Gray in a furious rage. "GRAY!"

"Braiya…!" Gray turned as the woman sprinted at him.

"How dare you betray us!? No…lie to us!" Braiya slammed a palm onto the ground, tearing it asunder as a slicing shockwave was sent towards Gray, who managed to dodge by rolling to the side. "Were all those times you spent with us a lie!?" She asked, genuinely upset by the revelation that Gray was the traitor in their midst all along.

"Of course they were idiot!" Gray spat. "You really think I'd be chummy with a bunch of murders like you!?"

"That's a very ironic statement considering your company!" Braiya yelled, sending forth another series of shockwaves in Gray's direction. "This is, however, isn't murder! It's purification! And with this, we'll be able to summon Zeref! All that talk about the book of END, was that a lie too!?"

Gray continued to roll to the side, eventually coming to a halt in a crouching position. "I wouldn't say that. END will eventually be destroyed by my hands, but it isn't anything like what you lunatics are doing. How could I face my pops in the end if I did?" The ice maker stood up, glaring daggers into Braiya.

"Your heart really is black…" Braiya growled.

* * *

Lucy and Taurus were faring well on their own. Well…until Taurus' stomach started to not feel bad. "Lucy-saaaaan…" The cow moaned in pain. "My stomach…I don't feel so good…"

Lucy turned to stare at the golden bull, eyes wide at the timing of this. "What!? Now? Are you serious!?" Wait…could celestial spirits even have stomach problems? Something didn't seem right about this, and it started to set in for Lucy. Her stomach rumbled and it didn't feel good either. "…Uh oh…me too…"

"Hehehe…" Mary slowly started to walk forward, the twinkle in her eye still present. "Hello, it's me! My black magic is a virus. The kind that eats at you from the inside, remember?" She then held up a finger and smiled. "Oh, and, and, it's the kind that makes your large intestines go crazy. So yeah, you might wanna find a toilet soon or uh…whoops."

"Oh that's…so cheap…" Lucy's arms wrapped around her midsection.

"Lucy-saaaan…" Taurus whined. "I-I'm at my limit…"

"Me too…" Happy was caught in this virus as well and he wasn't doing so hot.

Lucy couldn't keep herself standing and fell to her knees, groaning in pain. Her stomach felt like it was going to literally rip itself out of her body. "Ngh…you…"

"So, you're Gray's old friends, right? From that Fairy Tail guild?" Mary stood over Lucy, cocking her head to the side curiously. "But it doesn't make any sense why you'd try to stand up to us. You're all so laughably weak…"

Lucy narrowed her eyes, slowly bringing herself up to her feet. "What are you talking about…? Th-this isn't enough to make me…" Before Lucy could continue, Mary's shoe collided with her chin to send her backwards. Between her stomach pain and that kick, she wasn't having a good time.

"It's rude to interrupt someone when they're talking." Mary wagged her finger.

Zelos spotted this and hurriedly made way to Lucy's aid. "Don't worry, Lucy-chan! I'm on my wa—agh!" And when Mary pointed at him, his stomach also suffered and he wasn't so strong willed to resist it. He just fell over and whimpered. "Ah…my beautiful stomach…."

"Ooooh yeah! Aren't you the guy who could've caused a problem back at the base then tried to get with me? What was up with that? Do you think with your head more than your brain? Maybe I should do something about that…ehhh…after this one, though." Mary laughed before turning back to Lucy. "Oh! I get it! You guys probably came to kill us, huh? That's super twisted!"

"W-What…? Why would you…?" Lucy groaned, slowly managing to sit up. It felt like Mary was just toying with her at this point.

"Because you're a child murderer, duh." Mary spoke like it was obvious. To her, it was. "Prometheus and Pandora told us allllll about it!"

Yeah, just kick the girl while she's down. Lucy groaned and still tried to stand. She didn't have the energy to even try fighting back against that claim and she could only wonder how the people of this cult could continue to slam her on it! They weren't even involved and they were talking like they knew! "Ngh…just…stop it…" That claim could make Lucy lose her morale and she already struggled to gather the will to fight earlier.

"Hmmmm…" Mary then placed her fingers to her head. "You look so miserable. Pandora was right, you really are awful. Emmeraude must _haaaate_ you for killing her kid. It's kinda funny, but I shouldn't drag this out too long! My virus can attack your brain too, you know? It'll hurt a little bit, but I'll enjoy watching your brain rot. At least Sophie can rest in peace knowing her killer was brought to justice. Huh? Does that make me the protagonist now? Haha~"

Lucy's eyes widened in horror as she felt her brain tingle for a moment before…nothing. The pain in her stomach was also gone too! "Huh…? My stomach…it doesn't hurt anymore…?" Happy and Zelos were fine too, which just added to Mary's confusion.

"Body Anomaly Reveral magic dispel…and, Body anomaly reversal magic, enchant." Wendy arrived on the field with Cynthia and Carla. "Your anomaly magic won't work with my magic in effect!"

"Sorry we're late!" Cynthia saluted.

Carla glanced off to the side, arms crossed while staring at the large army of Avatar cultists. "What's with this army…?"

"Wendy? Cynthia…!" Lucy was shocked to see the dragon slayer pair arrive on the scene.

"Cute girls always come to the rescue…!" Zelos grinned, but as usual, his comment was ignored.

"What are you doing here?!" Happy had to ask.

"Lucy! Behind you!" Carla exclaimed.

Mary was mad. She didn't understand what was happening outside of the fact her magic was nullified! So she was angrily dashing towards Lucy in attempt to strangle the blonde with her own two hands – it was really all she could do at this point since her magic was rendered null. "GRRRR…!"

"I got it." Lucy clenched her hand into a fist and pivoted on her heel. "This is for my tummy! LUCY PUNCH!" The blonde swung her fist right at Mary's stomach. The increased power from Taurus' Star Dress left this blow to the gut breathtaking. Mary let out a gasp as some spit and blood flew from her mouth.

"Oooh…I felt that…" Cynthia cringed and hugged her stomach.

"G….G…" Mary's eyes were wide as she stumbled around, holding her stomach. "Gr…gramps…" The fact she was still standing after such a blow was kind of amazing.

"And this is for being a jerk!" Lucy's follow up blow went to Mary's skull, crushing her into the ground. Lucy left a crater and Mary laid in the center of it, barely conscious.

"Oof…" Zelos felt pained. "Watching a cute girl go down pains my heart, no matter how brutal they were…"

"What is wrong with you…?" Carla shook her head. "…And what's with the wings? Are you a…?"

"And I can be your guardian angel, Carla-chan~" Cue the signature Zelos wink which made Carla uncomfortable.

"You were amazing, Lucy-san!" Wendy clasped her hands together, choosing to ignore Zelos for the time being since it was clear he was fine.

"Ah, well…I don't want to think about what would have happened if you weren't here." Lucy laughed sheepishly while rubbing the back of her head. But in reality she did have a very unfavorable scenario played out in her head. "By the way….what are you two doing here?"

Wendy and Cynthia then looked in opposite directions with coy expressions. Uh…well…it's pretty simple…" Wendy began.

"You guys were gone for a while…so Wendy and I took care of Juvia as best we could. A few hours ago she suddenly shot up and felt a lot better." Cynthia nodded a few times. "So we tracked you guys down with our noses. It was pretty easy really…but uhm…what exactly is going on here?"

"Oh, so she's feeling better!" Happy was glad to hear that.

"It's…a long story…" Lucy said.

"There's no time to be fooling around! The enemy is still here, MOOO!" Taurus was feeling better now and gestured to the amount of mages still coming at them.

"Oh right! We'll fight too!" Wendy nodded to Cynthia. The Sky Dragon then sprinted off, moving as a blur as her speed easily outmatched everyone on the field. Even without using Dragon Force, she sped past a number of cultists in a crouched position with her arms crossed. "Sky Dragon's Wind Wave!" Wendy's hair and eyes flared pink as she then entered Dragon Force, a vicious twister materializing and rising into the air, sweeping up a number of Avatar cultists in its wake.

Cynthia moved as soon as Wendy did. When the Wind Wave formed, she was not swept away in it. Instead she rode the wind up, jumping out of the top of the tornado in her Earth Flame mode. A sphere of earth and flame formed above the tornado when Cynthia sprang out; she twisted her body, swung her leg down, and kicked the sphere, a fierce gale of wind exploding her foot as this little meteor of flame erupted violently on contact, blowing numerous Avatar members away. "Heh!" Cynthia then landed next to Wendy and the two high fived one another.

"Whoa…!" Lucy was impressed. "That was cool, you two!"

"We've been training too, you know!" Carla's leg swiftly slammed into a poor soul and knocked them unconscious easily.

"I was just getting started!" Cynthia pointed at herself proudly, her forms rapidly changing from Earth Flame, Sky Flame, and Polarity, and at the cost of little magic unlike before! "I've been working hard to make use of all these dual modes I have, and now I can change between them instantly! But it doesn't work for one. I commit for this one…" Cynthia returned to normal for a moment before red demonic markings began to form along her skin. "This is the big one!"

"What is that…!?" Happy asked with widened eyes.

"Demon Drive." Cynthia had a proud grin. "That Curse power I obtained from Rose last year…I can finally put it to good use in this form."

"Last year…? You ran into her when Fairy Tail broke up…?" Lucy tilted her head.

"…I'll tell you later." Cynthia said before turning to Wendy.

"I've been working hard, too." Crimson flames began to flare around Wendy's body. She was using Omega Flame Sky within Dragon Force without too much trouble. The two girls nodded to one another once more. They leapt into the air, both pulling their legs back before kicking them forward. Cynthia formed a sphere of demonic flame that was immediately kicked forward by Wendy. Wendy's kick formed a twister that surrounded the demonic fireball, causing it to burn through the ground and a large number of people before it ultimately exploded in a vicious heatwave.

"Wow. I can't fall behind them now!" Lucy pumped her hand into a fist, impressed by Wendy and Cynthia's hard work. She then returned to the fray, not wishing to be shown up by the two of them.

"Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful!" It was almost like Zelos forgot he was on a battlefield and just watched as the ladies went to work.

"Yeah, they've been working hard since they fought Natsu and Gray in the Games last year." Carla held a proud smile on her face. But that smile faded a bit when she sensed something…something that seemed like a large number of people rapidly closing in on the already chaotic battlefield. "Huh…?"

* * *

Gray was still battling Braiya, and the woman was extremely angry about his betrayal for some reason. "You're the one person I can't forgive, you damn mole!" The woman slammed her palm into the ground one more, tearing various places asunder with her power.

Gray was able to dodge and retaliated with a blast of ice aimed for Braiya, but just when it was about to hit, she split into separate directions…and separate people, actually. "So, you're finally using your Clone Magic…" Four Braiyas stood before Gray, each one displaying a different emotion: anger, grief, happiness, and…love.

"I'm so _pissed_ …"

"I find it _hilarious_ that you'd pick a fight with us with such power…"

"I feel _sad_ I have to kill you here…"

"That's because…I might've fallen in _love_ with you…just a little bit."

It was easy to tell which emotion was talking. But out of all the emotions that spoke, the last one caught Gray off guard for a moment and he stared at the four women with a sweat drop. Did she say love?! "…Huh?" It was at that moment Gray felt a chill crawl down his spine.

"So…shall I presume that you're my love rival, too?"

Gray turned around, his jaw dropping and the sweat on his face intensifying as Juvia stared at Braiya with an evil glare. "W-Why are you here…?"

Juvia had tunnel vision. All she saw was another woman who threatened her relationship with Gray and she couldn't have that. The water mage violently lunged at Braiya in love, clawing at her with malicious intent. "Water Claw!" A direct hit. Braiya in love was taken out in one hit due to Juvia's rage.

"How dare you do that to her!?"

"That makes me so sad…"

"Hahahaha! That's hilarious!"

"God damn it…" Gray was getting annoyed. Hearing the same voice echoing from three different bodies was driving him insane! "You're all a pain…" The maker position was taken and he slammed his palms into the ground. "So I'll just freeze all of you!" The remaining three Braiyas were covered in instant frost! They didn't stand a chance.

"What the!?"

"Impossible!?"

"He stopped Avatar's strongest in just…"

"EEEEEEK!"

And then the onlookers were frozen. Juvia then threw herself at Gray as soon as he was finished. "Gray-sama~! I've missed you so much!"

"Gah…!" Gray should have seen this coming.

Juvia wrapped her arms around Gray, looking up at him with a smile. "I had this bad feeling you'd be in trouble, so I came here as fast as I could!"

Gray placed his arms on Juvia's shoulders, prying her off so he could get some space. "This isn't that big of a deal…how did you get here, though?"

"Wendy and Cynthia's sense of smell is really good." Juvia smiled.

Gray stared at Juvia for a moment before his gaze went elsewhere. He found it hard to look Juvia in the eye after what he put her through. "…I'm sorry. I'll do the explanation for later, but for now…We've got to take these guys down!"

"I understand." Juvia and Gray were in sync, both of the throwing their jackets off to the side and stood back to back. "Let's do it, Gray-sama!"

The moment between them didn't last for very long. An iron pole came barreling through the sky and slammed Gray directly in the chest, sending him tumbling backwards! "Gah…!"

Gajeel cut down several Avatar members while making his way towards Gray, shooting past Juvia in the process. "Nobody move! The Magic Council is here! If you do any funny business, I'll have you arrested on the spot!"

"Gajeel-kun?!" Juvia's eyes widened in surprise at Gajeel's sudden appearance. Magic Council!? What was he going on about?!

Of course Gajeel heard Juvia, but he had a bigger target in his sights right now: Gray. As far as Gajeel was still concerned, Gray was an enemy who joined Avatar to take part in this insane ritual. "Iron Dragon's Sword!" Kurogane's arm shifted to a jagged metal blade that he brought down on Gray; however the ice maker was capable of blocking with his own sword just in the nick of time. The two former comrades were now in a deadlock, glaring into one another's eyes. "Been a while, huh? I expected to find you here, Gray."

"Gajeel…the hell are you doing!?" Gray grunted while trying to push Gajeel back, but it wasn't happening. Neither of them were going anywhere.

"I could ask you the same thing! I hope you have a good explanation for this…and if you don't, I'll happily throw you behind bars." There was no grin on Gajeel's lips now. Piercing red eyes stared into Gray's own. Gajeel was a man of his word these days, so he meant everything he said.

* * *

For Avatar, the situation was starting to look grim. Erza was decimating their army from the back; Lucy, Cynthia, Wendy, Zelos, Gray, and Juvia were destroying the army from the front; and now the Council was getting involved, led by Levy as she gave the charge command to the large unit behind her. Things were getting chaotic and messy, but that didn't change the grin on Prometheus' lips. "Master Arlock…our forces are at the back have been diminished…we can't proceed any further from the front…and the Council has finally arrived. These people…they're too strong for us. We're losing this battle."

"Is certainly does look grim, doesn't it!?" Prometheus laughed, seemingly unfazed by the shift in the tide of battle.

"Avatar's chances of winning this battle are…very slim at this rate." Pandora laid down the facts before looking at Priest Arlock. "What will you do, Priest?" Arlock didn't respond immediately. He just breathed heavily through his mask. "…I see."

"We've come all this way…W-We have over 2000 people…and they only have less than 10…I don't understand…" The cultists were shaken.

"It doesn't matter how many you've got…" Natsu spoke as flames lingered around his body. "We're Fairy Tail Wizards!"

Priest Arlock stepped forward. As soon as he did, Prometheus and Pandora stepped back to allow him space. "All that has happened up until now is as I've predicted." The Preist spoke and his tone made it clear the turn of events didn't bother him in the slightest. In fact, he welcomed it. "And when Ikusatsunagi shakes the earth…that is when the Purification begins."

.

.

Next Time: Ikusatsunagi.


	19. Chapter 19: Ikusatsunagi

"He's finally shown up…" Pandora stared at Natsu as he stared down Priest Arlock. So far, Prometheus and Pandora were the only two who had yet to truly join the fray. The two of them were just bystanders as Avatar was rapidly crushed by Team Natsu's efforts. With the Council joining the battle, things were not only looking hectic, but less favorable for Avatar with every passing second.

"Indeed he has!" Prometheus laughed once more. The entire situation was extremely humorous to him even though they were on the side of Avatar. So why, then, weren't they lifting a finger to help? "But will he be able to defeat sir Arlock? Oh, I can only wonder! Hyahahaha!"

Natsu was well aware of Prometheus and Pandora nearby, but he'd deal with them later. From what they were saying it looked like Arlock was the boss anyway. "So…you're the boss, huh?"

"Fufu…." Arlock was finally speaking after all this time. The fact he was laughing had a few of his subordinates shocked.

"Your chances of winning are getting slimmer. So give it up already." Natsu stared down the masked priest with narrowed eyes.

"Oh…such youth. How enviable…." For some reason, looking at the youth made the old mages lament their age. "I, too, once had that." The masked priest then glanced back to Prometheus and Pandora. "Prometheus. Pandora. The time is now. Get rid of their forces and show them true despair. Offer their lives to Lord Zeref and Ikusatsunagi."

"About time!" Prometheus drew his scythe. The reason the pair of calamity had yet to join the battle was because they were waiting on Arlock to ask for the intervention. "Let's cut them down, shall we, Pandora?"

"Yes." Pandora summoned her scepter and the pair leapt down the cliff side to join the battle.

"Tch…" Natsu wasn't so much worried about Prometheus and Pandora joining the battle, more so why they were here to begin with. But that could wait until later. Right now, he had Arlock to deal with.

"Young boy…" Arlock slowly raised his staff into the air, a magical aura shrouding it. "You should know that everyone grows old eventually. They enter a phase in life filled with nothing but regret…and despair!" As soon as he finished speaking, the staff was pointed at the Salamander and released a fast flying beam of raw magic soared at Natsu, which he dodged by leaning to the side while breaking into a sprint towards the masked priest.

"No way…!"

"He dodged it!?" The onlookers were shocked at Natsu's reaction speed.

Arlock, however, wasn't fazed and simply tapped his staff to the ground. This prompted several magic walls to form in front of Natsu and he slammed right into one face first! "Guh…!" Natsu groaned, now moving his hands to push his body away from the wall. "What the hell?"

"Fufufu…" Arlock continued to laugh, pointing his staff forward once more to release multiple blasts of magic, all of them phasing through the wall that Natsu could not get past.

"What?!" Natsu pushed himself from the barrier, flipping away from the magical blasts to avoid getting hit. "You can attack from behind that thing too?! That's unfair!" With his footing regained, Natsu forced himself against the barrier, this time attempting to shatter it with raw power!

"It's useless!"

"No one has gotten through Master Arlock's barrier!" And as they all said that, Natsu's raw power started to crack the barrier. "Wait..what!?"

And it broke! Natsu didn't waste any time sprinting forward as Arlock created more barriers in front of him. "Fufu…" The priest continued his sinister chuckle even as Natsu got closer. Just before the Salamander gathered the momentum needed to potentially plow through the numerous walls set forward, a barrier formed to trap his ankle and halt him! "Charging forward with reckless abandon. When you grow old, you realize how foolhardy that comes. " Several more barriers rose up around Natsu's limbs to completely constrict his movement. Once that was completed, a cube of this magic formed to completely entrap the Salamander in his place.

"Gah…!" Natsu clenched his hands into fists, attempting to wriggle free from the 'binds' but that was only the least of his concerns! A cube formed around him and started to shrink in size! "Are you serious!?"

"Indeed. You will be flattened. Fufu…" The expression behind Arlock's mask was impossible to tell. Was he smiling at the situation, or was he completely stoic as everyone assumed him to be? Either way, Natsu looked like he was in a bind.

* * *

A hard iron fist crashed into Gray's cheek, sending the ice maker skidding backwards. While he and Gajeel squared off over what was a huge misunderstanding, the rest of the council unit swarmed the unsuspecting members of Avatar. Between Natsu's group and the Council, things weren't looking good! But right now, Gray had to stare down the iron dragon. "Is this what you do now?" Gray asked with narrowed eyes.

"Bringing in lunatics like you and your new friends? Yeah." Gajeel kept that scowl on his lips. An arm was pointed forward, a green magic seal forming in front of him. "Iron Dragon's Lance: Demon Logs!" The seal released multiple iron lances that flew towards Gray at high speeds. "So what's your explanation! I hope it's a good one! I'm not so forgiving like everyone else!"

"If you stopped attacking…!" Gray was trying to explain himself, but Gajeel's aggressiveness left little time for him to explain his actions. As the iron lances came barreling in, Gray spread his arms apart to form a shield of ice in front of him. "Damn it…! The ice held strong against the iron spikes, only shattering when Gray willed it. As soon as he did, Gajeel attempted another punch, but Gray ducked this one and retaliated with an icy punch of his own. The moment this punch connected, the ice around Gray's fist expanded to entrap Gajeel for a moment before exploding, sending the iron dragon backwards a great deal.

Gajeel firmly planted his hand into the ground, digging his fingers into the dirt to halt his momentum. The moment he came to a halt, his cheeks inflated and he parted his lips, a tornado of iron shrapnel flying towards Gray. "Iron Dragon's Roar!"

Left with little choice, Gray had to retaliate. The devil slayer inhaled for a moment before lurching his head forward to release a potent blast of ice and cold from his mouth. "Ice Devil's Rage!" The two attacks collided against one another and immediately exploded, blowing away multiple cultists who weren't even close to the two battling it out. The two just weren't giving any time to talk, they were about to lunge forward once more when several scythes of water cut through the ground between the two of them, bringing the clash to a halt.

"Gray-sama! Gajeel-kun, please stop this!" Juvia stood between the two of them, panting softly due to having to hurry over.

"Juvia, what are you going?" Gajeel raised a brow.

"Gajeel-kun, Gray-sama is not a bad guy!" She turned to face her friend, a pleading expression written all over her face. "Juvia promises!"

"That's what I was trying to tell him…" Gray grumbled.

"….." Gajeel stared at Juvia, then Gray. The iron dragon furrowed his brows before letting out a defeated sigh. "Fine. But this isn't over. We are in the middle of something after all."

"I'll answer all your questions later." Gray told Gajeel with a firm nod. "But for now…we have to stop these guys."

"Already on it." Gajeel's lips curved into a smirk. "You didn't think we'd come unprepared, did you?"

It was at that moment a crescent beam slashed into the ground, forcing the trio to jump in separate directions. Gray narrowed his eyes while staring up into the sky where Prometheus floated. "He's here…"

"Hyahaha…" Prometheus touched down on the ground, his cackle present as always. "It was nice of you to finally drop by, Fullbuster. Did you enjoy your time worming about in Avatar?"

"You people are insane. Do you really think this will work!?" Gray shouted.

"Of course it will." Prometheus responded while drawing his scythe back. "We only need to keep you busy for just a few moments longer. It doesn't matter if Avatar itself comes out of this battle. The rise of Ikusatsunagi is all that matters."

"The what…?" Juvia tilted her head. She was still out of the loop, so Prometheus' words just sounded like nonsense to her.

"It doesn't matter!" Gajeel lunged forward, his arm turning into a jagged blade that he used to slash, but Prometheus was capable of defending with his scythe. "If we stop these bastards, then nothing will happen. Your freedom is coming to an end!"

"You really think so?" Prometheus chuckled. The Grim Reaper pushed Gajeel away and twirled his weapon around before taking a stance, a purple aura slowly wavering around his body. "You haven't seen anything yet."

* * *

On the other side of the vast field, Pandora descended on Lucy, Cynthia, and Wendy as they took out a large grouping of Avatar members. The mysterious woman pointed her scepter forward, releasing various blasts of ice and lightning down from above. "…."

"From above!" Wendy felt the shift in the air and pointed to the sky. The three girls dove to the side to avoid the elemental bombardment. "That was close..."

"Who…?" Lucy then looked into the sky, narrowing her eyes at Pandora above. "It's her…"

Pandora floated to the ground slowly, but was still in a position where she looked down on them. "Priest Arlock has finally asked for our intervention. We are to prevent you from stopping the arrival of Ikusatsunagi."

"The…what…?" Cynthia blinked several times. Just like with Juvia, she and Wendy were out of the loop and didn't exactly know what was going on. The only thing they knew were that baddies were present and had to be taken out.

"They're trying to kill everyone in the town behind us." Lucy explained. "They want to get 'closer' to Zeref that way, but it's completely asinine!"

"There's nothing asinine about it." Pandora tilted her head. "I don't see what's wrong with allowing people the chance to meet their lord and savior. This world is wracked by unholy chaos…and so, they look to a savior to liberate and lead them. That is what Lord Zeref is to Avatar. It is how all extreme cultists act, actually. In times of desperation, people look for something, or someone to cling to. One year ago, that person for many people was Emmeraude."

Just the mention of Emmeraude made Lucy go tense again. "But she…"

"She was a beacon of hope." Pandora started to float around. It was strange that she wasn't going on the offensive, but the girls kept their guards up. "You've seen it by now, haven't you? The villages and towns in poverty. I'm sure the Princess and King do what they can to help, but it simply isn't enough. Emmeraude went above and beyond to help those people…she was their salvation. There was a reason she was so beloved by the people of this country. Can you even say in good conscious that she was a villain?"

"I…" Lucy tried to speak, but the words couldn't come out. She was too shaken.

"But all of that failed because of you and your guild." Pandora told Lucy, but didn't go any further than that. Unlike Prometheus, she wasn't one to beat a dying horse. "These people wished to be saved. If you are to try and stop the Ritual, then I have no choice but to stop you."

"Bring it on, lady!" Cynthia scoffed. "I don't really get what you're talking about with these people…but you're the enemy and that's all I need to know…!"

"Yeah!" Wendy nodded in agreement. Above all else, they had a town to protect. "We won't let you sacrifice those people!"

"I see…" Pandora's emotionless red gaze lowered to the ground as she spoke in a melancholy tone. "Your blind sense of justice prevents you from allowing other people happiness if it doesn't benefit you. Humans are all the same…but I expected this result. You act as judge, jury, and executioner. You think you understand order and chaos, but that is not the case…" A white aura flared from Pandora's body.

"…I think we made her mad…" Cynthia took a stance, her body fueled with the power of Demon Drive while Wendy stood in Dragon Force. "Will you be okay, Lucy?"

"I can fight too." Lucy had her whip at the ready. "I can't slow you guys down no matter how I feel." There was her answer. Despite being mentally distraught going into this fight, she shoved all those thoughts aside for the time being. This was bigger than her metal state and she'd never be able to live with herself if she somehow caused all those innocents to die.

"As the goddess of order and calamity…I will smite you where you stand…" Pandora pointed her scepter forward, gigantic blasts of ice and lightning shooting from it.

"We won't let you get away with this!" Cynthia parted her lips, releasing a funnel of demonic flames from her mouth. "Omega Fire Demon's Rage!"

Wendy then leapt above Cynthia, opening her mouth to release a fierce hurricane that was boosted by Dragon Force. "Sky Dragon's Roar!" The two separate roars clashed with the beams of magic, resulting in an explosion that created a cloud of smoke.

Pandora pointed her scepter to the ground and raised it, causing an electrified glacier to rise up between the trio and force them in separate directions. Lucy shouted at Taurus and got his attention; the bull let out a mighty moo and swung his axe to crush the glacier into a million pieces…probably a bad things since Pandora anticipated this and swung her scepter once more, commanding the broken shards to rain down on all of them. "Glacial Rain."

"One thing after another…!" Lucy's body lit up in a golden light and she changed to Star Dress: Sagittarius. With the bow in hand, a golden arrow manifested itself within the bowstring and she fired! "Shooting Stars!" The golden arrow collided with the rain of electrified ice, resulting in multiple explosions in the sky above. Lucy managed to save them from painful hail and her gaze went to Pandora, who seemed unfazed. "Is that all you got? You won't beat us like that?"

"Beat you?" Pandora titled her head curiously. "No…I'm not attempting to defeat you. I am simply stalling you. Your friend Natsu is currently engaging in battle against Priest Arlock. It is only a matter of moments until Ikusatsunagi is summoned."

"What!?" Lucy's eyes widened. "Natsu…"

* * *

Abel and D-6 looked around. They were fortunate enough not to encounter anyone from Team Natsu, but there were bigger things to worry about. "We should…probably do something about this…" Abel stared at the various councilmen surrounding them.

"Take them all in! Don't let a single one escape…!" Levy commanded, entering the fray herself by drawing letters in the air. "Solid Script: Hole!" Levy drew the letters in the air and they were placed on the ground. One wouldn't expect a pitfall to form in some words and yet several Avatar members ended up falling through with yelps of surprise.

"Yes! In the name of JUSTICE!" Fullbright proclaimed as multiple chains shot forth from his hands, all of them laced with anti-magic capabilities. "You villains of justice will go no further!"

"This isn't good…!" D-6 realized the severity of the situation. They just had to hold out a little longer for Arlock to call forth Ikusatsunagi. "We're so close…our plans of Purification can't be ruined here. Has fate really chosen to lead us to failure?" It was at that moment Layanna sped forward, slashing at D-6 with enough force to send him off to the side. "Gah…!"

The captain slid to a halt, two blades held out. "Stop this pointless struggle while you can. This battle is lost, so come quietly, or we'll take you by force." The blonde glared daggers at the fearful cult members. At this point, what choice did they have? The situation was looking extremely grim the longer the battle raged on. They came with over 2,000 people and over the course of mere moments; their army's size dwindled rapidly.

Arlen then took to the field, holding out his lance, Drago Verde. The council man pointed his spear forward, runes covering both his hand and the weapon within his grasp. The runes tattooed on the male's body shone brightly and a magic circle formed at the tip of the spear. "Vento Divino!" The seal conjured a violent, spiraling vortex of wind that swept away multiple cultists, carrying them right into the Solid Script: Wall. Levy created.

"Excellent work! If we keep this up, then we'll have this battle won in no time!" Levy grinned.

Pantherlily swung his sword forward, the pure might following it taking out some Avatar members. He was calm about the situation given out well it was in their favor upon arrival. "They've lost their morale. It won't take much longer until this battle is over."

* * *

Back to Natsu and his predicament. The barrier cube rapidly closed in around him with intent to flatten him. Those behind Arlock cheered as his victory was all but assured at this point. "Is this…all!?" Natsu roared and flames exploded from his feet, forcing his body free of the barrier that entrapped his limbs. He then slammed into the wall of the cube, shattering it and continued this reckless headfirst charge towards Arlock. "You're going down!"

"What…?" Arlock was shocked, but just repeated his actions. Several walls appeared before him and he was certain they would cease Natsu's movement…but he was wrong. The fire dragon charged through all of the walls and they shattered like glass. "Impossible…!"

"Fire Dragon's…" This was the decisive moment. Natsu lifted his blazing fist into the air and upon reaching Arlock, swung it down violently on his masked face. "IRON FIST!" Natsu crushed Arlock into the ground. The resulting impact of his fiery punch caused a shockwave to travel out and eventually explode, knocking out a few unfortunate souls. Arlock was down and Natsu stared at him just to make sure.

Even though he was beaten, Arlock started to laugh. "Hahaha…"

"What's so funny…?" Natsu inquired, quizzically staring at the downed Priest. From his point of view, he just took out the boss, so the battle was won.

"You've lost." Arlock said. The lower half of his mask was broken, so his mouth and some of his charred skin was exposed. "I burnt off my face just for this day. That was the price I paid! And I did it willingly?!"

All of this went over Natsu's head. The hell was this guy going on about? "What the hell are you talking about?"

"NOW, IT'S TIME!" Arlock proclaimed to the heavens. "OH MIGHTY GOD OF WAR, TIME FOR YOU TO SEAL YOUR PART OF THE DEAL! GRANT ME YOUR POWERS!" An ominous ripple formed in the once clear sky; black clouds swirling about over the field. "SUMMON: IKUSATSUNAGI!"

* * *

The air turned thick and heavy as the summoning began. All of the fighting stopped immediately and everyone looked around. "W-What's going on…?" Lucy asked.

"I'm feeling all tingly…" Happy muttered. The hairs on his body were standing up. The sensation was strange…

"The air…changed…?" Wendy stared up at the sky. "I don't…"

"I feel so heavy…" Cynthia said.

"Hey, uh…anyone know what's going on….?" Zelos looked around, but only Pandora seemed to have the answer.

"So…it's finally begun…" Pandora had a hint of a smile on her face. "Our plan has succeeded."

Mary laid on the ground, her body still recovering from Lucy's gut punch and the blow to her head. But there was a sinister smile on her face. "It's Gramps' magic…ufufu…die! All of you! DIE!"

Everyone else could feel it. Prometheus ceased his offensive measures and just started to laugh. "KYAHAHAH! IT'S FINALLY HERE!" And in tandem with Pandora, the two of them departed from their current skirmishes.

"What the hell is going on!?" Gajeel barked.

"I feel a giant swirl of magic…" Juvia stated.

"This feeling is…" Gray couldn't even finish his sentence.

"It's Master Arlock's summoning magic!"

"Oh yeah!"

"We've won!"

The members of the Council were flabbergasted by the sudden increase of Avatar's morale. "What are they going on about…?" Levy's eyes glanced around the battlefield before they finally lifted to the sky. "Wh-What is that…!?"

"That…doesn't look very just…" Fullbright swallowed the lump in his throat.

Erza stared up at the sky, mostly curious as to what could possibly come down that caused such a standstill everywhere. "What's all this…?" More importantly…the cheers of the cultists quickly turned into cries of fear as they started to run away.

"Whoa, wait!"

"Master Arlock, we're here too…!"

From the swirl of magic above, a gigantic foot started to emerge and dropped down to the ground below. Gray was the first one to tell. "MOVE! IT'S GONNA CRUSH YOU!"

"It's huge…!?" Lucy's eyes nearly popped out of her head.

The gigantic foot crushed down into the earth below, taking out so many people in the process. Wendy began to sweat as Arlock's summon took out his own people! "I-I don't understand…his own soldiers…?"

"That's awful…" Carla grimaced.

* * *

Natsu reached down, gripping Arlock by his robes. "HEY! STOP THAT! You're gonna kill your comrades too!"

But Arlock stared at Natsu with a smile. " _This_ is the Purification Ritual." This revelation surprised Natsu. This is what they were after!? "The sacrifice necessary was the souls of Avatar's believers! More accurately, their belief itself. I couldn't care less about the people in that town. The ultimate offering is the soul of one that dies, while believing in Zeref. Resulting in Zeref's appearance to come and guide us!"

Natsu was shaking in anger. There were some droplets of sweat on his face, but wisps of orange flame coated his body the more Arlock spoke and explained the true Purification Ritual. "Damn you…." His voice was trembling. He couldn't contain himself as Arlock threw away his own men to die!

The swirl of magic turned into a pillar that violently dropped down on the area. "FUAHAHAHAHAHAH! NO ONE SHALL STOP THE GOD OF WAR, IKUSATSUNAGI! IT WON'T STOP UNTIL IT HAS CONSUMED EVERY SOUL IN THE AREA!" The face of Ikusatsunagi was finally emerging from the vortex….

* * *

"AHHH!"

"RUN!"

Mary blinked several times. Her body was starting to shudder as the realization set in... "Huh…? Wait…Gramps…us too…? Huh…?" She didn't understand. This wasn't supposed to happen…why were they being caught in the cross fire!?

"Look at the size of that thing?!" Gray stared in awe.

"W-What is that thing…!?" Lucy asked.

Erza, on the other hand, had an idea about what was called to battle. "So…he's summoned one of the 18 Battle Gods of Yakma…" And there it stood, the mighty Ikusatsunagi, towering over everyone. The sense of scale was insane – to this war god, the people fighting were ants.

"WWWWHOOOA HOLD UP!" Zelos shook his head. "We have to fight THAT guy now!? Are you insane!? I'm not getting anywhere near that…!"

* * *

Natsu stared up at the titan known as Ikusatsunagi, glaring at the Battle God with seething anger. "What a bastard…treating his comrades like dirt…leaving them to die…that…that's… _ **UNFORGIVABLE!**_ "

"KYAHAHAHAHAHAH!" The familiar cackle echoed through the silent plains. Prometheus and Pandora appeared in front of Ikusatsunagi, puzzling…everyone at this point. "Oh, this was fantastic! Everything went just as you said, Pandora!"

"My prediction was correct. Ikusatsunagi has been summoned." Pandora nodded. "Prometheus…how many were slain when it touched the ground?"

"500." A sick grin formed on Prometheus' face. "Their army was getting small anyway, but a single stomp took out that many people!" A purple glow emanated from Prometheus' being and similar lights started to shoot up from under Ikusatsunagi's foot, all of them flooding into Prometheus. "Oh yes…the souls of the departed…they fuel my body!" With this fuel, the purple aura exploded around his body and grew exponentially in size! "KYAHAHA! Your sacrifice has been graciously accepted Avatar!"

In response to Prometheus' sudden surge of power, Pandora's body automatically began to surge with an equal amount of power. The entire field began to tremble from the three beings in the center of the area. "It is wonderful to see you once more, Ikusatsunagi. As I promised, you would be summoned once more. Now, to your hearts content, you may consume them."

"W-What the hell is this!?" Gajeel was forced to nearly cover his eyes from bright auras exploding from Prometheus and Pandora. "They got stronger?!"

Pandora would take a brief moment to explain to the humans their predicament. "I am the Goddess of Order and Calamity. I represent balance, while Prometheus is the Demon of Chaos and the gatekeeper to Hell. Prometheus can consume the souls of the dead, thus preventing a safe voyage to the afterlife in exchange for increasing his own powers tenfold. Because he is chaos, and I am order, there must be balance…so I grow stronger in tandem with him."

"Avatar was a stepping stone for our plan." Prometheus spoke with an insane grin. "My goal all along? I want the souls of everyone that is standing right here! Avatar played their part well. We knew they'd do anything to meet Lord Zeref and they were very easy to fool. …And now that Ikusatsunagi with us, this battle is as good as over." Those words caused Arlock confusion. This wasn't what he was expecting…but the realization of being used just now struck and horrified him. He thought he was playing them…but it was the other way around this whole time. Prometheus slung his scythe over his shoulder while Pandora held her staff out in front of her. The Goddess of Balance, the Demon of Chaos, and a God of War towering over them all. The battle against Avatar now reached an unexpected climax…

.

.

Next Time: Crumbling Fist.


	20. Chapter 20: Crumbling Fist

Ikusatsunagi towered above every single person nearby. The people of Malba Town couldn't possibly be ignorant to this giant that stood right outside of their gates. "T-There's a giant outside of the town…?"

"What is that thing…?"

"Where did it come from…?" The confused townspeople could only stare in awe and concern as this massive titan loomed over the ground. The strangest part was that this strange 'giant' wasn't looking in the direction of the town. What did this mean? Just what was going happening on the outskirts of their town?

* * *

With Ikusatsunagi looming over everyone, a sense of unease rapidly spread. The War God wasn't the only thing that warranted concern – Prometheus and Pandora with their power boosts were also cause for worry. Prometheus' cackle broke the tense silence. "A wonderful sight, don't you agree!?"

"Look…can I tag out?" Zelos' jaw dropped from the sight of Ikusatsunagi. "I signed up to fight some crazy cultist and pick up some cute girls…I didn't sign up for fighting a War God. I'm pretty sure we can't even fight that. I think that violates some holy law or something…" He was chattering a little more than usual…partly due to the shock he was experience from the chain of events.

" _I haven't seen a trick like this used in such a long time…it's…huge…"_ The voice of Verona came from Cynthia's mouth as it usually did. Cynthia herself was a little too shocked to muster a coherent sentence at the moment. "Ah…what are we going to do about that…?" She finally managed to speak, but her question had no answers.

"Ikusatsunagi has them all paralyzed in fear and awe." Pandora reported.

"He's stealing the spotlight from us!" The Grim Reaper groaned, yet his smile betrayed his words. "If you want the spotlight so badly, why don't you show why you're worthy of being a War God!"

It was unknown if Ikusatsunagi could actually hear Prometheus or not, but the War God's arm twitched briefly before its sword was raised high into the air. Erza already knew that this wasn't going to end well and screamed out to everyone nearby. "MOVE!" That was all anyone could do as Ikusatsunagi dropped its sword down, slicing into the ground with tremendous force and a shockwave continued on for miles. The blade left a deep crevasse in the earth that nearly split the field into a canyon. There was a large cloud of dust lingering in the area.

"GYAAAH!"

"WAAAH!"

"T-The ground split open!?"

"What power…"

Erza shielded her eyes from the dust and debris kicked up. When she glanced at the blade, she could see a figure running along the sword. "There's…someone on the sword." A closer look and her lips curved up into a smile, along with those from Fairy Tail. Who was the reckless individual who tried to run up the blade of a War God? "Natsu…"

Natsu screamed as he charged up the sword, attempting to climb the War God. His intentions were to take this thing out no matter what the cost. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAA….!"

"What is he doing…? It's useless. What's a mere human to do against a God of War? My brothers and sisters, it is time we sacrifice ourselves to Lord Zeref…" Arlock stared at Natsu's futile efforts with a grin. But at the same time, what Prometheus and Pandora said lingered in his mind. Was all this just a ploy against Avatar?

"Enough of this crap!" Natsu yelled as he started to make it higher and higher on Ikusatsunagi.

Before the Salamander could make it any further, Prometheus appeared out of thin air and sliced Natsu's chest with his scythe, knocking the Fire Dragon out of the air and back down to the ground with violent force. "I don't think so!"

"NATSU!" Lucy yelled in worry.

"We will not let you touch Ikusastunagi." Pandora floated in front of the War God and pointed her magically charged scepter down. "Avatar has worked extremely hard for this matter. They wished to be saved by their lord…and by this process, they shall be. We will save them."

"You people are insane…" Gray growled.

"EXACTLY!" Prometheus laughed. "In this scenario everyone wins! Avatar can die in the name of Zeref, I feast on their souls, Pandora grows stronger, and Ikusatsunagi can rampage as he likes! I don't see why you all have to be so uptight about it."

"If you wish to stand in our way, then we will stop you by force. Thunder Snake." Pandora's scepter released numerous 'snakes' of lightning. The large snakes crashed into the ground with large electrical explosions. Those who weren't prepared were sent flying back from Pandora's power.

"We won't allow you to get away with this!" Erza roared from below, shooting into the sky in her Heaven's Wheel Armor. Her target was Pandora and she aimed several slashes at the goddess. The two of them were locked in aerial combat, neither of their swings hitting their mark as their weapons deflected one another. Erza gained some space and several swords formed in a circle around her. The blades were all sent forward and Erza followed shortly after, displaying the Blumenbatt technique as she aimed to overwhelm Pandora with speed. She felt her hits connect, but when she glanced back, she saw no damage on the opposing woman. "What?"

"Those tricks of yours will not work on me a second time." Pandora stated bluntly, holding the blades that Erza sent forward back with a single hand. She recalled two years ago how Erza and Mira nearly pulled off a victory against her and Prometheus. Ironically, when Prometheus had the opportunity to kill the both of them, she was the one who stopped him. "I admit I made the mistake of underestimating your capabilities in our last bout…but my calculations will not falter again."

"I'm not the same as I was two years ago." Erza replied, unfazed by Pandora's words. The moment she twitched, Pandora was already in front of her with the scepter pressed against her chest. "Huh…" And a blast of ice erupted from the tip of the weapon, briefly freezing Erza over while sending her hurtling towards the ground at a violent velocity. Luckily for Titania she was able to break free of the ice, but her crash landing was inevitable.

"Erza…!" Gray exclaimed in worry.

Natsu sprang back into action, climbing atop Ikusatsunagi once more, only to leap at Prometheus with flame blazing wildly around his arm. "Iron Fist!" Natsu's fiery fist slammed into the blunt edge of Prometheus' scythe, sending the two of them to the ground with an explosion. Both combatants were forced back and unfortunately no damage was dealt to the Grim Reaper.

"IS THAT ALL!?" Prometheus was drunk off power, yet completely sane all at the same time! The Grim Reaper swung his scythe down at Natsu, but he easily evaded that attempt. The reaper grinned before dragging his scythe along the ground, tearing it asunder as screaming and wailing souls exploded to send Natsu flying back. "HYAHAHA! FEAR THE LAMETENING SOULS OF THE DEAD!"

Luckily for everyone on the field, Ikusatsunagi was a little slow in pulling its sword back up…but as it did, the fear set in of another earth splitting attack. They needed to find a way to slow down its offenses and fast! Levy was the one who had an idea. "We have to stop it before it aims another attack. We can't dodge forever but we can prevent it from attacking!"

"And how do we do that…?" Layanna lifted a brow. Her tone was dismissive but in reality she was open to suggestions. They really couldn't let this thing roam around so freely.

"We restrain and slow it down!" Levy began to trace her finger along the air, drawing the word HOLE once again, but this time it was much bigger and spanned a wider radius. It was unable to completely stop Ikusatsunagi in its tracks, but the hole did manage to get one foot in just to slow it a little bit. "Fullbright, use chains!"

"Huh!? Oh yes! For Justice!" Fullbright yelled as multiple magic seals formed on the ground, large chains shooting up to wrap around Ikusatsunagi's sword wielding arm. The War God was so large that Fullbright just couldn't muster up the magic to make big enough chains. "Ngh…! My justice…it may not be large enough to contain it!"

"That's okay! We just have to ensure it can't move that arm again!" Levy said.

"Grab onto a chain and don't let go!" Pantherlily yelled. Even with the entirety of this Council unit holding onto a chain Fullbright made, holding something as large as Ikusatusnagi back was borderline impossible. It was only a matter of time until they lost their grip.

Prometheus wasn't blind to the Council attempting to restrain Ikusatsunagi, but when he went to try and stop them, an arrow of ice soared at him! He managed to slice it in half, but he saw Gray and grinned, now flying at him at full speed. The Grim Reaper swung his scythe at the ice maker, who crafted his own scythe to clash against it. "Well well well! Did you finally have a change of heart!? Or did you just decide to revert back to your old ways!?"

"You sick bastard…" Gray growled while holding his ground against Prometheus, but this wasn't in his favor. "You said you wanted to see how black my heart could be, right? Then I'll show you!" The two pushed away from one another and Gray tossed his scythe aside in favor of something else. "Ice Devil Zeroth's Blade!" A katana of purple ice formed in Gray's grip. He swiftly moved forward, landing a slash on Prometheus' side. A direct hit against a demon was sure to leave some damage and Prometheus' face briefly contorted to show that it did indeed hurt. But then…

"HYAHAHAHA!" The reaper cackled after the hit, extending one hand forward as a strange purple aura flared around it. "Skull Flare!" Purple flames shot from Prometheus' hand, taking the shape of skulls before they exploded around Gray and threw him back. The skulls that didn't explode surrounded Prometheus and began to unleash spheres of flame.

"Water Beam!" Juvia thrusted her arms forward releasing a powerful beam of water that interrupted the follow up of the Skull Flare; fire and Water colliding resulted in an explosion of smoke and steam that billowed and filled the area. "Gray-sama, are you all right!?" Juvia looked in Gray's direction. He had some damage but he looked like he was fine.

"I'm fine…" Gray stood up and shook his head. Through the smoke he could see Prometheus' figure rapidly approaching Juvia. "Watch out!"

"…!" Juvia was just narrowly able to dodge Prometheus' slice in time, but that left her free to his follow up. The Reaper cackled heinously as his free hand ignited in ghastly flame before pressing it against Juvia's palm, where purple flames exploded. "AAAAH!" The fire burned through her water body, steam erupting from the water mage's body as she was thrown back a few yards.

"Juvia! You…!" Gray was prepared to slash at Prometheus again, but the Reaper swung his scythe forward to release a crescent beam of energy that sliced through the ground while splitting it in half. Gray had no other choice but to roll to the side to avoid being sliced in two, but Prometheus was already waiting for him! "Wh-!?"

"FLAME SPIRAL!" Prometheus dragged his scythe across the ground before swinging it up, causing a vicious vortex of purple flames to erupt with Gray at the eye of the storm. The flames were fueled with the wailing of the recently deceased. The noise and flames became too much before it exploded and sent Gray far, far away. "HAHAAHA! Those were the cries of those who were sacrificed to Zeref! It was then that several iron spikes pierced into Prometheus' body, causing him to spurt some blood. The attacker was Gajeel who hoped to deal some damage while the Grim Reaper was laughing to himself…but Prometheus just smiled and flexed, causing the spikes to burn away. "IS THAT ALL?!"

"The hell is with this guy…!?" Gajeel growled before glancing at Zelos, who hadn't been doing anything. "Are you gonna help or just stand there?!"

"I'm good right here…" Zelos admitted while waving his hand. "Those guys are way too crazy for my liking. Besides, you guys got this."

"Son of a bitch…you're useless!" Gajeel spat before leaping into the air, his lower body turning into a rotating iron drill. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Iron Dragon's Piercing Drill!" Gajeel dived down, aiming his body at Prometheus to pierce right through the Reaper. This attack was a miss and the ground caved in at the moment of impact, leaving Gajeel pretty upset about this. "So you dodge that one, huh?!"

"It's no fun if I don't fight back, right!?" Prometheus lifted his scythe into the air before swinging it forward in various directions. These slashes converged on Gajeel before exploding violently. The Iron Dragon held his ground, but he was visibly damaged by Prometheus' attack. "Oh…this is fun!"

Panting heavily, Kurogane's red eyes glared daggers at the laughing Grim Reaper. "We're just getting started…"

* * *

The fight against Pandora wasn't going well either. Unlike Prometheus, Pandora actually utilized defense. Wendy sprang forward, swinging her hand down in a claw like manner. "Sky Dragon's Claw!" A trail of wind followed her fingertips to piece into Pandora, but the woman used her scepter to block the hit. Wendy's power was noticed as she was forced backwards, but it meant nothing to the goddess in the end and she slammed her scepter into Wendy's side, blowing her away with a burst of electricity. "Aaaaah!"

"Wendy…!" Carla was quick to make sure Wendy was all right.

"Wendy…!" Cynthia narrowed her eyes and leapt into action, demonic flame wrapped around her fist. "Omega Fire Dragon's…Blazing Fist!" Cynthia threw her blazing fist at Pandora's face, but the woman deflected her arm away with her scepter. Cynthia took a leap back before throwing her head forward. "Rage!"

The torrent of demonic flames soared towards Pandora. The goddess extended her scepter and began to twirl it around rapidly; the rotational force drew in the flames and created a fiery twister Cynthia had no intentions of making. Pandora then shifted her attention to Lucy and fired off this cyclone of flame in her direction. "Burn."

"Why me!?" Lucy asked as her eyes comically popped out of their seconds. The blonde had no choice but to counter by drawing her bowstring back, focusing her magic into a singular large arrow. "Ha!" The bowstring was released and the arrow flew, piercing through the cyclone of flames with Pandora as the target! Pandora, however, used her scepter to deflect the arrow to Cynthia, who it exploded upon and rather violently at that. "C-Cynthia…!" Lucy's eyes widened as she unintentionally harmed a comrade of hers.

Pandora used this opening to float into the air, sitting upon her scepter while lifting her hands up. Lightning and ice crackled within her palms before taking the shape of a large yellow and blue sphere. "Try this." Pandora then dropped this gigantic sphere down on the female combatants, the ensuing explosion of ice and lightning dealing certain damage as they were all caught within the wide radius of the blast.

"Ow…" Cynthia groaned as parts of her body were a little numb from the electricity. The ice wasn't an issue since her body temperature skyrocketed while within Demon Drive. "Wendy, Lucy, Carla, you all right!?"

"We're fine…!" Carla said.

"She's really strong, though…" Wendy said with soft pants.

"That boost doesn't help…" Lucy shook her head, a little chilly and numb from the ice and lightning.

" _I may have an idea, Cynthia dear."_ Verona pipped up.

"Huh? Okay…" Cynthia then took a glance at Wendy and pointed to Pandora. "Blast me up!"

"Okay…!" No questions asked. Wendy trusted Cynthia and exhaled, releasing a Sky Dragon's Roar. The wind wrapped around Cynthia while pushing her forward at breakneck speeds.

"Hurricane Sword Horn!" Cynthia yelled as she flew through the air, aiming right for Pandora. The wind and flames around her body created a blazing twister that scorched the air.

"Futile." Pandora pointed her scepter forward to unleash a dual blasé of ice and lightning. This beam traveled uninterrupted, but when it struck Cynthia it…dispelled. Pandora's eyes went wide for a moment. "It…dispelled…? But how can she…" Those questions left her vulnerable for a moment and Cynthia slammed right into her chest for a direct hit! Pandora flinched for a moment before pushing Cynthia off her body, smacking her scepter into the girl's skull to send her flying back, crashing right into Wendy. "Elemental Volley." The scepter began to unleash a volley of all elements excluding wind and fire, since those were the primary elements of the two dragon slayers. The volley caused massive explosions everywhere!

"Ngh…!" Lucy covered her eyes with an arm to shield herself from the explosions. Pandora could likely keep this up for as long as she wanted but the girls didn't have that kind of durability. Even the blast radius of the explosions was dealing rapid damage over time. The girls were getting thrown around and it needed to stop. "Starshot!" Lucy released her own arrows to counter these blasts, resulting in a chain of explosions that covered the area in smoke. "Taurus!"

"MOOO!" Taurus charged through the smoke, violently swinging his axe down at Pandora. "I don't wish to hurt a nice body, but Lucy-san's nice body has priority!" Unfortunately for the Golden Bull, his swing was a miss and he cleaved the ground instead. Pandora planted her scepter into the ground, used it to spin around, and slam her heel into Taurus' face. He stumbled back before falling over in a daze. "Uugh…"

Erza rejoined the fray in her Black Wing Armor. A crescent beam was sent from her sword, though Pandora dodged it by flying into the air. Erza pursed and the two of them were once again locked in fierce close combat. "Do you think you can get away with this!?"

"I don't think so. I know so." Pandora responded with her voice devoid of emotion as always. "You can strike us as hard as you wish, but it will not be enough to keep us down. Prometheus and I can continue this battle for as long as we want to. You do not have that luxury. Ikusatsunagi will break free very soon and the rampage will begin anew. Even if you did manage to defeat us, you have no hope of beating him. Those of Avatar will get what they want. Even if we did use and trick them, we did not necessarily lie to them. They were a means to an end."

"How dare you use people like this!?" Erza swung her sword once more, but it was a fake out. Pandora parried the blade that was dropped from Titania's hands. Erza now wielded the Mel-Force spear and pointed it at Pandora, releasing a high powered blast of wind that carried Pandora through the sky. A magical barrier was erected at the last second to protect Pandora from harm…but Erza preferred this. It allowed her to fly in with Runesave, slicing through the barrier to catch Pandora off guard and follow up with an explosion from the Explosion spear! Now that was a direct hit and the damage showed on Pandora in the form of cuts and burn marks. "If we can hurt you, then we can beat you."

"Are you so certain?" Pandora tilted her head curiously; unfazed by the damage she took.

* * *

Just as stated, Ikusatsunagi was not to stay still for long. The efforts of the Council were futile at best. The sword arm was lifted and broke through the chains easily, causing all of them to fall back. "I didn't see that going any other way…" Layanna spat. "What now?"

"It's about to attack again…" Arlen pointed up as Ikusatsunagi lifted up its other hand that was clenched into a fist.

"Look out!" Levy screamed.

They weren't going to escape the radius of the fist in time. More importantly, even if they did, the War God's raw might would likely form a crater they'd be stuck in. But one brazen indivual ignored the danger and sprinted forward. Natsu had lightning and flame blazing around his body as he drew his arm back. "Iron Fist of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" Natsu's own fist collided with Ikusatsunagi's, creating a shockwave that destroyed part of it.

"Natsu!? What are you doing!?" Pantherlily yelled out.

"Natsu…!" Happy cried.

"We're going to win this battle!" Natsu grit his teeth, planting his feet into the ground. Everyone stopped fighting as they watched Natsu try and fend off Ikusatsunagi. "And then…we're going home! I made that promise…and I won't let this stop us!"

"He's insane…" Zelos felt his jaw drop at Natsu's recklessness. "He's going to turn into a ghost, and then he's going to haunt me."

"HE'S INSANE! I like it." Prometheus' heinous laugh filled the area.

"He will lose." Pandora said.

"That idiot…" Gray grit his teeth, but he was hoping for Natsu to pull through at this point. Going home…after what they've been through over the last year, he was holding Natsu to that promise.

"….Natsu…." Lucy brought her hands to her chest. Even though she was still mad at him, that didn't stop her from being worried. Everyone watched in silence at the Salamander's struggle. The struggle continued and it was not in Natsu's favor. The Salamander poured every ounce of strength into this losing battle before…it ended. Ikusatsunagi's fist crushed Natsu under its immense weight, the earth trembling from the impact. Lucy's eyes widened in horror as the worst case scenario played out for everyone to see. "N-NATSU…!"

"Hahaha…" Mary snickered even though she was still down. "That's what he gets for trying to go against a War God…"

"It was useless from the very beginning…" Arlock had a pleased smile on his face. With Natsu out of the way, there was nothing to stop Ikusatsunagi…not like anything could to begin with.

"KYAHAHAH! OH! OH THAT'S JUST GOLD!" Prometheus' insane laugh cut through the silence. "What was that about going home?! How are you gonna do that now!?" Everyone was about to jump Prometheus before the ground started to shake. "…Huh…?"

Slowly but surely, Ikusatsunagi's fist was being pushed back. Natsu wasn't done yet!  
"I…I meant what I said…" Natsu growled while continuing to force the War God's arm back, much to the shock of everyone. "Everyone keeps saying that Fairy Tail is over…that it's dead and gone…but I refuse to believe that! So long as we're alive, Fairy Tail remains in our hearts! Those bonds are all we need to keep moving forward with all of my nakama!" With a battle cry Natsu's fire and lighting exploded, forcing the War God to stagger back. With this done, he hopped on the sword once more and started to climb again.

"You don't get it, do you!? We're not going to let you-" Prometheus was more than prepared to intercept Natsu again, but he was halted by an iron pole impeding his progress, and a chain of ice that wrapped around his body. "Huh!?"

"We're not letting you go anywhere, you bastard!" Gray smirked as Natsu went on ahead. "You still have to deal with us."

"And if you think you're getting away that easily, you got another thing coming…gihehe…" Gajeel's lips curved up into a wide grin.

"Juvia's got her eyes on you…" Juvia had a smile of her own. This was tenacity that Fairy Tail was known for.

"I suppose it's up to me…" Pandora began to float towards Natsu, but Wendy was already in her face! _"She got faster…?"_

"I won't let you!" Wendy yelled while swinging her leg down. The Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang created a powerful vortex of crushing winds that succeeded in pushing Pandora back to the ground, where Erza, Lucy, and Cynthia surrounded her after. "Go, Natsu-san!"

"You will soon realize that your comrades mean nothing when faced with a greater purpose…" Arlock responded to Natsu's words with elderly cynicism.

"YOU'RE WRONG!" Natsu yelled in response while making his way up Ikusatsunagi now that he was unhindered. "Comrades are people that share the same purpose with you and move forward with you! Their purpose doesn't even have to be the same as yours! They'll laugh with you, cry with you, be by your side when you need them…you believe and trust each other!" Natsu's words resonated with every member of Fairy Tail there, bringing a smile to their lips.

"Dependence. That's what that is." Arlock spat.

"It doesn't matter what you call it! That bond is all I needed to keep my afloat!" Natsu was now on the head of Ikusatsunagi, propelling himself into the air as his arm was reared back, vibrant orange flames surrounding his fist. With a battle cry he slammed his fist onto Ikusatsunagi's skull, forcing the war God to fall to a knee. But was damage dealt? It was hard to ascertain.

Arlock didn't think so and scoffed at Natsu's actions. "Like that will work…"

Natsu held his follow through, his clenched fist against the War God's skull. "And to protect those comrades I hold so dear to me…" Those who were standing with him in this battle were the people he meant, even those who weren't present. All of his comrades meant so much to him. "So that no one has to shoulder the heavy burden of being alone…" That was for Lucy and all she's been through. "So that no one will feel the need to sacrifice themselves…" The image of Sophie's final moments crossed his mind. He never got to say anything about it, but that moment hit him hard as well. "So I can fight those that threaten those comrades…" Emmeraude called him weak back then…and she may have been right in a sense. He couldn't stop her back then from her actions against Fairy Tail, and it plagued him over the previous year even though he didn't want to admit it. "And so that I won't lose anyone anymore…" Igneel's smiling face flashed in his mind. Natsu lifted his fist into the air, a gigantic pillar of flame erupted from his arm and towered high into the sky. "I WILL BECOME STRONGER!"

Everyone's eyes widened at this show of power. Was Natsu holding back until this very moment!? "What is he…" Pandora stared in a bit of awe.

"LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT IGNEEL'S FLAME IS MADE OUT OF! FLAME DRAGON KING'S CRUMBLING FIST!" The son of Igneel then crushed his fist into Ikusatsunagi's skull once more. The very instant Natsu's fist collided against the war god, cracks spread along its body before it exploded in fire. Ikusatsunagi literally crumbled under Natsu's might, the large pieces of his broken body now falling from the sky. There was a mixture of shock, awe, and pride from the Fairy Tail wizards, while fear and disbelief was an added element to those from Avatar.

Erza watched on with a soft, proud smile. "…He's really become a lot stronger…"

.

.

Next Time: Shout of Victory.


	21. Chapter 21: Shout of Victory

Ikusatsunagi crumbled under Natsu's might. This left everyone from Fairy Tail smiling wide…while those at Avatar looked on with fearful expressions. Normally in situations like these, you would realize the horror you were faced with and stand in fear. But Avatar? They couldn't even begin to comprehend the monsters they were unlucky enough to fight.

"The war god…."

"Master Arlock's summon has been defeated!?"

It didn't take a genius to know that Arlock's expression under his mask was that of disbelief. "I-Impossible…" His voice was quivering. "How could it be…?" Everything he worked for…

Natsu began to stand after landing on the ground. Avatar looked at this beast in horror. "O-Our army of 2,000 men….wiped out just like that…" Jerome gasped.

"H-He's a monster…." Braiya looked on in shock.

Mary could feel her eyes watering. Everything Avatar worked for crumbled right before their very eyes. "What….what the hell are these people…?"

"KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…wait…" Prometheus ceased his heinous laugh as the situation finally set in. "…That's not funny." He still grinned…but he was sweating a bit as well. The fact that Natsu was that strong only stirred the chaotic impulses within him.

Pandora looked on with a noticeable sweat drop as well. Her calculations were horribly off, but that wasn't the part that had her shaken. "…Incredible…I was wrong."

"…How annoying…" Layanna sighed.

Erza watched the events unfold with a soft grin. Natsu now stood back up, his piercing black gaze striking more than fear into the hearts of the Avatar members. That look was all it took to make everyone run.

"HE'S A MONSTER!"

"RUN!"

"EEEEEK!"

"Stand firm, men!" D-6 exclaimed, trying to remain calm as everyone else panicked. "The ritual isn't over yet!"

"You all have fun with that…" Prometheus and Pandora started to leave. "But this little squabble no longer concerns us."

"Where do you think you're going!?" Gray yelled.

"Away from here." Pandora said. "It appears as though the Ritual was a failure in the end, however, this proved to be a very interesting experiment..." She then turned to her chaotic partner. She could sense his urges rises, and since she had to balance out his chaos with order, she presented a reasonable plan of action. "Prometheus. We should relent for now. We won't be of any use for the coming battle if we continue. You are injured as well. I will fix your wounds when we return."

Prometheus only now realized the injuries. They didn't bother him and he wasn't sure why Pandora was so fixated on them, but he could agree to a tactical retreat. "Fine…" His gaze then shifted down, an insane grin crossing his lips. "I can't WAIT to see how you all fare later!" Prometheus' cackle lingered in the air. "It's going to be so much fun!" Without another word, the mysterious figures retreated for the time being. His words lingered in the air, but they were also drowned out by the screaming of the frightened cult members.

"Guess we should do something about this…" Abel suggested before an iron pole slammed into the back of his head, knocking him unconscious and dropping the doll in the process.

"Gihehehe…" It was Gajeel's turn now. With his arm extended, he pointed at all the fleeing members of Avatar. "Black Magic, isn't it?" He lifted up the doll and smirked. "THIS IS THE TIME TO TAKE THEM ALL IN, MEN! DON'T YOU DARE LET ANYONE ESCAPE!" With Avatar's morale dropped to zero, this was the perfect time for the Council to swoop in and clean up.

"FOR JUSTICE!" Fullbright yelled as he and a few other officers charged in to begin capturing Avatar.

It was at this very moment that a few others noticed Gajeel and his Council garb. Wendy and Cynthia had yet to see Gajeel up until this point. "G-Gajeel..!?" The two girls exclaimed in unison.

"Lily is here too…" Carla blinked.

"Wait…he was serious?" Juvia had a deadpanned look. "Take them in…?"

"He really is a part of the Council now…?" Gray grimaced. He thought Gajeel was just talking out of his ass earlier, but he was serious…

"…No way…" Happy couldn't believe it.

"Huh…I didn't think a ruffian could become a part of the law…" Zelos scratched his head. It was easy to forget that he was even here since he just kind of stopped fighting for a little bit. "I did hear that women have a thing for bad boys…but bad boy cops…? I dunno about this…"

With the chaos of the situation dying down, Lucy noticed Levy standing in the middle of a small crowd. "Levy-chan…!" Her first thought was to call out to Levy, feeling overjoyed to see her best friend after all this time; she then immediately regretted her decision. With the Avatar situation rapidly drawing to a conclusion, those repressed thoughts started to rise. What if Levy didn't want to see her? She was about to pull back, but Levy already heard her.

"Lu-chan…?" The bluenette blinked once before rushing over to her friend. "Ah! There you are! It's so good to see you!"

"Really?" Lucy managed a soft smile. "I heard rumors about you being in the Council, but who knew it'd be true! Wow…it's been a really long time…"

"I could say the same to you, too, Lu-can!" Levy grinned. "What are you doing here? What happened to being a reporter?"

"Ah…long story…" Lucy rubbed the back of her neck.

Natsu overheard the conversation and waved to Levy and Lily. "Yo! Levy! Lily!"

"Natsu…!" Levy was extremely happy to see everyone again.

"Long time no see." Lily said with a wave.

"Giheh…" Gajeel smirked. "Always showing off, aren't you, you bastard?"

"Uh…" Natsu stared blankly at Gajeel while keeping a hand up. "And…some guy that looks like Gajeel…?"

The iron dragon immediately took offense to this statement. "You picking a fight now, ya bastard!?"

"Nah," Natsu shook his head. "The Gajeel I knew could never be a Councilman."

"Yeah well…tree gramps found me back when I was looking for something to do and asked me, y'know." Gajeel explained.

"His name is Warrod." Happy corrected. He then came to a realization after dealing with Warrod and could hear his panicked voice in his head.

" _It….it was…a joke…"_

Gajeel pointed at Natsu with a comical menacing glare. "And now, I'm _waaaay_ above the guild! By the way…you're under arrest Salamander. For having a face like that." Gajeel was mad with power and started pointing at everyone. First, Lucy; "And you…for indecent attire."

"Wh..!?" Lucy ended up crossing her arms.

Juvia was next. "Juvia…you for being a puddle of water."

Another deadpanned expression from the water mage. "A…puddle?"

Happy was next on the list. "You…you eat too much fish."

"So it's wrong to have good food?" Happy questioned with a fish stuffed in his mouth.

Zelos was next. Gajeel didn't even know what to say about him. "You…you're annoying and borderline useless. That's grounds enough for me to arrest you."

"So it's a crime to be this handsome?" Zelos asked as his wings started to fade away. He completely ignored Gajeel's reasoning which just made the iron dragon groan.

"Why is he here!?" Gajeel asked, but nobody could come up with an answer. "Whatever…" Cynthia was next. "You for…whatever happened to your hair. It's an eyesore."

"Huh!?" Cynthia grabbed at the red strands of hair nervously. Gajeel didn't even ask but the way he called her out made her feel awkward.

Wendy was second to last. "And you…uh…hmm…I dunno. I just feel like I should arrest you with the others."

Wendy had wide eyes at Gajeel's poor reasoning. "What…does that even mean…?"

"Last of all…" All eyes were on Gray. "I don't even need to tell you, now do I, Gray? I'm not as forgiving as the rest of them…" The animosity from earlier was gone and Gajeel was smirking. That didn't mean good news. That was until Erza appeared and her fist promptly smacked against the back of his head. "Oof!"

"Erza…!" Lucy said.

"SHE'S HERE!" Natsu hugged Happy, frightened at Erza's sudden appearance.

"She looks pissed!" Happy cried out.

"Huh…you sure are high and mighty for someone that looks like Gajeel…" Erza stated bluntly.

"I'M THE REAL DEAL!" Gajeel screamed. Why did everyone think he was a fake!?

Erza shook her head. "Nope. There's no way that Gajeel would make it into the Council."

Lily was silent on this matter for a while. But with the direction this was going he had to speak up. "That's actually Gajeel."

"WHAT!?" Natsu and Erza shouted in unison.

"You guys didn't really think that was an imposter…right?" Levy laughed nervously.

That made things simple. Erza noticed Layanna and Fullbright on the field and she really didn't want to have to explain this situation to them. "Then let's cut to the chase. We were the ones who arrived here first to stop the Purification Ritual. In fact…"

"I know." Gajeel cut her off. "When we raided Avatar's hideout…we saw the message." At this point, Layanna and Arlen finally got their hands on Arlock and began to take him away,

"The only reason we knew how to get here was actually because of Zelos…so we appreciate that much." Lily gave Zelos a nod of acknowledgement.

"Wait a second…" Gajeel interjected. "What do you mean Zelos? I was the one who left that message?"

"You sure?" Gajeel shook his head. "Taking credit for other people's work? Come on, Gray."

Gray then turned to Zelos with a glare. "What did you do!?"

Zelos rubbed the back of his head, chuckling awkwardly. "Well…after you stripped that guy down and humiliated him, I noticed the message before we left. It looked so tacky and ugly…so I decided to make it a bit more beautiful by adding my name to it, that's all."

Gray felt his eye twitch in annoyance. Zelos really was nothing but an inconvenience. "I can't believe you…!"

"But more importantly, I get to see Levy-chan again! It's been so long, I missed my bookworm cutie!" The male grinned, giving Levy that uncomfortable feeling that she didn't miss over the year.

"N-Nice to see you too…" Levy took a step back, feigning a smile.

"If anyone wants to get rid of him, I'm willing to overlook it as an officer of the law." Gajeel stated. It did get a few laughs even though he meant it.

"Anyway…" Gray averted his gaze from everyone. "It doesn't change all the trouble I've caused for everyone. I'm sorry."

"As long as Gray-sama is alright, Juvia is happy." The water mage happily swayed back and forth.

"You had me fooled, too!" Levy said.

With his arms at his hips, Gray stared at Levy. "You've got to work on your undercover skills, though. Finding you wasn't the hardest thing I had to do there."

Sweat drop. "E-Eh!? So you knew!?" Levy was shocked to say the least. Here she thought she slipped in and out of Avatar's ranks completely undetected.

Wendy and Cynthia just stared at the conversation occurring. "Uh,….I don't really understand what they're talking about…" Wendy laughed nervously.

"Me neither…" Cynthia scratched her head. "What was all this even about...?"

Carla turned to Lucy. "Why is Erza here too?"

Lucy realized how out of the loop the three of them were. They only arrived to help during the fight after all. "I'll…tell you later."

Jerome was being pulled off by Fullbright while Gray conversed with everyone. He was in utter disbelief at what he was seeing. "Those…are Gray's friends…?" That was Fairy Tail. Hearing about Fiore's strongest guild and experiencing their strength firsthand. Jerome now fully understood that Avatar had no chance of winning this fight, and Prometheus and Pandora abandoned them at the very end.

"Come on, villain." Fullbright began while pulling Jerome away with the help of another officer. "You have a lot to answer for."

"In any case, the town is safe for now." Lily grinned. Their mission was a success.

"Yeah, and to top it off, everyone's here!" Levy exclaimed in a jovial tone. Was Zelos included? Not really, but if she mentioned it, he would have included himself anyway.

"TCH…" Gajeel on the other hand didn't seem extremely happy about it. But he was.

"We're invincible when we're together!" Natsu pumped his hands into the air.

"To think that we'd be able to fight together again…" Juvia was happy at this thought. Even though things got dicey for a moment…they pulled through, just like always.

Gray looked down to Cynthia and Wendy, smiling after seeing them for so long. "Oh, you two have grown huh? You get taller, Wendy? And what did happen to your hair, Cynthia?"

"Ah, no…" Wendy shook her head. Why did people keep wondering if she changed? "I'm still the same as usual."

"Ah…you know…it just happened…" Cynthia said with a bashful smile.

"It's like we're at the guild again…" Happy held his paws up happily.

"Everyone's here…" Even Carla couldn't stop the smile from spreading on her lips.

"It feels like such a long time ago…" Lucy was so caught up in the moment she didn't realize she was smiling. There was one thing tugging at her mind, though. With everyone here like this…her mind flashed to the reoccurring nightmare. It had been so long since she saw Levy, Gajeel, Erza, and Pantherlily. Did they hate her for what happened last year? What if they all outed her right here? What if everyone shifted the blame onto her right now? The thought paralyzed her with fear and it showed on her face.

Luckily for Lucy, she was brought back to the current reality when Zelos nudged her with his elbow. The red headed male had a soft smile as he placed his hands behind his head. "Hey now, this isn't the time to be making such a face. Take a moment and be happy, yeah, Lucy-chan?"

"Zelos…" Lucy blinked slowly. Zelos was such an annoyance most of the time that it was very easy to forget he could be encouraging occasionally. It also felt like Mii was talking to her too…which was weird, but oddly comforting at the same time. "…Okay." She nodded and forced a smile onto her lips. He was right; this was no time to be upset. Even though the fear was rooted deep into her heart over the last year, right now, everyone was here.

"This is our victory!" Erza declared while lifting her spear into the air. "So it's time for us to celebrate it with our cheer!" Everyone let out a loud cheer in response to Erza's call. This was it. This was their shout of victory! Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza, Wendy, Cynthia, Carla, Happy, Juvia, Gajeel, Levy, Pantherlily, and even Zelos let out a victorious cry to signify their hard fought battle.

* * *

On a cliff's edge nearby, Sting, Rogue, Lector, Frosch, Cygnus, and Kagura all watched the battle against Avatar pan out. "Huh…guess I didn't need to worry at all." Sting shrugged.

"An army of that size vs less than 10 people…" Rogue exhaled to the point it was almost a sigh. "How insane…is that why he didn't want me going on that mission? I almost feel insulted that he thinks I couldn't handle it…"

"You guys were worried about them?" Cygnus scoffed. "I was worried that I'd have to step in. They look a little longer than they should have with that clean up."

"Come on, Cygnus-san. You were totally worried." Sting teased. "You wouldn't have followed us here if you weren't."

"You were worried. I was curious to see what was so important that Natsu refused a fight." Cygnus shook his head.

"…But why am I here." Kagura blinked a few times. "I was going to go help since I got the same request…"

Sting waved a hand. "Come on, you're telling me that you weren't curious at all to see them fight after so long? I had to stop you!"

"You almost lost your arm." Kagura stated before turning back to the scene before her. "And I only stopped because I wanted to make sure that Frosch didn't wander into the fray. I can't have him getting hurt." She spoke as if she owned the Exceed.

"…That's appreciated, but he's my Exceed, remember?" Rogue spoke with a glare. Frosch was very popular among the circle of guilds in Fiore, and he often found himself battling for ownership of the Exceed.

"The jury is still out on that." Kagura immediately responded, leaving Rogue shocked. How could she say such a thing like it was already decided!?

Sting knelt down to get closer to Lector, chuckling at Kagura and Rogue's antics. "Those guys, am I right?"

"It was nice to see them fight again." Lector said before turning to Frosch. "What do you think, Frosch?" …Frosch wasn't there. "Huh?"

"He's not here…?!" Kagura and Rogue both panicked.

"…Where did he go?" Cygnus glanced around. Frosch was so easy to miss he didn't notice the Exceed walk right past him! But Frosch was safe and sound. He was just talking to Carla, Lily, and Happy.

"WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING DOWN THERE!?" Rogue yelled at the top of his lungs.

Gray turned and noticed Frosch. "Huh…? What are you doing here Frosch? Did you get lost?"

"Fro thinks so too." The Exceed responded with his usual one liner.

Gray knelt down and lifted a brow. "What are you doing here?"

"I wonder too…" Frosch trailed off. Sometimes it was really hard to tell what he was thinking…

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" Natsu screamed and caught everyone off guard. If Frosch was here that could only mean one thing. "He…he broke his promise…!?" Even after he told Rogue to stay in town because of what his future self had told him. A cold sweat beaded down his face at the thought of Gray somehow killing the Exceed right here and now… "Nggggh…"

"What promise…?" Levy tilted her head.

Gray lifted Frosch into his arms, taking a good, hard look at the Exceed. "You know…come to think of it…this lil guy here is actually pretty cute." And before he knew it, he started to nuzzle Frosch. "This feels great…"

"I understand how oyu feel, but could you please do something about that disgusting face you're making? It's not attractive at all." Zelos sighed.

"What he said…" Levy agreed with a sweat drop.

"A NEW LOVE RIVAL!?" Juvia began to pout as Frosch received more attention from Gray than she was. The others just started to laugh and Natsu could finally relax as a major crisis was avoided.

"WHAT'S HE DOING!?" Rogue yelled.

"He's trying to take Frosch away from me!" Kagura already had her blade drawn.

"AWAY FROM YOU!?" Rogue turned to Kagura, his voice still high. "What's that supposed to mean!? He belongs to _**ME**_!"

"For now!" Kagura shouted right back at him. The two of them always ended up in this squabble.

Sting had a good laugh at this, as did Cygnus. "That just shows how popular he is. Come on, we might as well go say hi to all of them."

"Grrrrrrrr….." Rogue growled but ultimately agreed. Sting, Rogue, Kagura and Lector began to make their way down to greet Fairy Tail. Cygnus was going as well, but he trailed behind because something caught his attention. Rogue's shadow always had a darker tint to it than everyone else's. But with the current events of Avatar drawing to a conclusion, the darkness that laid deep within his shadow receded and it looked similar to everyone else's. The shadow that haunted him for years and forced him to fight his own partner was finally calmed. The possibility of Rogue completely falling to the darkness was now erased from their timeline.

* * *

After the shout of victory, Lucy's eyes wandered to the spear Erza held within her grasp. It did seem very familiar to her and she just had to be sure. "Hey, Erza…that spear…"

"Yes." Erza knew exactly what Lucy was going to ask and answered for her. "After the incident, I realized that even though she left this world, her spear stayed behind. It didn't seem right to me to leave it there…so I decided to take it with me. I think that's what she would have wanted, and it feels right in my hands as well."

"I see…" Lucy's train of thought wandered. Knightwalker was also a victim…but she was a victim of Aiden's mad plans long before Emmeraude's ambitions were set into motion. But even still…no, she couldn't think like that right now. Her friends were here, she had to try and be happy. It just…wasn't the easiest thing in the world.

By this time Sting and the others came down to greet Natsu and company. As soon as Natsu noticed Rogue he sprinted up to the shadow dragon slayer in a comically angry manner. "ROGUE! What are you doing here?! Why didn't Minerva keep you in town like I told her to!?"

"Yeah, about that…" Rogue rubbed the back of his head. "She said, and I quote, 'I'm not taking orders from that hot headed idiot. I don't care what you do, Rogue'."

"…" Natsu just had a sweat drop on his forehead. He should have known that he wouldn't be able to ask for anything from Minerva. Thinking about it now, it was kind of a stretch…but he was in a panic and she was the only one he could rely on.

Erza chuckled at this sentiment. "I'm glad to hear she hasn't changed." And she wrapped her arm around Kagura, bringing in her 'sister' for an Erza hug: head against the armor, as she usually does since she doesn't know how to properly hug people. "And it's great to see you again, Kagura. How have you been?"

Erza was embarrassing the Mermaid in public. A soft flush formed on her cheeks and she sheepishly looked away as Erza hugged her. "…I've been fine. It's nice to see you as well, Erza…" She had to resist the urge to call Erza nee-chan in public.

"So…this is what was so important?" Cygnus looked as the Council all but cleaned up the Avatar problem. Mary was struggling to escape, but it was no use, they weren't getting away. "This was child's play…you guys took way too long to clean up."

"Too long? I thought we handled that pretty quickly." Gray scoffed while glaring at Cygnus. The rivalry between Fairy Tail and White Eclipse never faded, even when the two guilds technically didn't exist.

"I would've done it faster." Cygnus spoke with a smug grin, irritating just about everyone.

"Does everything have to be a competition?" Wendy poked her fingers together sheepishly.

"Let the boys be boys, Wendy…" Carla said while shaking her head in a disapproving manner.

"Onto the important topic…" Rogue narrowed his eyes at Natsu. "Was this whole thing the reason you took the job from me? Which I'm still taking the reward by the way. But did you think I couldn't handle this?"

Uh oh. Rogue was grilling Natsu for answers now. It was truth; Natsu stole Rogue's job without a sound reason. Natsu blinked a few times, now pacing back and forth as he tried to figure out how to say this. Lucy, Happy, and Zelos were the only people that knew of his true reasons…but what could he tell Rogue? He couldn't exactly say that Gray would kill Frosch, because that would turn too many heads. "Hmmmm…"

"Don't tell me you did this for no reason…" Rogue's expression fell.

"Would you be surprised….?" Kagura shook her head.

"I can arrest someone for being stupid…so go ahead; give it your best shot." A malicious grin formed on Gajeel's lips, but Levy tugged his ear to keep him from getting any nasty ideas.

"Now now…let's hear him out…" Sting said with a nervous laugh.

Natsu paced around for a few awkward moments. It was then that his eyes wandered to Rogue's shadow. He noticed that unlike before, Rogue's shadow didn't have a pitch black darkness to it. It resembled his own shadow. Maybe….yeah, yeah! He was getting an idea! He couldn't lie and couldn't tell the whole truth…so he'd tell a half truth. "Future Rogue told me four years ago that…you'd take this mission and…Frosch wouldn't make it."

Kagura gasped and clutched Frosch closer to her being. "What!? Someone would kill Frosch!? I'll have their head."

Sweat drop. It was a good thing Natsu avoided name dropping Gray after all. The aura Kagura was emanating had him worried for a little bit. "Yeah. So…I took the mission from you to avoid that happening. I couldn't risk telling you and getting Frosch in danger…"

"Huh…" Rogue was shocked for a moment. He was unaware of the possibility that Frosch could die even though he swore to protect the Exceed. He even recalled actually meeting his future self…this turn of events spiraled that version of him into the deepest darkness before he ultimately died. Was his fate had he gone through with this…? "I see…well…thank you."

Crisis averted. It looked like the future really did change. Rogue's gratitude caused Natsu to grin. "Anytime Rogue!" He patted the shadow dragon on the shoulder.

"…Future Rogue…" Cynthia mumbled. She remembered when he showed her that ominous clip of her killing Wendy. "He showed me that scary clip of me killing Wendy that almost came true when I was Rose…" Even though the events passed, it still had her shaken up a little bit.

Rogue noticed Cynthia's attitude and knelt down, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I don't know what he was thinking…but since he is me, I have an idea. I think Fairy Tail is an amazing guild…even when the odds are against you guys, you always manage to find a way through. Maybe…just maybe he showed you the future in hopes that you could change it. If he really did lose Frosch, then he understood the pain of losing someone dear to you. The darkness is a frightening thing if it overtakes you, but perhaps he believed in Fairy Tail's ability to overcome adversity. That's what I think. I know I do."

Cynthia stared at Rogue for a moment. Everyone grinned softly at his surprisingly inspiring words. "…Yeah, maybe."

Gajeel ruffled Rogue's hair, letting out a soft chuckle at his words. "You sure have grown, Raios. Not bad…"

"Thank you, Gajeel…" Rogue gave a curt nod. It was then he noticed that Kagura was holding Frosch in her arms for a little too long for his liking. "…Let him go. You're squeezing him too hard."

"…No. He's fine. Look at him." Kagura clutched Frosch closer to herself, turning her chest away.

"NO HE ISN'T!" And once again, the two of them started to argue.

Cygnus approached Natsu, flexing his arm with a grin. "So, how about it? Ready to get your ass kicked again?"

"I just beat that War God, you sure you wanna do this?" Natsu spoke with a smirk.

"War God? That thing isn't even half the god I am!" Cygnus spoke and his aura flared along with Natsu's. "So come at me!"

"You're on!" Without another word, Natsu lunged at Cygnus….only to be halted by Erza. "Gnk…!"

"Not so fast. Natsu. We have to discuss what we're doing next." Erza said with her eyes closed. "If we're going to bring back Fairy Tail, then it's only natural we return to Magnolia, yes?"

"Ah…yeah…that sounds right." Lucy nodded. "I'm sure you all have business to attend to…so we can just meet there?"

"Tch…!" Cygnus scoffed. "…Actually, I have to head back to the mountain anyway." The gravity god then turned and started to depart, waving his hand. "I'll kick your ass when White Eclipse is back."

"I'll kick your ass when Fairy Tail is back!" Natsu shook his arms angrily as Lucy pulled him off. Fairy Tail and White Eclipse. Their revivals were on the brink of renewing the country of Fiore once more. Perhaps just in time, as well….

.

.

Next Time: Memoirs.


	22. Chapter 22: Memoirs

For this story, we'll go back 400 years to Mildian, the magic academy for gifted mages. Several professors were reading the research works of a young Zeref Dragneel. They were shocked at what they were reading…at what a boy so young was able to come up with. "This…this paper…is this your work?"

"Yes." The small Zeref responded with a smile to match his stature.

The professor stared in silence before coming to a conclusion. "It's a wonderful paper, but the theme is a little too heavy for you. It's not something you should be doing at your age. Furthermore, life and death and its connection to magic has been and still is taboo for us." Upon hearing this, Zeref's head lowered.

"Even an adult wouldn't dare right about something like this." Another professor stated.

"True…prying on a topic like this will only enrage the almighty Ankhseram."

"Please refrain from doing any more research like this in the future. Humanity is already on very thin ice…but that topic also doesn't concern you. Do you understand, Zeref?"

"…Yes…" Zeref meekly responded before leaving with his papers in hand. He was presumably returning home, but the conversation still lingered in his mind. He didn't understand what was so sensitive about this topic. "I was just curious, that's all. Why do we live and die…?"

* * *

The Black Wizard awoke from his slumber on the ground. When his eyes opened, he seemed curious about the events he relieved. There were some things he needed to think about before his plans were truly set into motion. "…A dream? Everything's a surprise, huh?" Sitting up, he stared at the book of E.N.D right next to him, smiling softly. This was the book of his brother after all. "Natsu…I used to have a younger brother, but he died a few years after his birth. I couldn't understand why that happened and it bothered me, so I decided to do research on life and death…"

* * *

Zeref's mind wandered back to the days of his youth. A few years later from the dream he experienced. This older Zeref stood before teachers and students alike, using a large board for his presentation. "It's still a theory…but if we could successfully gather 27 million of these magic spheres…the R System would be complete…"

His presentation caused the audience to mumble. "Amazing…"

"That's a wonderful research proposal…"

"He's talking about bringing back the dead…?"

A red headed girl with a strange clothed object within her arms stared on with clear awe and admiration in her eyes. "…..Wow…."

"The kid's a prodigy, one that the academy hasn't seen in years…"

Meanwhile, a certain professor wasn't happy about this in the slightest. Even though he told Zeref to stay away from this topic, the child just didn't understand what he was dealing with. "…."

After the proposal, Zeref began making his way down the hallway. There was a bit of hope in his eyes. The response he got from the audience was unlike the one he received from the professors several years ago. "…This might work after all. I still need more work to do, though…"

"E-Excuse me…Zeref…" A meek voice came from behind him. It was the voice of the redhead in the audience.

"Hm…?" Zeref turned. He recognized this girl. They were about the same age…but more importantly, she had a reputation around her for the object she always had with her. "Ah…Verona. Is there something you need?"

"I just…uh…wanted to say that was a good research proposal." Verona was a little socially awkward, but the smile on her lips showed she meant well. "…Most adults would disagree with the topic…but I don't think it's bad. I wish something like that existed before my parents were killed."

Zeref did hear the stories about Verona. Her reputation preceded her. Although she was just a normal mage, the purity within her heart could be sensed by everyone around her. "You live with your two brothers and your sister, correct…? I had a sibling of my own, once. It was the reason I decided to go through with this research."

"That's right…" Verona nodded. "My parents were killed by some barbarians. I'm sorry to hear about your brother, though…I don't know what I'd do if my sister or brothers got killed too…"

Zeref could see it for himself that the rumors about her were true. She was someone of an exceedingly pure heart. Even after the death of her parents, there was not a stint of darkness or resentment emanating from her being. "…That object on your back. Correct me if I'm wrong, but…is that the fabled Mirror of Truth?"

"Huh?" Verona heard this question many times and took a step back out of instinct.

"…Do not worry; I don't have any need for it. It wouldn't help my research in the slightest anyway. I was merely curious. An object crafted by the gods to expose humanity's nature. I've always wondered…the gods are allowed to do what they wish in our lives, but there are things we can't even touch upon without seemingly angering them."

Verona remained silent as Zeref rambled on a bit. It was true, she did often hear of the professors having to constantly remind him not to even delve into the ideas of life and death. She personally didn't see the issue with it. If anything, this topic fascinated her as well. "…This mirror…it's strange. Everyone who looks into it will become twisted…almost as though they see their 'true' selves and are overtaken by it. It's supposed to show the ugliness of mankind, but when I looked into it nothing happened. So now it's my responsibility to watch over this mirror. This is just a vague rumor…but I heard the gods, angels, and even a being known as the Celestial Sprit King were behind the creation of it. Maybe more deities too but…ah…I'm saying too much now…"

Zeref smiled a bit. "No, it's fine. It's a truly a fascinating creation. Some might say you are humanity's hope."

"D-Don't say that…! That's a lot of pressure…!" The red head frantically waved her hands in front of her face. "I just…don't want anyone to get hurt or anything."

The conversation wasn't finished, but it had to come to an end as a familiar professor stepped into the hallway. "…Verona, will you excuse us? I need to talk with Zeref once again."

"Ah…I should be going anyway…." Verona gave Zeref a slight smile before walking out of the hallway….at least to them. In reality she was listening from around the corner just out of sight.

"How many times must I tell you, Zeref? It is taboo to bring back the dead. And based on your theory, we'd require a sacrifice in exchalge for the life you're bringing back." The professor was growing tired of having to repeat this to Zeref every so often. It seemed they had this conversation a lot as of late the more Zeref got into his research. "Life and death is a natural process, and it is unwise for us to tamper with the order."

"But wouldn't you agree that life itself is artificial in many ways?" Zeref rebutted. "So why aren't death and the afterlife that acceptable?" Zeref was truly curious.

In response, the professor just shook his head. "Oooooh! O-mighty gods, please be forgiving of this child…."

"….." Zeref couldn't muster a response. His gaze just went to the ground.

Verona was in the same boat as well. Listening to this conversation made her feel bad. When did humans decide what was taboo and what wasn't? Especially since she was bestowed something that humanity couldn't even begin to fathom. Where was the line? She wasn't sure…but she did have to leave, as much as it pained her to see someone look so shut down.

* * *

Fast forward a few years later. Zeref never saw Verona much again after that initial day, but that was far from his concerns. He was in his study at the moment. The room was riddled with various books, notes, and papers scattered about. The male sat at his desk when he had a guest walk in – that's right, the same professor that had to keep talking sense into him for years now. "I thought I told you to stop working on the Eclipse Project?"

"It'll be finished in a bit…" Zeref said absentmindedly. He was in the state where he could hear people but didn't quite comprehend what they were saying. "This way, we won't have to use my theory at all. Eclipse…a time travelling door…" Zeref had a grin on his face. This was considered a breakthrough for him.

"What do you plan to do when you've gone back in time then?" The professor inquired.

"Well…" Zeref already had an idea, but he was hesitate to speak on it, because he already knew what would be said.

"All these projects of yours; the Eclipse, R System, all of it was to bring back your brother, wasn't it?" After all that is said and done, you just can't seem to let go of the idea of bringing back the dead, can you?" The professor sighed as Zeref remained silent. "The board of directors have agreed on expelling you from the academy."

"…!" Zeref turned around, jaw dropping from the shocking announcement.

"They all had such high hopes for you, but…it's such a pity."

Zeref stood up from his seat, trying to muster an objection. A cold sweat ran down his face. He was so close. Would they really forcefully end his research!? "But…I…!"

"Your brother isn't coming back." The professor said in a stern tone. Zeref looked horrified, and it was then the professor just had to drive the point home once and for all to put an end to Zeref's taboo ideals. "YOU CAN'T BRING HIM BACK!"

The horrified expression quickly turned into a mortified one with those words. This was the trigger. Zeref clutched his head with both hands, a black, misty aura beginning to emanating from him. "Ahh….ah…..ahhhh….." The nearby plants quickly withered and die just from being near Zeref.

"Zeref….?" The professor began to sweat.

"P-Professor…." Zeref could barely get any words out. But if he could, the thing he wanted to say the most was 'please, run'.

"Is this…Ankhersam's wrath…?"

* * *

"And when I opened my eyes…the teachers…even all of the students…everyone had died. Verona herself was absent…but her story is neither here nor there." Zeref sighed as he continued to talk to the book. "I guess the gods really were angry at me, and that's why they put this curse on me. The more I loved life, the more I robbed people of it. And if I wanted to keep the curse under control, I couldn't think of life the way I wanted to. The curse also made me immortal, much to my dismay."

A lingering silence filled the space as Zeref continued to remiss on the past. The days of him wandering alone, isolated from the world because of the curse the gods placed on him. "Having to deal with the guilt of taking lives away from people day by day…but also the privilege if unnumbered days allowing me to do as much research as I wanted. It was a complicated feeling. I spent years wandering the labyrinth of my thoughts…"

* * *

 _"I wished to die. So that was when I delved deeper into the dark arts, creating demons that could hopefully end me. These became what were later known as Zeref's demons. They were once called Etherious, because they were beings made of pure ether. But sadly, neither of them could kill me. Some of them tried and perhaps came close, but in the end, they failed. And so finally…"_

He could remember it now…still roughly 400 years back in the past in an undisclosed location. Zeref's attention turned to the egg shaped capsule that held the body of a young Natsu Dragneel, who was unconscious. "And so finally…I made you. Etherious Natsu Dragneel…E.N.D for short. "Well…I guess it's mean of me to say that I made you since you originally had a body of your own. I've kept it so well at this time for this occasion. The body of my younger brother…" Natsu's eyes opened slowly, but it was improbable that he was aware of what was happening. Zeref pressed his hands and the side of his head to the capsule before smiling at the sight of his brother. "My name is Zeref Dragneel. I am you're bother, Natsu…"

* * *

What a trip down memory lane this way. Zeref began to stand up with the book in hand. "We'll talk about the days you spent with Igneel and how I met Mavis some other time. I've got some people to meet today." When he thought about it, he realized that wasn't quite right. "People? No…not exactly…"

* * *

Back in the Fukomakura guild, Desdemona sat within a bubble bath. For some reason, she could feel the memory of a certain red head tug at her mind. Random it may seem…it only made her scowl in the end. Why did she remember this woman now? It angered her…and that anger was going to be taken out on some poor soul within the building. Specifically…a maid who was unfortunate enough to have red hair. Several maids attended to the mistress, but she waved all of them off except for the red headed woman. "…Come. Take a bath with me." Her smile was sweet and motherly, but those who knew her always feared that smile….

* * *

Hours passed and Zeref made his way through a mountain range. His trek continued until he reached a cave. When he walked in, there was someone already waiting for him. A man with brown skin, blue markings and dark blue hair…a black cloak covered his body and more specifically, covered the missing left arm. "I didn't think you'd actually agree to our meeting. Ah…so that's what you normally look like. How's the arm, Acnologia?"

"What do you want, Black Wizard?" Acnologia responded while staring at Zeref. He was oddly calm and composed compared to his prior appearances, although they were few and far in between, they were deadly to everyone else.

"You wish for destruction. A rather small ambition, though. You actually have the power to rule the world if you felt like it." Zeref said. "I just can't tell why you aren't doing so…or the reason behind your actions. At the very least, I would have expected you to attempt to destroy the Isle of Dragons that lingers in the ocean. As the Dragon King, you've made it your goal to exterminate all dragons, correct?"

Acnologia was silent for a moment. "I can be rid of them whenever I so wish. They are no threat to me. But aren't you the same also?"

"I've been lost my whole life." Zeref replied. "And that's why I've been watching from the sides for the most part. I thought I found some meaning in my actions two years ago, but I realized it was far too soon the moment you were drawn into the battle." The Black Wizard then extended his hand. "I couldn't decide if I wanted to fight against you…or with you. But either way, I didn't need to choose. I will annihilate both you and mankind. That is my mission." This seemed to be what Acnologia wanted to hear. Their gazes never parted from one another as the tension rose. "You've been waiting, haven't you? Waiting for someone that you could fight with all you've got." Zeref's eyes briefly turned red, a black mist seeping out of his body. "Let me help you with that. It's a good thing you wanted…for the last battle between a dragon, immortal, and mankind. I wonder if she was right to change all along. Because even though she failed to eliminate mankind herself back then…I will do it in her stead. They will not escape this time."

Acnologia did not give a verbal response. Instead…the dragon's lips curbed up slightly into a noticeable smirk. Everything they working towards would finally come to fruition soon enough. The final battle against Zeref and Acnologia loomed just over the horizon…

.

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Next Time: Mt. Fiore.


	23. Chapter 23: Mt Fiore

Mt. Fiore, former home to one of Fiore's strongest guilds: White Eclipse. Ever since the guild disbanded, the vacant chilly mountain was silent. The building the guild resided within was empty. Not a single person went back since they were forced to part ways a year ago. As Calium said, however…come back in a year and maybe things would be different. If not, they would all continue to go their separate ways. One year later…

The doors to the building opened. Even though the sun was up, it was pretty dark inside the building. The first two to arrive were Micaiah and Vanya. The silver haired woman furrowed her brows while walking inside. "Huh…it's quiet. Are we the first ones?"

"It seems that way." Vanya 'looked' around. The woman was blind so she couldn't see anything, but her magic allowed her to get a read on the surroundings. "I wonder if we're early…or if the others have just decided not to come back?"

"I wonder…" A frown tugged at Micaiah's lips. She didn't want White Eclipse to truly die out just yet. But that was only a worst case scenario. "Let's just see if we can get the lights working…" Walking through the vacant main area, the maiden made her way to the light switch and flicked it up…only for nothing to happen. The lights didn't come on. "Huh..?" She continued to flick the switch up and down, but it just continued to click.

"What's wrong?" Vanya tilted her head curiously.

"The lights…they're not coming on." Micaiah pouted. "I'm not good with this stuff either, so I don't really know what's wrong…"

"It's probably the breaker…" A familiar voice caused the two females to turn. Ralo Reiss was the next person to arrive. Though his face didn't show it, he was glad that he wasn't the only one who decided to come back. "It's been a little over a year since we left, yeah?"

"Probably…" Micaiah rocked her head back and forth. "Can you fix it? I'm not good with electronics and Vanya is…"

Reiss waved his hand, beginning to make his way to the basement. "Yeah, I got it. Nice to see you two again, too." After making his departure, Reiss wandered to the basement of the guild where the breaker was. Since it was over a year since anyone came down here, the cobwebs started to form. "Ew…" The brunet shook his head and fiddled with the breaker for a little bit; a few moments later and the electricity was turned back on. The lights flickered before brightening the building once more. "There we go…" Proud of his work, he dusted his hands off and made his way back upstairs, where more people began to congregate within the building. It seemed many of their members had the same idea, but not everyone was back quite yet.

"Ah, there are the lights!" Luke took a seat on the couch and let out a content sigh. "…You guys have no idea how much I missed this couch. Drifting from hotel to hotel was not the greatest."

"You're telling me…" Cygnus said while glancing around the main area.

"It's so wonderful to see everyone again!" Marlene clasped her hands together. She just so happened to have a large supply of groceries at the ready. "I should cook a meal for this occasion!"

"I like this idea." Waiston nodded several times. "I haven't had Marlene's cooking in a while; I'm starving just thinking about it!"

"I'll have it done soon!" Marlene grinned and rushed into the kitchen. It had been a while since she had to cook for such a large amount of people, but the jovial smile on her face told the tale that she didn't mind at all.

"Feels good to be back…" Aira made her way to the infirmary. As the guild doctor she had to make sure that everything was in stock. "I was a little worried that nobody would come back after we were forced to split apart. Although we're still missing a few people…maybe they're still on the way. By the way…did anyone hear anything about Calium?"

"Not a thing." Zalen responded by pushing up his glasses. "Calium is officially off of the radar."

Aira heard the news and frowned. As Calium's caretaker in the past, it was a little worrisome that she didn't even have the slightest hint about his whereabouts. "I see…that's unfortunate to hear. Mary and Sidney still aren't here either, are they?"

"Kuro's not back either…or Reve, or Jaxon…or Tak, Roxanne, Heather, Adam…" Luke continued to list off the names of the people who had yet to come back. "There are a few others, too…" He didn't think they wouldn't come back, but everyone was busy, he knew that much. They'd come home eventually. "The kids may not come back either, which is fine. I was tired of babysitting…but we've had a lot of people come and go over the years. The more things change, the more they remain the same."

"Tyson and I were in the process of building a city." Zalen said so casually despite the looks he received. "He wanted to stay behind the supervise the project."

"You've been busy..." Reiss blinked.

"Speaking of that…" Waiston stroked his chin. "I've been drifting in and out, but does anyone know who won the Grand Magic Games this year? Since literally no one joined, I didn't really keep up with the news."

"No one." Luke replied, causing all heads to turn.

"Huh? That doesn't sound right." Aira shook her head. "There has to be a winner…right…?"

"There would have been one, but Natsu decided to crash the party." As soon as Luke said that everyone just shook their heads.

"Jackass." Cygnus scoffed.

And for some reason, as if he was called into the room, Reve Volver stepped through the doors with his patented grin. "Well well…looks like you all beat me here."

"Speak of the devil…" Cygnus laughed. "And he shall appear."

"You thought I wasn't coming back? What would you all do without me?" Reve spoke smugly as usual.

"I dunno, I was pretty fine for a while." Kanade teased.

"I hope you all haven't been slacking." Reve said while making his way through the room. "Falling behind isn't what we do."

"Yeah." Reiss nodded.

"We can probably start showing off a little bit when everyone gets back." Waiston suggested, a sly grin forming on his lips.

"Oh, I have a lot to show." Cygnus also grinned. The somewhat competitive energy within the guild was quickly renewed within mere moments.

"Don't think you can get away with showing off without me." The voice came from Jaxon. The door was still open since Reve's arrival. The green haired male wasn't alone. There was someone else with him, a younger male with red hair and yellow eyes. The two of them looked pretty similar, and there was a reason for that. "This is my little brother: Jin Uchu."

Jin did a wave to the members of White Eclipse present. "Hello everyone!"

"Just got back and we already have a new member? Haha…" Micaiah laughed. It was around then that the scent of food began to permeate in the guild all. "Ah…that smells really good."

"It's almost ready…!" Marlene called out from the kitchen. "Just give me a little while longer!"

While everyone waited for Marlene to finish cooking, they talked about their antics over the year. In fact, the best thing to do was to go outside so everyone could show a hint of their training. Reve was up first, smugly walking forward with a pistol in hand. "While we wait, watch and learn." The gunslinger pointed a pistol forward. The bullet that escaped the chamber barreled through the sky, cleanly striking a tree a few miles off.

"So what? We've seen you make that shot before." Cygnus said, unimpressed. "Precision eyes and all that."

"Heh…" Reve turned; his eyes still their usual sapphire hue. "I don't need magic to make that kind of shot anymore."

Okay, that was kind of impressive, and only just a little tease of what was to come. While the others began to show off as well, a familiar figure popped in from over the incline. It was Jack Royal, everyone's favorite drunk and someone who hadn't been seen in quite a long time. "You guys having a party without me?"

"Royal, you son of a bitch. Where have you been all this time?" Waiston was the first to greet one of his childhood friends. "You missed a lot!"

"Oh, I know…" Jack had a flask in hand. The slightly red tint to his cheeks told the story that he was already slightly intoxicated, but that's just how he was. "I heard the news; Tartarus, the Grand Magic Games, the stuff with that Emmeraude lady, and the guild splitting up. You guys have been through a lot haven't ya?"

"That's one way of putting it." Zalen adjusted his glasses. "Where did you go, though? Out and about as usual?"

"You got it." Royal responded with a drunken grin. "I think I found myself over in the next continent over…dunno how that happened, had some fun though."

"The next continent over? Almost forgot that place existed." Zalen shrugged.

"So…Sidney and the old man aren't around are they?" Royal asked while looking around.

"Not yet." Jaxon replied. "No one knows where Calium went, but I suspect Sidney will pop up soon too. Mary's gone as well…so at the moment we're without leadership…and I also think we'll have to file out some paperwork if we want to not be a dark guild. Technicalities…"

"Sounds like a major headache." Luke yawned; feeling exhausted just thinking about it. "We can take care of all that later!"

"I agree." Aira presented a soft grin. "We should enjoy our time together today. It's not a problem as long as we get everything settled!"

"Today's a guild day, we should enjoy it. We can worry about that other stuff tomorrow." Jaxon shared the same sentiment. After a year apart, the atmosphere on Mt. Fiore and White Eclipse was the same. Perhaps they all knew that they'd be seeing each other again. The circumstances of their guild's disbandment was similar to Fairy Tail's in that they had no idea what was going through their master's mind, but different in the fact that they didn't have to rally together one year later. They were just naturally drawn to their home.

There were two more people naturally drawn to White Eclipse. An obsidian rift opened up nearby; from the shadows, Takeru emerged, but he wasn't alone. Selene was with him as well, although she looked a little hesitant to be around everyone after what happened during the Tartarus incident. "Oh good. Everyone's here." Takeru stated, his tone making it clear he was expecting to see everyone around now. "Long time to see, guys."

"Yo, Tak!" Cygnus waved. "And…Selene?"

"I finally convinced her to try coming back. You guys know what happened wasn't her fault, right?" Takeru was serious about this too. The others stared silently while Selene awkwardly rubbed her arm.

"…I'm sorry…" Selene said, meekly at that. It was rare for her to be so shy, but she truly felt bad about what she did to the building. "I wasn't myself back then, but I know that's hardly an excuse. You don't have to take me back, I just…"

"The White Eclipse punishment." Reve said with a stoic expression, causing Selene to blink slowly.

"Huh…?" The diamond dragon was confused.

"After today is over, you are to receive the White Eclipse punishment from one of us." Reve clarified.

"…" Selene was dumbfounded. They just…accepted something that plagued her for a while now. It did make her feel better…but she wasn't looking forward to the White Eclipse punishment. She purposely avoided having to deal with that over the years, but she couldn't escape it now. But if that was the price for coming home, then so be it. She could handle it.

"Wow…this is feeling pretty nostalgic now." Luke said with a small chuckle. "Reminds me of a few years ago…if Kuro were here we'd almost be complete."

"Almost? Were you thinking about me, perhaps?" That voice was none other than Tayakata. She actually arrived on the mountain quite a while ago, but remained out of sight until the others began to gather. Now that she was here, the tension was a little high. She didn't exactly leave a great impression during Tartarus so for her to appear again…well…

"I didn't expect to see you here…" Reve cut his eyes at Taya. The tension in the air was mostly between the two of them. "You said our last meeting would be the last one."

"Things change…" Taya sauntered forward. "After all, I am the one to blame for putting Selene in that situation. Thinking about it now, you could say I wasn't quite myself then either."

"Don't tell me you wanna come back too?" Waiston narrowed his eyes before being jabbed by Aira. "Ow…!"

"Don't be like that." Aira shook her head. "A lot of things have happened over the years. Both Taya and Selene have helped us more than hurt. We should give them both a second chance."

"…I don't see the harm in it." Kanade shrugged.

Reve was looking at the others. The general consensus was to let the both of them back into White Eclipse. Selene wasn't a problem…but he and Taya still had a lot of things to work out. For now, he'd just begrudgingly accept her staying at the guild and nothing more. "…Fine."

"That went by better than I thought." Takeru then dusted his hands off. "I also ran into someone else over the year…but he doesn't want to show up just yet. But if we need his help, he said he'd come running. It's…an old friend."

"An old friend?" Micaiah turned to the others, but they didn't seem to have an idea.

"Don't worry. You can trust him." Takeru had a sly grin on his lips. Clearly he knew something that the others didn't…but if he said they could trust this mysterious person, then they could trust them.

With the issues on halt for now, Marlene pushed the guild doors open. "The food is ready! Come on everyone!" The members present rushed inside the building where a feast awaited them on the table. "Welcome back home, everyone! It's a feast to celebrate! I hope you enjoy it!"

"Oh…it's good to be back home…" Reiss said with a bright smile.

"WAIT!" Aira's loud voice caused everyone to pause. "Before we eat, I checked the infirmary records and noticed something very important. It's been a year since I've checked up on anyone…and it just so happens to be the best season of the year…" No one liked where this was going.

"…Summer…?" Zalen weakly responded.

"Clooooose…." Aira then pulled out a large needle, smiling innocently as it dripped fluid from the point. This caused everyone's face to pale comically. They thought they escaped. They thought Aira forgot, but they were wrong to think this. "It's shot season! So line up for the needle and then you can eat!"

Cruel fate. No matter what happened, the needle would always be the worst enemy of a White Eclipse mage. The more things changed, the more things stayed the same…much to their dismay.

.

.

Next Time: Magnolia.


	24. Chapter 24: Magnolia

X795, eastern kingdom of Fiore. The town of Magnolia, the place that once housed Fiore's strongest guild: Fairy Tail. Magnolia was the same as it ever was…well, almost. Where Fairy Tail once stood was still nothing but a crater with rubble scattered about, all because Emmeraude destroyed the guild as the beginning of enacting her revolution. Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Zelos, Cynthia, Carla, and Wendy wandered into the town after a year, the sense of familiarity bringing a smile to their faces.

"Woah!" Natsu laughed. "This really brings back memories!"

"I think they fixed Kardia Cathedral!" Happy pointed to the building ahead. After the riot from the people of Magnolia, the building itself had seen better days, but now it looked like new!

"This place turned against us really fast back then…." Wendy stared at the passing strangers. One year ago Fairy Tail was branded the enemy of the state. The people of Magnolia wanted their heads because Emmeraude said so. But now, it was just a regular day. It was crazy how quickly things could change, even in one's own home town. "But I'm glad to see the town in high spirits again."

"Yeah…" Lucy nodded. It was nice to see Magnolia again but…she was still restless. Anxious…afraid.

"ZELOS-SAMA~!" A few girls squealed and immediately began to crowd around Zelos, bringing the trip back to the Fairy Tail ruins a halt.

"Ah! My hunnies! I told you I'd be back!" Zelos gave off his grin and began to list the ladies off by name. "Rebecca, Susan, Erica…" The list went on and on. Zelos really did have reputation around Fiore at this point.

"Good grief…" Carla placed her paw on her forehead. "Can't we go anywhere without him being surrounded by women?"

"Come on, don't be like that, Carla-chan. I wouldn't mind treating you to dinner in your human form either." Zelos sent a wink Carla's way while squeezing his way from the crowd of women, promising to spend time with them later.

"…This conversation is over." The Exceed immediately shot down the idea. It was entertaining watching the men at Lamia Scale fawn over her, but Zelos was a completely different beast she didn't want to deal with.

"I'm still surprised he's with us…" Cynthia poked her fingers together while staying close to Wendy. "I thought he would have left a while ago…"

 _"He is quite…a person…"_ Verona remarked.

"Nonsense, I would never leave my favorite group!" Zelos grinned, but for some reason it just made everyone uneasy. They couldn't figure Zelos out for the life of them.

"…" Lucy's gaze was just focused ahead, thinking about the agreement to bring Fairy Tail back.

* * *

[Flashback]

Everyone else planned to take care of their business before their agreement. It was just after the battle with Avatar. Sting, Rogue, Kagura, and Cygnus left the area, thus leaving the Fairy Tail group on their own. "Before we head back…I have to report this to Jellal. He'd be glad to know how this all turned out."

"Oh yeah, but the way…" Gray looked towards Gajeel. "You guys mind not telling the higher ups about this? It would be a total pain…"

"Us living together was a secret~" Juvia swooned.

Gray deadpanned at her response while Wendy and Cynthia just stared. "That….wasn't what I was talking about. I meant about Erza and I…"

"We'll head to Magnolia when we're done!" Levy chimed with a bright smile.

Gajeel on the other hand seemed incredibly disappointed. "Man…just when I was beginning think my job at the Council was heaven sent…"

Pantherlily scowled at Gajeel's statement. "At least try to sound like you're joking…"

For some reason, everyone could hear Warrod's voice right now and it sounded like he took the biggest sigh of relief in his entire life. _"Oh, so he's finally leaving…"_

* * *

Right…and thinking about it, they weren't able to get any information about Avatar about Zeref. They were just a cult guild after all. But that didn't matter right now. At the moment, Lucy's lips unconscious tugged to a frown and Wendy was the first to notice. "Lucy-san? What's wrong? You look kinda down…"

"Huh?" Lucy turned to Wendy. After hearing how noticeable her downtrodden expression was, she replaced it with a forced smile. "Nah, I'm fine. I'm just feeling really nostalgic."

"…" Natsu glanced back at Lucy after she spoke. Even though she may not have been lying per se…her break down in the Avatar prison stuck with him. Lucy's positive attitude after the battle with Avatar was a façade. How much longer could she keep it up? Their conversation wasn't over, but he still didn't have the right words to say.

Lucy did feel nostalgic though. _"Memories of joy, pain, and fun…"_ The town of Magnolia did bring back many memories; when she joined Fairy Tail and met everyone for the first time, the battle against Phantom Lord, the Tower of Heaven, standing up to her father, the Battle of Fairy Tail, Edolas, the battle against Tartarus, and when Jack Corvus attacked the town in a rage. There were so many memories… _"And all of them were from my time at Fairy Tail. But that all changed a year ago when…"_

* * *

[Flashback]

It all changed a year ago. Lucy still recalled the final moments before Fairy Tail disbanded; her mind flashed to the moments just after Mii flew off. Everyone was in an uproar over Makarov's decision to disband the guild. "What's going on, Master?!" Wakaba shouted.

"This isn't the time to joke!" Macao exclaimed.

"How the hell are we gonna put food on the table!?" Jet objected.

"This isn't your problem alone!" Droy proclaimed. "So what if the building was destroyed by Emmeraude!? We can rebuild it!"

The objections just kept coming everyone voiced their opinion about the guild disbanding. Lucy was struck silent. There was no mention of the guild disbanding prior to the Emmeraude incident…and that incident only occurred because… _"…Is this…my fault…?"_

Makarov didn't waver in his decision. Instead he looked to everyone once again to repeat what he already said before. "I will disband Fairy Tail. Go. Go where your belief and legs will take you. That's all there is to it."

"I'm not buying that, Master!"

"Fairy Tail is my one and only choice!"

"If you didn't want to be a part of the guild anymore, you could have just left yourself!"

"I won't quit! Fairy Tail will be here!"

"YEAH!"

The uproar only continued. Makarov turned, glaring at everyone. "FAIRY TAIL WILL DISBAND THIS VERY INSTANT! And don't let me hear anyone of you speak that name anymore."

Silence. Makarov's words shocked everyone to the core. There were no more objections…how could anyone even speak after being shot down so harshly? Lucy brought her hands to her mouth, feeling her eyes water. _"This can't be happening…I didn't mean for this to happen…"_ The thoughts flooded into her head. After that awful experience she just went through, she was hoping she could rely on her friends and family to help her recover…but that hone she had was now being disbanded for god knows why. All Lucy knew was that she was to blame…it may have been her imagination at the time, but she swore there were hateful glares directed at her.

* * *

There was no time to even ask why. Makarov vanished after that day and everyone else began to walk their own paths, leaving Lucy alone with her own self destructive thoughts that rooted deep into her mind. Fairy Tail was over from that one memory alone. These thoughts got the best of Lucy and she stopped walking, falling behind the others. "…"

"…What's wrong, Lucy?" Cynthia tilted her head. "The guild's just up ahead…"

"I…" Lucy's voice quivered. Her façade crumbled the closer they got to the ruins of the guild. "I'm afraid…of what I'll see…of what will happen…"

Cynthia, Wendy, and Carla were somewhat confused by Lucy's hesitation. The only ones who knew how Lucy really felt were Natsu, Zelos, and Happy. "Lucy-san…" Wendy muttered. "I'm sure it'll be okay."

"Hey…who cares about the building?" Natsu tried to cheer Lucy up with an optimistic smile. But he could sense that there was some lingering animosity towards him. He pushed through it regardless. He wanted to make it up to her somehow…he needed to. "What matters is what we do from now on."

"That aside…" Lucy kept her gaze on the stone paved road. "What about everyone else? With you appearing out of nowhere saying that you'll bring back Fairy Tail…I got carried away. Seeing how Cynthia and Wendy reacted at first got me thinking…I haven't even kept in touch with some people in over a year, and the letters I sent were only to the people I could find. That… 'we're going to bring back Fairy Tail! Let's meet at Magnolia!'" The blonde's hair created a shade over her eyes. "But thinking about it some more…being in Magnolia again after what happened…it frightens me. The guild disbanded after Emmeraude destroyed it…and she was only after me. After all that…everyone probably moved on with their lives. I don't know if everyone feels the same as we do…what if they've already forgotten about the guild? What if they hate m-"

Lucy wasn't able to voice her broken worries for much longer. Cana wrapped an arm around Lucy's neck, a beer bottle in the same hand. "Yeah, like I'd only forget in a year~" The card mage grinned.

"Cana!" Natsu and Cynthia smiled.

"Cana-san!" Wendy was always happy to see Cana around.

"Cana-chan!" And of course, Zelos was not exempt from the excitement.

"Hey Natsu, Carla! Long time no see!" Cana responded with wide smile. "Wendy, you've grown haven't you!?"

"Ah…no, not really…" Wendy scratched her cheek. Why did that question keep coming up?

Cana's eyes then wandered to Cynthia. "Cynthia, what happened to your hair!? I like it!"

"Ah…thanks! And you know…just happened…!" Cynthia gave the usual response.

Cana then noticed Zelos, her expression souring for a moment. "Why is he here?"

"We never figured that out." Carla sighed and shook her head.

Oh well. "And you, big knockers as usual!" Cana's hand just groped Lucy happily. But Lucy didn't react this time which was strange.

"Cana…." Lucy looked back. She heard about what Cana had done during the Emmeraude incident…she did play a pretty big role towards the end there.

"You're looking a lot better." Cana eventually released Lucy, displaying genuine relief at Lucy's condition. "Things happened so fast I never did get to check up on you. But this past year has been fruitful for me too, you know. Thought I'd go on a trip to look for Gildarts…so it was pure luck this letter reached me when it did." The brunette pulled out a letter from her pocket. Lucy was surprised to find out she did reach at least one person after all. "The same thing probably happened to the others."

"Huh!?" Lucy gasped. The others?

Cana lifted the bottle of boozes to her lips and began to chug it down. Even though it was like 10AM, there was never a time to not drink in her book. "I've been in the guild ever since I was a kid. So when the guild was told to disband so suddenly, I couldn't make sense of it. I mean, I didn't even know how to work outside the guild…but I guess it was a good lesson learnt." After getting her fill, she pulled the bottle out of her mouth and took a small breath. "Everyone else thought it strange too. That might be why no one kept in touch…but you've become our ice breaker, Lucy." Those words made Natsu grin. Even if he couldn't cheer Lucy up on his own…it was a good reminder to know that they were never alone.

"Ah…how beautiful…" Zelos remarked with a quiet chuckle. He was starting to remember just why he enjoyed hanging out with these people so much.

Without warning, Cana grasped Lucy's wrist and began to tug her forward. "Now come on! Everyone's waiting!"

Lucy's legs moved to follow behind Cana, a curious expression written all over her face. Cana pulled Lucy all the way to the ruins of Fairy Tail and…the sight shocked her. They were met by many familiar faces, all of them grinning at the group's arrival.

"Oh! It's been so long!" Warren was the first to speak, displaying a warm smile.

"You've grown your hair out, Lucy!" Nab chuckled.

"Natsu's come back!" Droy said with glee.

"I got your letter, Lucy!" Max held out the letter with a grin. It was the same kind that Cana received as well.

"I heard you guys really messed up the royal city!" Macao held a smug grin on his lips. It was good for him to know that no matter how long they'd been apart, some things didn't change!

"Wendy, Carla, Cynthia! How've you been!?" Wakaba grinned.

"Happy!" Bisca called out to the blue Exceed.

Lucy couldn't believe it. Even though this wasn't everyone…it was enough to show her that the others did keep Fairy Tail in their hearts after all. _"Max…Reedus…Nab…Warren…"_

"Juvia too, actually…" Juvia lifted hand up. She was standing behind Nab who was easily one of the tallest people present.

 _"Alzack…Bisca…and Asuka-chan…"_

"Meeting you guys again feels like a dream come true!" Alzack grinned while holding Asuka in his arms.

"Asuka's grown a little too!" Asuka smiled and waved to the others, more than elated to see everyone again.

"Lone time no see, Erza-san." Bisca greeted Erza with a soft smile.

"You and your family look well. I'm happy for you." Erza told Bsica.

 _"Jet…Droy…Wakaba...Macao…Romeo…"_

"Team Shadow Gear is back in business!" Jet and Droy exclaimed while gathering around Levy.

"Ahaha…I left the Council. But I'm glad to see you all again!" Levy giggled at her team's excitement.

"YOU WERE IN THE COUNCIL!?" Macao, Romeo, and Wakaba all exclaimed to Gajeel at the same time.

"Giehehe…" The iron dragon merely chuckled at their shocked response.

 _"Laki, Vijeeter and Kinana…"_

Gray glanced at Laki, who's hair was now down to the back of her neck and no further. "You cut your hair?"

"Yup. All of it." Laki responded with her hands behind her back.

"The reunion dance…" Vijeeter had his eyes closed, doing a little dance to display the joy of Fairy Tail's reunion.

"I learned how to use magic, too!" Kinana said while holding up a wand. "By the way…why is he here?" The purple haired woman asked as Zelos slowly crept up to her. Unfortunately for her, nobody had an answer.

Lucy's body started to tremble as she continued to count off the familiar faces. She then noticed two more; Lisanna and Elfman and both of them were happy to be here! "A reunion of men!" Elfman proclaimed. Between this year and last, he'd grown even more muscular than before!

"Natsu, Lucy, Happy! Long time no see!" Lisanna waved to the others. Lisanna took hold of Lucy's arm while Elfman rested his arm on her head playfully.

"Lisanna…Elfman…" Lucy's body continued to shake. She then noticed Mirajane as well, who greeted the blonde with a soft smile.

"Welcome home." Mirajane's tone was soothing and welcome.

"…" Lucy couldn't contain herself any more. Tears welled up in her eyes and started to fall. "I…." Everyone was back. It was something so simple…but the simplicity of it gave her mixed feelings. She was so happy it hurt…but she was so distraught, it hurt even more. The tears she let fall weren't quite those happiness. What were they? She wasn't even sure. But as she cried, Mira wrapped her arms around her for a warm embrace, letting Lucy sob into her chest. "I'M SO SORRY!"

Those were not the words anyone expected to come out of her mouth. Everyone stared as Lucy continued to sob. She was unable to continue faking her emotions anymore. After seeing everyone once again, they all just spilled out once again. Mira tilted her head curiously while rubbing Lucy's back. "…Why are you apologizing, Lucy…?"

"I-It's all my fault!" Lucy sobbed. "The guild was put in danger because Emmeraude was after me…! Even after everything you guys did to try and help me, I ran away from you and hurt you…I-I even tried to kill my friends when they reached out to me. Emmeraude destroyed the guild and hurt you all too! Everything that happened was because of me…the guild disbanded because of what happened, and a child lost her life too. It was all my fault…and I…I don't deserve to feel so happy…so happy that it hurts. So torn it hurts…I was so afraid to reach out to anyone because I just knew you'd all blame me too. Not that you'd be wrong to…I blame me, too. So if you all want to hate me and out me…I…" As she cried, she held onto Mira tighter. Those dark thoughts lingering over the past year…everyone was aware of them now. To Lucy, it was either a dream, or nightmare come true, and she was expecting the latter.

"Lucy…" Levy frowned at hearing Lucy's words.

"…Oh Lucy…" Mira wasn't quite sure what to say to this. "…Have you…been carrying this burden with you this whole time…?"

"Mhm…" Lucy sniffled. "I've been so afraid this whole time…that if I saw anyone again…you'd all hate me because of what happened."

There was a moment of silence as everyone looked at one another. They honestly couldn't believe what they were hearing and it hurt them a little. Lucy was the victim of what happened and they worked so hard to dethrone Emmeraude and get their guild mate…and she blamed herself for the misfortunate that followed. "…And despite how you felt, you still reached out to us. You were very brave, Lucy." Mira finally responded with that same soft smile.

"H-Huh…?" Lucy looked up to Mira, those brown eyes of hers still wet with tears.

"I'm sorry you felt this way for such a long time…even more so that we couldn't have been there to support you in such a trying time." Mira gestured to the others. "But I want you to take a look around at everyone too. They all came because of your letters. We all came to help you because you're important to us. We don't blame you for anything, Lucy."

"That's right. The blame goes to Emmeraude." Erza stated. "We know you weren't completely yourself…but that was precisely why we had to act. Against the country, the Queen, or the world itself…you were our priority, Lucy."

"Yeah, what Erza said!" A few of the others chimed in.

"Like hell we were gonna let her boss us around anyway!" Cana added.

"No one blames you." Gray had to make sure he said that. He realized that his words to her from before must have stuck with her, but now was his chance to ensure that she knew the truth.

"We understood the circumstances." Levy gave a soft smile of her own. "If we were worried, but we didn't back down. So please, Lu-chan…don't blame yourself for the guild being destroyed and disbanded. Take credit for being the one who helped bring everyone together again!"

Lucy still felt her body tremble. For some reason, this wasn't what she was expecting when seeing everyone again. Despite all the trouble she caused for everyone once again…they were here, facing her with a smile and forgiveness. "…I really don't deserve all of you…" The celestial mage sniffled once more. She wasn't going to magically feel that depression fade away overnight, but with everyone's words, she could feel most of the heavy weight on her mind and shoulders vanish.

"I didn't get to say this to you before but…Welcome back, Lucy." Mira said it once again…but the meaning was different. It wasn't just 'welcome home' or 'nice to see you again'. This was 'welcome back to us'.

Lucy cried again. This time the tears that fell were those of bittersweet happiness. "I…I'm really back…" Now everyone could smile, while a few people were fighting their own tears from the scene.

Natsu watched the scene with a tiny smile. This was exactly what Lucy needed to hear and at the perfect time. With everyone watching Lucy and Mira, he began to dig around the rubble until he finally found just what he was looking for. "Ah, found it! Eh…it's a little tattered, but oh well." Natsu lifted up the torn Fairy Tail flag, hoisting it up high for all to see! With great pride in their hearts and hope on their fists, Fairy Tail's revival carried them forward. "THE GUILD'S COMING BACK! THIS IS OUR FAIRY TAIL!"

.

.

Next Time: The Next Guild Master.


	25. Chapter 25: The Next Guild Master

Five days since White Eclipse reformed. After they enjoyed their time together and were vaccinated by Aira, they had to get to business. The guild had to be cleaned and everyone had to settle into their rooms properly. It was business as usual at White Eclipse until those who had yet to return did. Jaxon sat in Calium's office, deciding to take care of all the necessary paperwork only to realize…that there was a lot. Jaxon slumped over on the desk, letting out an aggravated sigh. "Papa Kairos, give me strength…"

Aira opened the door; a little concerned that Jaxon was holed up inside the office for so long. "Jaxon…are you all right? You've been in here for a while…"

"I'm starting to see why Calium and Mary were so stressed all the time." Jaxon stood up from the desk with a few important papers in hand. "They completely neglected the paperwork the Council required for years and years. I could barely find the guild form in this mountain!" An aggravated sigh escaped the male before exiting the room. "But I got it filled now. I have another announcement to make too. Is everyone in the main hall?"

"Mhm." Aira nodded. "We just finished cleaning all the dust and whatnot…so they're relaxing after a year's worth of cleaning."

"Perfect." Jaxon motioned Aira to follow him downstairs.

White Eclipse was spotless! The floors and walls were scrubbed so clean you could see your reflection in them. But as a result, everyone was tired and sprawled out on the furniture in various positions after a hard day's work. "Ooof…." Luke groaned. "We…finally finished…"

"That was…the most…I've ever done…ever…" Selene spoke with an exasperated sigh.

"A little labor never hurt anyone…" Taya said this, but she was just as exhausted as everyone else. Her composure just made it seem like she wasn't winded at all.

"I need me a drink after that one…" Royal huffed and made his way to the bar. Even after all this time, the wine he had was still good. The earth mage popped a bottle open and took a swig.

Jaxon stood at the top of the stairs, looking at everyone with a hint of a smile. How nice it was to see them tired after a hard day's work. Really did bring back the memories. "I'm glad to see everyone taking it easy now. I think you'd be happy to know I have the paperwork all filled out."

"Oh really?" Zalen stared up at Jaxon. "Sorry if you had to deal with Calium and Mary's…leftovers. They avoided paperwork like the plague."

"Like how you avoid germs." Takeru shot playfully.

"Yeah…" Zalen laughed a bit.

"Hold on though…" Waiston sat up, his gaze directed to Jaxon. "I'm glad you got the paperwork filled out in all…but there's something I wanna know. We can't truly come back without a Guild Master…Sidney, Mary, and the old man aren't present."

"Yeah…" Marlene placed her finger on her cheek.

"There's no need to worry about that." Jaxon said with a firm tone. "I decided that I will be White Eclipse's next guild master." A stunned silence filled the guild hall as Jaxon placed a heavy responsibility on himself.

"You sure about this?" Reve lifted a brow. He'd been in the guild for years and always saw how stressed Calium was.

"You'd basically be turning into an old man…" Taya remarked. "Your hair will turn white like Cyg's."

"Bite me." Cygnus huffed.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Jaxon nodded. "Over these last few days I've been thinking a lot. I knew that picking a guild master was going to be difficult. The idea of having to keep an eye on all of you already stresses me out, but I think I can take care of this. It's a lot of weight to bear…but it will be made easier if you all supported me in this decision."

"Taking Calium's mantle won't be easy…" Royal said with a stern tone. "But if you're serious about this, then I'm behind you."

"I know I just got here a few days ago…but I'm with you too!" Jin spoke with a nod.

"I don't have a problem with it." Luke voiced his opinion. In the end the general consensus was to let Jaxon take the role.

"Then it's settled." Reve walked up the stairs to stand next to Jaxon. "White Eclipse's next guild master: Jaxon Meteoro."

A small sigh of relief escaped Jaxon. Admittedly he was a little worried there would be some objections. Either nobody else wanted the role, or he was just the only one who was fit for it. Either way…he'd do his best to guide White Eclipse like Calium and Mary did before them. "Thanks, guys. Let's keep doing what we always do. Because. It's always…"

"White Eclipse or second place!" The guild cheered the mantra that hadn't been spoken in over a year. It felt real good.

* * *

Five days since Fairy Tail's return. Lucy was in her old apartment, humming in the shower. Ever since the guild returned, most of her dark thoughts faded away. Although she didn't exactly feel 100%, she could at least smile and laugh again. There were just some things that still ate away at her scarred heart; the irrefutable facts of last year. Emmeraude did attack and endanger Fairy Tail because of her, she did hurt and try to kill her comrades, and Sophie did die because of her, and there was still no concrete reason as to why Makarov decided to disband the guild right after the incident. Those things couldn't be disputed…not to mention her head did kind of hurt again from the after effects of being infected by Lambda. The one who could probably relate to Lucy the most was Cynthia. The Tartarus incident likely still weighed heavily on the girl's mind as well…

"One step at a time…" Lucy muttered before sinking into the water of what was now a bath. Instead of focusing on the negatives, she tried to focus on the positives! "I got my old house back…how lucky! And the landlord seems fine too…"

 _"Where's my money!"_

Eh…she'd ignore that for now. This was much needed Lucy time. "The rest of the girls still have their dorms and houses. Well, I'm sure a few have relocated but at least everyone has a place they can call home!" Lucy wasn't in Magnolia during the time of Emmeraude's revolution, but she heard the story of how the former Queen turned the people of Fiore against the guild. After a year they apologized and were on good terms with Fairy Tail once again. Lucy was within her own thoughts once again, but unlike before, she didn't fall into the depths of depression. After some time she got up from the bath and wrapped a towel around herself. "Phew…that was refreshing!"

And when Lucy walked into the main room of her apartment…Natsu and Happy were already there. "Yo!" Natsu lifted a hand while giving an innocent smile. There were some chips in his hand, presumably Lucy's.

"YOU'RE IN MY ROOM AGAIN!?" Things didn't change with him! Lucy reared her leg back before shooting it forward instinctively. How many times was she going to have to teach him this lesson!? "I've told you a thousand times! DON'T. COME. IN. WHENEVER. YOU. FEEL. LIKE. IT!" With a battle cry, Lucy aimed an infamous Lucy kick at Natsu's skull….but he caught her ankle before it landed.

"Like that'll work!" Natsu grinned smugly. Perhaps the biggest result of his training was finally being able to deal with a Lucy Kick. After catching Lucy he ended up holding her upside down and now she was desperately trying to cover herself.

"EEEK! PUT ME DOWN!" Lucy squealed.

"We got work!" Natsu flashed a smile.

"Woooooork!" Happy repeated.

"Work!?" Lucy's eyes lit up and in her excitement she accidently threw off her towel. "AAAAAAAAAH!" With a sudden burst of strength she managed to free herself from Natsu's grip and vanished into her room, making sure to lock the door behind her as she changed.

"Dunno why she acts like I haven't seen it before…" Natsu shrugged. The grin on his face faded and a more serious expression replaced it. It had been five days since Fairy Tail came back. It was clear to him that Lucy was feeling much better…but he still had somethings to say. He couldn't let this chance slip by.

It only took Lucy a few minutes to get changed. When she stepped out of her room she was ready to go! "Alright! Let's get to work…!"

"…You're still mad at me, aren't you?" Natsu asked.

The question caught Lucy off guard. It wasn't far from the truth, but she just wasn't expecting it. Honestly she wanted to avoid the topic for a little longer, but she couldn't forever. "…Just a little." She admitted. "But over the last few days, not so much. Because after seeing everyone again…it made me glad that I decided to believe in you. That never changed."

"…." Natsu was silent for a moment. Lucy's words did bring a slight smile to his face. Knowing that she still believed in him was a positive sign. "Back then…Emmeraude made me feel really weak." Natsu admitted, clenching his hand into a fist. "I hate to admit it, but she played me…she played us all. She kept saying how we weren't strong enough to save you when you really needed it. In a way, I felt like she was right. You were right there in front of me, suffering, and I couldn't save you. I wasn't able to finish her off and we almost lost everything as a result…"

"Natsu…" Lucy stared at Natsu. She vaguely remembered him saying this back in Avatar. She was so upset back then most of what he said was blocked out.

"So that's part of why I left too." Natsu said. "Because I wanted to get stronger for you and for everyone. There was something else I needed to do, too…" Which largely had to do with the bandages around his left arm. "I didn't know how you felt…but if I had known, I would have invited you too!" He said, mostly thinking that would make Lucy feel a little better. "So…I'm sorry for not being able to help you back then."

"You're sorry for that…?" Lucy did manage a small smile. Even though the apology wasn't the best and a little repetitive…the attempt was there. Natsu was trying to mend things between them. She couldn't just outright forgive him immediately, but he was making an effort and she had to meet him halfway. She was still mad, but in the end, they were partners. "…It's okay. You saved me in the end, and that's all that matters to me."

"…So we're good?" Natsu held his hand up for a high five.

"…." Lucy stared at her hand and then Natsu's. When was the last time they shared a high five? Too long. Just as she lifted her hand, her vision grew blurry and she stumbled a little bit. "Ngh…"

"Are you okay?" Happy asked, concerned.

"Lucy?" Natsu took a step forward but Lucy managed to right herself.

"I-I'm fine…" Lucy said while waving her hands. "I just…get some headaches here and there after what happened last year. I think when that girl used her virus magic on me it stirred it up again. But it's okay." The celestial mage was fine after a few moments and forced a smile. It seemed there were still some things she wasn't ready to talk about yet. "So, what's this work!?"

* * *

Sometimes you should be careful what you ask for. When Lucy heard 'work' she was not expecting to be doing heavy labor. Fairy Tail's ruins were now a construction site as the reconstruction of the guild was underway; even though the building itself was reduced to rubble, the foundation of it still remained somewhere in there. The blonde was lugging a heavy log and sighing the whole time. "So _this_ was work?"

"Don't complain!" Natsu beamed.

"We've got to bring the guild back quick!" Happy chimed.

"We could finish this faster if everyone chipped in." Erza said, also taking a brief glance at Zelos who was just loitering around the construction site. "Let's build an amazing one so the Master will be pleased when he sees it."

"I wonder if the Master is coming back…" Laki mumbled.

"I'm sure he'll come back soon." Warren spoke nonchalantly while fiddling with his lacrima device.

"Well, even if he doesn't, we could look for him." Max said confidently.

"Wanted posters, baby!" Reedus pointed to the wanted poster he made for Makarov. The reward? 500 jewels.

"You're treating him like a criminal!" Vijeeter exclaimed. "And the reward is pretty cheap!"

"That aside…aren't you going to help?" Gray was on a latter, nailing a few nails in place. He was speaking to Zelos who was just watching everyone work.

"Have you seen these hands? They're not meant for heavy duty labor." Zelos remarked. The most annoying part about that comment was that Zelos' hands were always gloved. "Besides, with all of you hard at work, someone has to stand around and look good. But if one of the lovely ladies asked, I'd be more than happy to lend my assistance."

"…I really want to punch you." Gray grit his teeth in annoyance. Zelos was so infuriating most of the time. But even if he did punch Zelos he just felt like that annoying smile of his would just appear. With a heavy sigh he turned his attention to Juvia. "Handle me that nail, Juvia."

Juvia smiled contently and lifted a hand, creating a gentle wave of water to carry a few nails over to Gray. "Yes, Gray-sama!"

"Don't get them wet…" Gray grumbled before taking the nails and hammering them into the wood.

Jet and Droy were standing next to one another, partaking in some gossip surrounding Gray and Juvia. "Hey, didja hear, those two were living together at one point. Is that true?" Jet asked a few others.

"No way, man," Droy remarked while chewing on an ice pop. "I heard they got married."

"Yeah, I heard they've got kids now." Nab chimed in.

"Wait…" Macao was in on this now too. "I heard he was cheating on her with Lucy…"

"A lover…!?" Romeo gasped.

"And secretly with Erza too…" Wakaba added.

Zelos wormed his way into the gossip, fueling the fire with his false information since he was well aware of the truth. "Probably snuck some time in with Mira-chan, too. I didn't take Gray for such a player…"

"HOW FAR ARE YOU GUYS GOING WITH THIS?!" Gray overheard the conversation and could not believe what they were saying! He then moved into the circle to clarify the situation. "Listen…here's the truth. I wouldn't say we lived together. She just…moved in and refused to leave. So…yeah."

"I…I see…" Macao seemed a little disheartened. The truth wasn't nearly as juicy as the rumors they were spinning.

"Teehee…" Juvia giggled in the background.

While everyone else was hard at work, Lisanna was swiftly passing bottles of water to those on break, zipping between people without missing a beat. "Get your refreshments here!"

"Huh. You're good at this." Natsu commented.

Lisanna spun a bottle around between her finger tips, giving Natsu a wink. "Yeah! I've been doing some waiting work with Mira-nee for this past year!"

"Elfman too!?" Happy asked in shock, imagining Elfman donning a waiter outfit and serving people.

"Actually…" Lisanna scratched her cheek. "Elf-nii said something about going on Man's Training, and just disappeared."

"Oh…?" Natsu felt a grin stretching on his lips. "I'm gonna go pick a fight with him later…"

Suddenly, Elfman towered over Natsu, a smirk drawn on his lips as a fist rested within his open palm. "I could do it now if you want to though."

"Elf-nii…" Lisanna's expression had 'oh no' written all over it.

Levy was off on her own, sitting on a desk with a stack of papers next to her. Cynthia and Wendy noticed Levy hard at work and they both decided to pop in on her. "What are you doing, Levy-san? Wendy asked, trying to peer over to see the paper.

"Hmm…sorting out the documents and those kinds of things." Levy said.

"Huh?" Cynthia tilted her head. "I don't get it. Documents for what?"

"You can't just bring back a guild with words." Levy explained. "We have to make sure we get permission from the Council, or we'll be no different than dark guilds."

"Oh…that sounds a little annoying…" Cynthia stared at the stack of papers Levy was working with. "And tedious…"

 _"I'm getting tired just looking at it…"_ Said Verona, making Cynthia yawn from the topic.

"…Don't mind her." Cynthia laughed nervously. At this point she did inform the others of Verona, but right now she wasn't deemed as dangerous as Rose, so they just had to deal with it for the time being.

"Well, we've done our research on that for the past year, so we'll be okay." Pantherlily said.

"That's pretty sweet of you guys." Carla smiled, taking a sip of her tea.

"So in that sense, I have to make sure Fairy Tail's comeback is done without problems." Levy was still just staring at a particular box, though.

"Thank you, Levy-san!" Wendy began to weep comically. Cynthia just patted her partner on the back.

"I just…have to fill in this box though…" Levy sighed, her pen tapping against an empty category.

Mira peered over Levy's shoulders and agreed. "Oh yeah…that's a tough one, huh…"

"Which box is it?" Cynthia asked.

"Who will be our…seventh guild master be?" Said Levy. That was the box that Levy had yet to fill.

"The seventh guild master…" That was a really hard question. One that Wendy couldn't even begin to think on.

"Well…I could be it if no one else wants to…" Macao threw his hat into the ring once again.

"Please, dad no…!" Romeo didn't want that at all.

"Gildarts sounds like a fine idea." Wakaba suggested.

"NO!" Cana immediately yelled. "There's no way in hell anyone would want a nomadic guild master like him!"

"Maybe we can get a stand in until the Master comes back?" Carla suggested.

"It's possible…" Lily had to think it over.

"But this time around, the guild is way different from before. Who'd be able to control this bunch other than the Sixth?" Cana asked.

And as they had this discussion, Elfman slugged Natsu right across cheek to send him tumbling backwards. "How'd ya like that!?"

"Whoooah!" Natsu grunted out as he was sent backwards. After landing he wiped his cheek with the back of his hand. "Heh…that's a pretty nice punch you've got!

"Do your best, guys!" Lisanna cheered them on. There was nothing wrong with a little fun!

"They've sure gotten stronger, haven't they?" Alzack laughed while watching Natsu and Elfman.

"Well, this isn't the time for you to be gaining a belly, huh?" Bisca teased her husband.

"Papa, pot-belly!" Asuka grinned.

"Well then!" Natsu reared his fist back and slammed it right into Elfman's chest. Elfman's much larger stature was pushed back from the blow.

Elfman fell back so far he ended up crashing into Gray. "Hey!" The icemaker shouted.

Elfman ignored Gray, smirking at Natsu after feeling the power of his punch. "How manly…"

"THAT FRICKEN HURT!" Gray yelled, swinging his leg to kick Elfman in the back of the head. Gray managed to knock Elfman over, but the moment he did…

"TAKE THIS!" Natsu lunged forward, his sandal colliding with Gray's face. It was starting: a good old Fairy Tail guild brawl.

"OOOH! IT'S A FIGHT!" Jet dashed forward. "Let's join in!"

"Let's go all out then!" Cana reared her arm back, preparing to join the fun.

Loke suddenly appeared, adjusting the cuffs on his suit with a grin. "Oh, this brings back memories…"

"Eh!?" Lucy stared as Loke appeared out of thin air. "Loke!? What are you…?!"

"YOU'RE ALL UNDER ARREST!" Gajeel shouted at the top of his lungs, now joining the ensuing brawl. Natsu, Gray, Cana, Loke, Jet, Max, Elfman, and Gajeel were all throwing punches at one another.

Elfman had a few tears streaming down his cheeks as the fight continued, but he was smiling nonetheless. "That hurt, ya bastard…!"

Mira watched on with a soft smile. She was happy to see Elfman able to smile now as well. _"That's nice, Elfman. Just like with Lucy and Cynthia, no one blamed you for your actions. No one blamed you for the destruction of the guild, either. I know you've been beating yourself up over it…and that's why you said you were gonna get stronger…"_ Mira's thoughts were cut off as a wine bottle flew in from left field and collided against her skull. Mira went down pretty easily but she didn't seem too upset about it. Meanwhile, Wendy and Cynthia both shrieked as Mira was collateral from the ongoing brawl.

"Mira…!" Lucy gasped before turning her attention to the others. She clenched her hand into a fist and took a step forward angrily. "Hey, you guys!" She would have kept going, but the sound of Erza's boot thunderously slamming onto the ground caused her to freeze.

Erza's lips curled into a scowl, a look of utter disdain on her face. She was annoyed that they picked now of all times to fool around. " ** _Get to work_ _."_**

Dead silence. Everyone was too frightened to speak against Erza in fear that she may actually kill them. Somehow the broom got stuck into Max's rear. Nobody really knew how that happened, but there was a collective response from all parties involved: "Okay…."

"…That was hot. What a woman." Zelos stared at Erza with heart eyes from afar. That was the kind of bossing around he needed in his life.

While the others were shocked, Erza's display of authority made Levy chuckle. It looked like she finally had an idea on how to fill that last box. "I guess that settles it then. Our Seventh Guild Master…Erza Scarlet." A resounding cheer from the others told Levy that everyone else agreed with this idea.

Erza, on the other hand, was not prepared for this turn of events and immediately became flustered. "W-Wait up…hold on…! Me…? The Seventh? That's…"

"There's no one better than you." Mest said as he appeared on the scene. His sudden appearance caused everyone to turn in his direction.

"Mest-san….?" Wendy whispered.

"It's been a while. I've been waiting for all of you to come together again." Mest's tone was serious as he stood before everyone. "The only ones who can save the Sixth master, Makarov…are you guys."

.

.

Next Time: The Alvarez Kingdom.


	26. Chapter 26: The Alvarez Kingdom

Mest led Erza down to the guild's underground. It was a well-hidden area that not many people had access to. Erza folded her arms across her armored chest, glancing around. "I didn't think there'd be something like this under the guild…"

"Well, the entrance isn't easy to find." Mest clarified.

"So…Mest…why is it only me that can come down here?" Erza asked, recalling how upset Natsu was that he was barred from entering. _"Natsu was pretty pissed off…"_

"That's because you're the seventh guild master." Mest explained. "We're about to entered restricted grounds now. Under normal circumstances, even I wouldn't be allowed here. But as Guild Master, it's only right that you know about Fairy Tail's biggest secret." Mest opened the large double doors before them, revealing to Erza the largest secret: Lumen Histoire. The body of Mavis Vermillion inside of a crystal.

Erza gasped as she tried to register the shock of what she was seeing. "The First…!?"

"WHOA!" Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Wendy, Cynthia, Happy, Carla, and Zelos all tumbled over from the corner.

"STOP PUSHING!" Gray yelled.

"HEY, HANDS OFF!" Lucy shrieked.

Well…their cover was blown now. Erza turned her head, a surprised that the others clearly violated the 'don't follow me' she issued for them. "You guys…"

"Man…" Mest sighed. "And even after I told you guys that this place is for Guild Master's only…" But he should've known better at this point.

"That's not fair! You should let us in on it too!" Natsu argued.

"Wait…" Gray's jaw dropped. "What the hell? Is that the First?"

"She's naked!" Natsu's attention shifted to Mavis' body.

And Lucy was quick to clasp her hands over his eyes to prevent him from seeing anymore. "Okay, enough with the staring…"

Unfortunately there was another pair of prying eyes: Zelos. Since everyone tried their hardest to ignore his presence…they didn't actually realize that he snuck into forbidden grounds until just at this very moment. "So, who's _this_ cutie?" And yes, there were hearts in his eyes.

"What the…!?" Mest gasped. "Why is he here?!"

Everyone turned to Zelos. Carla transformed and clasped her hands over the red head's eyes roughly to prevent him from seeing anything. "W-We don't know…I think we blocked him out from our field of perception because of how annoying he is…"

"Aw…Carla-chan, if you wanted to hold my hand you could have just said so~" Zelos hummed. The moment he spoke, Carla immediately regretted her decision to even touch him and backed away.

"…" Carla's mind wandered and she shuddered. "…I regret touching him."

"We're not going to get rid of him. He sticks to us like glue for some reason…" Cynthia sighed. There really was no point in trying to remove Zelos from the area. He already saw…whatever this was. "What _is_ this anyway…?"

"I can't explain that with him here." Mest stared at Zelos. "You need to leave."

"Aw…" Zelos pouted. "Just think of me as an extension of Mii-chan. She was a part of the guild, and we are the same after all. So it should be fine. Besides, your memory stuff won't work on me; I never forget a pretty face or a cute body."

"That's gross." Lucy gagged.

"But if I had to guess, is this the invisible person you guys kept talking to? I've made it a point to acquaint myself to all the lovely ladies here, but not once have I seen this woman. But you keep talking to someone as if they're around…so I can only surmise that it's someone I can't see." Zelos nodded a few times. They were a little stunned he was able to figure all this out at a first glance.

"…I didn't realize you were this sharp. But because you're sharp, you must know what I have to do next." Erza cut her eyes at Zelos. It was clear he had no intentions on leaving, and Mest did mention that time was of the essence, so… "As the Seventh Guild master…I'll take care of him." She walked up and slammed her fist into Zelos' gut.

"Hrk…!" Zelos crumbled to the ground. Was he unconscious? Probably.

"NO FAIR!" Gray yelled. "I wanted to do that…"

"I feel a little bad…" Wendy muttered while sheepishly poking her fingers together.

So…Zelos aside, there were many questions that needed answering. "This is her in the flesh?" Happy asked. "Is she still alive?"

"Why's she crystallized under the guild?" Carla tilted her head.

Erza turned back to Mest. "Explain."

Mest was silent for a moment. "I don't even know myself if I'm to be honest. But, one thing's for sure; she's here for a really important reason."

"That aside, where's Gramps!?" Natsu yelled, completely shafting the issue of Mavis aside.

"That aside, he says…" Lucy sighed.

Suddenly, images began to flash in everyone's mind. "What's this…? Inside my head…?" Wendy placed a hand against her forehead.

"Images?" Erza questioned.

"My memories." Mest explained.

* * *

[Flashback]

" _12 years back…oh, but maybe 5 years back for you Tenoru people…I was given a mission by Makarov."_

12 years ago in the Fairy Tail guild. A young Mest Gryder stood in shock at the mission given to him by the guild master. "Work undercover at the Council?"

"It's something only you could do." Makarov said, sitting crossed legged on the table with his eyes closed.

"So, what am I to steal then?" Mest said cockily.

"It's not that kind of mission." Makarov explained. "I want you to be our inside man, feeding us information regarding the western continent.

"So…it's stealing?" Mest stared.

"I don't need you to do anything like that, so don't. Just…make sure you pick up as much as you can about the western continent and keep me updated." Said Makarov.

"Why…?" Mest was confused. This was the first time he really heard Makarov mention something about the western continent.

"Just do it, please. It's for the protection of our guild."

It was hard to argue with an answer like that. Mest let out a soft sigh before finally agreeing. "Fine. But if I'm gonna do this; I might as well be thorough about it. So I'll erase my own memories too…"

"Don't…" Makarov already knew that was more trouble than it was worth…

One month later.

Mest met up with Makarov as the member of the Council. Unfortunately his investigation didn't show too many merits just yet. "Hmm…it might've been because we stopped interacting with them so much, but I'm not getting much information."

"Hmm…I see…" Makarov nodded. He wasn't entirely surprised, it had only been a month after all.

"Oh yeah…and the guild is becoming a pretty sensitive topic in the Council. Can't Natsu hold back a little?" Mest groaned.

"So, you're serious about erasing your own memories, huh…?" Makarov asked.

"It's no problem. There's a way to get it back, and you have the keys." Mest shrugged at the notion. It was for his mission after all.

"That's handy of you…" Makarov was about to name drop, but Mest cut him off.

"Whoops! Call me Doranbolt. That's my name now." Mest cleared that up before it became an issue.

A few months later…

Makarov met with Mest again, however since his memories were erased, he didn't know what his meeting was about. "What does Fairy Tail's master want with me? I remember seeing you a month before or something, but…."

"I was right. This is such a pain…" Makarov groaned. Having to restore Mest's memories every meeting was a tedious affair.

And months later….

Mest and Lahar were sitting together in the cafeteria. After hearing that Fairy Tail's master was here for him once again, the wheels started turning in his memory lacking head. "Fairy Tail's master is here for me again?"

"This is becoming frequent…" Lahar grumbled.

"…I've got a great idea…" An evil smile crossed Mest's lips. "I'll infiltrate that nasty guild with my powers!"

"Oooooh..!" Lahar liked the sound of this! Maybe he'd find something that could help them against Fairy Tail.

"Let's see…I'll start by overwriting Makarov's memories and making him believe that I'm one of them under the name Mest!" The irony of it all. Perhaps the constant deletion and restoration of his memories began to interfere and mix with one another. This was the start of the problems he caused later on. Mest opened his mouth, beginning to chew on Lahar's head in a comical manner. "Oh, I'm so curious! I need to know Fairy Tail's dirt!"

* * *

"…So that's why you were at Tenoru with us…" Erza was glad to finally know that.

"Hey." Natsu and Gray held deadpanned expressions at this new information.

"…Really sorry about that. That's my bad." Mest frowned.

* * *

Back to the flashback. 7 years after the Tenorujima incident was the Grand Magic Games; the first of which the Tenoru team competed in. Mest managed to meet with Makarov in the hallway while one of the fights went on in the stadium. "It's been too long…" Makarov spoke with a soft smile.

Mest had tears streaming down his cheeks. For so long he believed that everyone on the island was killed when Acnologia attacked. "I'm glad you're alive…you and everyone at the guild, too…"

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that for so long. Let's end your mission then, come back to Fairy Tail." Makarov said.

"No…." Mest shook his head. "It was something I decided on my own anyway. I can't stop here. I'm nearly there…it's probably the information you've been looking for…" Makarov's eyes widened. All this time…and the information he needed was within reach…

" _And four years later, right after the battle with Emmeraude ended…"_

It was the night before Makarov made his announcement to disband Fairy Tail. Mest was the first person he wanted to tell. The two of them stood at the guild's remains after it was destroyed by the former Queen. "I'm ending Fairy Tail." The Sixth told him. The two of them were still wounded from their encounter with Emmeraude as well.

"Huh!?" Mest's eyes widened.

"The information I've gotten from you all along was for a personal investigation. This is the only way I could save the guild." Makarov explained.

"You're disbanding the guild over the results of the investigation!? And why now? I don't get it!" Mest yelled. It didn't make sense. Why now, after the biggest threat to the country and perhaps the continent was finally in captivity?!

"It doesn't matter." Makarov turned to look over his shoulder. "The Kingdom of Alvarez in the western continent…is one that is very, very dangerous."

"So what about it!? That country attempted to invade Ishgar 13 years ago but failed!" Mest's voice was still high. He didn't understand Makarov's intentions.

"Do you know why the failed?" Makarov began. "Lumen Histoire. The reason why Alvarez invaded 10 years ago was solely to obtain it for themselves. They didn't fail, either…but were merely stopped with the help of the Council."

It clicked. Mest's eyes widened as the revelation hit. "Etherion…"

"And from what we know, Face was supposed to be the Council's backup plan if they needed one." The Sixth continued. "Although…making something like that was extremely difficult for the other countries to accept. They wouldn't go at Alvarez if they had the choice. I assume you've heard the news recently? The Council is without leaderships…many Wizard Saints have abdicated their roles, Face has been destroyed, and the Etherion can't work without the vote of the Saints. Do you know what this means?"

"Ishgar has lost its only defense against Alvarez…?" Mest said.

"Yes. The invasion will begin once more." Makarov's tone was low and serious. The gravity of the situation was one only he alone understood.

"I still don't understand!" Mest continued to object to the notion of Fairy Tail disbanding. "What does that have to do with disbanding the guild!? If anything…Alvarez should have attacked when Emmeraude was ruling, then. If they wanted to strike when we were most vulnerable, that is. But if they're coming for us, we have to fight back! That's what Fairy Tail is for! That's what it does! You saw how everyone acted against Emmeraude, why can't we fight like this again!?"

"No." Makarov cut him off. "Despite her goals…I'm certain that Alvarez wouldn't have been so foolish to strike with her on the throne. She aimed for the world and had the means to do so. She didn't require the power of Face…she didn't need to use the Etherion Cannon…she had power of her own. That Lambda creature and her intentions with it…that would have been trouble for Alvarez. In a way, she prevented the invasion from happening despite the internal turmoil we experienced. As to why we can't fight back…it is admittedly for the same reason I initially didn't want to fight Emmeraude. Power."

Mest was still confused. "Power? I don't…"

"The whole reason I'm disbanding. There are about 500 guilds in Ishgar, Fairy Tail included. And for the kingdom on the western continent…there are roughly 730 of them, all of them coming together to form a gigantic kingdom. The military-run kingdom of Alvarez." Makarov said this calmly…

But Mest? Mest couldn't believe those numbers. "…That's…"

"730 of them against one is like taking candy from a baby. Furthermore…there are mages on that continent that almost rival Emmeraude in power." The more he talked about it, the more he began to sweat. Makarov knew the situation could potentially be dire and it was important to him to keep everyone else out of it. No matter which way he looked at it…they were outmanned, outgunned, and outmatched.

Mest began to shake. This couldn't be real! Mages like Emmeraude existed in that kingdom!? "No way…" The mage recalled Team Natsu's final battle against the Queen….and how at the very end, they weren't able to defeat her. If there were more like that potentially coming after them, then… "So what do we do!?"

"I will go to Alvarez." Makarov turned his back to Mest. "I'll let them know that we've got Lumen Histoire if they are ever to attack. And I will stall for as long as I can. This will be a gamble…but if the guild can get back on its feet in time…"

"WAIT A MINUTE!" Mest raised his voice, but Makarov ignored him to keep speaking.

"If I fall, the kids at the guild will be next. AND I CANNOT LET THAT HAPPEN! SO FORGET ABOUT THE GUILD'S HISTORY AND WHAT IT WAS! THERE'S NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN FAMILY SO I WILL DISBAND!" After his yelling, the old master proceeded to cough profusely. Old age was catching up to him…he was reminded of that when he fought Emmeraude.

The tears started to fall. Makarov was doing this because he cared…but Mest also cared about Makarov. After hearing the potential that the Alvarez Empire was packing…how could he not be worried? "But Master…you can't stop a country all on your own. It's like you're going on a suicide mission…"

"Well, I carry the lives of my family. That's what a parent ought to do!" Makarov said firmly. His mind was made up. Truly, he was a parent who would do anything for his kids.

* * *

After listening to the story, Natsu and the others stood in surprise at what they learned. "So…Gramps went to that…whatchacallit country and isn't back yet!?"

"He disbanded the guild to protect us…" Erza said.

"So…it wasn't because of me…?" Lucy asked. The biggest weight on her mind began to vanish as she learned the truth.

"That's right." Mest nodded. He could only imagine the burden Lucy was bearing all this time, but now it was finally time for her to let go of some more of that lingering guilt. "He was…worried about Alvarez."

"And you haven't heard from him in over a year…?" Gray tilted his head.

"Yeah." Mest reaffirmed.

"Didn't you try stopping him, Mest?" Happy asked.

"You really think he would have listened?" Carla's reply contained a little bit of sass.

"I wonder if he's okay…" Cynthia rocked her head back and forth. It was a lot to take in.

"It's worrying…" Wendy's gaze went elsewhere.

"We can't tell if we're dealing with them, or if the country has isolated itself." Mest paused, preparing to offer up the possibility no one wanted to hear. "Or even…"

"Stop, please." Erza cut him off. She knew where that was going and didn't want to hear it.

"I've been following Makarov's orders and working to bring a functional Council back. Siegrain's disappearance along with some of the Saints leaving their seats didn't help. But right now, we've got the help of Master Warrod and a few others." Mest changed the topic to the subject of their defenses as of now.

"Oh yeah…" Lucy recalled speaking with Lyon back in Lamia Scale. "The Council wanted to know his whereabouts too."

"Master Warrod knows what's happening, but I'm certain the rest don't. However, the threat they feel from Alvarez is the same. They've been sending reinforcements to the west and strengthening their defenses there."

"But if the old man's trick worked, he would've been back by now…!" Gray said, realizing the contradiction in all of this.

"Well, yeah…" Mest nodded. "But…like I said, we can't be sure if it's because he hasn't heard of this, or if he can't make it back."

"If he can't make it began, we'll go help him." Natsu suggested immediately.

"Yeah…" Mest said. "I've done what the Master told me to. So from now on, I'll be doing what I want to as a member of Fairy Tail."

"If everyone's together, we're unbeatable!" Happy cheered.

"Let's all go!" Carla pumped a paw into the air.

Erza had to be the voice of reason, extending her arm out to the side to cut off everyone's excitement. "Wait. We're up against an enemy that the Master himself felt he couldn't beat. An enemy that's supposedly as strong as Emmeraude…we can't go there without a plan."

"We don't need a plan!" Natsu argued. "We've all powered up in the past year! I ain't gonna lose, no matter how strong they are!"

Erza's expression turned serious. It seemed they just didn't understand their position, or her own. "So are you telling me that you plan to trample on the Master's feelings despite knowing he's there to by us time? Rebuilding the guild and getting Fairy Tail back on its feet…I want everyone in the guild to smile again. After all, it's been a year since we've even seen each other. These are my feelings as the Seventh Master."

In other words…Erza the Guild Master didn't want them to do anything. It was already hard to go against Erza, but now that she was a guild master, defying her became even more frightful. "Erza-san…" Wendy frowned.

"I…" Cynthia averted her gaze to the ground. She felt it really difficult to argue with that.

"Hey, that's…!" Gray objected, or rather, tried to.

"But…my feelings as another member of the guild are different." Erza's expression grew less serious, but her tone remained all the same. "We must rescue the master at all costs! And that's why, only those here now will go." That was what they wanted to hear! "We're better off in small numbers. Infiltrate the Alvarez Kingdom and rescue the Master…and then we'll talk. This isn't a fight. We're going there on a rescue mission, so don't pick any unnecessary fights and don't make a fuss over things." The seventh master then slid into closer to Natsu, her brown eyes piercing into his soul. "You hear me, Natsu?"

"Y-Yeah…" He felt a little attacked, but it was whatever. "We'll save Gramps for sure!"

Zelos then sprang up, wrapping an arm around Erza. "And this is why you're one of my favorites, Erza-chan! So assertive, commanding, and passionate! Any man would be lucky you have you-" And Erza's subconscious response was to judo flip Zelos onto his back. "GNK!"

"H-How long has he been awake!?" Lucy spoke with widened eyes.

"This whole time…" Zelos groaned while trying to pick himself up. "It was such a stimulating conversation…and I actually…have a way of getting…some information if you are really going against Alvarez. Strictly for my favorite place to hang out, after all…"

Mest was nearly tempted to erase Zelos' memories…but he said he had a way of getting information that could help. Zelos may have been…annoying to deal with, but whenever he did help, he at least put forth some effort. "…What kind of information…?"

* * *

On the surface, Gajeel could hear everything being discussed below. "Huh…so they're sneaking out…"

"What's wrong, Gajeel?" Lily asked.

"A small number for infiltration…huh, I see…" Gajeel felt a plan formulate in his mind. "I guess we've got to get moving too…"

Juvia walked around, head swiveling from side to side as she tried to locate Gray. "Cana-san, have you seen Gray-sama?"

The wrong person to ask. Cana was drunk and laughed it off. "I drank him all up with my booze, hahahahaha!"

Juvia immediately moved forward, placing her hands on Cana's jaw to pry her mouth open violently. "HOW COULD YOU!? GRAY-SAMA!"

Mira happened to pass by with a tray of mugs in hand. "He went with Natsu and Lucy a while back. Apparently they were following Erza and Mest."

"Lucy…again…?" Juvia began to sweat as her mind wandered. She imagined Lucy and Gray touching hands…and suddenly they were…they were…! Well, before she could think anymore, Gajeel's arm rested on her head, and flattered her against the table. "Guh…Gajeel-kun…"

"What, you wanna drink with me?" Cana teased.

"We're forming the B Team." Gajeel stated.

"The B team?" Mira blinked.

"Ain't the Games over already?" Cana tilted her head.

"We're gonna go find that Lightning Bastard." Gajeel smirked.

"Lightning…?" The mere mention of it caused Lily to sweat.

"What's all this…?" Mira was interested.

"Wait…you know where Laxus is!?" Cana asked.

* * *

The Council building. Levy made a trip to hand in the paperwork concerning Fairy Tail's revival. Jura Neekis acted as the 5th Wizard Saint once again and looked over it all. "Hmm…no problems with this paperwork. Well done! Erza is a good choice for the new guild master, by the way."

"And with this, Fairy Tail is officially back in business!" Levy looked up to Jura with a wide grin.

"Yes. Here's to hoping you find Makarov fast, then." Jura nodded. "It's such a shame to lose someone as capable as you in the Council though, Levy."

"Eheh…sorry…" Levy rubbed the back of her head.

The next person to arrive was Jaxon, who calmly entered the door with the paperwork in hand. "Sorry I'm late. I suppose I give this to you?" The weather god asked, handing the paperwork to Jaxon. "Oh hey Levy…long time no see."

"Jaxon…? If you're here, then…" Levy already knew what it meant.

"That's right. White Eclipse is back." Jaxon said with a firm nod. "Furthermore…"

"You're taking on the role of Guild Master?" Jura looked over the paperwork. There were no problems with it; he was just surprised that Jaxon was taking the mantle. "I suppose Calium, Mary, and Sidney are still absent."

"Yup." Jaxon nodded to both Jura, and Levy's ensuing shock.

"A-Are you sure you can handle being responsible for…all of them?" Levy was semi aware that White Eclipse could be just as bad as Fairy Tail at times.

"We're nowhere near as rambunctious as you all." Jaxon pointed out.

Warrod stood in as the 4th Wizard Saint. He was standing in the corner, watering his plants with a soft chuckle as he overheard the conversation. "Hoho…"

"Master Warrod seems awfully cheerful…" Jura glanced at the old tree man.

"I thought it was a joke at first when they said they were disbanding." Warrod hummed. He looked cheerful on the outside, but internally he was serious. Fairy Tail's revival was up first, now came the second part of the plan. _"All that's left is for Mest to rescue Makarov as planned…"_

"Master Warrod…! The water's overflowing!" Levy warned Warrod as he was within his thoughts.

"Oh no, that's just me doing my business!" Warrod replied without missing a beat, causing Levy and Jaxon to deadpan. "Just kidding."

"…I don't like this…" Jaxon grumbled. He was about to leave, but an overbearing presence made itself known…in the form of a slouching old man.

"Old Man Warrod…how long are you planning to fool about like that?" This was the 3rd Wizard Saint and one of the Four Kings of Ishgar: Wolfheim."

"Master Wolfhiem…! You were here!?" Jura gasped.

" _Woah…that's one of the four Kings of Ishgar…!"_ Levy's eyes widened.

"Huh…" Jaxon crossed his arms. _"Not as strong as the old man…but I can feel why he's up so high on the ladder…"_

"Oohhh! Wolfheim, my boy! Still got that weird name?" Warrod laughed, but his comment only angered Wolfheim. "I'm kidding! Kidding!" Wolfheim's form then grew larger; a hulking beast now loomed over Warrod with a deathly stare. "Hey, hey, hey…!"

"This is hardly the time for gardening, especially when we've got our fair share of trouble with the Alvarez Kingdom!" Wolfheim snarled.

"…Hey." Warrod said once again.

"Eek…!" Levy felt a cold sweat bead down her forehead.

"Please…stop, Master Wolfheim!" Jura pleaded.

"That's a yikes…." Jaxon tugged at his shirt collar.

"Stop this now." Another voice interjected. This was the acting 2nd Wizard Saint: Hyberion. His appearance made Levy and Jura sweat, while Warrod, Wolfheim, and Jaxon seemed fine about it. In his hand, a gigantic wine glass that was half empty…or half full, however you want to look at it. "We're no longer Wizards unbound by duty. Now that we're working with the Council, we must ensure that Wizards stay safe."

This was too much for Levy. She collapsed from being in the same room with three of the four Kings of Ishgar. "Whoa…three of them…all in the same room."

"I can see why they're called that. They are pretty impressive…" Jaxon extended his hand to Levy to help her up. "But you shouldn't be collapsing just from that."

"It's true that tensions are rising…and it's our job to neutralize those threats." Hyberion said while pouring some more wine into his glass. "If war breaks out, we're done for. We need a way to deal with this peacefully."

The fact that one of the strongest mages in Fiore was saying this was bad enough. "I-Is Alvarez really that strong?" Levy asked, her body trembling from the thought of them being outmatched even with the strength she knew they had.

"God who?" Jaxon blinked several times. "I don't like to brag, but I'd like to think I know plenty about Gods, and I've never heard about him…"

"The Wizard that was once one of the Four Kings of Ishgar…and formerly the first of the 10 Wizard Saints…meaning he is one of the strongest mages on this continent…" Hyberion said. "God Serena…"

"Oh…why isn't he here this time?" Jura asked…but the mood turned sour.

"Why is everyone so down…?" Levy had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Did something happen to God Serena…?" Jura asked.

"You don't keep up with the news, do you?" The voice belong to the current Council Chairman: Kemuri. He walked in, blowing out some smoke from his cigar. "When have you ever seen God Serena pop in during a crisis over the last few years? I certainly haven't. You want to know why?"

"The Chairman-?!" Levy fell over again. Too many important figures in one room, she couldn't handle this.

Kemuri glanced at Jaxon, who he deemed rightfully ignorant to God Serena's existence. "There's a reason you probably haven't heard of him. Because he turned traitor."

"Huh?!" Levy gasped.

"I've done my digging…and it turns out he left roughly four to five years ago. To where? Where else? Aracitacia in the Western Continent. In other words…he defected from Fiore to Alvarez a long time ago."

Levy and Jura screamed at this information. "NO WAAAY!?"

"It seems the Chairman is well informed…" Hyberion nodded. "It is true. There are 12 Shields that protect Emperor Spriggan. They are referred to as the Spriggan 12. God Serena has become one of those 12."

"…You're telling me one of the strongest wizards decided to turn tail? Who let someone like him be the First Saint if he was going to defect like that?" Jaxon asked a rather serious question.

Hyberion shook his head. "We don't know exactly why he defected…but there is one grave thing you should know. Wizards that could match the strength of one of our strongest…there are 11 more of them! That's what we're up against; The Alvarez Kingdom!" The shockwave was approaching…

.

.

Next Time: Caracall Island.


	27. Chapter 27: Caracall Island

In order to reach the continent of Aracitacia, a boat was needed. The trip to the western continent was going to be a long one, especially for the dragon slayers on board. Natsu was already suffering, groaning while keeping his back against the railing. "Why…did we…have to take the boat…urp…"

"How else could we get there?" Gray sighed.

"I dunno…! Get Mest to teleport us there or something!" Anything was better than transportation for Natsu.

"I can't do something that far…" Mest scoffed.

Natsu slowly stood up, dragging his feet as he made way towards Wendy. "Wendy….your magic…please…"

It was no use. Wendy was lurched over the side of the boat, her hands in front of her mouth as she nearly felt the urge to vomit. Cynthia was trying to rub her back to ease her pain, but she wasn't faring that well herself either. "Urk…"

"Wendy…!" Natsu cried out. This was truly the worst timeline.

"Cynthia…!" Lucy crouched down as Wendy and Cynthia slumped to the ground. "Are you two okay?!"

"I'm sorry…I forgot to mention that…I've become bad with transportation too…" Wendy groaned.

"My head's swimming…" Cynthia had swirls in her eyes.

" _I feel…rather sick too…"_ Verona groaned with Cynthia's voice.

"They're both down." Carla sighed. "They can't do anything like this."

"Want some fish?" Happy suggested, as if that would do anything.

"Okay…I'll take them inside then." Gray grabbed Cynthia and Wendy, hoisting them over his shoulders to carry them inside. He then grabbed Natsu and did the same, only when he came back he was missing his clothes excluding his underwear. "There. All done."

"Next time come back with your clothes on!" Lucy yelled. With a sigh she then leaned against the railing of the ship and stared off into the sea. Her side ponytail waved in the sea breeze. "Hey, Gray…?"

"Yeah?" Gray leaned back against the railing while staring at Lucy.

"The Master said that there were mages that were almost as strong as Emmeraude in Alvarez, right?" Lucy asked while her gaze never left the sea.

"Yeah…" Gray crossed his arms over his chest. "What about it?"

"I was thinking…back to when we fought her. We never rally fought 'her', you know?" Lucy could tell Gray was giving her a strange look, so she clarified what she meant. "I mean…we fought her when she absorbed Lambda, which gave her a huge boost in power; after that, Lambda drained her of most of her magic, and even then she was still too much for us."

"True…" Gray conceded to that point. They never really fought Emmeraude at full strength…but even at what she had left, she still proved to be an impossible hurtle. "But we're a lot stronger than we were back then."

"Mmm…" Lucy couldn't argue there. Even though she was in a slump for a year, she didn't sit around and do nothing. Thanks to Tia, she was kept on her toes. "…But Master also said that her being on the throne also prevented the invasion. Thinking about it some more…I can see why. It goes beyond just Lambda. If anyone made a move on Fiore, she would have struck back with everything she had to protect everyone in the country."

Gray lifted a brow. The way Lucy spoke…it was almost similar to how he heard others speak of her during the year. "You sound like…you almost respect her, even after what she did to you…"

Lucy's lips tugged to a frown. "It does sound that way, doesn't it? Maybe I do a little bit…at least, the Queen Emmeraude. At the very least, she meant what she said when wanting to create a peaceful world. But…honestly? The mere mention of her frightens me." A closer look at Lucy showed that her body was trembling. "…I was the obstacle to her dream coming true, she treated me horribly when she finally got her hands on me…and in the end I was the cause of her daughter dying. If I ever had to see her again…I don't know if I could face her."

"You won't be alone." Gray placed a hand on her shoulder. "This time, we'll be here with you."

"…" Lucy managed a soft smile and nodded. "Yeah…"

While Lucy and Gray had their conversation, Erza also looked out to the sea. She was thinking pretty hard about everything they were told. Mest slowly approached Erza. "What's wrong, Erza? Oh…wait. Should I call you Master now?"

"No, Erza's fine." Titania responded.

"I'd call her Master…" Zelos said…aloud, purposefully. Erza didn't understand the connotations behind his comment. Mest, however, didn't appreciate such a comment being made and glared at Zelos.

"I've been thinking about what you've informed us of. The guild's disbandment, Master Makarov going to such lengths to protect us…and to keep Lumen Histoire out of the hands of the enemy as well. But…as long as Lumen remains a mystery to us, I can't help but feel as though what we're doing is meaningless."

"From what we've heard, it could be something equivalent of a weapon…" Mest suggested.

"I remember the old man saying something about using it on Face…" Gray said.

"Yeah…but he also said something about not having the courage to use it." Lucy recalled that well.

"So, if he used it, could it have stopped all those Faces back then?" Carla asked.

"Woah…" Happy had a hard time believing that. The only reason they escaped the Face disaster was due to the dragons on the Isle returning the favor.

"And the First's body…" Erza began.

"Quite nice, if I may say…" Zelos remarked, but as usual, he was ignored.

"…is the biggest mystery of all." Erza continued.

"We can't even tell if she's alive or not…" Gray stared at the floorboards of the ship.

"So the First that we've been seeing all this time is an astral projection?" Carla proposed the only logical conclusion.

"Too many questions, not enough answered." Gray sighed. They didn't know nearly enough about the situation. They knew a lot less than they should've, that was for sure.

"I'm sure we'll find out when we save the Master." Lucy said.

Erza then turned to Mest. "How long until we reach Alvarez?"

"It takes about 10 days to reach Aracitacia by ship, so I'd say a few more if we were to reach the capital." Mest explained.

"10 DAYS!?" Natsu could overhear the conversation and it only made him feel sicker.

"WE'RE GONNA DIIIIIE…." Cynthia whined.

"This is the end…" Wendy whimpered.

"…." While Erza did feel bad for the dragon slayers on board, she also wasn't happy about the timeframe either. "Master…"

"I understand your impatience, but we can't afford to mess up now. We'll need to make a short stop at Caracall Island to refill our food and fuel." Mest had a map at the ready.

"That just goes to show that we're not in Fiore territory anymore…" Lucy also wasn't looking forward to such a long trip.

"Do we even have the time for a pit stop?" Gray asked.

"It's like I said, we can't mess up now. Preparation is important if we're serious about this infiltration mission." Mest kept his tone. He couldn't stress how important every step of the plan was. "We'll be meeting our intelligence in Caracall. That's when we'll plan our route."

"And while we're there, we'll meet with my contact as well!" Zelos finally chimed in something serious.

"Who _is_ your contact…?" Gray lifted a brow. He was surprised that Zelos knew anyone.

"Ah ah!" The magic swordsman wagged his finger. "Now now, my least favorite person in the world. It wouldn't be any fun if I told you! Let's just say you'll thank the great Zelos-sama later."

Gray scowled at the 'least favorite person' bit…and even more so when Zelos said he'd be thankful. "I'm never calling you that. Ever."

"Please don't. It would be creepy." Zelos agreed.

* * *

While the others were on their mission to rescue Makarov, Gajeel led the B team. It consisted of him, Cana, Elfman, Juvia, Mirajane, Lisanna, and Lily. As they walked along the trail, Elfman glanced at Gajeel curiously. "Are you sure Laxus is here?"

"According to my information…yeah. Along with the rest of his lackeys of course." Gajeel said with a wide grin. It seemed he had something planned…

"The Raijinshu too?" Elfman asked.

"You just came for Ever, didn't you?" Cana placed her hands on her hips, teasing the middle Strauss sibling.

"Why is Juvia with this team…?" The water mage asked, annoyed and disheartened that she wasn't with Gray.

"There was nothing we could've done. Gray left before us…" Lisanna said.

"I wonder if there was any point in splitting teams…" Mira wondered aloud.

"They said it was for infiltration." Lily crossed his arms. "So this is a smart move."

"We wouldn't stand a chance if we were to get in a fight with the enemy." Gajeel stated. "Our chances of winning; 0%." That damped the mood considerably based on everyone's faces. Gajeel wasn't smiling about it either. "And there's no guarantee the infiltration will succeed anyway…"

"Our chances of victory and getting in successfully are close to zero. So that's why we need to do all we can to raise the chances, thus the separate teams, right?" The sudden voice surprised everyone and they turned. Levy caught up with the others, but she didn't seem too happy about it. "Come on guys, how could you leave me behind like that!?"

"Huh? Man, that's strange…" Gajeel then opened up his bag, smirking slightly at his ensuing comment. "With your size, I thought you were already in my bag…"

Levy stared at Gajeel before comically slamming her fists against his chest. "Stupid! Stupid!"

"…They're flirting…" Juvia had the sudden realization and looked away.

Cana then snaked an arm around Juvia, playfully groping the water mage. "I could flirt with you too, you know…"

"Juvia's…Juvia's not interested…" The water mage responded.

Shifting back to the topic at hand, Levy turned her gaze to the others. "But the enemy we're up against isn't like anything we've faced before. Don't even think about fighting them…please."

"I heard them talk about it before the left." Gajeel stared ahead. "Apparently we're dealing an enemy that's filled with mages close to Emmeraude in strength…"

"Even more dangerous than that…" Levy knew information they didn't, and she had to share it despite how disheartening it was. "…God Serena has also joined the enemy forces. We really have to make sure we don't fight them…"

* * *

The boat drew near their destination. Caracall Island was on the horizon. "I see it! Caracall!"

"Hey, get yourselves ready!" Gray told the dragon slayers.

"Ugh…" All three of them groaned.

"Wait…" Erza took a closer look at what was ahead. "Those ships…" In the distance, there were two ships moored at the island, both of them with the mark of Alvarez.

"The Alvarez Kingdom's navy ships!?" Mest began to sweat. This wasn't part of the plan!

"Wait, there's another ship too…" Erza pointed in the opposite direction. There was a smaller ship, but it didn't have the mark of Alvarez. Instead it bore the mark of…Pergrande. "A Pergrande Kingdom ship…!?"

"Ah, yeah…that's my contact. They're here." Zelos said.

"The Pergrande Kingdom?" Mest narrowed his eyes. "What's this about?"

"Like I said, I had ways of getting information too." Zelos shrugged before staring at the Alvarez ships. "Although…I can't say I was expecting Alvarez to already be here…There's also another ship docked as well, but it doesn't look like it belongs to any other kingdom…"

"What are they doing here?" Happy asked a good question.

"Carcall isn't under Alvarez rule, is it?" Carla narrowed her eyes. If that was the case, their operation became that much more difficult.

Mest placed binoculars to his eyes, scouting out ahead. "No…but it seems like they're checking for something at the ports…"

"Does that mean we can't get close?" Gray inquired.

Natsu, Wendy, and Cynthia, while still suffering, managed to get to the railing to listen in on what was happening. "T-They're probably…looking for…ugh…spies…" Natsu said.

"And…it doesn't…l-look like they've caught them yet…oooh…" Wendy added.

"T-They're…scouring the ports…looking for…suspicious people…guh…" Cynthia said.

Lucy blinked a few times before staring at the suffering slayers. "Wait…you guys can hear all of that from over here!?"

"Yeah…kinda…" Natsu gagged. "Hard to focus…when…dying…"

"Interesting…" Zelos stroked his chin. "It seems we're at an impasse if we don't proceed correctly…"

"So what do we do…?" Mest tried to explore their options.

"We need to get to the spies before the navy catches them…" Erza rattled her brain for options. But they did have one way out…

* * *

Caracall was a naturally busy place with tourists coming in and out, but things were congested with the Alvarez navy taking charge and sealing the port. "We're sealing the port off temporarily!"

"Get in line!"

"We will have inspections for those coming and going out of the island! Leave your luggage too!" A solider barked.

"What's happening?" An old man asked.

"I heard a spy has entered the kingdom and is hiding somewhere on the island…" Another eldery person said.

"Such troublemakers…" People had the right to complain. Their vacation was being ruined by rumors!

"Be careful, Natsu…" Erza whispered.

"Yeah yeah…" Natsu grumbled.

Lucy and Erza took the lead; Lucy donned a top of a two piece and wore short shorts to complete her outfit; Erza had a complete two piece outfit, a skirt wrapped around her waist and a hat as well. Wendy and Cynthia wore two piece bikinis while Carla was fine with a simple one piece. The men just had swim trunks on – there wasn't a lot for them to wear anyway. "We're here on a holiday!" Lucy cheered.

"Aye!" Happy grinned.

"I heard the star mangoes here are to die for…" Erza spoke earnestly. She really was looking forward to trying a Star Mango while they were here.

"I'm looking forward to it, Big Sis!" Wendy said with an innocent smile.

"Me too!" Cynthia clasped her hands together.

"Big sis, huh…?" For some reason, Mest found himself scowling at that remark.

"Wait…" Gray said. "Was that even necessary…?"

"Anything for cover, my male friends…" Zelos mumbled so the guards wouldn't overhear.

Lucy held up her hand. Instead of the Fairy Tail mark, it was instead branded with that of Cait Shelter. The guard leaned in, inspecting the mark on her hand carefully. "That mark…are you part of a guild?"

"Mhm!" Lucy grinned. "We're part of a guild called Cait Shelter!"

" _Heh…our disguises are perfect!"_ Erza had a pretty smug grin going on.

" _Ah…that brings back memories."_ Nobody would've thought to use the Cait Shelter guild mark to hide their own, but Wendy's quick thinking saved the mission!

"…Haven't heard of a guild like that…" A guard shrugged.

"Yeah, well, we only know of a handful of those from Ishgar anyway." The other guard responded.

The comments demoralized Wendy and she was completely speechless. "….." Cynthia patted Wendy on the back, as if that would help her feel better.

The guards were having an important conversation. They seemed to be at an impasse themselves. "What do we do? We were given strict orders with those from guilds…"

"But would a spy come through our front doors bearing guild crests where we can see them?"

"True…"

"Hey…" Lucy placed her hands behind her back while approaching the guards. The blonde placed her arms forward, pushing her chest out a little bit while giving a soft, innocent look. "Are we done yet?"

Erzahad a similar look, arms crossed her chest to expose them a little more as she gave a soft smile. "There'll be no more Star Mangoes by the time this is over…"

The guards got flustered and ushered the group along. "O…Okay! You pass!"

"You're clear to go…!"

Lucy and Erza were pretty content with what they did. Zelos blinked several times but Mest was keeping him held back. "…Keep it in your pants."

"Girl power…" Natsu began.

"Is not one to be trifled with…." Gray said with a nervous laugh.

"Feminine wiles are truly a woman's scariest, and best weapon." Zelos said with a dreamy sigh.

"Human males are so easy to deal with…" Carla spoke smugly…as if she actually had something to do with what happened.

"I'm pretty sure it had nothing to do with us, Carla…" Wendy said with a soft sigh.

"Wendy and I haven't matured enough to pull that kind of stuff off…plus I don't think Lucy would let us either." Cynthia crossed her arms. She and Wendy were young adults after all.

"I still think you look cuter in your cat form." Happy reiterated, but he was the only one who thought so.

"We managed to sneak in…but we still have a problem." Erza surveyed the area. "The number of guards in town alone…we can't move around like we want to."

Immediately, Lucy snapped towards Natsu. "Behave!"

"Why me?!" Natsu felt attacked.

"Because you're the only one who doesn't seem to understand what the word infiltration means." Erza followed up. They were really laying into him, but it was understandable since they couldn't take even the smallest risk in this mission.

"I do!" Natsu said, wrapping his scarf around his head to conceal his face, poorly posing like a ninja. "It's…that…isn't it…like those ninjas I like! Nin nin!"

"Oh good grief…" Zelos placed his hand against his forehead.

The sound of a wailing child caught everyone's attention. "WAAAAH! Gimme back my Daddy!" A young girl cried to a few guards. "Where did you take him!? DAAAADDDDY!"

"This brat's exactly like his rebellious father…" The guard growled, his patience with this child running thin very quickly.

"…!" Natsu's eyes widened at the situation unfolding before them. They weren't fans of it either, but the mission took priority.

"Natsu…calm down…" Erza said with a cautious tone.

"You mustn't do anything…" Mest warned. If they did, it would be over for them.

"WAAAAH! DADDY!" The child continued to cry.

The guard had enough. His sword was brandished and he lifted it up high. "I'LL MAKE YOU SHUT UP IF YOU DON'T!"

"He's taking it out on a child!?"

"Is he out of his mind!?" The civilans watched the scene in horror. Was this soldier really going to attack a child!?

No he wasn't. Because the very second he drew his blade, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Erza were already on it, physically assaulting the guards to knock them down. Wendy and Cynthia took care of the child while Zelos and Mest just watched everything play out. "What's that!?" The civilians watching certainly weren't expecting this!

"SSSHHIIIIIT…." Mest's eyes widened in horror. Not even 20 minutes on the island and they already caused a scene!

"Sssh, it's okay…" Wendy held onto the girl to protect her.

"We won't let them hurt you." Cynthia crouched down, giving a soft smile to the girl

"Well…so much for being incognito…" Zelos shook his head. Unlike Mest, he wasn't surprised or mortified. In fact, the turn of events had him grinning!

"Nippo…" Natsu began, a wide grin stretching on his face. "Eat my fist no-jutsu!"

.

.

Next Time: The Law of Space.


	28. Chapter 28: The Law of Space

To stand and watch such injustice right before their eyes; it was simply intolerable! Which is why the mages of Fairy Tail did something about it! The guards were taken down without much of a fight, but this also aroused more suspicion than they needed for an espionage mission. "What's all that?" Someone asked.

"Those kids are….fighting the soldiers in swimsuits…."

"Why would they…?"

Now they had all of the attention on them. A few more soldiers overheard the commotion and easily determined the cause of it. "You brats! Stay right there!"

Mest was sweating. Their cover was blown much faster than he would've liked. "We can't get out of the island like this!"

"Right…" Carla placed her hands on her hips, a smug grin forming. "Not unless we take all of them out."

"Wow, not even 20 minutes and we're already resorting to the brute force strategy." Zelos applauded. "You all continue to amaze. Bravo, bravo!"

"Leave her to us!" Wendy said, escorting the shocked child away.

"We'll take her to her dad!" Cynthia nodded.

"These two have great noses! They'll find your dad in no time!" Happy reassured the gil.

"Mest, you go too." Gray said.

"But…" Mest was about to object, but then he noticed something. The way Carla, Wendy, and Happy looked while escorting the child. His eyes widened and his expression softened. For a moment, they looked just like… "An angel…?"

"NOT THAT!" Lucy screamed, pointing in the opposite direction. "We need you to go to the informant!"

"Dude…that's creepy…" Zelos had a look of disgust on his face. "You're not allowed to slander my beautiful name ever again."

"I'm gonna punch you…" Cynthia growled before heading off with Wendy to assist the child in finding her father.

"Oh. I see…" Mest understood. "While you guys are keeping them occupied…"

"Yes, that's the plan." Erza nodded.

"Split the group!" Natsu held his ninja pose.

"Alright. Be careful." Mest said before vanishing.

"Well, you guys have fun. I'm going to see if I can't find our friend~" Zelos waved before dipping from the scene. He wasn't the one the soldiers were after anyway.

"YEAH!" Natsu grinned and charged forward toward a few soldiers, mowing them down with his raw power.

"Don't go too crazy, okay." Erza demanded. They may have already caused a scene, but any more attention would cause problems…at least, that's what she thought.

Gray smirked, a frigid aura beginning to form around his open palm. "Well, it's getting hot here…so let's cool down for a sec!"

Lucy had her whip drawn and at the ready. "Let's go!"

"SEAL OFF THE PORT!"

"CAPTURE THOSE BRATS!"

A larger group of soldiers rushed forward. Natsu already met them halfway with a vicious shoulder tackle, blowing them backwards before they even had the chance to fight. "TRY IT!" He challenged them. The group of soldiers didn't last long against the combined efforts of Team Natsu and they were all taken down swiftly with little to no magic used in the process. Gray did freeze one poor dude, though.

They now stood over the defeated soldiers. Gray let out a sigh as his hands went into his pockets. "This is disappointing. These are the guys the old man is afraid of? You sure about that?"

Erza turned her head in the direction of the Alvarez shipped moored nearby. "I have a feeling reinforcements will be coming from the ship…"

Natsu crouched down, staring at the unconscious soldiers. "Hey, why don't we just ask these guys for Gramps' whereabouts?"

"That's not a great idea…" Lucy said. "It's highly unlikely they even know…plus they'd know who we are and what we're here for. That's not a good thing.

"Either way…" Erza was already sitting at the Star Mango booth, happily dining down on the island's favored treat. "We've got to be ready!"

"This is good!" Natsu was there too, chowing down.

"Their actions now contradict what they're saying…and they don't even know it…" Lucy could only sigh. But for now, it seemed like they could take a load off for a minute while waiting for Mest and Zelos to return with their informants.

"Well well well…." The sound of a cocky gunslinger caught Fairy Tail's attention. "As soon as you step on this island you start causing trouble…" That's right; it was none other than Reve. But he wasn't alone; Taya, Takeru, Selene, Royal, Zalen, Aira, and Luke were accompanying him. They were of course wearing appropriate island attire.

"What the hell?" Gray stared at the Eclipse mages. "Why are you guys here!?"

"Oh, pretty simple…" Luke said. "We're on a mission of our own. Jaxon told us that Alvarez is plotting something and he wanted us to sneak in and check out what we were dealing with. That, and there's someone we have to pick up too."

"In fact, we were just about to leave…" Taya piped up. "But then they decided to seal off the ports after some commotion. I can't say I'm surprised to find that you all were the cause of us being stuck here."

"…Oops." Lucy smiled nervously.

"Nice job, Erza Scarlet, Master of Fairy Tail." Reve spoke in a condescending tone.

Erza's brow twitched. Now wasn't the time to pick fights, but Reve was being especially annoying today. "We did what we had to do. I see you have some…interesting company with you." The scarlet knight spoke, staring specifically at Taya.

"Don't stare too much, now." Taya winked.

"How did you guys even get past the check?" Natsu looked everyone over. "Even if I didn't know you, you'd all look suspicious to me."

Immediately, Takeru and Natsu were head to head, comical sparks appearing between their heated gazes. "You tryna to pick a fight, Salamander!?"

"Don't start what you can't finish!" Natsu growled. Lucy and Selene had to pull the two of them away from each other before things got ugly.

"Oh, that was easy!" Aira answered the question. "Taya, Selene, and I just asked nicely!"

"Huh…I can say the same thing for Lucy and Erza…" Gray muttered. "…You guys wouldn't happen to be the spies they're looking for?"

"No." Royal said while taking a sip from his flask. "Are you?"

"Ah…." Lucy whistled. "Not…exactly…?"

"That inspires confidence…" Luke shook his head,

"We got in here with no issues." Zalen adjusted his glasses. "We were also quiet and didn't raise any suspicions. I can't say the same about you all."

"We should get going…if we're seen talking to them, they might come after us too…" Selene pointed in the opposite direction. "The best thing we can do is lie low right now until they decide to open the ports…"

"She's right!" And Aira took Selene by the arm, dragging her off just like in the days of old. "It was nice to see you Lucy-chan! Erza-chan! Good luck on your mission…!"

"At least there's one person who doesn't hate us…" Lucy waved Aira off and the small White Eclipse team continued on their way. "I didn't know they were on a mission too, though. This situation is starting to look a lot bigger than just us…"

"I didn't even know White Eclipse returned…" Erza admitted, speaking with a spoon in her mouth. "I wonder who their guild master is now, though…"

"I wonder why they still have to act like they're better than us…" Gray muttered under his breath.

"Thank you all so much for waiting!" Zelos' voice caused the others to turn. The poor man at the Star Mango stand couldn't even get a word in for friendly conversation with how fast things were going. "I've finally managed to find our mutual friend! Also, can I have some Star Mango?"

"Of course!" The man behind the counter replied. Zelos slapped some cash on the counter and received a bowl of Star Mango, but he didn't actually eat it just yet.

"Mutual friend?" Lucy lifted a brow.

"That's right! You know her; you love her…introducing…." Zelos held off on the introduction for a bit. The information was running a little behind.

"Oi oi…why are you always so noisy…?" The feminine voice spoke. Mii walked around the corner, rocking a two piece black and yellow swimsuit. When she turned the corner, she wasn't expecting to see those from Fairy Tail. "…Ah…"

"MII!" Lucy lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Mii for a tight embrace. "I'm so happy to see you! I've been looking for you everywhere over the past year!"

"Ack…!" Mii nearly collapsed with Lucy's momentum, but she was able to keep her balance.

"It's been a year…!" Lucy clung to Mii a little tighter. "I was so worried…You said you were going to die by this time but…but you're still here…!"

"I was worried, too." Erza said with a soft smile.

"Yo!" Natsu raised a hand up high. "Long time no see!"

"Glad to see you're still kickin'." Gray said with a grin.

This warm reception felt…really strange to Mii, Especially after a year; she couldn't even find it in herself to immediately return Lucy's hug. Green eyes cut to Zelos. "You brought Mii here for this…?" Sigh. "Yeah, I'm still kicking unfortunately. …I'm glad I could see you guys before you get flattened."

…That wasn't the reaction Lucy was expecting. She blinked, staring up at Mii. "W-What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh no, don't get Mii wrong. If I had to be honest at least once during the last year…I'm glad you guys are okay." Mii flashed Lucy a smile. "But…you guys are also idiots. What the hell are you thinking, going against Alvarez? That's dumb, even for you guys."

"Are you concerned because you care?" Lucy teased. She recalled how Mii either lied or expressed her concern through a little bit of insulting.

"…" Mii scoffed. "Yeah, I totally care." She then stepped back, placing her hands on her hips. "So…the idiot over here filled me in on what's going on." She pointed at Zelos…who actually wasn't even there anymore. "Wh-? Ugh..."

"Were you the one who came on the Pergrande ship…?" Natsu asked. "That's pretty hardcore, stealing one of those. But now that you're here, you can come back with us." There was that attitude again. As far as Natsu was concerned, once you were a member of Fairy Tail, you were always one.

Mii sighed, crossing her arms as her foot tapped against the ground. "I didn't steal the boat. As amazing as I am, I can't fly all the way here either – do you know how long it would take?"

"…So if you didn't steal it…" Gray didn't like where this was going.

"Mhm." Mii nodded. "I'm sure you remember that while I was a member of Fairy Tail, I was also one of the 13 Commandants of Pergrande. So…I simply went back to Pergrande."

"But…!" Lucy objected immediately.

"Fairy Tail broke up, I had nowhere else to go." Mii shrugged before walking around both Lucy and Erza, licking her lips in signature Mii fashion. "But you two are looking delicious like usual!" The redhead wrapped an arm around Lucy's shoulder casually groping her to cope a feel. "Ah, soft as usual."

"Eeep..!" Lucy blushed awkward at Mii's attempts. "Y-You could've…stayed with me."

"I suppose so…" Mii then went to Erza and preformed the same action. The quickness of her movements was a little daunting since the woman herself was surprisingly hard to follow. "But then again…when the one place you considered home breaks up for seemingly no reason, you tend to not want to be there."

"Can you…stop that please…" Erza shifted about, feeling a little flustered before Mii ceased her actions.

"So…you can't come back?" Gray asked. He recalled how they were supposed to grill Mii for more details a year ago but…things didn't exactly go as planned.

Mii turned around, gesturing to the mark of Pergrande on her back. It was right where her Fairy Tail mark used to be. "Nope. Even if I wanted to…which I don't." She spat. The sharpness of her tone was so sudden, it was hard to discern if she was even lying or not. "But…the least I can do for you guys now is lend a helping hand. Even though Zelos dragged Mii out here…like for starters, don't worry about reinforcements arriving for a little bit."

"…What did you do?" Erza asked, feeling a little worried. "And furthermore, now that I think on it…how did you get in so easily?"

"Simple." Mii grinned, leaning forward to give a good view of her chest while putting on a soft look. "Mr. Guard, could you please let Mii through~? I'll make it worth your while~" A very popular strategy as of late. "But he got too flustered and just let me pass. Men are so easy, I swear…" The angel laughed before taking a few steps back. "As for why we've been able to have a lengthy conversation, some soldiers asked where you could be found and I pointed in the opposite direction. They fell for it too! Sometimes it's the simple lies that are the most dangerous ones."

Lucy had a sweat drop on her forehead before laughing nervously. "I see you haven't changed over the year."

"Anyway, onto more important matters…" Mii slapped some jewel onto the counter. "Star Mango, please." And she received a bowl, happily snacking on it.

"Do you know anything about what we're up against…?" Erza asked.

"Nope." Mii responded without missing a beat, causing everyone's eyes to widen in fear. That was just the look she was looking for before she laughed. "Nah, just kidding. You guys are lucky I was on the Alvarez case. Ashnard has been curious about their movements since they began stirring right around the end of the incident last year."

"What, was he worried or something?" Gray asked.

"Nah. He just wanted to be ready, because he figured if they tried to attack again it would probably be because of Fiore." Mii said. "I haven't been able to dig up much, but I can tell you that they've got quite a force behind them. They've been recruiting some rather powerful mages…"

"…Recruiting?" Natsu tilted his head.

"It means adding new people to their forces." Mii sassily responded. Natsu was just getting attacked left and right today. "Anyway…there are about 12 super strong mages you don't wanna mess with who serve Emperor Spriggan…and the fact you're thinking about crossing over means you guys are probably going to run into them. I think the biggest piece of information that will be your saving grace is that Emperor Spriggan himself has been absent for quite some time, so if you're gonna do something, this would be your best time. It doesn't sound like they'll act without his go ahead this time. Also…it's just a rumor, but…actually, never mind."

"Never mind? Anything would be useful." Erza took a step closer.

"Why bother feeding you information I'm not so sure of myself? Besides, that's everything I know." With the Star Mango in hand, Mii began to walk off. It was a little painful watching her leave with the mark of Pergrande on her back. Mii turned back for a second to look at them all. "…Don't die before I do, otherwise that's just another broken promise." Was all she had to say before vanishing from sight. _"There's something I forgot to mention…I can't remember what it was, though…"_

"Mii…" Lucy frowned as Mii left. She wanted Mii to come back; she could tell Mii wanted to come back, but she just couldn't.

"I think she'll come back as soon as she can." Natsu said confidently. "And if not, we'll just drag her back!"

"You're all very popular." The man behind the booth finally said. "But it would be great if you guys tone it down a little…."

"Sorry about all that." Erza spoke with a spoon in her mouth. Her mind was now half wandering between Mii and their mission. It was also odd how Mest wasn't back yet either…

"Heh, and even after all that, you're still opening shop. That's some commercial spirit you've got there." Gray offered a friendly smile.

"Fights always happen around here anyway." The tender said with a smile of his own, cleaning a cup with a rag. "Nothing's more important to me than business! I'm gonna save my money to get to Ishgar! You lot came from Ishgar, no?"

"Yeah." Gray confirmed.

"I'm gonna popularize Star Mangoes in Ishgar and make the best desert stop there!" The man said with enthusiasm.

"Yes, that sounds delicious…" Erza coughed to correct herself, giving a thumbs up. "I mean…it's a great dream!"

"I'm stuck in this shabby hut for now, but…I'm a man with big dreams too! There's no way an ordeal like this will…" Before he could finish, his hut just exploded violently, catching everyone off guard. "NOOOOOOO!"

"WHAT!?" Lucy screamed.

"The hut!?" Gray was trying to figure out what happened!

Natsu was knocked onto the ground, still trying to process what happened. Erza just so happened to still be sitting, but she didn't look very amused at the turn of events. "Tch."

"Well done. Well done~" An unfamiliar voice turned their heads.

"Who is it!?" Erza turned with a very angered look on her face. "How could you!?"

"Ah, that's a wonderful face you've got there! Very well done~~! The name's Marin Hallow, and I'm from the Brandish Force, a part of the Alvarez Empire's army." Marin introduced himself so politely and he had a soft enough looking face; one wouldn't think he was an enemy had he not destroyed that poor man's hut.

"That man…my dream…" The man was utterly heartbroken.

"Run." Lucy told him.

"This might not be enough, but take this as compensation." Gray handed the man a bag of jewel. It was the rest of his funds for this trip, but he knew that this man could use it more. After receiving the bag, the man did as instructed and left the scene.

"I will exact revenge for the Star Mangoes." Erza held a deathly glare.

"Well done, well done~!" Marin repeated himself in an affectionately creepy manner. "You'll get a well done from me anytime!"

Erza's patience ran thin. "Enough with that nonsense…" The wind began to kick up as her aura began to make itself known. "I'll show you the wrath of the deserts. Transformation!" ….And nothing happened. "…?"

"What's wrong Erza!?" Natsu picked up on this abnormality immediately.

"I…can't use my requip?" Erza stared at her hands in confusion.

"Of course you can't. Space is something I own." Marin said

"Space?" That didn't make any sense to Gray.

"The Knight is a type of magic that enables one to instantly equip anything they want from a pocket dimension, correct? That's precisely why you can't use any of your spacial magic against me. Because I own space." The Alvarez soldier explained.

"In that case…" Lucy drew a golden key and held it out to the side. "Gate of the Archer, I open thee!" And…nothing.

"Whoops. Celestial Spirit magic…that's spacial too, you know?" Marin shrugged.

"…No way…" Were Lucy and Erza really useless here?

"Ah…! I forgot to mention…" Marin held up his index finger. "But…those who manage to break free of my laws of space…"

As Marin spoke, Lucy and Erza's bodies began to vanish. "What's this!?"

"My body…!"

"Get an invitation to my own personal relaxation space~" Marin's voice was still oddly affectionate. Lucy and Erza could only scream before they just…vanished into thin air against their will.

"LUCY! ERZA!" Natsu roared and rushed at the two females, but they were long gone by the time he reached them. Natsu and Gray stared in horror at Marin's powers. "HEY! WHERE'D YOU TAKE THEM YOU BASTARD!"

"Didn't you hear me? I said I invited them to my own relaxation space!" Marin's tone of voice was still spoken and well-mannered despite the face he was clearly acting with ill intent. "Those two have done so well, so…I've decided to make them mind." Hands clasped together, a creepy smile now forming on his lips. "But you guys. You have failed." Suddenly his expression turned ugly, the veins nearly bursting from his face! "FAILED, YOU HEAR!? JACKASSSSSSSS!"

"WHAT THE!?" Gray took a step back. "He did a 180…!"

Marin snapped his fingers, a heavily injured Mest appearing from thin air. "He's one of yours, isn't he!?"

"Mest…!" Natsu shouted in worry. Mest was still hanging on, but he wasn't looking so great.

"This one too, tried to use spacial magic in front of the great me!" The soldier then spat on the ground near Mest. "FAILURES! UNCLEAN! HOW DARE YOU SHITHEADS USE SPACIAL MAGIC!? IT'S NOT SOMETHING FOR MEN TO USE, DAMMIT!"

Natsu heard enough. "TAKE THIS!" He lunged at Marin with a blazing fist, throwing it forward the moment he was within range. The very second he would've struck Marin, he vanished before contact was made.

Marin reappeared behind Natsu, an evil smile on his features. "The great me, a specialist in spacial magic…" Natsu's reaction was on a dime, swinging his arm to chop at Marin's chest, but he vanished just before impact once again, reappearing behind the Salamander once more with a fist aimed at his back. "And now you're in my domain!"

"Gah…!" Natsu shouted out as he was forced forward.

When Gray turned he just barely caught Natsu being struck by their foe, but suddenly Marin was behind him! Sharp knee was aimed at Gray's back and he stumbled forward due to being caught off guard. "What the hell!? How'd he begin behind me!?"

"The one that controls space is the victor." Marin said while sitting atop a building behind Natsu and Gray. They didn't even register him moving…!

" _That guy is too much trouble…"_ Gray thought, trying to formulate a plan against Marin. He glanced at Natsu and the two of them seemed to have an idea. "Right…" The ice maker slammed his fist into his palm and thrust his hands forward. "Ice Make: Lance!" A magic seal formed before Gray, releasing numerous ice lances at Marin.

"Don't you get it!?" Marin laughed at such a feeble attempted. He vanished from sight, already appearing behind Gray with his leg reared back. "I control SPACE! I WIN!" And just before he could strike, Natsu slammed a fiery fist into Marin's side, causing the man to tumble. "What?!" Marin was so distraught by Natsu's successful blow that Gray followed up with a frozen fist to his jawline, throwing him back violently. Marin landed and his vehement hatred made itself apparent once again. "HOW DARE YOU HIT ME, SHITHEADS!? MEN AREN'T ALLOWED TO DO THAT!"

"He's like a more annoying version of Zelos, who would have thought that was possible…" Gray told Natsu with a smirk.

"You can control space or whatever all you want…but your attack pattern is easy to read! You just slip behind us and you don't hit very hard. You're not gonna beat us with tactics like that. What kind of mages do you take us for!? Now let Lucy and Erza go!" Natsu barked at Marin.

Natsu's words only further angered Marin. How DARE they talk down to him like this!? "YOU SHITHEADS…"

"Marin…" A female voice spoke out, unfamiliar to Natsu or Gray. "How much longer are you gonna play around like that…?" When Natsu and Gray turned to face her…a cold seat beaded down their faces at this woman's presence.

It was at this moment Mii came running back onto the scene, now recalling the important information she forgot to tell them earlier. "Oh, oh…! Guys…! I forgot to mention that one of those 12 people...ooooooooh crap…"

Marin's attitude turned into a subservient one as he greeted one of the Alvarez Empire's own Spriggan 12: Brandish. "Oh, Lady Brandish! You're well done, as usual!"

Brandish was a woman who only wore what could be considered a two piece while donning a coat and wearing three inch open toed heels. The green haired woman let out a sigh as her subordinate spoke to her. "Stop that won't you? It's disgusting."

Gray couldn't believe what he was feeling. He hadn't felt an overwhelming presence like this since Emmeraude one year ago. The scary part was…she wasn't even exerting herself. Brandish's mere presence caused fear. _"What…what is this…? Her magic…it's off the charts…!"_

"…Yeah…" Mii rubbed the back of her head nervously. The situation sprialled downhill faster than anyone was prepared for. "That's my bad…"

.

.

Next Time: And So, The Land Was No More.

Surprise, double header today! This week will be hectic for me, so updates may be very slow until the weekend. Thank you all for your continued support! Things are about to heat up soon enough!


	29. Chapter 29: And So, The Land Was No More

The B Team's trip led them to a nice hot springs. It was split into two sides; one for the men and one for the women. Cana relaxed in the water, lifting a leg into the air with a smile of content. "Ahhh, nothing beats coming to the onsen after a long and tiring trip~"

Levy was sitting at the edge of the water, a towel still wrapped around her body. She turned to the changing rooms where Juvia was lingering around the corner. "Why not come join us, Juvia?"

"It's embarrassing…" Juvia muttered.

"We're all women though? What's there to be ashamed of?" Lisanna asked.

Mira was chuckling a little bit at this. "It's funny because she's usually so brave in front of Gray…"

"Ah! Gray!" Levy turned, feigning a shocked look.

Immediately, Juvia sprang from the changing room and let her towel fly off with glee. "Gray-sama! Juvia accidentally dropped her bathtowel…accidentally~!"

"…So that's the problem with her again?" Cana asked with a deadpanned look.

Realizing that she was tricked, Juvia sank into the water, puffing her cheeks out while glaring at Levy. "The heavens will punish you for your mean tricks, Levy-san…"

"Ehehe…" Levy grinned and stuck her tongue out.

Cana turned her head to the partition separating the men and women's side. "I'm surprised you managed to find us this hole in the wall though, Gajeel."

On the men's side was a rather strange combination: Gajeel, Elfman, Pantherlily, and…Ichiya. Even so, Gajeel just smirked at Cana's remark. "Gieheh…don't lump me together with Salamander."

"Gajeel might not look it, but he loves onsen too." Levy said in a matter of factly tone.

"Meeeeeen~" Ichiya said.

"…This is a pretty freak combination, though." Elfman said before turning to Ichiya. He wouldn't have noticed the short stack of handsomeness had he not said anything. "AND HEY! WHY THE HELL IS ICHIYA HERE!?"

"Oh, didn't you know? This onsen here, Pegasus Village, belongs to Blue Pegasus." Ichiya posed after speaking.

"So the guild's nearby then?" Lisanna turned her head back.

"That's right." Ichiya confirmed.

"I wonder if Jenny is doing all right." Mira stretched her arms out in front of her. She had a smile when speaking, but she recalled the previous year and how Blue Pegasus was infiltrated by the Wizard Hunter Shade. Shade's operation left Blue Pegasus with both physical and mental scars.

"Yes, she smells wonderful as usual." Ichiya smiled. "She's been learning how to properly control that beautiful metal dragon takeover…and I heard she's becoming great friends with Evergreen as well. The image played in his mind; a poor or lucky man depending on how you looked at it, in between the two women as they fired shots at one another.

 _"It's about time you learn how to do your job, old hag…"_

 _"Oh my…I'm younger than you in age, you know…"_

Wait. Elfman just realized what Ichiya said and turned. "Huh?"

"Freed and Bickslow are getting very popular to. They're becoming the aces of Blue Pegasus…" Ichiya continued.

The girls were…confused about the information they were receiving. "The…what…?" Cana was trying to process what she was hearing.

"What do you mean?" Mira inquired.

"THE HELL!? I WAS PLANNING TO SAVE THAT FOR LAST! YOU AND YOUR BIG MOUTH!" Gajeel screamed at Ichiya, taking the handsome man off guard.

"WAIT!" Cana stood up in utter disbelief; her eyes were wide and her jaw dropped. "You're telling me the Raijinshu is here in Blue Pegasus!?"

"…Laxus too…?" Juvia tried to imagine Laxus fitting in with the Trimen. It…was a very wrong mental image.

"Laxus rarely comes by the shop. He's always going out for training." Ichiya continued.

"A true man…" Elfman smirked.

"AAAAGGH!" Gajeel stood up and waved his fist at Ichiya. "STOP TALKING! YOU'RE RUINING MY SURPRISE!"

"I didn't know he had this event planner side of him…" Lily mumbled.

"Oh, sorry…" Ichiya then lunged forward, unfortunately appearing in front of Elfman with his manhood right in his face. "I'll reflect on it~"

"MAN…HOOD?!" Elfman got the view. He saw it. On instinct his fist flew and knocked Ichiya backwards. "STOP THAT! THAT WAS GROSS!"

"MEEEEEEN!" Ichiya cried out, his rear end now slamming into Gajeel's face. The impact caused Gajeel to scream muffled obscenities and swears before he was thrown into and broke the partition, crashing through the other side violently. Lisanna squealed and covered her chest.

"Oh my…" Mira blinked.

As though the heavens themselves willed it, Gajeel was on a crash course directly for Levy and landed right on top of her. Juvia smirked, rather pleased that karma worked fast. "Divine punishment."

Gajeel just laid there, his eyes wide as there was…something strange going on. "What's this…weird bounciness…?" Levy was completely flustered, unable to even muster a sound as her heart thumped so ferociously it may have actually bust from her chest.

"You're the worst!" Lisanna still kept her chest covered, sticking her tongue out at Gajeel.

"I don't think it's the size he's talking about…" Mira hummed.

"Divine punishment? I don't think so…" Cana rolled her eyes.

"STUPID GAJEEL!" Levy shrieked and struck him.

"OW! Gajeel yelped.

"Oh boy…" Lily could only sigh.

"Ah, the scent of youth!" Ichiya grinned.

Elfman was on the ground, ignoring the situation as he tried to remove the image of Ichiya's manhood from his mind. "Damn it! That image of his manhood won't leave my mind! DAMMIIIIITTT!" He saw it in its full glory. That image was never leaving. He was scarred for life.

Juvia was off in her own little world as this went down. _"Ah, Juvia wants to try that with Gray-sama, too! Gray-sama, where are your hands going…?"_

 _"Sorry! I fell and they just…got there…"_ She imagined Gray saying as the scenario played out in her head.

 _"Ah…a lucky and pretty horny accident…kyaaa~"_ Juvia was far too gone at this point.

* * *

On another part of Caracall, the White Eclipse group tried to bide their time. It didn't help that the ports were suddenly sealed off because of Fairy Tail. Luke sighed heavily and took a seat on a chair nearby. "So what are we gonna do? This place is about to start crawling with Alvarez troops from that ship over there."

"We'd be in the clear if Fairy Tail didn't screw us over…" Reve crossed his arms and sighed.

"They're not the greatest at being undercover, but we can't do anything about it now." Zalen cleaned his glasses. "The best we can do is wait for the ports to open now. If they caught a ship leaving they'd easily try and take it down."

"That sucks." Takeru spat.

"Better them than us though." Royal downed some alcohol. "Least we don't have to worry about them finding us."

"I am a little worried though…" Aira frowned. "I don't exactly want them to be hurt or anything."

"They'll be fine…" Taya waved her hand dismissively, lying on her stomach on a beach chair. "They somehow manage to worm their way out of danger."

"You don't seem so concerned…" Selene remarked since Taya was taking things so casually.

"Quite honestly, my biggest worry is getting sun burn…" With a feigned sigh, Taya held up a bottle of sunscreen. "This sun is so hot. Would anyone like to help me?"

"I will!" Aira clasped her hands together and approached Taya.

"Tch…" Reve scoffed silently and turned his head. There was then a large explosion not too far away…right near the Star Mango stand actually. That caught their attention…

* * *

Back with Natsu, Gray, and Mii…they were just staring at Brandish. Mii was looking the woman over and had to suppress her usual urges until she got a read on her. Gray was just…baffled at the amount of power Brandish was exuding without even doing anything. _"This…what's up with this? The old man wasn't kidding…this amount of power…it's like Emmeraude's…it's off the charts…!"_ Natsu seemed to be struggling with something. The Salamander grit his teeth, placing a hand on his bandaged arm. Gray noticed this but wasn't sure what it meant.

"Man…she's hot…" Was the one thing Mii focused on. That didn't exactly reduce the tension.

"I want some Star Mango gelato." The sudden statement caught the two wizards off guard. Brandish ignored them and turned to the destroyed stand. "W-What…? The shop's in ruins!? What happened here!?"

Marin pointed at Natsu and Gray. "Oh, they went all BOOM on it."

"YOU DID THAT!" Natsu growled.

"That's really cheap of you!" Gray shouted.

"It's not nice to lie to a beautiful lady." Mii wagged her finger.

Brandish let out a sigh. "I was so looking forward to it, too…" Oh well. The woman turned around and started to leave. "I'm going home."

"Wh-wait…! Lady Brandish!" Marin tried to coax the Spriggan into returning. "These guys picked a fight with our soldiers out of nowhere! And there might be more of them out there meeting with the spies!" Logically speaking, everything Marin was saying was highly plausible and technically factual as well.

"I'm not interested…" Brandish said with a downtrodden look. There were even some tears running down her eyes. She was so disappointed.

"Aw…" Mii ignored any and all danger and approached Brandish. "That's not a face a lady should be making. Let Mii make it up to you~"

"…!" Natsu and Gray couldn't believe Mii right now! Was she ignorant to the danger or something!?

"Ehh!?" Marin turned to Brandish, beating Mii to her since this situation had more priority than a pretty lady. "But they were going to be part of my collection…! And you aid I could do whatever I wanted, Lady Brandish…!"

As Marin continued to question and defy her, Brandish's annoyance grew. The Spriggan's heel stomped on the ground and multiple shockwaves shook the entire island. "…."

"Wh…what's going on now!?" Gray asked while surveying the area.

"The ground's…?" Natsu wasn't sure what was going on. Marin seemed to know based by his fearful expression.

* * *

"Whoa whoa…!" Luke staggered around as the island quaked,

"What's going on!?" Aira ended up accidentally squeezing the entire bottle of sun screen on Taya's back! It was cold and a comical shiver rapidly travelled up the ravenette's spine.

"…!" Taya shuddered.

"Whoa…is the ground shaking or am I just drunk…?" Jack was stumbling around…half because of the island quaking and half because he was inebriated.

"The ground is shaking…is this island having an earthquake..?" Zalen tried to steady himself.

"No…" Takeru shook his head, bracing onto Selene so neither of them lost their balance. "This is…something completely different…!"

* * *

"Eek!" The little girl and Happy both fell back.

Wendy, Cynthia, and Carla managed to hold their ground and were the only ones who could get a view of what was actually going on. "Carla, take me up!" Wendy said.

"Got it!" Carla nodded and sprouted her wings, wrapping her arms around Wendy to lift her into the air. Cynthia's dragon wings emerged and she took to the sky with them and Happy who grabbed the little girl.

"Huh…?" Happy blinked. They were in the sky but…it didn't look like they made any distance from the ground. "We're up in the sky, but…"

"It doesn't feel like we went anywhere…!" Cynthia furrowed her brows. "Let's move to the sea…!" And so they did just that, but the sight before them was something they would have never expected.

"No way…." Wendy gasped.

"You can't be serious…" Carla was staring in utter disbelief. The very island itself changed. The land rose from the ocean's depths and took the island into the sky.

"THE ISLAND CHAGNED!?" Cynthia's hands smacked her own face. She was in so much shock and couldn't believe what she was looking at. "W-Who did this!?"

* * *

Brandish stared back at Marin. "Don't make me repeat myself again." Her commanding tone sent a shiver down the male's spine.

"YESSSSSS!" Marin saluted and snapped his fingers. Lucy and Erza appeared and they landed on the ground.

 _"What the…hell was that…?"_ Gray was still sweating. Even though he and Natsu spoke to Marin, for some reason he couldn't muster the courage to speak to Brandish.

"…I wish she'd step on me like that…" Mii let out a longing sigh.

"Get in line…!" Marin snapped on instinct, but also a little shakily. But when he did look at Mii, he managed a thumbs up. "You pass~"

Natsu rushed over to Erza and Lucy. "Lucy! Erza! You two okay!?"

"My relaxation room isn't dangerous, so no worries, no worries! Heart emoticon!" Marin was reassuring that Lucy and Erza were fine, but Marin was still a creep.

"We're fine, but…" Erza rubbed the back of her head. "What was that creepy room?"

"We're back…" Lucy groaned. She then noticed Brandish and…wow. "There's another person here too…?!" _"W-What's with this power!? Powerful alone is an understatement…!"_

 _"What is she…?"_ Erza had to get her bearings again. The fact that someone so powerful was standing before them didn't mean anything good.

"I just wanted some Star Mango…but it's unfortunate that the stand was destroyed…" Brandish sighed once more.

"Did I hear a lady in need of Star Mango?" Zelos strolled in and this was quite literally the worst thing that could be happening at this very moment.

"…Oh no." Lucy gasped.

"We're dead." Gray muttered in silence.

Zelos waltzed past Mii and Marin, holding out the bowl of Star Mango he bought earlier. "You know, with all the trouble brewing on the island, I feared that the most popular attraction would be caught up in the chaos. So I brought some just to spare for a pretty lady. It seems my instincts were correct~"

"What is he doing…" Erza couldn't get a read on Zelos. Was he actually trying to somehow save the situation by defusing whatever potential hostile intentions Brandish had, or…was he serious just ignorant to the entire island changing and her magic power. She feared it was the latter, and knowing Zelos, it probably was.

"HEY!" Marin stomped towards Zelos. "What do you think you're doing!? Lady Brandish doesn't have time for you, shithead! We're busy! You FAIL! YOU FAIL!"

"Stop that, Marin." Brandish stared at the bowl since Zelos was offering to her. She blinked and accepted it before finally getting a taste of the ever popular Star Mango. Her eyes lit up upon tasting it! "This is…delicious…"

"Isn't it? It's the biggest craze." Zelos bowed. The situation…actually wasn't going south, which was really strange. "Seeing a strong and beautiful woman such as yourself being denied the pleasure of this because of your underlings incompetence…it's a crime. Which is why I took it upon myself to prepare in advanced. It's my duty to ensure that all lovely ladies have smiling faces all day!" Marin was about to lunge at Zelos for that comment, but the Spiggan held up a hand to stop him.

Brandish lifted a brow at Zelos' words. "…So you're saying you'd do anything, at any time, just to ensure I'm in a good mood?"

"That's right!" Zelos winked.

"You're adorable. I'll keep you as a new pet." As far as the Spriggan was concerned and aware of, Zelos had no affiliation to these people since he popped in out of nowhere. Brandish then lifted up a hand.

"Oh, that's so flatter…" Zelos blinked as his body felt strange. "Wait…" Poof. Zelos was gone. His body just…vanished. This petrified everyone to say the least.

"Oh that ain't good…" Mii blinked.

"Z-Zelos?!" Lucy looked around for the obnoxious male, but he was nowhere to be seen! "What just…!?"

Marin shook his head before focusing on the matter at hand. "Lady Brandish, our job is the capture the spy and their friends that have gone to look for him!" The underling then pointed at Mii's back. "Just look at her! She's so obviously a spy from the Pergrande Kingdom! We can't go back empty handed or…!"

"Ishgar wouldn't dare come at Alvarez even if we did let them go." Brandish cut Marin off.

"Well, I would certainly love to…" Mii didn't get to finish speaking. Lucy's hand clasped over her mouth to keep her from speaking.

"That's true…" Marin conceded. "But…wouldn't it be terrible to tell them we couldn't find any? We'd be failures…"

That comment just left Brandish with a small smile. She turned and started to walk off. "Such things don't concern me…"

Everyone was still trying to get over what happened to Zelos; they couldn't figure it out. But Natsu was the one to speak up before Brandish got too far. "Wait up."

"Natsu!?" Lucy turned. She had both hands on Mii's mouth and couldn't spare one for Natsu. The situation stagnated but could easily go back downhill if they agitated the woman anymore!

"Look what you did to one of ours." The Salamander sneered while gesturing to Mest. "There's no way I'm letting that slide."

"Stop it, Natsu!" Erza demanded.

"Hey hey, maybe now isn't the best time to be a hero…" Mii said, but of course nobody could tell since they feared she'd say something that tipped Brandish over.

Brandish's gaze turned back to face Natsu's glare. Without a word she lifted her hand up to Marin who just blinked. In the next instant, Marin exploded in a similar fashion to Zelos. The fact she did it twice, and to one of her own people, left the group mortified. This wasn't the answer they expected her to give. "And now, we're down one person too. Does that make us even? I'm sorry but…troublesome matters aren't my favorite…"

Natsu growled. Just who was this woman!? "You…took out one of your own…" To Natsu, that was the biggest sin anyone could ever commit. Brandish's callous and aloof attitude only made such an atrocity even worse.

"It's like I said, it was getting troublesome." Brandish was getting tired of repeating herself and offered Fairy Tail a way out. "I'll let them know that I've taken care of the spy and their friends. So don't come any closer to Aracitacia."

Erza's glare hit Brandish's back. The attitude this woman was giving them…she despised it! _"She's…belittling us…!"_

"Makarov is alive." Brandish stated. "But if you guys keep doing unnecessary things…who knows what'll happening. This is a warning. Don't come any closer." The island began to change once again, and it did so in an instant. In a mere second, the entirety of Caracall Island fell underwater, all except for a lone rock that Brandish perched on to look down on all of them.

The sudden shift in land mass caused a disturbance in the ocean, rough waves rocking violently and tossing a few people in various directions. "The ground!?

"It disappeared!?"

"The island changed a minute ago…and now it's no longer here!?"

"What the hell is happening!?"

I'm drowning, someone save me…!"

"There are 12 more wizards of this power in Alvarez. So don't fight a battle you can't win, Fairy Tail…" The woman's coat wavered in the sea breeze. She wasn't done there either; she shifted her gaze to the members of White Eclipse who were getting into a ship that Zalen built at the very last second to keep them afloat. "The same goes for you, White Eclipse. Do not stick your nose in places where it doesn't belong…otherwise things will get messy." On that note, Brandish disappeared.

Lucy's eyes were wide with fear. "12 more of that!?"

"Oi Oi…" Mii laid back in the water and stared at the sky. "That was pretty awful…"

"So…they've found out about us…" Gray stared into the water. Their cover was ground into dust.

"The Alvarez Kingdom…" Erza scowled at the thought. Brandish was so strong, and there were more like that!? She now understood why Makarov was so worried…

"Old Man…" Natsu growled at Brandish's parting words. Makarov was alive, at least they knew that much now. But the power the Alvarez Kingdom had within…it was more than they ever expected.

.

.

Next Time: Emperor Spriggan.


	30. Chapter 30: Emperor Spriggan

After Caracall island was no more, multiple ships were used to whisk the people to safety. The Alvarez soldiers were no longer in the area so the rescue was taken up by a few rescuers and even Erza herself. "Is there anyone missing!?" Titania asked while surveying the area.

Lucy leaned forward on the railing of a smaller ship, watching the rescue effort. "Everyone who was on the island seems like they'll be able to board…"

"Lucky there was a group of fishing boats nearby!" Gray was sure glad nobody would be in serious danger.

"But Zelos…" Lucy frowned. Sure, Zelos was annoying, but to see…that happen to him did leave her uneasy.

"Nah, he's fine…" Mii waved a hand while checking out Lucy's rear very subtlety. "I don't know what she did with him in particular, but that idiot is okay."

"How do you know…?" Gray asked while lifting a brow.

"I can just kinda tell." Mii shrugged. "I'm mad at him though…I didn't think to try and defuse her with Star Mango! She probably would have taken Mii over him if I did…shit…"

"Is that really why you're upset…?" Lucy deadpanned and also turned around since she could feel Mii's gaze on her backside.

"Guh…" Natsu sat, arms crossed as his body quivered from the transportation. He felt incredibly sick.

As the people climbed onto the ship, the fishermen just stared in awe and confusion. "So uh…er…what exactly happened here?"

"Where's Caracall Island…?"

" _It disappeared…"_ Erza thought back to the events. _"No…more accurately…it shrank. That chick must have the power to manipulate mass itself. That's pretty high level…"_

"Is anyone injured?" A medic asked. "Separated from their family!?"

Mest was lying on the ship, groaning in pain from his injuries. He was stable at least. "Ugh…"

"I-Is Mest…o…okay…?" Wendy was on the boat and suffering because of it.

"H-He looked…really…b-bad…" Cynthia had her eyes closed, leaning against Wendy's shoulder.

"Again, huh?" Carla stared at the both of them.

"S-Sorry…can't use…restoration magic…p-properly…" Wendy somehow managed to get her broken sentence out there.

"Did you find the kid's parents?" Gray asked.

"Aye! Don't worry!" Happy answered for them. Even though the girl and her father were reunited, they were unable to find the dragon slayer duo after all the chaos that happened.

"Ah! Wendy, Cynthia! Look at my two budding young girls!" Mii clasped her hands together. "Wendy, did you grow taller? Cynthia, what happened to your hair? Looks nice!"

"N-Not…really…" Wendy gagged.

"T-Thanks…" Cynthia groaned.

Carla narrowed her eyes at Mii One the one hand, she was glad to see that Mii was still alive, but on the other, she wasn't sure what sort of motive Mii had. "…What brings you here?"

"Work." Mii shrugged. "I can talk all about that later…but I should probably get going now…"

While Natsu was suffering, Lucy rubbed his back to ease his pain. The slayer was whining about wanting off of the ship, but right now wasn't exactly the best time. "So, what do we do now?"

"Hmm," Erza tried to ponder their options. They didn't have many. "We could start with that spy we're…" And suddenly, she vanished, leaving Lucy wide eyed. This occurance wasn't just Erza! Lucy, Natsu, Happy, Carla, Cynthia, Wendy, Gray, and even Mii were pulled out of sight!

"Tch…" Reve watched as the civilians climbed the bigger fishing boat. He was about to grill Fairy Tail for what happened since the blame did sort of lie with them, but before he could get close enough, they vanished! "…Wha?"

"…So, she knew about us…" Luke rubbed the back of his neck. "That's…not so great."

"It didn't sound like she was going to say anything, though…" Takeru groaned. Since they were on a ship made by Zalen, he and Selene were still suffering a little bit.

"Y-yeah…" Selene slowly nodded. "S-She told…Fairy Tail…that she'd say she took out the spies…"

"Either she's lazy or incompetent…" Taya crossed her arms. "Either way, her negligence has opened a window for us."

"Are we going to keep going? She did seem very serious…look at what happened to the land. It's no more…" Aira looked out over the horizon. The only trace of Caracall Island was that little rock Brandish stood on, where a seagull was now perched onto it.

"The ability to manipulate mass…" Royal stared out into the ocean intently. "I remember hearing about someone with that power back when I was on that continent. She must be one of those Spriggan 12

"For someone who isn't Calium…she's pretty strong…" Luke sighed. "But we're going to keep going, right?"

"We're already here." Zalen adjusted his glasses. "It won't take much longer to reach the continent. She may have already figured out who we were, but if she's as aloof as she looks, they won't try anything. Besides, we're only here for intel, and we're getting a lot of it so far."

"Exactly." Reve nodded. "I'm not letting that woman tell me of all people what to do anyway. Let's keep moving. Kuro is waiting for us."

* * *

Whoosh. Everyone landed…somewhere, rather roughly and suddenly thanks to Mest. "That was…my magic…" The mage groaned, still feeling sore from his injuries.

"Don't just teleport us to random places!" Carla yelled.

"Why did you bring Mii!?" Mii asked while looking around. Ultimately she sighed and dropped it. "Ah…whatever…"

"Oooh! We're no longer on transportation!" Natsu sprang up with a grin.

"Yaaaay!" Wendy and Cynthia cheered in unison.

"Where…exactly are we?" Erza surveyed the area. It looked like they were inside a building.

"Well…we're still technically in Caracall Island's waters, but…we're underwater to be exact." Mest clarified.

"Underwater!?" Lucy gasped. "How…?"

Happy and Carla stood at one of the windows. There was a magical barrier that prevented the water from spilling into the building. "Look! Fish everywhere!" Happy's eyes lit up.

"What is this place…?" Carla could only stare confusedly at their surroundings.

"I did get to the spy…but the only message I got was to come here." Said Mest, not entirely sure why either.

"This is an odd place." Erza shrugged.

"An underwater temple, huh…?" Gray was somewhat impressed.

"There isn't even a boundary here!" Lucy stuck her hand through the barrier and easily slipped through to the water on the outside.

"This place is nifty." Mii leaned against the wall.

"Oh! Check this out!" Natsu stuck his head out of the barrier into the water. He was saying something but it was all coming out like 'blub blub blub."

"That's dangerous, Natsu-san!" Wendy showed her concern. But things changed when the temple itself started to rumble! An engine appeared from the roof and pushed the entire building forward through the ocean. The dragon slayers were down once again as they realized they were on transportation!

"Transportaatttion…."

"Uh…this place is moving?" Mii blinked.

"Mest, what's going on?" Erza demanded to know.

"I…I dunno…." Mest admitted. He didn't know as much as he should have in these moments.

"Welcome aboard!" A feminine voice said from the chair nearby. The chair turned and there was Angel, giving a salute, a wink, and stuck her tongue out playfully. "To the moving temple, Olympia! This is your captain, Sorano!"

"This is my lucky day." Mii clasped her hands together, winking at Angel.

"ANGEL!?" Lucy's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets from surprise.

"Why is she in a swimsuit?" Said Gray, lacking any clothes.

"She's underwater…why aren't YOU in a swimsuit!?" Carla growled.

Erza turned, giving Mest a look. "Why wasn't it Cobra!?"

"He would've asked too many questions…" Mest sighed. He kind of expected this reaction. "Plus…" He then pointed to the trio of dragon slayers who were suffering because of the moving temple. "That."

"So the spy was…" Happy began.

"That's right~" Angel shook her rear while answering the question.

"You can't keep doing this and expect Mii not to do something…" Mii took a few steps forward, but as usual, she was held back by Lucy. "Heyyyyyy!"

"We need to talk about you and your habits…" Lucy grumbled.

"Why is she here?" Angel shook her head. "Eh, whatever…"

Angel explained the situation. Needless to say she got some deadpanned looks. "So your cover was blown…" Lucy said.

"Then you came to the island to hide…" Gray continued.

"And now the island is gone…" Carla finished.

Angel puffed her cheeks, flailing her arms around childishly. "Hey! It took all I got to escape alive, okay! Anyway, this time's special because I owe Mest a favor anyway. We're not comrades, make no mistake."

"Ah…thanks, Angel. Er…So…rano…?" Lucy wasn't entirely sure how to address Angel at this point.

Angel turned to Lucy, taking a part of her top piece and tugged it forward while giving a sinister smile. "It was I who killed Karen. Don't forget." Lucy wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that…

"Enough, Sorano." Erza said.

Angel relented with a lazy smile. "Yeah, yeah…" She then glanced at Lucy. "But if it means anything...It's good to see you aren't so 'blargh' anymore. It was a really ugly look for you." She meant the whole Lambda thing, by the way. She just wasn't the best at descriptions.

"Thanks...?" Lucy smiled awkwardly.

"You sure have a lot of animosity for someone who almost drowned, hahaha." Mii pointed out, causing Angel's brow to twitch in annoyance.

"Where are we going…?" Wendy whimpered.

"Hell…?" Natsu suggested.

"I believe it…" Cynthia groaned.

"We're going to where Makarov is." Angel spoke with a confident smile. Oh how she adored the looks everyone gave her when she dropped information.

"You know where Master is?" Erza couldn't believe it.

"How do you like me now~?" Angel hummed.

"Question…" Gray lifted his hand. "You do know how to drive this thing, right? You're not gonna…press the wrong button or something and make this thing explode or something?"

Angel puffed her cheeks out. You accidentally cause a catastrophic cannon to explode once three years ago and suddenly everyone doesn't trust you with machinery! "I KNOW HOW TO DRIVE! You think I liked being caught up in that!? I lost my memory and it wasn't fun! Leave me alone!" With a huff, the woman sat on the chair and it turned around.

"I don't know what that was all about…" Mii leaned over the side of the chair. "But if you want some stress relief, I can help~"

"We are so sorry for her." Lucy found herself tugging Mii back again. "Stop flirting with the captain…!"

"Peh…" Mii stuck her tongue out. How boring. "I'm an angel, she goes by Angel, I'm just trying to make something work, you know?"

"Please no..." Lucy could only sigh.

* * *

The Alvarez Empire; capital: Vistarion. Makarov was in the main palace, playing a card game known as Legencia with another elderly man known as Yajeel. Yajeel set down a card and began to talk to Makarov. "I'm sure you've heard the whispers regarding Fairy Tail, haven't you, Sir Makarov?"

"Shocking to be honest…" Makarov muttered while staring at the cards in his hands.

"You would've seen it coming though?" Yajeel questioned.

Makarov was pondering his next move, but it seemed that Yajeel misunderstood him. "Hmm…oh, I wasn't talking about the guild. What shocked me was His Majesty's personality. I thought he would've been a bit more…hm…"

"Dictatorial?" Yajeel could already figure out what Makarov had assumed.

"Just when I thought of a nicer way to put it…" Makarov was found out. A few coughs escaped him after. Old age really got to him over the last year. When Makarov admitted that this was what he was thinking, Yajeel just let out a hearty laugh. "Who would've thought he'd treat me as a guest and be so open to negotiations? I would've have believed it a year back. Well…you're the one doing the negotiating though…"

"Oh, but his Majesty has a habit of disappearing sometimes. He isn't even back yet." Yajeel explained. "Some time ago he took one of the Shields for a quick mission of some sort. He never returned after it was complete, though."

"Normally, one wouldn't bother with having negotiations with old bones like us." The former Wizard Saint laughed.

"But you see, that's the one interesting card you have in your hand!" Yajeel remarked. "To sooth his bloodthirsty shields and avoid violence as a means of solving conflict, was it? Our king is a man of excellence."

"But in Ishgar, people speak of him as a man that has control over all the guilds In Aracitacia by force." Makarov placed a card down.

"That is also one of his sides." Yajeel spoke very highly of Emperor Spriggan. "But that's what it means to be 'kind'." With one final card placed down on his end, Makarov had no choice but to fold.

"You're too good at Legenca, Sir Yajeel. I've lost again." Makarov shrugged.

"The key to victory is to keep the Goddess close and not lose her." The old man said with a faint chuckle.

The door to the garden opened and an elderly woman stepped out. This woman had emerald hair, though due to her age there were a few gray ones scattered about. Her eyes were yellow, but if it weren't for the gray hairs one would assume she was a youth. "Oh, sir Yajeel…I wasn't aware that we had company…"

"Ah, Lady Emerald…" Yajeel bowed to the woman. "I didn't expect to see you return so soon from your trip."

Makarov turned to the woman who entered and his eyes widened immediately. The woman looked exactly like the biggest, former foe Fairy Tail fought against one year ago. But that couldn't be…! "Emerald…?"

"Oh?" Emerald turned, staring at Makarov. She blinked once before giving a bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Emerald Verde, I hope you've been enjoying your stay in the Kingdom, sir….?"

"Makarov." Makarov responded to Emerald's kindness with his own bow. "Makarov Dreyar."

"…?" Emerald blinked. She placed a finger on her chin as she tried to recall where she heard that name. "Makarov Dreyar…I think I've heard of you before…hm, but I can't place my memory on it yet. I'm afraid that's what old age does to you, haha…"

"I thought you and your daughter would still be on vacation. You two have been doing enjoying yourselves!" Yajeel gestured for Emerald to sit down, and she did so.

"Ah, she wanted to stay out longer, but she heard that tensions with Ishgar were getting high and wished to be around in case things changed for the worst. I'm just so glad she's recovered after such an awful ordeal in Ishgar…" Emerald let out a sigh. "I worry about her so much."

"As I with my grandson." Yajeel nodded in understanding. "Always so eager for a fight. His youthfulness may get the better of him one day I fear…"

"…I share those worries as well." Makrov chimed into the elderly person talk. They all shared the common thread of both being old, and worrying about their family. With the happenings in the world, how could they not be? An uproar from the city caught their attention and they looked to see what the commotion was.

"His royal highness has returned!"

"It's been a year!"

"Emperor Spriggan is coming!" The people rejoiced at their ruler's return.

"My…speaking of the man…" Yajeel stood up, using his cane to support his weight, but he still shook due to his fragile stature.

"Oh my…he really did return. It seems like my daughter was right…" Emerald stared out.

"Oh…that took a while…" Makarov mumbled.

"Be at rest, I'm sure His Highness would've heard of your concerns regarding Ishgar. And once His Highness delivers his decree, his shields will have no say." Yajeel said to ease Makarov's worries.

Makarov felt a wave of relief wash over him. His concerns over the past year…they could finally be put the rest. It was almost so much he wasn't even sure what to say. "I…"

"Please return to your guild when all of this is over." The old man said.

"Yes…" Makarov stared at the silhouette of Emperor Spriggan as he walked through the city. "My family is wait…" No…no…it couldn't be…

The people of Alvarez chanted 'Long live the Emperor!' as their ruler slowly approached the palace. The identity of Emperor Spriggan, the man Makarov wanted to protect Fairy Tail from…was none other than the guild's own worst enemy: Zeref.

"He looks well as usual…" Yajeel chuckled. "His youth is really something worthy of envy, isn't it?"

"I agree…I wish I could look as young as he does." Emerald laughed.

"Huh…?" Makarov couldn't hear anything. His gaze was too fixated at the information he attempted to process. How could this be? This was the worst case scenario… _"Zeref!?"_

* * *

Zeref returned to the palace where he was greeted by Invel, one of the Spriggan 12 and known as the Winter General. "Welcome back, Your Majesty." Invel said with a curt nod.

"I'm back, Invel." Zeref responded to the Spriggan's greeting with a soft smile. "Do you think you'd be able to gather all of the 12?

"It would take some time." Invel responded. "If I could predict that the spring wind was coming, I would have gathered them in advanced."

"Oh? Are you saying I'm like some sort of capricious wind?" Zeref chuckled at the thought.

"Wind…black wind…no, a dark storm bringing death." Dimaria Yesta, the Valkyrie and member of Spriggan 12, said while placing a hand on her hip. "The spring wind doesn't suit you."

"DESSERT!" Said Ajeel Ramal, the King of the Dessert and another member of the 12. "You're like dust dancing over a dead land!" The Spriggan grinned while not using his inside voice.

"Dimaria, Ajeel, you look cheerful." Zeref commented.

"You should speak more politely to His Majesty." Invel chided his two comrades.

"It's okay, Invel." Zeref reassured.

"You look cheerful too, Your Majesty. You seem happier than before." The elderly caused others to turn. This was the King of Magic: August.

"Do I?" Zeref asked.

"I reckon you've found your answer about Ragnarok…" The elderly man walked forward with a staff in hand.

"In Ishgar, they call it the Dragon King festival." Zeref informed them all. As soon as he did this, there were subtle grins on their faces.

"FIGHT!" Ajeel smirked widely, clearly the most excited one here. "Yes! I can't wait!"

Yajeel approached the small group. "Your Majesty…you are back! I am really glad to see you." The old man started to approach, but then he recalled Zeref's curse and backed away. "Ops…"

"Don't worry; God Ankhseram has been in a good mood these last few years." The Black Wizard reassured.

"Oh, but someone like me might have their old soul sucked out just by getting close." Yajeel then gestured to Makarov, who was standing beside him. "I believe you are aware that while Your Majesty was away, a messenger from Ishgar came."

"Yes, I know." Zeref stared at Makarov. The irony of it all.

"He insisted he wants to meet you right away. Perhaps you can grant him an audience?" The Minster asked.

"He does seem like a polite man, I wouldn't see the harm in it." Emerald added.

"Yajeel-sama…" Yura was about to chide the old man. "Before beginning foreign guests into the palace you should fill in the official documents…"

"It's okay." Zeref said.

Makarov then kneeled before Zeref, showing the utmost respect to Emperor Spriggan. If the chance for negotiations was still plausible, he wanted to do everything in his power to raise those chances. "I…I am pleased to meet you, Your Majesty."

Zeref stared down at Makarov before turning to the others. "Could you leave us alone?"

"Of course, Your Majesty." Dimaria nodded. "I heard there may be some insects on our soil, so I will see if those whispers are true." With a bow, the woman made her leave.

.

.

* * *

Zeref and Makarov met on the balcony of the palace. The Black Wizard stared out to the kingdom while Makarov stood behind him. "Are you Emperor Spriggan? Or Zeref?" The old man asked, trying to properly ascertain Zeref's identity.

"Both." Zeref replied. "For you, I am Zeref. But to Aracitacia, I am Spriggan. Well…if I was asked to choose one, I'd say Zeref. I was looking for the meaning of living in this world. It's been 400 years already. But you know…I had already prepared the Dragon King Festival. I think it was about a few hundred years ago that I decided to create a country here. In the beginning it was a small country. Then it absorbed many guilds, and eventually became an empire – a huge organization."

"To get your hands on Lumen Histoire?" Makarov questioned.

"There's no need to hide it. I know the official name." Zeref's words caused Makarov's eyes to widen. "A secret magic superior to even the three great Fairy Magics; Fairy Heart."

Now Makarov understood. "Everything is clear. You're after Fairy Heart because you're Zeref, aren't you?"

"That's correct. But actually, I only decided that very recently. Originally, this empire was power I was gathering to compete with Acnologia." Said the Black Wizard, placing a hand on the railing nearby. "It wasn't me who decided to advance 13 years ago. Some of the 12 aren't easy to keep still. That time I stopped it. It wasn't the right time."

"Wasn't it because you feared the Etherion and Face possessed by the Council?"

"Of course, that's a reason too. It would've caused serious damage to us as well." Zeref admitted, a slow grin creeping onto his lips. "But Alvarez as it is now isn't going to lose to either Ishgar or Acnologia."

"I take it you're not open to negotiations?"

"Unfortunately. The real Dragon King Festival is about to start. Black Wizards…the King of Dragons…and you humans. It's time to decide who will survive." Zeref turned to face Makarov.

"Are you going to start a war…?" This was the dreaded question Makarov feared.

"An extermination." Zeref corrected.

"I WON'T LET YOU HAVE OUR FIRST MASTER!" Makarov yelled, but before he could do anything more, Zeref extended his hand and the old master's body tensed and seized up. "Ugh!?"

"I'm just a bit thankful to you." Zeref said with such an honest tone. He was so honest…it was frightening. "Thank you for bringing up Natsu." A sphere appeared around Makarov's body, building magic power in what was likely going to result in a powerful explosion. "You'll feel better soon. I'll send your body to Natsu. He'll get so angry…he'll want to destroy me." The thought made the Black Wizard…giddy with excitement. The inevitable showdown with his brother was an important step to his plans after all.

"Ngh…ugh…" Makarov groaned.

"Do you have anything left to say? I'll be sure to leave those parting words with Natsu." Zeref chuckled.

"Ugly….demon…." The old master gave Zeref the death glare.

"That was close. Spriggan is the name of an ugly fairy." The irony of it all. Zeref was prepared to end Makarov's life once and for all, but then the most unexpected thing happened. Makarov was gone in a flash! For the briefest of seconds, Mest was visible and vanished just as quickly as he appeared. Zeref's expression…he was genuinely caught off guard by this occurrence.

* * *

From the capital to the forest miles away, Mest reappeared with Makarov safely in his arms. Everyone was waiting for Mest to areturn, and as soon as he did, the group immediately surrounded the two of them with elated expressions. "Old man!" Said Gray.

"Master!" Lucy grinned.

"Grandpa!" Natsu shouted.

"Master!" Erza beamed.

"You're safe!" Cynthia hopped up and down.

"Waaaaah!" Wendy wanted to cry she was so happy.

"Eh…" Mii shrugged.

Makarov was huffing and puffing, but he was unable to believe the sight before him. "You…"

"ZEREF!" Mest panted heavily, trying to catch his breath after narrowly escaping that situation. "Zeref was there…!"

Natsu's eyes widened and he turned in the direction of the capital. "Zeref…"

* * *

"So you're here?" Zeref asked as he stared into at the forest off in the distance. The black aura secreted from his body as his soft smile returned once more. "Natsu…"

.

.

Next Time: The Land Abandoned By God.


	31. Chapter 31: The Land Abandoned By God

The Alvarez Stronghold – one of the many warehouses of which the Alvarez Kingdom had their war supplies. It was no secret that war between Alvarez and Ishgar was going to start soon and multiple soldiers were beginning to transport things out of the building. After hearing about potential spies in the kingdom, they were working tirelessly to prepare. Kuro Crane posed as a soldier of the empire, standing off to the side and out of sight. "…So, it looks like it will be starting soon…"

It didn't take very long for the White Eclipse group to arrive to this Stronghold thanks to Zalen's building capabilities. They arrived at the specific location Kuro asked for them to meet at. "Yo, guys. Nice to see you all."

"Sup, Kuro. What's uh…going on here?" Luke asked while looking around. Meanwhile Takeru and Selene slowly crawled out of the vehicle.

"A stronghold where that carries war supplies for Alvarez." Kuro said, getting right to the point. His gaze did go to Taya, but she simply waved in response. He had questions but there were more pressing issues at hands. "It's no secret that Alvarez and Ishgar may go to war…but things have been getting really tense over here."

"What's been happenin'?" Royal questioned while glancing around. "We heard something about Emperor Spriggan returning after a year or so. The people have been pretty excited about. I think I was drunk when he was here last, so I can't quite remember him…"

"Who is Emperor Spriggan anyway? Maybe we could try reasoning with him…but if that were the case, I doubt we'd be standing in front of a supply warehouse…" Aira's gaze went to the building not too far away.

"About that…" Kuro wasn't sure how to deliver the information he managed to dig up over the year. "It turns out…that Emperor Spriggan is actually Zeref."

"WH-!?" Takeru and Luke were about to shout, but Selene and Aira covered their mouths.

"…Zeref? I can't say I saw that coming…" Taya crossed her arms. The gravity of the situation was growing more intense the more they learned. "If that's the case, I can't say things are going to get any smoother from here…"

"A man with demons and an entire kingdom under his domain…who would've thought." Reve scoffed. "What else does he have in the back pocket? It's getting a little ridiculous at this rate."

"Not to mention…he's got mages like that one woman from the Island under his command. This incoming battle really will be something…" Zalen stated.

"Wait…" Selene held a hand up. Her enhanced hearing was picking something up. They weren't too far away from the capital or the palace and she could overhear the conversation between Zeref and Makarov. "…Two people are speaking over there…" She pointed in the direction of the palace. "…One voice is Zeref…the other must be Fairy Tail's Master…"

"I hear it too…" Takeru's eyes narrowed as he attempted to listen in.

"What are they talking about…?" Luke asked.

"…It sounds like…" Selene paused. "Makarov is asking Zeref if he's after something called…Fairy Heart? And Zeref…said yes. Furthermore…"

"…Yeah…it's just as Kuro said." Takeru confirmed. "Zeref is starting a war…oh, no…he's calling it an extermination…whatever's going on, it revolves around Fairy Tail…"

"…Oh that's not good…" Luke sucked his teeth.

"…A war against a kingdom like this…?" Aira shook her head. "That would be awful for both sides…"

"Looks like we don't have a choice now. We have to warn the others about the coming battle." Zalen said.

"First…let's weaken the enemy a bit. This war may be about Fairy Tail for whatever reason, but if it encompasses the entire country, we're going to be swept in the chaos no matter what. They need to know we're not going to take this lying down."

"I agree. Let's rough them up a little bit." Taya said with a slight grin. "I haven't truly gotten to stretch my limbs in a while."

"I see you're getting comfortable during your stay here." Dimaria said as she suddenly appeared on the scene, standing in front of the White Eclipse group. "You should grab some souvenirs while you're here…I'll send them to your little guild as mementos." The Valkyrie held a sinister grin while brandishing her blade.

"Oh…shit…" Luke let out a nervous laugh. "Heeeey…"

Kuro narrowed his eyes. "Dimaria…? When did you…no, that's a stupid question."

"You know this woman?" Zalen asked while taking a step back. Dimaria's presence had the same time of overbearing aura that Brandish had at Caracall; the only notable difference was the hostility between them. Brandish had none, while Dimaria's expression displayed a huntress preparing to toy with and dine on her prey.

"Allow me to introduce myself. Dimaria Yesta of the Spriggan 12." The woman sauntered forward slowly, keeping everyone on edge. "Some call me the War Princess…others call me the Valkyrie…you can call me your grim reaper."

"Wouldn't be the first time we've heard something like that…" Luke and the others were prepared to fight, that was without question. It didn't look like Dimaria was going to let them go that easily anyway.

"Bring it, lady." Takeru smirked.

"Oh, how delightful…" Dimaria smirked, her aura flaring just a little bit for an intimidation factor…but they weren't budging. "I see…you're acting so tough, trying not to quake against such overwhelming power. You're all quite so adorable, especially the cute ladies you have here."

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'm off the market." Taya replied with some sass.

"You just don't understand…" Dimaria had a smile on her lips, shaking her head at the ignorance of the mages of Ishgar before her. "Compared to the might of the Alvarez Empire, Ishgar is nothing but an insect. It is a land abandoned by the gods themselves, and I speak as the vessel of Chronos himself. There is nothing you could ever hope to accomplish against our Empire, and I hope these last words follow you too your timely end." Just as the Eclipse mages were going to attack, Dimaria clicked her teeth and time froze all around them. "Oh, those expressions are just so adorable, and precisely what I wanted to see! You can struggle all you want, but you're powerless against me." As the blonde walked forward, she tried to pick her first victim; her eyes then wandered to Aira. "Perhaps I should slaughter one of you and leave the rest of you in fear? I think that's best…I'll, strip her and cut up her pretty little face to make a point, too." Decision made, Dimaria lifted her sword up and lazily swung at Aira. With the blade's sharpness it was going to be fatal regardless. Just before the sword did strike the wind mage…it collided with metal. "What?"

"Not today!" Luke brandished his Eclipse Sword just in the nick of time, clashing with Dimaria's. She wasn't expecting anyone to move freely within her time. Before she had the chance to react to Luke even blocking her hit, he thrusted a Black God's Bomb into her chest. The ensuring explosion sent the woman flying back with an unexpected cry of pain.

Dimaria skidded across the ground, a bruise on her stomach. Luke's magic did more damage than she was expecting and she didn't look too happy about it. _"That magic…God slaying!?"_ The woman thought to herself before sneering at Luke. "How are you moving about in my time!?"

"Isn't it obvious? Time Magic?" Luke placed his index finger to his temple and tapped it a few times. "Ever since that incident last year with that woman giving me some of her magic…it's been handy."

"Nice save, Luke…" Zalen and the others were able to move about in Dimaria's time thanks to Luke spreading out his time magic among them.

"Yeah, well…I can't keep this up for long with so many of you, but I think we can put her down in that amount of time." Luke said with a nod.

"Running on borrowed time? That's adorable." Dimaria straightened herself. "Do you truly intend to try and fight me? Did you not hear what I told you before? How your land has been forsaken by the gods?"

"So?" Reve scoffed. It was at this moment that the White Eclipse marks on all their bodies began to shine brightly. "All we really need is the Eclipse anyway."

Their cockiness was starting to piss Dimaria off. They were supposed to be cowering, not standing in front of her like they were the shit! "You all talk big…but I think you need a reminder of where you stand…" With her free hand extended, the tips of her fingers lit up in a golden light. Several beams shot forth from the woman's fingers, flying faster than the human eye could perceive!

But Reve could. Precision Eyes were active and he could follow the beams Dimaria released. "Hit the ground!" The gunslinger barked and everyone did just that, feeling the beams graze their bodies.

"Whew…! That was close…!" Takeru exhaled.

Dimaria grit her teeth and lunged forward, her blade lightning up in a yellow aura. "Age Slash!" She wasn't aiming for anyone in particular with this blow. She just swung her sword down onto the ground, causing a massive shockwave to boom out and throw the Eclipse mages off their feet with her raw power. "Do you see? This is the might of the Alvarez Empire!" The Spriggan went to pull up her sword, only to find that a thick layer of diamond encased both her blade and the hilt where her hand was. "What's this?"

"A gift." Selene replied before swinging a diamond coated leg at Dimaria's cheek! It was a direct hit and the Spriggan was forced to release her hold on her sword while staggering back. A bruise mark now ruined the woman's perfect skin and she didn't look amused. "Did you just…kick me in the face?"

"I think I did you a favor." Selene shrugged.

"How…insufferable…" Dimaria then pointed her hand down. With no warning, a sudden explosion of her magic erupted right underneath Selene, catching the slayer off guard! They may have been putting up a fight, but Selene was learning that Dimaria's actual strength was no joke! "There, did you enjoy that one?" The Spriggan questioned while extending her hand, rewinding time so her blade wouldn't be trapped within the diamonds.

"Fire Make: Fireflies!" Kuro took the maker's stance, creating an array of fireflies that swarmed Dimaria. These makeshift insects of flame all aimed to collide against the Spriggan, lighting up in a show of fiery explosions. Dimaria scoffed at Kuro's pitiful attempt to attack her, releasing several more finger beams to detonate the fireflies early. What was supposed to be a damaging pyre turned into cover for the Spriggan temporarily. "Tch…!" Before Kuro could follow up, a beam flew through the smoke and pierced his shoulder, causing him to let out a grunt of pain. "Gah…!"

"Kuro, to your left…!" Selene warned.

It was already too late. Dimaria appeared at Kuro's left with her blade in mid swing. She aimed to slice Kuro's head clean off, but her efforts were halted as the earth underneath her body shifted and threw off her aim. "Pardon…?" And pillar of earth rose up to slam into her side, distancing her from Kuro.

"Sorry…can't let you get away with something like that…" Royal said while giving a serious glare. They didn't have the time to mess around with Dimaria; they were only here for one reason.

"Oh? But why not? We've all the time in the world since you've entered mine. Enjoy your stay…but you might not live to see the end of it." The Spiggan spoke with a sultry grin.

Aira jumped forward and exhaled, releasing a potent torrent of wind in Dimaria's direction. "False Bellow!"

"Pathetic…" Dimaria used the flat side of her sword to easily deflect Aira's attack away, but the process of doing this left her open to an incoming Takeru.

"Shadow Dragon's…" Darkness wrapped around Takeru's hand and he swung it down, but Dimaria was easily able to evade this assault by leaping backwards. This only made the dragon slayer grin since it was a feint to begin with. "Eruption." A surge of shadows erupted from the ground underneath Dimaria; this was Takeru's payback for what she did to Selene moments ago.

With a slash of her blade, Dimaria was able to disperse the Eruption with little difficulty. "Is this the power of Ishgar? It's very lacking. This is the kind of power that dares to intrude in MY WORLD?" She spat.

"Oh really?" Reve held two pistols forward with his patented smirk. "We're just warming up…and it looks like you're struggling to keep up. I didn't know that it would be this easy to make a Spriggan lose their composure." If there was one thing Reve was good at…it was getting under people's skin. While Dimaria displayed absolute confidence earlier, Luke being able to briefly allow them to stand within her Age Seal shattered that cool composure and exchanged it for highly volatile rage. Reve clicked the trigger of his pistols, releasing multiple bullets that flew in a straightforward path at the Spriggan.

"Is this a joke!? You think you can defeat me with attacks like this!?" Reve was getting under Dimaria's skin. The woman growled and gripped her sword, preparing to swat the bullets out of the air…but they then vanished into a ripple of space. "What is this…?" The bullets emerged from behind Dimaria. She was able to take care of them, but she was not pleased. "Did you really think…!?"

"Heh…" Reve took a leap backwards, firing a shot behind him to make the same rift appear that he vanished into.

After Reve vanished from sight, Taya conjured up her Obisidan Blade, shooting the object of pure energy right at Dimaria's skull. While the demon was going for a straight kill, Dimaria was able to avoid the blade as it narrowly grazed her cheek. "You should watch yourself."

Before Dimaria could appropriately respond, Reve dropped down from a rift above her, swinging his leg at her skull! She was enough to avoid this, but Reve had his patented magnum pointed at her chest the moment she jumped away. "Bang." The trigger was clicked and a massive bullet was released, swallowing Dimaria whole and the ensuing explosion knocked down several trees in the process.

"Nice hit." Zalen said with a firm nod. While the others were battling Dimaria, Zalen was focused on the deconstruction of the Stronghold, and was finished at this point.

The smoke around Dimaria cleared and despite taking a direct hit from Reve's magnum, her stance and posture were unchanged, though her expression and body did not hide the damage dealt. "….You all are really starting to get on my last nerve! I will cut you down where you stand for intruding in my world!?"

"I think we got the easiest one…" Luke smirked. "If she can't stop time, she's not that hard to beat!"

"Now you're making light of me!?" The area began to tremble as Dimaria felt utterly insulted by White Eclipse. "I'll show you what happens when…"

"Sorry, but you're out of time!" Luke snapped his fingers and a yellow magic seal formed underneath Dimaria. The signature lightning trap was but a joke to someone of her caliber, but not so much when Selene stuck her feet to the ground. The ensuring trap caused Dimaria to seize up, which was Luke's chance. "Now…!" With a huge pulse of his magic, he activated a time surge just strong enough to negate Dimaria's Time Stop. As soon as time resumed, the Alvarez Stronghold collapsed thanks to Zalen's efforts.

"Alright, we're done here! Let's move!" Zalen yelled, gesturing to the vehicle he made. It was pretty similar to a magic car, but much more efficient! Selene and Takeru dreaded boarding, but they had no choice. One everyone was on board, the car sped off!

"…." Dimaria was trembling in anger. Did these mages really think they could make a mockery out of her and get away with it? The surrounding area trembled within her might before she let out an angry scream. A pillar of golden light erupted from her body, shattering the diamonds that confound her! "I'LL KILL THEM!"

* * *

"Wait, Zeref's here!?" Carla asked.

"On this continent…" Makarov stared down at the ground. "I had no idea myself that the man who called himself Emperor Spriggan was in fact, Zeref…" This news shook everyone.

"…I don't think all the intel in the world could have prepared Mii for that one…" Mii said with a soft huff. "I knew the Emperor was absent, but I didn't know it was him."

" _Zeref…"_ It was Verona who said this in a bit of a forlorn tone. Since it did come from Cynthia's mouth, she got a look but shook her head.

"And now you kids are here. Did Mest keep you in the loop?" Makarov asked.

"Yes," Erza nodded.

"We're all so glad you're okay." Wendy already had tears of happiness welling in her eyes.

"It was naïve of me to think that it'd go well." Makarov trembled. "He never had any intention to negotiate in the first place. After all I've done…going as far as to soil the guild's long history by coming here. All of this…for nothing. How frustrating…" Makarov's tears dripped onto the ground below. He couldn't even face his kids after his failure.

"Not all of it was pointless." Gray said with a soft smile. "We've all grown a lot in the past year."

"And we're all back together again." Lucy found the silver lining. Now that she knew Makarov didn't disband the guild because of her, she was more than willing to display a positive side for the old master since he needed it.

"If the drive behind one's actions is the thought for another, then it is never meaningless. That was something you taught me." Erza reflected on Makarov's teachings; she figured he needed to hear what he taught them over the years.

"So don't look so sad, Master…" Cynthia clasped her hands together, displaying a bright smile. "Because we're here for you!"

"I still question your decisions…but I'm not exactly part of the family anymore, so…" Mii just leaned back against the tree.

Natsu then stood in front of Makarov, grinning at the old man. "We're going home, Gramps. Back to Fairy Tail."

This time, the tears that fell from Makarov's eyes were those of happiness. "Yeah…"

Carla stepped forward, breaking the good mood with a little bit of reality. "I hate to break up the reunion, but we have to leave now."

"Yeah, I've got a bad feeling…" Happy said.

"I've used my teleporting skills too frequently today…at this point I only have enough power to move everyone once more. I'd like to move us to Sorano's ship…that being said, we'll have to return to the previous drop off point." Mest then turned to Mii. "You're free to leave if you like. I only brought you along since I heard you were around in my semi-conscious state and thought you were still a part of the guild…"

"Oh, trust Mii, I'd love to…" Mii pointed at the sky. "But how do you suppose I do that? Fly all the way back? I'm amazing and all, but flying is exhausting…"

"For once, I agree…" Carla nodded.

"Yeah, flying is exhausting, especially the distance we've covered…" Happy concurred.

"As someone who flies, I have to agree." Cynthia lifted a hand while speaking. "So can she please stick with us a little longer? I'm sure once we return to Ishgar we can talk things out with her."

"…I'm not staying." Mii huffed.

"Very well…" Mest reluctantly nodded. It still didn't feel right to him for Mii to know so much about Fairy Tail's secrets due to not being a member anymore, but she did provide useful information and there was a sense of obligation. "Let's get moving…"

"Awwww, leaving so soon, Makarov?" The voice of Ajeel startled the others and they turned to face him. The tanned male gave a wry smirk. "Got all your souvenirs yet? I heard mudpacks are a fad now, care to try one out?"

"Ajeel!?" Makarov gasped.

"No way…how did he get here?!" Mest questioned.

Ajeel held one hand up, sand flowing from his fingertips to the palm of his other hand. "Sand. Glorious sand. It tells you so much about the land…"

"Oh great, he's a rhymer too…" Mii's green eyes narrowed.

" _This guy's on the same level as the girl back at Caracall…"_ Gray was already sweating. He wasn't the only one. The others started to prepare for combat, and once again Natsu found himself gripping his bandaged arm.

"Oh, I like that…" Ajeel remarked.

"STOP! DON'T FIGHT HIM!" Makarov yelled at the others. "HE ISN'T SOMEONE YOU COULD BEAT! WE'VE GOTTA MOVE!"

Those words only made the situation worse. Ajeel just stood there, menacingly as the group began to bicker amongst themselves. "But…" Natsu began.

"These orders are from the master! Retreat!" Erza demanded, forcefully tugging Natsu away from the Spriggan. "Everyone, move back!"

"I've got a magical vehicle ready back here!" Carla pointed.

"Mmm…" Mii stared at Ajeel, weighing her options. But she didn't get to think because a concerned Lucy started to pull her away.

"Mii, we're going…!" Lucy's concern for the half-angel turned her tone into a demanding one.

Erza turned, swinging her arm vertically, manifesting several swords to fly at Ajeel to buy them time. "HA!"

Ajeel blinked, surprised at the amount of swords speeding in his direction. "Oh." BOOM. The swords exploded violently the moment they made contact with the Spriggan.

"Now's the time, get in"! Gray yelled, following the others into the car.

"A car…" Natsu groaned.

"Do we have to…" Cynthia moaned in agony.

"I'll drive!" Erza hopped in the driver's seat, connecting herself to the se plug. "Se plug, connected! We're going!" Titania revved the engine and the car sped forward through the forest.

There Ajeel stood with the numerous swords Erza released still stuck within his body. But they began to disintegrate into sand. "So that's Makarov's army, huh? Hmmm….I'm impressed."

Natsu, Wendy, and Cynthia hung out of the open window as the car drove through the forest. Their motion sickness made them useless at this point and it was taking all they had just to not vomit. Mest was in the passenger's seat, acting as a backseat driver due to his panic. "Faster, Erza!"

"I know." Erza responded calmly. The veins in her arm bulged as she poured even more magic into the plug. This added 'fuel' pushed the car into a turbo mode, shooting forward violently at even faster speeds! Surely they'd get away, right?

"…He's coming." Makarov said.

"What?" Gray stared at the Master.

Mii, Carla, and Happy peered out the other window and saw it. A large shadow cast down on them from behind. "…Oh…" Mii sucked her teeth. "Hey uh…there's a sand monster behind us."

A large golem composed of sand was trailing right behind them! Ajeel stood on the head of the golem, arms crossed with a grin, watching as the golem narrowly missed its strikes on the car. "Bastard…" Erza grit her teeth, putting her driving skills to the extreme as she had to violently swerve in a zig-zag pattern to avoid the golem's fists. "It's no good! I can't shake him!"

"Lucy, let's intercept the attacks!" Gray shouted.

"Yeah! Mii, will you help us?" Lucy asked, but was only met with a shrug from the redhead. "Ugh…" Lucy then climbed out the window, her rear accidently crushing Natsu's head and he groaned. "Sorry..!"

"Stop! He isn't someone you can defeat!" Makarov yelled. Ajeel was far out of their league and the last thing he wanted was for his children to be harmed in a battle that they couldn't win!

"Well, we won't know if we try, no?" Gray said as he and Lucy were prepared to confront Ajeel. "We've faced foes stronger than us before and we've never backed down." The black devil slaying markings formed along Gray's body, only this time there was a much more frigid air around him. "Frozen Monarch's Mode…"

Lucy was surprised at Gray's sudden surge of power, but it gave her the confidence needed to help him push Ajeel back. She wasn't going to fall behind them! "Star Dress: Sagittarius!" A golden light wrapped around Lucy's body and her attire changed instantly, along with granting her a bow.

"What's this…? Their magic…it's nothing like it used to be a year ago…" Makarov was in awe…but even with their increase in strength, he still didn't want them to fight Ajeel.

"Oh? You guys gonna fight now?" Ajeel stood with his hands on his hips, giving an antagonistic smirk at the fleeing Fairies.

"Ice Make: Silver." Gray held his hand in front of him. The moment he finished speaking, a wave of ice instantaneously froze everything behind the car for miles on it.

"Wha-!?" Ajeel staggered as his body started to succumb to the cold.

"He froze everything!?" Happy stared with excited awe.

"Well played…!" Ajeel grinned, leaping from his sand golem and into the air. With a swipe of his hand, the sand golem broke free and turned into bats that aimed to swarm the magic car!

"The sand turned into a monster again!" Happy yelled in worry.

"I got this…" Lucy formed several arrows of magic within the bowstring and let them fly! "Starshot!" The arrows soared into the air, colliding against the sand bats and lit up in a series of explosions. Lucy and Gray had their hands full trying to keep the bats from overrunning them with sheer numbers. "There are so many…"

"You guys are so hopeless…" Mii climbed out of the car with the twin shotguns of Dragon Hadlar at the ready. She joined the fray, shooting at the bats of sand with her magical bullets to take them down. "I didn't want to have to get involved, but I also don't want sand in my bikini…"

"If you were worried about us, you could also just say so…" Lucy spoke with a slight smirk, but Mii didn't respond to the tease.

Ajeel watched their struggle with an amused grin. This was extremely entertaining and he wanted to see just how far they could go! "Very good, verrrrrry good!" Ajeel's smirk lasted and then he just…vanished!

"He's gone!?" Lucy said with a sweat dorp.

"Below you! He's hiding in the sand!" Makarov warned…but it was too late.

"Ant Lion Larva's Pit!" A massive pitfall of sand formed under the magic car with no warning, and because of this, the vehicle tell right into the middle of the sand pit, causing everyone to tumble about violently.

"Damn it!" Erza exclaimed in frustration. They couldn't escape like this! Everyone, get out of the car!"

"Ahahahahahaha!" Ajeel cackled, standing at the egde of the pit to look down on everyone. "Would you look at that…you guys look great now!"

"The vehicle…damn it!" Erza grunted.

"Happy! Are you okay!?" Carla tried to keep Happy's tiny body out of the sand, but that was a difficult task since she herself started to sink.

"Sand's getting in my mouth!" Happy cried out.

The situation was going from bad to worse. The sand was starting to restrain their movement and Mest was the first to notice. "The sand…!"

"I'm getting stuck…" Gray struggled to move, but it wasn't working.

"I can't move either!" Lucy flailed her arms about.

"The sand…it's getting in my unmentionables…!" This was exactly what Mii was trying to avoid. One hand was waving for help and the other was still in the sand, holding onto the sinking vehicle.

"I hate sand…!" Cynthia held onto Wendy. Since they were shorter than the others, they were going to sink in no time at this rate.

Natsu lifted his head from the sand, taking a gasp for air. "Gah…!"

Ajeel watched their struggle with a grin, his sadism showing while looking down at them. "Let me tell you how many I've killed and towns I've swallowed with this. This Ant Lion Larva's Pit is my version of Hell's door. No one's escaped it before!" The Spriggan yelled, his god-complex beginning to show. Now that Fairy Tail was trapped within his sand pit, his arrogance increased tenfold. "So listen really closely since it's the last thing you'll ever hear before you die! I eat Wizards like you for breakfast! We're just too different in level, you worms! I am a god! Ishgar is a land abandoned by the gods! It's only a matter of time until Alvarez takes control over it!" There it was! Ajeel reveled in the expressions everyone made; they were frustrated and trying to cling to their survival as the pit continued to swallow them. "You frustrated? I'm sure! AHAHAHA! Very gooooood! I love the faces you're making right now!"

That was enough. A surge of orange flame erupted into a gigantic pillar. "Abandoned by the gods? Just nice then." Natsu spoke as the Cait Shelter mark on his arm faded away in favor of the proud Fairy Tail mark. It wasn't just him; everyone displayed their mark confidently as it shone brightly. "At least we still have the Fairies."

"Ah, that was lame…" Mii grumbled. With the sand pit destroyed, it was revealed that Mii pulled the magic car out of the sand with her massive strength. She had a feeling they'd still need it.

Ajeel was…admittedly shocked at what he just witnessed. "The sand evaporated…"

And in the next instant, Natsu's fiery fist collided against Ajeel's face, sending him flying backwards. "WE AREN'T DONE YET!" The Salamander roared after a direct hit, holding his follow through.

The Spriggan tumbled backwards before catching himself. There was now a noticeable bruise on his nose, but he didn't seem angered or bothered…more so elated than anything else. "Haha! Very nice, VERY NICE! It's been too long since I've felt a punch that good! VERY GOOD! BRING ME ALL YOU'VE GOT!" Sand started to spread out at an alarming rate…until a voice halted him.

"Well well…what's the matter, Ajeel. Are our guests giving you some trouble?" The familiar voice made everyone freeze. Lucy's brown eyes widened in horror and her face paled.

"No…" Lucy was barely able to mutter out.

"That voice…" Natsu recognized it immediately.

"Peh…" Ajeel recognized that voice and spat.

The voice came from above. When the eyes of everyone turned up, they saw an all too familiar face standing on a small hovering machine they made themselves. Former Commandant of the Pergrande Kingdom, and the former Queen of Fiore, now standing in the Alvarez Empire as a member of their army: Emmeraude. Emmeraude's eyes narrowed down at Fairy Tail, a wry grin stretching her purple painted lips. "Oh? What's the matter? You all look as though you've seen a ghost. It's been far too long…Fairy Tail…"

.

.

Next Time: 101 Walls.


	32. Chapter 32: 101 Walls

"No…no…" Lucy took several steps backward. Just when she was finally starting to feel better after a year of victim blaming and guilt, here was Emmeraude once again. The blonde's face paled and she dropped her bow and it vanished into thin air. The mere sight of the former queen was enough to make her entire body seize up. "W-why are you here…?"

"Lucy…!" Gray and Erza stood in front of Lucy. They worried Emmeraude might try something again.

Mii stared up at Emmeraude with a curious brow lifted. "So the rumors were true. You know, you're a long ways away from whatever prison you're supposed to be in, Em."

"And you're a long ways from Pergrande, but you're still here." Emmeraude snapped back. There was a coy smile on her lips as Lucy was petrified in fear. "One year later and you still have that downtrodden look of guilt on your face. It seems that people really don't change after all."

"What is she doing here?!" Makarov wasn't the only one shocked. Emmeraude's presence added a layer of tension that they didn't need right now. Dealing with Ajeel was already hard enough…but Emmeraude as well? Things weren't looking good.

"I thought you were to be punished for your crimes…?" Erza had a sword at the ready.

"Oh?" Emmeraude lifted a brow before glancing at Ajeel. "I know you're of the impatient sort, Ajeel…but as you know, I've been longing for this reunion. Surely you'll spare me a few moments…I wish to relish in their despair as you have."

"You kiddin' me, old lady!?" Ajeel spat. "You're killing the vibe! We were just getting to the good part!"

Emmeraude expected this response and shrugged her shoulders. "There's no rush. They won't be outmaneuvering two of us. I'd say the fun has yet to begin. Don't you see the blonde? She can barely breathe. Do I need to repeat my story to you once again?"

"You'll put me to sleep…" But Ajeel could see where Emmeraude was coming from. Even if Fairy Tail tried to fight or run, their options were limited with Emmeraude's arrival. He could spare a few minutes. Plus his level of arrogance, he figured they'd pick up right where they left off: struggling just to fend him off. "You get three minutes."

"That's all I need." Emmeraude touched down on the ground and stepped off her machine. Her gaze went right to Lucy. "You haven't told them anything have you? Have I really been the furthest thing from your mind? Or maybe you think about me so much you can't bring yourself to tell your friends what an utter failure you are…"

Before Emmeraude could say anymore, Natsu jumped forward with a blazing fist, aiming to strike the woman right then and there. "She doesn't have what you want anymore! Leave her alone!" Natsu roared, but Emmeraude avoided his punch by leaping back.

"Natsu! Don't! We can't fight them both!" Makarov barked.

"We can't just stand here either!" Mest grit his teeth. What the hell were they going to do!? If they were lucky they could try and fight and evade Ajeel…but Emmeraude and Ajeel? That didn't seem likely.

"I'm not letting her antagonize Lucy again!" Natsu declared.

"Natsu…" Lucy was able to breathe a little easier with those words.

"Why are you here?" Erza asked, gesturing to the soldiers uniform Emmeraude wore. "You are aware that Emperor Spriggan is Zeref, don't you? Wouldn't siding with him go against everything you stand for? I know you're a better person than that. Surely you're not ignorant to his plans of wiping out humanity?"

"Don't you dare try and high road me after everything you've done." The former queen spat venom at Erza's words. Emmeraude shrugged and started to saunter around the group, keeping them on high alert. "I'll keep it brief…after everything that happened, I was put on trial for my 'crimes' as you would call it. Your dear friend Lucy was there as a witness…but before judgement could be rendered against me; I was given another chance by Emperor Spriggan, or Zeref as he's known…"

* * *

[Flashback]

After the trial incident, Emmeraude was taken to an undisclosed location with Zeref and Dimaria. Prometheus and Pandora departed for a special mission, which eventually turned into their use of Avatar come one year later. But right now, the woman was tending to her wound while staring at Zeref confusedly. "…I'm afraid I don't understand what's going on here. Have you come to be rid of me yourself? Seems like an awfully arduous task for the Black Wizard. Does the world truly despise me so much…?"

"You are mistaken." Zeref shook his head. "I'm not here to be rid of you; I believe that to be a waste of talent. I've come to make you an offer."

"An...offer…?" The former queen was lost. "I'm afraid I don't follow. What do you want of me?"

"When His Majesty makes an offer, it would do well of you to listen." Dimaria clicked her tongue. She was withholding the urge to embarrass Emmeraude since this was a serious meeting.

"Most know me as Zeref…but in the western continent in the kingdom of Alvarez, I'm known as Emperor Spriggan. After recent events…I've begun to prepare for the true Dragon King Festival. There are still some things I need to think about and work out…but as it stands now, Ishgar is will become a warzone. Your strength would be wasted, so I am asking for your assistance."

"…" Emmeraude blinked slowly. There was clearly a lot she didn't understand. She knew of the western continent, but never would have expected its ruler to be Zeref of all people. "…I'm not sure so I can turn against Ishgar so easily. My mother you see…she's still…"

"I knew that would be your hesitation. I know how it feels to lose everything you care about…which is why those with mortality unlike my own should cherish what they have." Zeref motioned his hand and Emerald finally emerged from around a tree. "If there is only one thing keeping you bound to this country, then I will move you both to Alvarez with no issues."

"…Mother…?" Emmeraude stared with wide eyes. Her legs carried her forward and she wrapped her arms around her mother for a tight embrace. "Mother…!" The usually composed woman started to sob. There wasn't anyone she could confide in anymore…except her mother. The one she risked everything for. "Mom…I…I…"

"Em…" Emerald hugged her daughter tightly. "It's okay…I know what happened…I'm here now."

"..." Dimaria rolled her eyes at the sappy scene before her.

"There will be much for Dimaria to explain to you on the way…but I'll tell you one more thing. Fairy Tail will be in the middle of it all." Zeref said.

After sobbing into her mother's chest for a few moments, Emmeraude pulled herself up and composed herself, giving Zeref a small grin. "Say no more."

[End flashback]

* * *

"So…you joined this kingdom just to get back at us…?" Cynthia asked for clarification. "T-That's…!"

"It's not crazy at all." Emmeraude snickered. "I told Lucy as I crushed her repeatedly under my heel…but I can tell you all as well. I'm a very petty woman…but there's a difference between being petty and holding a rightful grudge. My daughter…my comrades…and my dream, all dead thanks to her. Because of that…I swore that I would make Fairy Tail's life a living hell, no matter the cost." Emmeraude's green aura flared around her. The time for talk was over.

"Does she really hate us this much…?" Wendy whispered.

"Yeaaaaaaaah it's time to start moving…!" Mii started to push Cynthia and Wendy back into the magic car before hopping in the driver's seat to get herself connected. "I think that was three minutes…this time I'm driving…!"

"Oh no, we're gonna die even faster now…" Gray groaned, but they really didn't have a choice but to start moving!

"Oh, don't leave just yet. I haven't shown you my hospitality!" Emmeraude extended a hand forward, several chains shooting from her palm and right at Lucy. "I don't want you to leave just yet! We have so much to catch up on!"

"Ah…!" Lucy's eyes widened as it all came flooding back to her. She thought she was starting to get over what happened, but as soon as she set eyes on Emmeraude, her body became stiff and useless! To make matters worse, she was experiencing another headache as such an awful time!

Erza brought forth the Ten Commandments Spear, keeping in its standard form to slash through the chains before they even came close to Lucy. "You aren't laying a hand on her!" While the others once again retreated to the magic car, Erza was the one who opted to buy them some time.

"Oh…you have that spear…" Emmeraude pulled her arm back with a curious expression.

"And I will be putting it to good use. Mel-Force!" A powerful wind tunnel exploded from the tip of the transformed spear. Both Emmeraude and Ajeel were caught within its wake and it made it difficult to move. Titania also used this wind pressure to propel herself backwards into the car. "Drive, Mii!"

"Yeah yeah, I'm on it!" Mii drove the car, pushing it into turbo mode with the amount of magic she poured into it, launching the car off once again.

Ajeel dusted himself off, feeling a little irritated by Erza's wind based attack for whatever reason. "They're pretty good at running…I'd run from me, too." The sand mage snorted arrogantly.

"You can do what you want with the others…" Emmeraude stood onto her flying contraption once more, engaging auto pilot as it took to the air. "But you will leave the blonde to me."

"Hell no!" Ajeel denied that request with a malicious grin. "This is a hunt! If you want something, you'll have to take it. I don't do charity here!" As the Spriggan spoke, another sand golem formed and began to advance forward with him on top of it.

"I suppose that's fair. Though this isn't a game to me like it is you…" Emmeraude followed alongside Ajeel. The hunt for Fairy Tail continued, and the odds were continuously stacked against them this time…

* * *

White Eclipse had their fair share of troubles as well. Just when they thought they escaped Dimaria, the woman was hunting them down on foot! Her rage fueled her to pursue them. There was absolutely no way she could let them get away with humiliating her like this! Luke looked back, sweating as the woman obtained her own magical vehicle from the destroyed Stronghold to violently pursue them. Dimaria wasn't actually commandeering the car herself; the advanced military nation of Alvarez had magic cars that had their own supply of magic and could navigate on their own, so the Spriggan just stood atop the vehicle as it followed White Eclipse. "Wow…I uh…don't thinks she was happy about what just went down…"

"…You always do have a track record of pissing women off…" Taya remarked.

"THAT'S….not…fair…" Luke sighed. "But in all seriousness, what's the plan?!"

"I can…ugh…use Shadow Transport…to…move us out of here…" Takeru struggled to speak. "Problem is…need distance…from her…otherwise she'll follow us…"

"Create distance? Got it." Reve got the gist of it. The pistols in his hands were dropped and exchanged for sawn-off shot guns. "Spread shot!" The gunslinger clicked the trigger, releasing two bullets that began to spread and fan out, covering an absurdly wide radius while racing towards Dimaria.

"Don't fuck with me!" Dimaria brought her backsword forward and sliced through most of the Spread Shot without any resistance. "Just where do you think you're going, huh?" Even though they weren't breaking the laws of 'her time' anymore, she was still absolutely livid that White Eclipse attempted to not only embarrass, but flee from her. As long as Luke had magic, she wouldn't be able to capture them within her time and such a trespass angered her. "I'll gut all of you!"

"Yikes. Nobody likes a clingy woman…!" Taya took the verbal shot at the enraged Spriggan. They had the advantage of the woman being angered to violent levels and had to make use of it. Taya held her hands up, conjuring an obsidian magic seal in the sky that began to release potent 'drops' of black rain down onto the Spriggan with destructive force.

"Tch!" Dimaria found herself slashing at the incoming pellets of rain, growling lowly as Taya's attack more so damaged the magic car she was riding on than her. With a deep breath she calmed down just a little bit while preparing to showcase Alvarez's technological might. "Let's see how you brats handle this!" The magic car she was riding on opened up, a barrel extending from what would be the driver's seat. The long barrel released a gigantic beam of raw magic directly for their transportation!

"WHOA WHOA, INCOMING!" Luke pointed back.

"I-Is that legal…?" Aira asked with a huge sweat drop.

Selene took care of it, struggling to bring a hand up to create a thick wall of diamond to shield them from the blast! "Ugh…" The diamonds held strong and Dimaria had no choice but to barrel through them instead. "Oh…come on…"

"Damn, she's stubborn…" Royal stared at the ground. He had a plan and looked back at Zalen. "How do you feel about a bumpy ride?"

"I'm the one driving, but if you guys have a plan, go for it! I don't think I can shake her otherwise…!" Zalen admitted.

"Tak…when I say go, you leap and try to use your Shadow Transport on her, got it?" Royal looked at Takeru who responded with a slow nod. "Luke, if she fires again, we'll leave it to you!"

"On it!" Luke responded.

"Here she comes!" Kuro warned.

Jack Royal took a quick sip of his flask and extended an arm down, making use of his earth magic once again. Multiple pillars of earth rose from the ground in front and around Dimaria to take her off course. Unfortunately, the car had the ability to detect anomalies within the ground and pathed a course for itself to weave through the rising pillars with ease. "Should've seen that one coming…"

"You want another one?" Diamria pointed forward and another massive beam of raw, but destructive magic shot towards them!

It was Luke's turn; he had to wait for just the right moment. Just before the beam could strike their transportation, a large mirror formed before them and bounced the large blast back. The angle was slightly down, for Luke wasn't aiming for the Spriggan herself. "What goes around comes around!"

"What else can you do!?" Dimaria snarled. Why did Luke of all people end up being the bane of her existence right here and now? With the beam angled down, Dimaria realized that she wasn't the target, but her car instead! The Spriggan had no choice but to leap from the car just as the blast consumed and destroyed it.

This was their chance! Kuro gripped Takeru by his arm and flames formed around his hand, turning into a sturdy gauntlet. "Fire Make: Gauntlet! Go get her, Tak!"

"Whooooooa!" Takeru flailed about before realigning himself, soaring towards Dimaria as shadows cloaked around his hand. Since he wasn't on the car, he felt his motion sickness fade away instantly.

"I'll cut you down right now…!" Dimaria's sword lit up in a golden hue as she prepared to slash right through Takeru. The moment Dimaria swung her sword at the shadow dragon; she felt an odd sensation through her body. When she touched down on the ground…she was sinking!? "What…is this…!?"

Takeru didn't have the chance to land on the ground; Luke formed a chain of ice to wrap around his companion's body and tug him back to the ground. "You look upset…so why don't you cool down on this nice summer day? We gotta go, but enjoy yourself!" That was all Takeru could say before he slumped over, sick. Before Dimaria could say anything else, Takeru's shadow transport warped her to where Caracall Island used to be! It was a one way trip, and they wouldn't have to worry about her hunting them down anymore. But while they managed to escape one crisis, they were driving headfirst into another…

* * *

Mii's driving left…a lot to be desired. She was swerving left and right violently in a big hurry since both Ajeel and Emmeraude were going to be catching up very soon. Mest was sweating and started to yell at Mii. "Can't you drive this thing any faster?!"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Mii would be glaring at Mest if her attention wasn't on the 'road' in front of them. "Is my driving like a manic not good enough for you!?" One look at Mii's arm and you could see her veins pulsing from how much magic she was pouring into the engine. "Do you wanna try? Be my guest…" And then she started to slow down…

"DRIVE, DRIVE!" Happy pleaded and it seemed like he wasn't the only one.

"Yeah, I thought so. Nobody likes a backseat driver." Mii scoffed and kept the speed up.

"We're going pretty fast…even faster than when Erza was driving…" Carla pointed out.

"Too….fast…." Natsu could barely move with how reckless Mii was handling the vehicle.

"Because I'm stronger than Erza, duh." The Commandant responded causally.

Lucy was staring down at the floor of the car, feeling her body tremble from the sight of Emmeraude again. "I-I'm sorry, everyone…I saw her and I froze…I couldn't…I was supposed to keep her from getting away back then, but I couldn't even do that…"

"It's okay, Lucy," Erza said in a reassuring tone. "I know there are some things you aren't ready to talk about yet, and we won't make you. But there is one thing you already know; we aren't the same as we were a year ago. We won't let her hurt you like that again. I swear on my mark."

"I told you that you wouldn't have to face her alone, didn't I?" Gray said with a firm nod.

"…" Lucy took a deep breath, clenching a hand into a fist. With everyone being so encouraging, she felt as though she could stand up to Emmeraude for a little bit. "Okay…I'll fight! I can as long as you guys are here….!"

"Hey, that's great and all; glad you found your resolve again…" Mii spoke as a giant shadow overcast them once again. "But they caught up again…"

"They're too much for us together…we have to flee and fast!" Makarov yelled once again, reiterating that he did not want them fighting this battle.

"You expect us to not get out of here without a fight? You've gotta be stupid or insane to think that's the case." Mii scoffed.

"Hahaha!" Ajeel laughed as his sand golem barreled after Fairy Tail even faster than before. "Where are you going!? The fun was just getting started!"

"I don't intend to allow you to escape that easily." Emmeraude stated calmly.

"Gray, Lucy, let's go!" Erza shouted while climbing onto the roof of the magic car once again, accidentally crushing Natsu with her rear in the process. "Pardon me…!"

"Right…!" Lucy nodded and followed Erza and Gray onto the roof once more.

"You gonna fight again? Let's see how long you last this time!" Ajeel swiped his hand forward, bits of the sand golem shooting forward into the sand bats once again, all of them flying to swarm the magic car.

Erza changed into her Heaven's Wheel armor, commanding a multitude of swords that appeared and outnumbered the bats. These blades shot forward, colliding against the creatures of sand in violent explosions. The rest of the blades struck the sand golem, but she found that they had no effect and vanished into sand. "Tch…" With Mii's driving, flying wasn't really a big option here. Mii couldn't afford to slow down or they'd get caught, and she was driving as fast as she could. "Gray!"

"On it!" The devil slaying markings formed along Gray's body and he formed his own bow and arrow composed of his element. "Ice Devil Zeroth's Destruction Bow!" The frozen arrow was let loose, soaring across the sky as it was aimed for the sand golem's chest.

"Hah! Not a bad attack, but not good enough!" Ajeel leapt from the sand golem as the arrow struck true, instantly freezing it over. The Spriggan was preparing to conjure up another one within the blink of an eye, but his center of gravity suddenly increased. "Huh!?"

Erza was the cause of this; the Gravity Core of the Ten Commandments spear being put to use. Titania swung the spear up, thus forcing Ajeel into the air since his element prospered more on the ground. "Lucy, now!"

Lucy took aim with six arrows on the bowstring and let them all fly. "Six Falling Stars!" The six arrows spiraled towards Ajeel and converged on the Spriggan, exploding in a brilliant flash of light that left his fate unknown, but they were pretty far away by the time the explosion died down, minus the fact Emmeraude didn't even intervene for a single second.

"Oh my, how sad." Emmeraude glanced back at the explosions before turning to the car. "All right…I'll make this quick." The woman extended a hand, shooting a chain that went wide for some reason. The chain dug into the ground just ahead of the magic car to the left.

"Mii, to the right!" Mest yelled.

"I see it!" Mii grumbled and made a sharp turn to the right. "But now that I think about it, she wouldn't throw an attack that goes wide like that without a plan…"

And right Mii was. Emmeraude channeled crash magic through the chain, causing the ground near the car to explode violently. The left side of the car trembled and Lucy was the only one who staggered to the point of nearly falling off. "Aaaaahhh…!" The blonde cried out, but if it wasn't for Erza and Gray, she would've fallen!

"Is everyone all right!?" Makarov asked.

"This ride…is too much…" Wendy groaned. All the sharp and rough turns were really taking a toll on the dragon slayers, making them borderline useless for this encounter.

"W-What was that…?" Cynthia groggily lifted her head up from the window. "A-Ah…guys…she's attacking…again…!"

"What?" Erza turned her head to see that Emmeraude was already in the midst of casting another attack! A sphere of darkness that was fairly large was then thrown in their direction; if that hit the car it would easily destroy it and they had no time to stop it! "Mii!"

"Ugh…!" Mii handed Purple Pot to Mest with her free hand. "Take this and shoot!"

"U-Uh…!" Mest didn't have a choice as Mii thrusted her weapon into his palm. Mest leaned out the window and fired Purple Pot at the sphere; a green sphere roughly equal in size collided against it and exploded. The kickback of the pistol sent Mest back into Mii's lap. "Whoa!"

"Hey hey, now's not the time." Mii shook her head, a wry grin forming. "Maybe later, though."

"Focus on driving!" Carla scolded the angel. "But…I think we lost them?"

Spoken all too soon, Ajeel was suddenly a few meters ahead of them! Another creature of sand appeared; this one a four legged beast that was sprinting across the land to catch up with them, and it didn't look like Ajeel too much damage from the assault earlier. "Did ya miss me?!"

"Shit…!" Makarov growled.

"You're kidding…!" Mii had to perform a sharp U-turn to avoid being caught by Ajeel, but Emmeraude was still in front of them too! "Who let these two perform a pincer maneuver!?" The two of them weren't even working together, but they made an oddly good chase team.

"We'll have to break through Emmeraude!" Erza declared while pointing the Mel-Force spear behind her. A powerful vacuum of wind shot outwards, propelling the car even faster.

"I'm offended you said such a thing so casually…" Emmeraude placed a hand over her chest.  
"But that's fine; I only want one of you anyway…" Just as the car passed her by, Emmeraude released a chain that latched onto Lucy's arm, pulling her along.

"Hey, let me go…!" Lucy growled while trying to pull the chain off her. She had an idea and changed into Star Dress: Aries!

"But we have _so much_ to talk about…" Emmeraude's tone held scorn in it and she was about to yank Lucy right off the roof of the magic car, but thanks to Gray freezing the chain at the last second, it broke off and Emmeraude didn't pull anything back. "Tch…"

"Wool Bomb!" Lucy threw both hands out, creating a thick cloud of wool to block Emmeraude and Ajeel's vision. She wasn't sure how long it would last, but if by chance either of them touched it, they'd succumb to the relaxation. "That should buy us a little time!"

And it was at this moment that the White Eclipse car leapt from some trees. "Oh great, they're still here..." Reve rolled his eyes.

"You guys are still here!?" Lucy was shocked. "Never mind about that…! We have to move…!"

"Why?" Luke asked. His question was answered when Ajeel's sand monster ripped through the Wool Bomb and began to stampede towards them. "What the FUCK is that!?"

"Spiggan and Emmeraude! We don't have to explain!" Gray yelled while turning around. "But we have to get past them…!"

"Ooooh? More worms to crush underfoot!? Sounds fun to me!" Ajeel grinned while rubbing his hands together. "I'll take them all out at once! Ant Lion Larva's…!" The Spriggan was about to use his pit once again, but Reve's Quickshot allowed him to draw and fire a gun into Ajeel's arm just before he could. Thanks to the magical properties of Reve's bullets, they pierced his sand body and caused Ajeel to laugh in pain. "That was a good shot! Very nice, VERRRRY NICE! It doesn't matter how many of you there are, I'll crush you all!" With a swipe of his hand, spears of sand began to protrude and shoot out towards both Fairy Tail and White Eclipse.

"This guy just doesn't quit!" Gray slammed his hands together and shot them forward, releasing multiple lances of ice to clash with the spears of sand. Kuro did the same thing, his fiery spears colliding with Ajeel's attacks to render them null.

"They just keep multiplying…" Emmeraude merely shrugged. She wasn't interested this 'chase'. She just wanted Lucy; Ajeel could have the rest, she didn't care what happened to them. That's why she mostly left the battle to Ajeel unless he was taken out of the chase for whatever reason.

"We have to escape another one of these guys…?" Takeru groaned. "That blonde wasn't so hard thanks to Luke, but this guy…"

"Blonde?" Ajeel lifted a brow and smirked. "You guys shook Dimaria? Oh…now I'm interested…!" His attention started to shift to White Eclipse thanks to Takeru's groggy comment.

"Zalen, shake him." Reve didn't ask if Zalen even could, he had faith that he would.

"On it." Zalen responded with a nod. Several large steel walls formed in front of Ajeel at the last second and his sandy creature smacked right into it! This allowed Zalen to perform a sharp turn and head in a different direction.

"Oh…I like that." Ajeel smirked and decided to pursue White Eclipse. This required his sand creature to break down the walls, which it did after a few hits. This left Emmeraude with Fairy Tail, which was a preferred outcome for the woman anyway. "Come on, fight me!"

"Oh, is this what we're doing? Very well…" Emmeraude could close in on Fairy Tail.

* * *

Ajeel was hounding White Eclipse now. He figured he could take them out and Fairy Tail in record time! This was all just a game to him after all. "Come on, White Eclipse! Show me what Fiore's supposed strongest guild can do!"

"Our reputation precedes us…" Aira mumbled before extending a finger forward, a black sphere forming on the tip of it. "Black Hurricane!" The wind mage then lifted her finger up, conjuring a black tempest to fire off in Ajeel's direction! The black tempest was strong and actually managed to slow his advance.

"Hey hey, what's this?!" Ajeel smirked while using an arm to shield his eyes from the wind.

"It's clear that you're an expert sand mage. But sand itself has a weakness to wind." Aira stated confidently. As she said this, the sand on the creature was rapidly beginning to blow away and soon it would become nothing.

"Oh, you think that's all it takes to beat me!?" Ajeel laughed at the thought before leaping off of his sand creature, allowing it to become nothing more than dust in the wind. The Spriggan enveloped himself in a whirl of sand, which then began raining sharp blades of sand down at White Eclipse. "Ramal Sayf!"

"Incoming!" Luke said, firing off some spears of ice along with Kuro's fire to try and stop the swords from striking them. The swords were extremely sharp, and those that hit the ground cleaved their landing spots in two!

"From sand…" Royal narrowed his eyes. He heard about the Spriggan 12, but this level of strength was something else. They really were lucky with Dimaria, but they weren't going to be able to replicate that level of luck twice.

"I got this…" Reve stated cockily while bringing out the big guns: The Eclipse Cannon. "One shot!" The gunslinger clicked the trigger, shooting the massive orb of Eclipse magic forward. Ajeel was still in midair and there was no way for him to dodge, Reve knew this. The cannon hit its mark and a large explosion occurred upon contact. "Bang." How odd, because when it hit, it several beams of eclipse magic scattered in various directions.

"Did that…get him…?" Selene hung over the side of the car, staring up at the smoke.

"I don't…smell him…" Takeru heaved, somehow managing to sit up. "They were…having trouble with that…?"

"…" Taya was silent. Something didn't seem right…

"…." Royal felt it from the ground and his eyes widened. "Beneath us! Zalen, turn!"

"Huh!?" Zalen did as Jack send, performing a sharp turn. A rising pillar of sand nearly caught them all had it not been for Jack telling Zalen to move.

"Is that all you got!?" Ajeel laughed. He took a direct hit from the Eclipse Cannon and seemed unfazed, leaving it to wonder if it actually hit him at all.

"A shot from the Eclipse Cannon didn't do anything?!" Luke gasped.

Reve narrowed his eyes and began to open fire on Ajeel with various pistol shots. Since the usual bullets pierced through his sand body, it was sure to work. But Ajeel, now knowing that Reve's bullets posed a little bit of an issue, blocked them with a wall of sand. "Tch!"

"Come on! Come on! What else do you have to offer, or was that all you could muster!?" Ajeel laughed heinously while closing in on the car. He was somewhat done playing with his food and wanted to consume it now; Fairy Tail really wetted his appetite.

Zalen narrowed his eyes as he drove. "…Jack, drive." He said in a firm tone. Jack wasn't sure what Zalen had in mind but he took the wheel. It was at that moment Zalen crafted a large wall of various building material in front of Ajeel, halting his progress for a minute! With this distance created, Zalen then jumped from his own car to stand between and Ajeel!

"Oi, what's gotten into you!?" Royal asked while bringing the car to a stop.

"Zalen!?" Aira gasped worriedly. "What are you doing!?"

"Zalen, get back here!" Luke yelled.

Zalen stayed quiet, gauging something. As he thought, it didn't take Ajeel too long to break through the wall he made. "HAHA! Is that your best?!" And before Ajeel could get much further, another wall propped in front of him, this one composed of Eclipse Magic. "Huh!?" Ajeel tried to break down this wall, but it wasn't giving as easily as the previous ones. Its length and width made it difficult to just leap over it either.

"Luke, freeze the ground; Selene, cover it in diamond." Zalen said in a rare commanding tone.

"Wha…?" Luke wasn't sure what was going on, but he did as Zalen said and touched the ground, making use of his Black Tundra spell to cover a wide radius around them. Selene followed suit, covering this black frost with diamond, thus making it impossible for Ajeel to sink into the ground so easily.

"Now go." Zalen commanded.

"Are you insane?" Taya lifted a brow. "Why would we do that?"

"Because I'm going to hold him back." The building mage adjusted his glasses.

When Zalen said that, Ajeel broke through the wall, laughing at what the Eclipse mage. "You!? Hold me back!? With what magic power!?" He advanced again, only to be met with another Eclipse wall. "This is getting really old!"

"Zalen…don't do this…" Selene pleaded. "We can drive away…!" The dragon slayer didn't even like being in the car, but if it saved everyone, then she'd endure.

"He blocked a shot from the Eclipse Cannon." Zalen said. "We got lucky with that other one thanks to Luke…but we're not here to fight. The longer we stay here, the higher chances of more mages like this showing up. We've been here too long and already rose suspicions; we don't have the advantage here. If we stick together, we could all die to the rest of them. You guys have to leave as soon as possible. I will stand here and hold him back so you can get distance to the drop off point."

"Zalen…" Reve took a few steps forward. As if he'd let Zalen do something so stupid!

"Zalen…!" Kuro also took a few steps forward. Zalen was an original of White Eclipse and grew up with them, there was no way he'd leave them to this rabid wolf of a mage!

"You have to tell the others what we're up against. It's no use if we all die before we can spread the news." Zalen adjusted his glasses and snapped his fingers. This caused the car to continue driving forward since Zalen was in control of the things he built.

"ZALEN!"

Finally, Ajeel broke through the wall and glared at Zalen. It was the audacious of such a weak mage to stand before him that angered him! "What!? A scrawny punk like you!? You're really going to try and stop me!?"

"Try?" Zalen shook his head, adjusting his glasses one last time. "I'm going to halt you right here. You won't be touching my comrades." Multiple walls of Eclipse Magic began to rise from behind, in front, and around Zalen! These walls were all similar in size, height, and durability. A great wall stood before Ajeel, literally barring him from advancing any further. "101 Walls. I was gauging how long it took you to break through a single wall…and if I made as many as I could manage, I could stall you for as long as possible. And with you unable to use your sand to travel through the ground, you have no choice but to try and break it down."

Ajeel stared at Zalen before…laughing. A genuine laugh. "Oh ho…very good….very good. Seems like all you Ishgar ants can be a little tough if you work together. But you're underestimating the might of the Spriggan 12 if you think this little brick wall can stop me!" The sand around Ajeel's body began to swirl about violently. He was half tempted to use Sand World…but no, Zalen didn't deserve that. But he did do something similar; covering a wide radius of the surrounding area in a sandstorm that wasn't quite as powerful, but still sapped people of their strength and moisture regardless. "I CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS WAR TO START SO I CAN RUSH ALL OF YOU ANTS! But if you revere me as your god, I'll make your death swift and painless."

Zalen readied himself, feeling the sand already eat away at him. His best defense was forming stone and steel around himself, but it wasn't going to last long. "I don't believe in you." Was the only thing Zalen had to say.

"Then it's your funeral Ramal Fa'as!" Ajeel cackled before lunging at Zalen. It was honestly over before it started. All of the sand in the area merged into a gigantic axe that Ajeel held over his head, a maniacal smile plastered over his lips. "I'll cut through this like butter! Then you'll bow to me!" Ajeel swung the axe down…and Zalen's 101 Walls were sliced through with ease. Not even Zalen was prepared for this outcome, but he had no time to even react as sand exploded everywhere and threw him around, shattering the makeshift armor he made for himself.

"What…?" Zalen's eyes widened in horror.

"I was holding back before…" Ajeel stood over Zalen. "Did you really think a god like me would have any trouble breaking down those walls?! But I will admit…it took me a lot more effort than I thought I'd ever have to use…so you get my respect for that. But otherwise…" Ajeel reached down, gripping Zalen by his neck and lifted him into the air. Ajeel's sand magic began to drain the moisture from the building mage's body. "I'll give you one last chance. Call me your god, and I'll end your life quickly."

"Gnk…!" Zalen could feel his body withering quickly! He thought he could buy the others some time, but he barely bought them a minute or two! Were the Spriggan 12 really this strong in the right conditions!? Zalen couldn't do anything but try and pry Ajeel's hand from his neck…but to no avail. There was only one option left…gathering what he could in his mouth, Zalen then spat on Ajeel's face. "That's….what I think…of you…"

Ajeel blinked once, twice…then a third time. He was…frighteningly calm about being so disrespected. "Haha….HAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Ajeel laughed before draining Zalen completely of the moisture of his body! A shivered up Eclipse mage was now in his hands and he dropped him to the floor, now pressing his foot against his skull. "You've been quite the insect…and you know what happens to an insect underfoot, right!? THEY GET CRUSHED!" And with those words, Ajeel brought his foot down on Zalen's skull with all his might, crushing it in with no effort. After he did that, the rest of Zalen's body turned into sand and scattered to the wind. The mage known as Zalen Castle was no more…and anyone with an Eclipse mark could feel it.

* * *

Meanwhile, Fairy Tail was having no luck shaking Emmeraude! She was right on their tail and in the way. "Man…she's persistent! I'm…also kinda getting a little tired…" Mii brought up. She'd been using so much magic for so long, it was only natural that this drive was starting to take the wind out of her sails.

"Just keep driving, we can shake her!" Mest wasn't very confident in this.

"Don't worry…I'll make this quick." Emmeraude pointed her hand down. A glowing light cracked through the ground just ahead of the car. By the time Mii noticed it, it was too late. The car was right over the spot of crash magic that soon erupted violently! The magic car was destroyed and everyone was sent scattering in different directions, and violently at that.

"Aaaaah…!" Lucy handed on her rear, rubbing her backside in pain. "Ow…" Sharp chains then emerged from a nearby tree, wrapping around Lucy and tugged her against the oak to restrain her. Moving even the slightest bit caused her pain! "Ouch…! I can't…move…!"

"Of course you can't." Emmeraude sauntered forward, drawing her chain whip. "We have so much to catch up on; I can't dare to let you go!"

"W-Wait…!" Lucy's eyes widened, but she couldn't blurt out another objection as Emmeraude's chain whip smacked her across the chest. It hurt so much she couldn't help but cry out in pain.

"Why should I wait?" Emmeraude whipped Lucy again, the CRACK sound and Lucy's screams soon becoming music to her ears. "I've waited a year for a moment like this…a year where I could finally get my revenge on the woman who was responsible for taking away my loved ones. I was thinking about how I could get my revenge. Simply killing you wouldn't be enough, no…I thought, and I thought, and I thought…until I found the best idea." Emmeraude then reached out and grabbed Lucy's key ring and held it up. "I'm going to do you what you did to me. I'm going to take away and destroy everything you love…"

Lucy eyes widened in horror as Emmeraude took her key ring! Now despite the pain of the chains, she tried to move, but she was just stuck! "No…! Please stop!"

"Perhaps you should have thought about this before being responsible for my daughter's death." Emmeraude held up a silver key. "Let's start with…"

"HEY!" Natsu panted heavily. He had to make a mad dash to get to where the two of them were. "Leave Lucy alone right now! You're not getting away with hurting her again."

"Oh?" Emmeraude lifted a brow, sticking the key ring in her pocket. "And pray tell…how are you going to stop me? We've done this before, you know. I doubt you've changed much in a year…you're still far too weak."

Natsu didn't need to hear anymore. Lucy was in trouble and he WAS going to help her this time. Despite his bandaged arm throbbing for whatever reason, intense orange flame wrapped around his body and he lunged forward, pulling a fist back. "EMMERAUDE!"

Emmeraude sighed. "Some things don't change." She prepared to catch Natsu's fist just like last time…but she noticed his movements changed! The incoming punch was a fake out! "…!" Luckily she noticed this in time. Natsu shifted his momentum to perform a blazing kick, one that struck Emmeraude's arm and sent her skidding across the ground a bit. "…So, you do have a semblance of a brain in that empty skull of yours. Maybe you have changed a little over the last year." Emmeraude's clothing and arm were burned slightly, but she still seemed unfazed.

For Natsu, this was a feat. Emmeraude was nearly impossible to push back before, but the fact he managed to do it now meant he was stronger than he was back then. The flames still flared around Emmeraude while Lucy watched with widened eyes. "This time, Emmeraude…I'M GONNA TAKE YOU DOWN!"

.

.

Next Time: Escape Battle.


	33. Chapter 33: Escape Battle

Natsu's blazing aura flared around his body, while Emmeraude had yet to bring forth her aura. The Salamander was furious and intended to cease Emmeraude's lust for revenge against Lucy no matter what it took. Lucy still tried to struggle in the chains, but to no avail. "N-Natsu…she pocketed my keys…!" The blonde cried out.

"What…?" Natsu turned to Lucy and then stared at Emmeraude. "Give them back."

"Give me back my daughter." Emmeraude immediately responded. But since it was an impossible request she shrugged. "Oh? You can't? Then this is compensation. Good luck trying to pry this out of my pocket."

Emmeraude was so….irritating! Natsu let out a battle cry and began speeding forward at high speed, putting his training to use. The fire dragon reared his arm back, lightning dancing around his body. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!" Natsu swung his limb forward violently, releasing an unrelenting torrent of fire and lightning that covered an incredibly wide radius while racing towards Emmeraude.

"Foolish." Emmeraude held out her hand, releasing a pulse of crash magic to instantly break apart Natsu's attack before it could even come close to harming her. But as she did so, Natsu kept rushing forward, now lunging headfirst at the former queen with a lightning flame Sword Horn. Emmeraude crossed her arms, blocking Natsu's attack while digging her heels into the ground, not allowing him to push her back again.

"HAAAAA!" Natsu shifted his momentum once again, violently swinging his leg at Emmeraude's skull for a fierce axe kick, but Emmeraude dodged this and retaliated with a kick to Natsu's cheek. The strength behind it reminded Natsu why she was so fearsome the first time and he violently tumbled along the ground before coming to a halt, digging his fingers into the ground to halt his own momentum. "Peh…" The fire dragon turned his head and spat out some blood. There was now a bruise on his cheek from the hit as well.

"I hope you didn't get your hopes up because you pushed me back a tiny bit. Do you think I've squandered my time here in this kingdom? I've grown stronger as well…" Now Emmeraude's aura stared to waver around her body. She pointed her hand forward, a pitch black sphere of darkness forming within her palm. "Dark Sphere." With a push, the sphere rocketed through the air and soared towards Natsu.

"I don't care how strong you think you are! I'm going to take you down!" Natsu lifted his hands above his head, a sphere of lightning and flame manifesting within his hands. "Dazzling Blaze of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" This dual elemental sphere was launched forward, colliding with Emmeraude's Dark Sphere. The two of them exploded on impact from the overbearing power within them. A cloud of smoke lingered in the air but Natsu kept his senses high…THERE! Several chains shot out from the smoke and Natsu immediately rolled to the side before they could even come close to reaching him. The moment he touched down on the ground, he felt it rupture. "…!" An explosion of crash magic surged and caught Natsu; the fire dragon let out a grunt of pain and tumbled along the ground. "Guh…!"

"Is that all you have to offer? How disappointing…" Emmeraude pointed her hand forward while glancing at Lucy. "I wonder…if I were to kill him, would you feel the most pain?"

Lucy's eyes widened at the mere thought of that. "Stop it! Leave him alone!"

"DON'T TAKE YOUR EYES OFF ME!" Natsu pushed himself up and lunged forward, only to immediately be wrapped in several sharp chains that spawned from various directions. They were similar to the ones that bound Lucy and caused him pain, but Emmeraude was mistaken if that was going to stop him! He'd just burn right through him.

"Ah, I wouldn't." Emmeraude's hand then pointed to Lucy, a dense black sphere composed of darkness magic swirling violently around her palm. "If you move, I'll just force the light in her eyes to die out permanently…"

"Don't you dare…!" Natsu snarled…but he didn't move, because he knew Emmeraude was a woman of her word. "If you touch her I swear…!"

"You'll what?" Emmeraude lifted a brow. "What are you going to do by yourself?"

On that cue, Wendy came flying in while within Dragon Force. The sky dragon didn't even appear as a blur; she was just there in front of Emmeraude, passing her by with her arms extended, a sharp trail of wind following behind Wendy as she slashed into her side. "Sky Dragon's Wing Slash!"

"…!" Emmeraude gasped, hissing quietly in pain at Wendy's direct hit. She didn't even bother looking back, because she knew that Cynthia was coming. The omega dragon was within Dragon Force, swinging a blazing kick at Emmeraude's skull, but she was more than capable of evading this strike in the nick of time. "You two…" While Emmeraude's attention was diverted, Erza slashed through Lucy's chains and pulled her away from the tree, while Gray helped Natsu out.

"You two all right!?" Gray said with a concerned tone.

"I'm fine." Natsu stood up.

"She has my keys…!" Lucy cried, pointing at Emmeraude who was now a fair distance away from them.

"What?!" Wendy and Cynthia looked back.

"Give those back this instant." Erza demanded.

"I refuse." Emmeraude glanced at her side. Wendy didn't do too much damage…it sure stung though.

Mest, Mii, and Makarov started to rush in and the scene before them wasn't a great one. Makarov was already hasty and didn't want to spend any more time in Alvarez . "We have to leave, now!" Makarov yelled.

"We can't! She has my keys! I can't leave without them!" Lucy said, turning to face Emmeraude. Her body was trembling; if they left now, she knew she'd never see her keys again!

"That's….a problem…" Mii tilted her head before crossing her arms. "Ultimately, it's not mine, though."

"How can you say such a thing!?" Erza turned to Mii. Now really wasn't the time for in fighting but…

"If I attack a soldier from Alvarez, as a soldier from Pergrande, they could come after us too. It sucks, but I'm a responsible member of the military. The only reason I decided to stay this long was to get information." Mii shrugged, taking several steps back. "It's not like I haven't been helping…plus I'm tired after using all that magic to drive."

"My my…still the same Koryuji…" Emmeraude shook her head, patting the pocket which held Lucy's keys. "Why don't you try and take them with your speed, Mest? Or would that put everyone in jeopardy since you only have enough magic for another group teleport? I don't blame you for running, this isn't a favorable situation. If you want her keys back so badly, you're more than welcome to try."

"Tch…" Mest grit his teeth. Emmeraude had him all figured out.

"We can't leave Lucy's keys!" Natsu proclaimed.

"We have to leave!" Said Makarov.

This just left Emmeraude smiling. A hand was lifted into the sky and she released a bright beam of crash magic. It didn't do anything or hurt anyone, but she wanted to watch Fairy Tail struggle in front of her. "I gather it will only take the 12 who are here a few minutes to respond to that signal. So if you want to get these keys back you have that much time. If not, you're welcome to run."

* * *

Those from White Eclipse could only stare as the massive sandstorm dispersed. The sensation of despair struck like a bolt of lightning. Zalen was gone; they could feel it instant he was killed. It was something that they couldn't accept or take in, especially for Reve, Kuro, and Jack Royal. They all grew up together in the days when White Eclipse was nothing more than a little shack on top of the mountain. To those three, especially Reve, Zalen Castle was both his partner and a brother. "Zalen…"

"…He's gone…" Selene placed a hand on her stomach, shakily standing up on the car. Those words…she didn't enjoy uttering them, but she couldn't pick up his scent anymore. It vanished from the area.

"I don't believe it…" Aira had tears welling in the corners of her eyes. She didn't want to believe that Zalen was gone!

"…We'll be next if we don't move…" Royal said, though the words came out painfully.

"…." Reve wasn't quite sure what to say or do. The mood was pretty heavy, but they were still in enemy territory; this wasn't the time to mourn.

They didn't have much time to do anything really. Ajeel emerged from the ground, laughing it up as he easily picked up on the mood. "HAHA! You guys still here? That's awesome, I was worried he actually held me off long enough to help you guys escape!"

"Are you serious!?" Luke grit his teeth.

"You really killed him, didn't you?" Kuro asked as his red hair created a shade over his eyes.

"Oh yeah I did!" Ajeel laughed. "He thought he had a chance against ME! I enjoyed watching that flicker of hope and defiance turn into despair! I relished in it before I turned his body into sand and scattered it into the wind!" There it was! The expressions everyone gave him at this moment. This is what he loved! "There it is! You guys must be so angry! I'll tell you exactly what I told those Fairy Tail chumps! I eat mages like you for breakfast!"

"ENOUGH!" Reve didn't even let Ajeel finished. A bullet was fired off right for Ajeel's skull. It looked like the gunslinger didn't learn his lesson, but the bullet vanished into a rift.

"Huh?"Ajeel lifted a brow. "You think a little parlor trick like that will…!" The bullet emerged behind Ajeel, aiming to pierce his skull! The Spiggan noticed this and narrowly dodged to the side, eyes wide at Reve's attempt to kill him. It made him smile. "Oh? Oh ho ho! You're a crafty one! That almost had me!"

"You…bastard…" Takeru growled.

"You really are the worst type of person, aren't you?" Taya scowled.

"I take pride in crushing weak mages like you." Ajeel gave a condescending sneer.

Kuro heard enough. The devil slaying markings on his body flared up and he held his hand forward, not taking any more of Ajeel's shit. "Fire Make: Gold."

"Huh-" Before the Spiggan could make any moves, an intense wave of fire shot out, incinerating everything within a mile radius instantaneously! The sand Ajeel had at the ready was burned, turning into glass that wasn't usable to him. "Hey hey, that's not bad at all…!" The Spiggan grinned before leaping into the air.

"You're not getting away!" Aira yelled, conjuring up a fierce vortex of wind that swirled around Ajeel, violently slashing at him with winds and the glass that was kicked up from the intense fire. The lingering flames then wrapped around the twister, turning it into a fiery tornado!

"All right, we're leaving now!" Jack wasn't going to make Zalen's sacrifice in vain! The reason the building mage put his life on the line was so that they could escape. Zalen's last piece of work, the makeshift magic car, was going to be their way out. Without wasting any time, the car revved and began moving forward!

Ajeel dispersed the fiery vortex surrounding him with a huge amount of sand. A sandstorm then swirled around his lower body and he used this to travel forward and pursue White Eclipse. "Not bad, not bad at all! But it's time we put this little dance behind us!"

* * *

There was no choice. Emmeraude put them all on a very strict timer, but there was no way that they'd leave Lucy's keys behind. It was evident that they would never be seen again. Makarov was extremely against fighting Emmeraude right now, but his kids weren't listening; he, the Exceeds and Mest couldn't do much and Mii was opting to stay out of the fight, just leaving it to Team Natsu. Wendy was the first to move, using her speed to try and catch Emmeraude off guard. The sky dragon reared her leg back before swinging it forward violently. "Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!" Wendy brought her leg forward, releasing a powerful gale of wind; Emmeraude was able to block this, but the winds were sharp and powerful.

"You're much faster than last year…" Emmeraude knew that keeping up with Wendy was going to leave her open to the others, so she made things simple and stepped on the ground. A pulse of crash magic formed a shockwave that caused the ground to rumble. This threw Wendy off balance the moment she aimed a Sky Dragon's Claw, only to miss as Emmeraude gripped her wrist. "But it's easy to trip up a fast mage."

"Eep…!" Wendy's eyes widened. In that instant, she activated the Omega Flames in attempt to make Emmeraude release her, but it wasn't working.

At that moment, Cynthia came in with a blazing punch aimed for Emmeraude's temple. But Emmeraude was able to use her free hand to catch Cynthia's fist before impact, causing her eyes to widen. "How…!"

"Hm…not terrible. You two are still predicable, but you've improved quite a bit. Perhaps you should be more aware of your opponent when attacking together." After passing on that nugget of wisdom to the pair, she blasted them away with darkness magic and dusted her hands off. "Who's next?"

It was Gray. Devil slaying markings form along his body once more, entering the Frozen Monarch's Mode once again. The Ice Maker forged a blade of devil slaying ice within his grip, also turning the ground into a slippery path of ice to slide forward. "Ice Devil Zeorth's Blade!"

Emmeraude brought her hand to her hip, darkness crackling around her hand like lightning. The moment Gray swung his sword; Emmeraude brandished a jagged blade of darkness, the shape resembling a bolt of lightning. The two of them slashed at the same time, however, Emmeraude beat Gray in the draw and sliced his side, while he only managed to cut her thigh. "Dark Sword. I crafted this move in homage to Ross."

"…" Gray's body was frozen for some reason. Even though there was no actual lightning within the attack, his body was going through an inexplicable paralytic shock. "I-I can't move…!" And the cut along his body then exploded in darkness. It felt as though his body was cut in half and he was thrown backwards violently.

"Gray…!" Natsu and Lucy shouted in worry.

"I've done so much in this past year…would you like to see another trick of mine…?" Emmeraude rotated her shoulders and clenched her fists. Tendrils of darkness magic began to sprout from her back. Lucy recognized the likeness and her eyes widen. "Do you like it? I decided to see if I could imitate one of Lambda's traits…I think it worked out well."

"Tch…Come on, let's go Lucy!" Natsu roared, not batting an eye at Emmeraude's new techniques. With lightning and fire still around his body, the Salamander sprinted forward.

"Right…!" Lucy couldn't freeze up here. She changed into Star Dress: Cancer, donning the two blades while running alongside Natsu. The tendrils Emmeraude had started to shoot forward, aiming to stab the pair. Natsu and Lucy were able to dodge the tendrils, but they learned that Emmeraude wasn't kidding about the similarities to Lambda; just being grazed allowed the darkness to seep in and cause some sort of strange fatigue. Lucy grit her teeth and slashed at the tendrils. They were an extension of Emmeraude so she hissed in pain when they were cut. "Give me back my keys!"

"Or we'll beat you into the ground!" Natsu swayed his body to avoid the tendrils gathering a massive amount of magic within his mouth. He didn't need to be close to unleash a signature attack; "Lightning Flame Dragon's King's…ROAR!" Natsu exhaled a massive explosion of fire and lightning erupting from his mouth. This covered such a wide radius that those standing by were nearly collateral if Natsu hadn't taken them into account.

"WHOA…!" Carla could barely keep her balance! "Watch what you're doing!" The exceed chided Natsu.

But the flames were broken apart by Emmeraude's crash magic shortly after the eruption. The woman did suffer some burns and damages, but it didn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. Before Natsu could even take a breath, the woman's hand reached out to grip his throat. "I hope you had time to catch your breath…" He didn't.

"Let him go!" Lucy yelled while swinging her two swords down at Emmeraude fiercely. She thought she had time to catch Emmeraude off guard, but the former queen's chain whip sword formed in her free hand, and she wrapped it around Lucy's blades to keep her from using them. "…!"

Emmeraude placed her free hand onto Lucy's chest, both of her palms shining brightly with darkness. "Raging Blast!" The two spheres exploded violently, easily throwing the pair back along the ground harshly.

"Ngh.." Lucy was on a knee after that direct hit, coughing a few times. "That technique…"

"Yes…it was Sophie's. Did you think I wouldn't try and carry my daughter's spirit with me somehow?" Emmeraude dusted her hands off. "You don't have much time left…I can't even say if you still have any at all."

"We must retreat!" Makarov yelled, leaping forward while using his Titan Magic to enlarge an arm to slam down on Emmeraude.

"Oops…!" Emmeraude easily avoided the strike by leaping to the side. "You've gotten slower, Makarov. But I suppose it does come with old age. I don't think you want to fight me again, you won't make it out alive…"

"Don't you dare threaten our Master!" Erza was within her Wing Blade armor, using the multiple swords at her command to 'dance'. These blades wildly flew about to slash and strike Emmeraude; however she was capable of countering with her own assault. The tendrils on her back dispersed, replaced with a series of dark blades that resembled Marisa's magulity swords. The blades were sent forward, clashing and exploding against Erza's own. "And return Lucy's keys!" Seeing how her assault didn't work, Titania donned the Flight Armor along with the Silfaron spear, boosting her speed to astronomical heights! A vicious stab was aimed at Emmeraude, but the woman countered with her own sword, the two of them entering a deadlock.

"Return my daughter to me and I will happy oblige! But you can't, can you!?" Emmeraude growled. "You're making good use of that spear…"

"I had to since your lackey was the reason Knightwalker died!" Erza grit her teeth, trying to push against Emmeraude.

"You don't think I know that?! I respected Knightwalker's wish, but Drayden went off and did his own thing! As his superior, it's my duty to take responsibility for my comrade's actions. I never wanted Knightwalker to die, I promised to return her to her home if she helped me. In the end…she died because of my dream…as my comrades and daughter died for my dream. I am sorry for her…but I will seek vengeance for the rest of them…" There was the complexity of Emmeraude. Despite everything she did to Fairy Tail in the past, she had a compassionate heart. This compassion threw Erza off guard for a moment…but Emmeraude wasn't paying attention either and felt something slip into her pocket. "Huh…?"

"Ice Make: Thief's Hand…" Gray slyly made use of Emmeraude's monologue to form a crafty hand to slip into her pocket and grab Lucy's keys!

"Why you!" Emmeraude shifted her body and kicked Erza to the side, swiping her hand to send a violent burst of crash magic at the frozen hand to destroy it. This caused Lucy's key ring to fly into the air!

"I got it…!" Lucy ran to Natsu, who provided a boost to rocket Lucy high into the sky! With a soft grin, the blonde managed to snag her key ring….and at that moment, a chain pierced into her side, while another wrapped tightly around her neck. "Huh…" CRASH! Emmeraude brought Lucy down to the ground with such force a small crater formed from impact! The crash landing winded the celestial mage, but she couldn't even move as Emmeraude's heel pressed against her temple, grinding into it slowly. "Ack…!"

"LUCY!" The others screamed in worry.

But when they all tried to move, Emmeraude shot them an evil glare. "Don't you dare move a muscle, or I'll crush her head like a grape." The chains around Lucy's neck tightened, constricting her windpipe. She would try to move, but the chain that pierced her side hit hard. "Doesn't this bring back memories? Me, crushing your defiant self under my heel? Do you know how long I've waited for this day since my child died?"

"Ngh…" Lucy could barely breathe.

"Oh? You look like you're just dying to say something…" The emerald haired woman stared down at Lucy, waiting for her speak, but it was hard for her to with the chains choking her. "If you all wish to run now, that's fine with me. But I'll be keeping her." Emmeraude tilted her head. "Oh…that's right. You can't run. You're not close enough to where you need to be…and you're cornered. That's truly unfortunate."

"Shit…" Mest growled. If he had a little more magic power, then maybe…!

"I'll admit…with all these bruises, cuts, and burns on my body…you've all gotten stronger than you were a year ago. But you'll never defeat me." Emmeraude spat. "And I'm not even one of those Spiggan. I may be praising myself a little too highly here, but I'd live to believe outside of a very select few, I outmatch most of them."

"You like to talk a lot, don't you…" Gray sneered.

"Yes…but I'll be parting ways with you now. How you intend to handle your escape from here is of no concern to me…for I'll be seeing you again when the war starts." Emmeraude was about to drag Lucy off…but two bullets pierced through both chains, shattering them. "…!"

Mii twirled Purple Pot around, feigning ignorance with that annoying smile of hers. "Wow…that's so weird. What are the chances that those chains got in the way of my bullets? Crazy, huh?"

"Koryuji…!" Emmeraude gave Mii the death stare. "You…!"

"What? You thought I'd sit back and let you get your way? Haha…life ain't like that, sister." Mii shrugged. "And I still didn't technically hit you…so it's not an act of aggression. I was actually aiming at Lucy, but I missed. Whoops."

Mii always was, and always would be annoying. Not even Emmeraude could withhold her anger from this taunting being. "You…are by far the worst being I have ever had the displeasure of being acquainted with!"

"Aren't I just the worst?!" Mii was relishing in this. "I'm so awful!"

Lucy wasn't sure what was going on…but Emmeraude's focus wasn't on her! This gave her an opening to change into Star Dress: Taurus, and wind up the heaviest punch of her life. "…!"

"Wh…" Emmeraude noticed the glow underneath her and for a second, her eyes widened a little. Darkness wrapped around her fist and she swung just as Lucy did. The two of them slammed their fists into each other's cheeks with great force, the impacts causing them to stagger backwards. "Damn you…"

"We…We aren't weak!" It took all of Lucy's courage to say that. In truth her body was still shaking; she froze when Emmeraude caught her and the nightmares came flooding back. But she had to remain strong until they were out of Alvarez. She had her keys back too. After saying this, she changed to Star Dress: Aquarius and rotated her arms in a counterclockwise motion. This caused the ground to surge and swell like the ocean, and this wave crashed down onto Emmeraude! "AQUA METRIA!"

"LET'S GO LUCY!" Natsu grinned.

The little victory was short lived as the Aqua Metria was dispersed with another surge of crash magic. Emmeraude's green aura flared around her body. The limits of her patience had been tested. "Not weak? Then why are you all fighting like cornered animals with nowhere to run? You made a mistake stepping into the Alvarez Kingdom…and now you're going to die here."

It was at this moment that the White Eclipse crew had a crash landing. Ajeel destroyed their magic care, thus sending them tumbling along the ground with debris flying everywhere. "Shit…!" Luke groaned while hitting the ground.

Reve didn't give up though. His arms were high above his head and roughly fifty guns appeared in front of him, all aimed at the incoming Ajeel. "Devil's Wheel!" The bombardment of bullets showered down onto the emerging sand mage.

"Whoa! It's almost like you're really trying to kill me, that's great!" Ajeel had to use the sandstorm around his body to deflect the bullets before landing beside Emmeraude. "You're looking a little rough old lady. I hope these chumps weren't causing you any trouble, ahaha! I killed one of them, how about you!?"

"...Of course, someone as barbaric as you would have already killed one of them. I wasn't interested in their lives until a moment ago…meanwhile you look like you've been struggling." Emmeraude casually shot back. These two really didn't get along.

"He killed one of them…?" Happy looked over at the angry White Eclipse group and he noticed Zalen was missing! They didn't want to talk about it though.

"They have no more options." Emmeraude stated. "They can't run without risk, they can't hide without risk…"

"So this is where the chase ends?" The Desert King laughed. "What a shame! I'll gladly bring this to a close!" A large amount of sand began to gather around Ajeel's feet. The danger levels were rising!

"Freeze!" Gray and Luke swiped their arms forward, covering the incoming sand in thick frost to prevent it from coming and closer.

Ajeel just smirked at this feeble attempt. "AND DRY UP!" The ice turned into sand, still rushing forward violently, beginning to overtake everyone again!

"You're kidding…!" Luke groaned.

"What's with this guy!?" Cynthia cried out.

"I can try to blow it away…!" Aira said.

"Goodness…" Emmeraude was nearly caught in the sand herself, but she quickly boarded her flying machine to get off the ground.

"This is bad…!" Erza stated the obvious.

"Damn you!" Makarov grumbled and had to try once more. An enlarged hammer fist was aimed at Ajeel, but the Spiggan easily dodged it. The only thing this did was disperse the sand, and as soon as that happened. Makarov grabbed his kids; Mii included, and held them close to his titan frame. "I WON'T LET YOU LAY A HAND ON MY KIDS ANYMORE!"

"A little too late for that, don't you think?" Emmeraude quipped.

"Really feeling the love…" Takeru grumbled. That didn't mean they had any options.

"Stop, Gramps!" Natsu yelled!

"We can still fight!" Said Gray.

"Natsu, stop shouting…" Lucy whined.

"Let Mii go! I'm not your kid anymore!" Mii exclaimed.

Ajeel's lips curved into a sinister grin. "Oh…did you really think you could protect all of them like that? You guys still don't understand after all this time…the power of the Spiggan 12…"

Selene's nose twitched. Something…something didn't seem right. "Uh…guys…"

"…The earth…" Royal felt it all right.

Emmeraude turned her head off to the distance, blinking a few times at Ajeel's need to flex on everyone. "Oh goodness…"

Off in the distance, a tidal wave of save was rapidly closing in. "LET THE SANDS OF DEATH SWALLOW YOU WHOLE!" The Spiggan proclaimed at the top of his lungs.

"Ooooooooh no…." Luke gawked at what was coming their way.

"Takeru, teleport us away!" Taya barked the order in a slightly panicked state.

"I can't! I don't have the time…!" Takeru shook his head.

"Wha…!?" Makarov couldn't believe this!

"MEST! TELEPORT US!" Erza demanded.

"WHERE?!" Mest asked. The tidal wave was rapidly approaching!

"I can protect us!" Selene formed a dome of diamond over the White Eclipse group and tried to help Fairy Tail as well, but the diamonds were broken apart by the ferocity of crash magic from Emmeraude.

"I'm sorry…I have no qualms against you all…but I'm very irritated today, so I'm afraid that you'll all have to suffer. If you want to blame someone, blame Fairy Tail…" Emmeraude shrugged.

"Oh so petty…" Taya grumbled.

"I know…" Emmeraude took pride in that statement…but then something caught her attention and she turned her gaze up. With the size of the sandstorm, she had to move up and away to ensure she wasn't somehow caught up in it.

Makarov stood firm, holding everyone tightly against him. "I'll protect you lot no matter what happens!"

"GRAMPS!"

"NO MATTER WHAT!" Makarov wasn't going to back down. As their parent, it was his duty to protect them!

"This is the end!" Ajeel laughed. "Anyone that comes into contact with this sandstorm dries up from the inside! You'll be just like that building mage; completely mummified!" Was this really it? There was nothing anyone could muster in time to match the absurd power of this sandstorm! It crashed onto everyone…and a bolt of lightning dropped down from the sky, completely destroying it. This divine intervention caught everyone off guard and they could only stare up, where a familiar airship lingered in the sky: Christina! The one standing on it? None other than Laxus Dreyar.

"Laxus…!?" Makarov gasped.

"You're kidding…" Reve spat.

"Flashy as always!" Gray said with a grin.

"Wow, big strong man." Mii huffed.

"He…took it out in one hit…?" Kuro was…pretty amazed actually.

"Tak, now!" Jack said while everyone was distracted.

"Oh, right…!" A rift of shadows opened up thanks to Takeru. This rift sank the Eclipse mages inside and finally transported them to safety before Ajeel could react to it.

Laxus noticed but didn't question it for now. Instead his attention turned to his comrades. "You've grown old, Gramps." He also noticed Emmeraude off in the distance. That alone made him scowl…he didn't expect to see her here. No one did.

"We're still on enemy grounds." Pantherlily pointed out. "Wait…is that Emmeraude!?

Gajeel leaned into the intercom. There were a lot of questions, like where Zelos was, why Emmeraude was in Alvarez, and why Mii was with them, but they could all be answered later. Right now there was only one thing they had to do. "AIGHT! WE'RE RETREATING!"

"GET ON THE SHIP!" Levy said.

"Uh…this is my ship…" Ichiya said, quietly in the background.

"Gajeel?" Happy tilted his head. "Levy and Lily too…"

"Hey, that's a ship ain't it?!" Natsu yelled. "How are Gajeel and Laxus completely fine?!"

Juvia snatched the mic from Gajeel. "Gray-sama! Juvia is here too!"

"Let me talk too!" Elfman yelled.

"Elf-nii, stop it…" Lisanna sighed.

"We've made improvements on this ship to tailor to dragon slayers." Ichiya explained. Everyone was talking all at once it was kind of hard to discern who was saying what.

"…Are they for real right now?" Ajeel just…wasn't sure what was happening. Emmeraude on the other hand had half a mind to shoot the ship down…but she didn't. As she watched from a distance, Ajeel held his hand up to say that he could handle all of this, so who was Emmeraude to stop him?

"Huh? Have you grown up, Wendy?" Bickslow asked. "Cynthia looks a little taller!"

"They've turned into women, huh?" Freed said.

"Everyone's grown a little in the past year. Also, your hair looks nice Cynthia!" Evergreen commented.

"N-No…not really…" Wendy said with a sweat drop. She didn't really get any taller.

"T-Thank you…!" Cynthia beamed.

"Mest, you're there, aren't you!? Bring everyone on right now!" Cana commanded.

Finally, the escape route they needed! Mest grinned and activated the last of his magic to teleport everyone onto the ship! "Coming up!"

"Ha!? Running away!? Like hell you are!" Ajeel extended his hands to his sides, causing a pillar of sand to erupt from the ground, aimed right for the airship.

"We're not running away." Laxus said while lifting his hand, lightning sparking around it. "We're just going home. It's getting late, and we're not missing dinner."

"…!" Ajeel gasped at Laxus' power. In a flash, a bolt of lightning dropped down, covering a massive radius for miles on end in its explosion! The only thing that was heard over the crack of lightning was Ajeel's scream. Emmeraude barely made her way away from the blast. The ship then flew off into the distance. They escaped. As the dust settled, Ajeel was…shaking. He had a few 'close' calls today, but this was by far the closest. "Whoa…that was a scare….were they freaking serious…?" He then turned; noticing one of the 12 arrived. "…So it was your barrier that protected me, huh August?"

"It is a horrible thing to lose a comrade, Ajeel." August said.

"Did you think I'd die to something like that? You've aged, August." Ajeel chuckled.

Emmeraude returned to the scene, touching down on the ground off her machine and sighed. "He's right."

"See, even the old lady agrees with me!" Ajeel smirked.

"No…I was agreeing with August. Losing a comrade is indeed painful…" The woman placed a hand to her chest, a saddened look crossing her face. "As someone who's lost my comrades and daughter…it is the worst pain imaginable. My mother is the only thing keeping me afloat. That aside…had you been hit by that blast directly, you would have most certainly died. I offered to help, but clearly you had the situation under control."

"Tch…" The Spiggan of sand scoffed. "You're half his age and just as senile! I'm Ajeel Lamur, the King of the Desert! Nothing can kill me!"

* * *

Zeref watched on from his location at the palace. There was a small smile on his face. The wheels of fate were turning and there was nothing that could stop them now. "It's starting, Natsu…"

* * *

A successful escape! The A team landed roughly inside the ship thanks to Mest's teleport. They all groaned but in the end they were safe! "You guys okay there!?" Elfman asked.

"Great job, everyone!" Evergreen cheered.

"Operation: Save The Master, was a success!" Bickslow grinned.

"Gray-sama, you're okay!" Juvia happily clung to Gray.

"Why are you guys here…?" Gray asked while leaning away from Juvia.

"I see you guys found Mii!" Lisanna smiled at angel.

"I was not supposed to be here for as long as I was…" Mii huffed.

"Eesh…" The youngest Strauss then turned to the others. "We've done stuff on our own to help the mission."

"Finding Laxus was one of those things." Mira said with a soft smile.

"How dare you sneak behind us!" Gajeel glared at Erza. "Where's the annoying one anyway?"

"…Long story…" Erza wasn't so amused by Gajeel being all in her face the way he was. "And it was a secret mission. We didn't want to get everyone involved when the guild just got back together."

"Question…was that Emmeraude we saw off in the distance?" Levy asked.

"Yeah…" Lucy gave a slow, shaky nod. Now that the adrenaline flushed out of her system, everything else set in, including the wound in her side. "Long story, too."

"It was tough…but we did it for you, Master." Erza told Makarov.

"You've done so much for us…we had to do something for you, too!" Cynthia chimed in.

Meanwhile, Natsu was just enjoying the fact he could be on a ship without feeling sick! "This ship is the best! I'm not even sick! Laxus, let's fight!"

"Shut up." Laxus didn't even look Natsu's way.

"Everyone…" Makarov looked towards his kids. All of them did so much just to bring him back home. When looking at their smiling faces, he couldn't help but cry. "You're the best family anyone can ask for…Fairy Tail…!"

"I'm an outsider, though…" Ichiya quietly remarked.

"Mii too…" Mii rolled her eyes. This reunion rubbed her the wrong way. But as for the mission itself? A complete success!

.

.

Next Time: Fight The Power.


	34. Chapter 34: Fight The Power

A successful rescue mission on Fairy Tail's part! With Makarov back in the guild, Fairy Tail's revival was officially complete! The building was restored to its former glory and a resounding cheer echoed from the guild hall. "CHEERS!"

"CHEERS!"

"Welcome back, Master!" Romeo said with a bright smile.

"Ah…" Macao turned to Wakaba. "Erza's the Master, so it'd be…"

"Makarov-san!" Wakaba exclaimed.

"I can't get used to it." Vijteer danced in a joyous fashion for Makarov's return.

"You can call him Master, I'm quitting." Erza said without a second thought.

"Then welcome home, Master!" Bisca grinned.

"Welcome home!" Asuka lifted her hands up and cheered.

"Asuka-chan!" Makarov felt the warm welcome and had a big smile.

"So you'd be the 8th….?" Alzack asked for clarification.

"So he's the master for the third time? How many times did he resuscitate?" Laki questioned.

"He didn't die…" Kinana clarified.

"I guess I'll do this job until the day I die." Makarov said with a sigh.

"That's a real man!" Elfman shouted.

"Didn't you say something like that before?" Mira had a soft smile on her lips and Lisanna just laughed.

"Hold up. Time out." Mii placed her hands in a T shape. She was lingering in the background since everyone was rejoicing over Makarov's return. "You can't just say something like that. That's what we call a red flag or a death flag."

"Mii?" Cana lifted a brow.

"In your case, it'd be more accurate to say that you will die because of this job." The angel placed her hands on her hips. She didn't exactly have a change of clothes with all the circumstances so she just raided Lucy's stuff as usual. "I mean, especially with that stunt you pulled earlier, it was like you were trying to die or something while also leaving White Eclipse to hang dry out there. Pretty sure they lost a dude too…"

The guild hall got awkwardly tense as Mii spoke. "Mii…" Lucy wanted to say something, but Mii held her hand up as if to tell her to stop.

"And speaking of that, why did you grab Mii? I'm not one of your kids anymore, old man." The angel questioned.

Makarov stared up at Mii. During their ride back home he learned a little about her situation. "I'm sorry, Mii." The apology made the angel blink in surprise. "Back then, I was only thinking of everyone's safety. I never could have foreseen the one I wanted to protect the guild from was none other than its own worst enemy. When I disbanded the guild, I wanted nothing more than everyone's safety. Everyone was hurt by the news, but I noticed the pain far more in your expression. You found a place that you could call home and I ripped that away from you with no reason at the time. You were a member of our family and proudly wore our crest upon your back. You're more than welcome to return to us."

That speech…Mii wasn't so sure how to feel about that. The red head narrowed her eyes before giving a shrug. "Wow, so heartfelt. You might have almost convinced Mii to come back. But if you haven't noticed…" Once again she turned and pointed to the mark of Pergrande on her back. "Even if I wanted to, I can't." She then took a seat in the corner of the guild. "Don't let Mii ruin your excitement though."

"When did you become such a downer?" Cana shook her head, lifting up a bottle of alcohol. "You know what fixes that and is perfect for this reunion!? Alcohol! Let's drink!" The card mage sure knew how to start a party!

The guild was starting to get noisy once again, just like old times! Gray was taking a seat while Freed kindly poured him a drink. "So. you guys were in Blue Pegasus?" The ice maker asked.

"Serving customers isn't so bad." Freed said.

"I feel more comfortable in a worn-out bar." Bickslow cackled quietly.

"Wait…" Juvia's eyes widened. "So…Laxus-san was also working as an…'entertainer'…?"

"Sometimes…ufufu…" Evergreen snickered at Juvia's reaction. "That was quite amusing…"

"No need to talk about it…" Laxus spoke with a minor sweat drop.

"Entertainer as in…" Mii perked up from the corner of the room.

"Not talking about it." Laxus repeated.

"So…did you manage to get in touch with Sorano?" Carla asked Mest. They did kind of leave her hanging.

"Yeah, she was sulking though." Mest said. "She was wondering what took us so long, and I explained the situation. She said, she grew tired of waiting, and probably pouted when I told her."

"A sanctuary that travels the sea…I'd like to get on it." Pantherlily envied the others for the chance to ride such a thing.

"There were lots of fish!" Said Happy, putting a fish in Lily's face with an elated grin. "They all looked yummy."

"That whole trip was pretty awful, though…" Cynthia got sick just recalling all the transportation they had to get on. "A ship, a boat, that temple and a car…ugh…"

"It wasn't the greatest experience…" Wendy pouted.

"Don't worry, I've always felt like that!" Natsu said with a carefree smile.

Reedus, who was painting a portrait of Makarov, couldn't help but chime in on that comment. "Is that supposed to make them feel better?

Ignoring Reedus, Gajeel turned to Natsu and simply grinned. "Wanna fight!?"

"Of course!" Natsu responded instantly.

"You're fighting now!?" Reedus gasped.

"Gray-sama, too…" Juvia mumbled, slowly encroaching on Gray's personal space as always.

"Too what?" Gray had no idea what she was talking about!

"You can't eat Star Mangoes in this country!?" Erza was shocked by this news.

"I've never heard of a Star Mango…" Mira shrugged her shoulders.

"Does it have a manly taste!?" Elfman asked.

"Wouldn't wanna eat that…" Lisanna grumbled.

Lucy looked on with a smile. It had been such a long time since the guild was together again like this. "Everyone is so noisy." It wasn't a complaint. This is how she liked things.

"Puuun…" Plue was shuddering nearby, watching the usual chaos go on.

"But at least everything is finally back to normal." Levy said while enjoying some lunch.

"Yes." Lucy responded absentmindedly. Her gaze wandered to Makarov and then Mii. _"The Master is back in Fairy Tail. Laxus and the Raijinshuu, too. In the Alvarez Empire in the west continent there are wizards with skills beyond our imagination…"_ As Lucy thought this, her mind immediately went to Ajeel and Brandish. _"Emmeraude is there too…one of the strongest opponent's we've ever faced. But…I can't say that it's really the same person from last year."_

" _I see you still have that downtrodden look of guilt in your eyes."_ Those words form Emmeraude stuck with Lucy.

" _Her eyes were the same. They didn't have that look of absolute confidence from before…it looked more like someone who was barely holding onto life. Someone who's lost their purpose…lost almost everything…"_ It was clear as to why. Lucy wasn't looking forward to encountering Emmeraude again, but in her heart she knew that it was unavoidable. It scared her, but…she had to fight. _"And the Black Wizard Zeref is ruling Alvarez under the name Emperor Spiggan. He is preparing his next move to get his hands on Lumen Histoire, the body of Fairy Tail's 1_ _st_ _Master. A battle is about to start…probably the most difficult one we've gone through this far…"_

Cana noticed that Lucy was deep in her own thoughts. So, to cheer her up, she sat next to the blonde while sliding a mug of beer over to her. "Stop looking so stiff and have a little fun, huh~?"

Lucy stared at Cana and then the beer. How could she say no when everyone was having such a good time. The blonde lifted the mug to her lips and took a hearty sip and WOW was that strong! Lucy's cheeks flushed and she found herself fanning her face to cool down. _"I don't want to lose anybody again. I want to win like always. And to be with everyone again…laugh together…that's my only wish right now…"_

"Eh, pretty strong right? I always got the good stuff!" Cana smirked. The brunette then noticed the lack of…annoyance in the air. "So…what happened to Zelos? Didn't he leave with you guys?"

"Yeah, he did…" Lucy thought back to Caracall Island. The last they saw of Zelos was when Brandish did…something to him and he essentially exploded. "I think his habit of flirting with every woman he sees finally got him. He tried flirting with the enemy and he just…"

"He's not dead…" Mii said with a long, drawn out groan. "Do you really think someone that annoying would die so easily? He's just like Mii; he couldn't die even if he wanted too or tried."

"I don't doubt that…" Cana said while taking a swig of beer.

There it was again. Lucy tilted her head as Mii compared herself to Zelos, just as Zelos did prior. But it was probably best to leave it alone right now. Mii was being extremely evasive and getting a straight answer out of her may have been more difficult than the incoming battle itself. "I guess you're right…I just hope he's not too badly hurt." There was something else that bothered Lucy. "Hey Mii…you didn't really mean to shoot me back there, did you?"

"Huh? Oh." Mii shook her head, a mischievous grin forming on her lips. "I just wanted to piss off Em. I love seeing that irritated look on her face! Although, considering this is an Em who's fallen from grace, it wasn't as entertaining…but still enjoyable nonetheless."

"Mmm…" Lucy just nodded. Mii did somewhat evade the initial question, but the blonde wanted to assume Mii still had a heart. Cana was too busy drinking to really pay attention, but the subject would no doubt come up again soon enough.

Makarov tapped the floor loudly with his cane. The sound reverberated through the guild hall, causing all of the chaos to cease immediately. The old master now stood in front of everyone with his eyes closed. "Everyone…I'm sorry. I won't make any excuses. I'm the one who lost everyone's home. I'm really sorry."

"I heard from Mest." Max waved a hand dismissively, as though the issue didn't even matter!

"You did that to protect us, right?" Warren said with a grin.

"We aren't angry." Said Nab.

"Yeah, and it's back already!" Jet said.

"Don't say depressing things. It'll make the drinks taste awful." Said Droy with a large barrel of alcohol in his hands.

Makarov bowed his head to the others before gesturing to a large map on a table – one that displayed a map of Alvarez and Ishgar. The old man used his staff to point on the map. "In the end, my plan was a failure too. Alvarez is going to attack us." There was silence. "A huge country…is marching towards the guild."

"SO WHAT!?" Natsu yelled, startling everyone since the air was so tense. "We've fought for this guild many times." The salamander began to speak while marching forward confidently. "No matter how strong the enemy is…the wish to protect the ones important to us has always made us strong." Natsu made it to the table placing his hand on the map. "It's not that I'm not scared. It's like a parcel you don't know how to put down. But…everyone will definitely help us. The real fear…." As he spoke, flames emitted from his palm, burning away the section of the map that had Alvarez on it. "Is the thought that these happy days might not continue. To be able to laugh together once again…we have to fight." Now, Natsu clenched his hand into a fist, a brilliant flame blazing from it. "Our goal is not victory! WE'RE GONNA FIGHT TO LIVE! THAT'S OUR BATTLE!" Natsu's words lit a fire in everyone's heart.

"Look like everyone is ready." Laxus said.

Makarov needed a moment. A year prior, his method of confronting Alvarez was negotiation to ensure that everyone stayed safe. With that off the table, the only option was to fight. But he would not run away from the fight this time. Fairy Tail's conviction was unbending. "I am too." The eighth master said confidently before raising his staff into the air, a brilliant light shining off the tip. "THEY WILL REGRET CHALLENGING OUR FAMILY! WE WILL STRIKE THEM BACK!"

"I'M GETTING FIRED UP!" Natsu roared.

"Let's win at all costs!" Wendy balled her tiny hands into fists.

"We won't lose!" Cynthia said while pumping a fist into the air. _"Oh my…all this vigor. I'm certainly rooting for you all."_ That came from Verona, who again, was mostly quiet to the point of everyone, including Cynthia, forgetting she was there. Mii heard it and lifted a brow, ultimately leaving it alone.

"Of course. We got this." Gajeel spoke with a smirk.

"This is a fight we can't lose." Erza's tone was firm.

"The enemy is Zeref…" Juvia said.

" _E.N.D…"_ Gray's thoughts only went to that demon. If they were going to confront Zeref once and for all, he knew he was bound to cross paths with E.N.D. The wheels of fate were in motion for everyone.

"We can do it!" Lucy said.

"WE'LL FIGHT TOO!" Happy exclaimed while slapping Lily with his paws.

"Stop that. It hurts." Lily sighed.

"This time I'll definitely protect the guild…" Elfman's voice held strong conviction in it. Between Sayla and Emmeraude making him destroy the guild…it was unmanly and his training over the year was specifically to protect everyone again.

"I want to show everyone the results of that one year of training." Mira almost sounded…excited about all of this.

"Eh!? You were training!?" Macao and Wakaba both asked in shock.

"We got super strong." Lisanna grinned, flexing a muscle. "I even got some more training in with Ace!"

"ACE?!" The pair of old men shouted together once again.

"Ah…the guild is a nice place." Cana said with a wide smile.

"Peh." Mii scoffed.

Makarov tapped his cane again to get everyone's attention. He couldn't let them get too excited without informing them of the reason why this battle was taking place. "There is something I need to tell you before the battle. The official name of Lumen Histoire is Fairy Heart…"

"Let me be the one to tell them, 6th, no, 8th." That was the voice of Mavis….her ethereal body to be more precise.

"FIRST!?" The appearance of the First Master caught everyone off guard.

"Huh?" Mii blinked once, staring in the direction everyone else was. "…Oh yeah, Mavis. There she is."

"…You can see her?" Erza turned to Mii. "But…"

Mii pointed to her left eye. "There's a lacrima in my eye. I can see a lot of things. But in Mavis' case…I'm not sure I can hear her."

"I see…" Erza turned to Mavis once again. _"This must be her ethereal body…"_

"Everyone…" Mavis' gaze went down. "Fairy Heart has been our guild's most protected information so far. That's because it has a secret the world must not know. However, you also have to know the reason Zeref wants that power. …And my sin."

Those last words hung heavy in the air. "Sin…?" Cynthia tilted her head.

"First…" Makarov was prepared to take over for Mavis.

"It's okay." Mavis shook her head slowly. "It's time to reveal the truth. This is the story of a cursed boy and a cursed girl…and the single magic they were pursuing…"

.

.

Next Time: Mavis and Zeref.


	35. Chapter 35: Mavis and Zeref

Mavis was now telling her story. The story of where it all began for Fairy Tail, and the reason Alvarez was coming after Fairy Heart. A story of two intertwined fates becoming cursed. _"This is the story that happened just over a 100 years ago, slightly before Fary Tail was formed. That was where we met by chance. He was suffering from the curse of Ankhseram. A curse that toyed with the fates of others by robbing them of their lives. But I was intrigued by him. He taught me most of my magic. At that time, Magnolia had been under the control of a dark guild And we had to learn magic as fast as we could to free Magnolia from them. That was when it happened. I used a Black Magic spell that was still incomplete, but we won anyway. However, the price I had to pay was a body that stopped aging. I didn't think much of it back then…"_

April, the year x686. The year Fairy Tail was formed.

" _It was a time when the lords were in a feud over their trading rights. The second trade war was about to begin. Guild wizards were roped into the battle as soldiers for these lords…"_

As the battle raged on, Mavis watched quietly, scanning the battlefield. After a while, she noticed something and had to tell those in command. "Please get the left wing to retreat." She said, pointing to the left wing.

"Wha…What are you talking about, little girl!?" One of the lords in charge gawked at Mavis' audacity to give orders. "That's the weakest part of the part of the enemy base! Now should be the time for attack! I don't give a damn if you're a wizard or whatever, but stay out of the way!"

Mavis ignored the man's yelling and just went on to explain her tactical reasoning, pointing at the map to do so. "If I were the enemy, I'd have troops kept on standby for an ambush. One the enemy is drawn closer; I'd have the element of surprise. And on the west, I'd have reinforcements waiting. That would be my main force." When Mavis said all this, not only did her tactical prowess have those in charge shaken, but they never considered these possibilities until she brought them up. "I can think of at least 49 other ways to deal with this but…we have to get the left wing to retreat first. If not, we'll be dancing to the enemy's tune the whole time."

"Heh…there she goes again, the princess…" Yury Dreyar said with a slight smirk.

"I've never actually seen a princess this dangerous before…" Precht Gaebolg said. The man who later became Fairy Tail's second master, and the leader of one of the fiercest dark guilds later, Grimoire Heart.

"That's some real analytical skills she's got there." Said a young Warrod Sequen.

"So, when will it be our turn?" Yury asked.

"Please stop the enemy wizards from advancing. There's an 85% chance that the reinforcements will come from the west, so please be careful." Mavis said.

"Alright! Time to go all out then!" Yury gave a battle cry, leading the charge forward.

"Hmph…" Precht did nothing more than scoff.

"Let's go, men!" Warrod flexed.

"I believe in you!" Mavis said.

"So that's…Fairy Tail's tiny master?" One man asked.

"Fairy…?" The other responded, still gawking at how Mavis gave the orders like that.

Some time passed and the battle was over. Thanks to Mavis' plan, even against the sheer numbers they were able to come out on top. This only further shocked the lords who were watching. "They won…even with the difference in numbers…"

"Fairy…Tactician…" And that's how it began. The birth of the Fairy Tactician was from this battle.

* * *

Back at the Fairy Tail guild hall, everyone was celebrating the victory. "WE WON!"

"Look at this cash!"

"Bring all the wine!"

"CHEERS!"

While everyone cheered, there was Mavis, sitting on the bar with a downtrodden look. Yury noticed this and had to ask. "What's wrong, Mavis?"

"…I wonder how many lives were lost in today's battle…" Mavis spoke quietly. Her statement caught the Dreyar off guard a little. "And how long will this battle go on. When this is over, I want to go on an adventure."

X690 – the end of the second trade war. The number of those injured and the death count surpassed the previous war. It was said that the reason behind this was the wizard guild interventions. That was when the world of magic decided guilds could no longer wage war or be a part of any war by drafting a treaty. Of course, 100 years later and we can see how well that held up. But with that, a short era of peace dawned upon the world of magic.

* * *

6 years later, x696. _"I met with him again, this time by pure coincidence."_

Mavis happened to be wandering through a forest. That's when they crossed paths once again. Zeref was quite shocked to see the female once again. "Mavis…?"

"Ah! Mr. Black Wizard!" Mavis' expression lit up and she began sprinting towards Zeref. She didn't actually know his name, but she was still happy to see him regardless. "Yaaay!"

"Whoa! Wait! Don't you remember, I'm cursed!" Zeref held his hands in front of him as if to stop her from charging in.

"Of course!" Mavis said, not caring.

"Then don't-!" Too late. Before he could object, Mavis already embraced Zeref.

"We won because of you back then. And because of you, I saved my friends…" Mavis' expression softened as she showed her gratitude to Zeref. The two of them decided to sit by one another, and that was where Mavis finally learned the identity of the Black Wizard she was so thankful for meeting. "ZEREF!? That black wizard, Zeref!? You're him!?"

"That's why I never wanted to tell you my name." Zeref responded, but when he was with Mavis, he felt as though he had no choice.

"The one that lived for 300 years…?" Mavis questioned.

"Yeah…" Zeref stared off into the distance. "Was it that long, though…?" It seemed that he lost track of time all these years. But could anyone really blame him?

"But you're nothing like what people say you are." Mavis said.

"Oh, the bad ones huh?" Zeref merely shook his head. "Those are mostly accurate though."

"There's no way that's true!" The guild master proclaimed, her lips curving up into a gentle smile. "You have kind eyes. And I don't believe those rumors."

"Such innocence…" Zeref couldn't help but smile.

"Oh…! Do you remember Yury? He's going to become a father soon!" Mavis said.

"That boy…?" Zeref did remember the Dreyar. "It's been ten years since then…but you haven't changed at all…"

Now things got a little awkward. "Ah…this body. About that…It was the price I had to pay for using incomplete black magic back then. But I don't regret my choices, after all, it saved my friends."

"You used Rou!?" Zeref turned to face Mavis, his hands placed at the side of her head while his forehead rested against her own.

"W-What was that for…!?" A flustered Mavis questioned. But the longer she stared at Zeref, the more her expression softened and her cheeks reddened. Zeref then pulled away with a wide eyed stare that only left the Fairy Tactician confused. "Zeref…?"

"It's not that you've stopped aging…you've become immortal, like I am." Zeref explained.

Mavis…couldn't believe what she was just told. "…Huh?"

"Have you chosen what kind of lives you will be taking? At your own discretion of course…" Zeref was concerned. Since he was afflicted with this curse, he was going to try his best to ensure Mavis knew what she was in for. "It's the curse of Ankhseram. The more you don't want to take a life, the more it'll…"

"Nonsense!" Mavis cut him off. "I…nobody around me has died yet…"

"Well, not now, but…" Zeref read the woman's expression. "I see…there was a war a while back, wasn't there? War makes you see lives in a different way. Maybe that's why you haven't noticed it quite as much."

"That's…I…!" The woman tried to refute the claims, but Zeref only kept going.

"You don't know the true meaning behind taking a life." The Black Wizard's tone was low. "And once you find out, everyone around you will disappear."

Upon hearing those words, Mavis' tiny body began to tremble. "Why….why would you say such terrible things…?"

"It's the truth."

"I…I thought you were…"

Now that Mavis' assumptions were thrown out the window, Zeref just…smiled. "Now do you understand? I'm everything the rumors made me out to be." Mavis couldn't take it anymore. She got up and began sprinting away. The Black Wizard directed his gaze to the ground, where a flower wilted near Mavis' foot. "So it's true…you've always had it in you. The power to walk alongside me…"

Mavis ran and ran and ran. She ran far away…but no matter how far away she tried to go, she could never escape the curse of Ankhseram. _"I don't believe this! Not at all! Life is precious! Important! I know that!"_

" _You really don't know how precious life is…"_ Those words lingered in the forefront of Mavis' mind as she ran back to the guild, tears streaming down her cheeks.

" _I DO KNOW! That the lives of the friends I love are precious…!"_

And just as Mavis returned to the guild, another life had been brought into the world…

"Yury, it's a boy!"

"OOOOH!"

* * *

X696. Yury's child, Makarov is born into the world. "OOOH!" Warrod had a bright smile.

"It's a boy…" Precht stared in awe.

"You've done so well, Rita…" Yury told his wife. Having just come from childbirth, it was natural that Rita was exhausted, but she held a smile regardless.

Mavis arrived, her lips curving up into the widest smile imaginable. "How cute!"

"You didn't have to go out of your way to give birth in the guild, you know…" Someone mentioned.

"Yea, well…Rita insisted." Yury winked. It was hard to say no to his lady after all.

"I want this child to grow up with the guild's love…" Rita turned her head, still trying to catch her breath. "Master…could you do us the honor of naming this child?"

"M…ME!?" Mavis was shocked at this request.

"Please, Mavis." Yury insisted.

"How about Pippoco?" Precht suggested, as if that were a good name to begin with.

"I don't think we'd be able to think of any decent names…" Warrod said, immediately after Precht gave his suggestion.

Mavis stared at the baby for quite a while before finally coming up with a suggestion. "Makarov. It's the name of this kind prince I read about in a book a long time ago."

"That's….a lovely name…" Rita smiled softly.

Yury held his child in his arms, cheerful as ever. "Makarov!"

"But…Pippoco…" Precht folded his arms over his chest, feeling pretty dejected right now.

"Makarov! I see, that's what you'll be called from now on then!" Warrod laughed.

Makarov made a happy noise in response to all of this. "For this child's future…we…" Rita's breaths were labored.

"Yes." Mavis grabbed onto Rita's hand. "We have to hold each other's hands." And then…Rita's arm…her entire body went limp and she closed her eyes. It all happened in slow motion and took everyone a moment to process what just occurred before them.

"Rita!? Hey, what's wrgon1?" Yury asked.

"She used up too much energy during childbirth…!"

"RITA!? RITA!"

Mavis stared in horror at what she had done. Zeref's words echoed in her mind, drowning out the sounds of everyone desperately calling Rita's name. When she came to realize it…the people around her were going to disappear. "Ah….ah…." With this mortifying realization setting in, Mavis started to cry before just…running away with a piercing scream. She ran out of the guild before anyone could stop her. The last thing she heard from them was a call of her name for her to come back.

* * *

And so…Mavis ran into the nearby forest. For how long? Even she didn't know. She collapsed onto the ground, everything around her dying. Flowers wilted, grass died, animals collapsed, and the trees lost their life. All she could do was cry.

" _A curse of contradiction. The more you love life, the more it will steal from those around you. But if you stop loving, it will stop taking. I've taken the lives of trees, animals, and now people. From that point onwards I stopped showing up at the guild, aimlessly wandering around…and unwillingly stealing a few lives from those near me. Then a year went by…"_

Zeref found Mavis sitting under a tree. The poor girl looked horrible; her clothes were tattered and her expression showed nothing but despair. "I've been looking for you, Mavis…"

"Zeref…" Mavis' tone was low and monotonous. She lost her will a long time ago.

"You look terrible." Zeref said while looking down at the girl.

"I haven't eaten in half a year already." Mavis said. "But…I'm still alive…"

"That's what the curse is." Zeref looked down at Mavis. "You wouldn't die even if someone beheaded you."

Mavis couldn't take it anymore. She buried her hand within her knees, her voice quaking from weakness. "I beg of you…kill me…" When she stared up at Zeref, her eyes were deranged and her entire body trembled.

"Sadly, even I can't do that." Watching Mavis despair did make Zeref frown a little. "The same goes for you. I was one like you. Hmm…in fact, I'm still hoping for the day I'd be able to die. At one point, I hoped I could be swept away within Verona's calamity 200 years ago, but alas, I never did cross paths with her. But I've learnt to look at things a little differently now. We have an infinite amount of time. I've created demons called the Etherious and gave them powers beyond human capabilities so that they could be the ones to end me. I still don't know if they actually could, but…I'm also making myself a country."

"A country…?" Mavis lifted her head up curiously.

"It's not on this continent, but I'm working on it now. It's quite enjoyable, you know." The Black Wizard turned his gaze to the dead trees above. "I'm the emperor there. All the people there have been made into units, pawns if you will. That's why the curse no longer has an effect there either. It's like I'm playing a game."

"Why?"

"Preparation for war, I guess…" Zeref shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, I hate wars. It's ugly and disgusting no matter how you look at it. Even when I'm building my country, I'm not needlessly expanding it just for kicks either."

Mavis realized what just happened, but it looked like Zeref didn't notice it. His entire tangent contradicted itself within mere seconds. "But you just said it was enjoyable."

"Huh? Really…?" Zeref stared down at the ground. Now that he thought about it…how long had this been happening to him without him noticing it?"

" _This curse…it turns your thoughts into contradictions too…?"_ The more Mavis learned the more despair she felt.

"That's the reason I live…I live to die…" Zeref placed a hand on the side of his face, his black eyes turning red and deranged. "I want to see my brother…no, I want to destroy him. No…please destroy me…huh? My head…hurts…" This curse turned him into a walking, breathing contradiction with no end to this life. How warped had he become over the last 300 years? Even he didn't know… "The world…refuses to accept me. This world…"

Mavis couldn't watch this anymore. Zeref fell to his knees and she was there, embracing him. "But I won't! I'll accept all of you!" Her words of kindness and love shocked the Black Wizard. "The only one that understands how you feel is me. So don't give up. We'll find a way to break this curse. Let's…find it together," Mavis' tears streamed down her cheeks, but for the first time in over a year, there was a glimmer of hope and happiness.

The same could be said for Zeref. As the years fell, after all this time, he could feel hope when he was with Mavis. "Together…"

"Yes…" Mavis nodded.

"Mavis…" Now Zeref embraced Mavis, his body shaking from the emotions he felt. It had been so long since he felt this way. All these years of forcing himself to become empty…it felt nice to feel happy again. "You're the first one to treat me this kindly."

"Of course not…" Mavis returned the embrace without a second thought. "You just don't remember, I'm sure…"

"It's also the first time I've love someone this much, too…" If there was one thing Zeref's broken and contradicted mind could remember, it was this feeling. He never knew this feeling before now…but with Mavis, love blossomed. The two of them stared at one another longingly before leaning in, their lips pressing together for a kiss. Amidst all the death around them, a new love blossomed to life. But shortly after that kiss…the impossible happened. Mavis' body went limp in Zeref's arms.

Everything begins in the deep abyss of magic. A magic that units it all, love. Love can cause miracles…and sadness as well. And the love between the two living with a curse brought upon the highest level of contradiction. The more one loves, the more one will take live away from another. The highest level of love and contradiction killed the girl who was supposed to be immortal. The story of the cursed boy and girl became the rise of darkness in the world…

* * *

Zeref wandered to Magnolia with Mavis' corpse in his arms. Precht was the one who saw him and recognized the Black Wizard from all those years ago. "You're the Black Wizard from before…why are you. No…wait…is that Mavis?! She's been missing for a year and everyone's been so worried!"

"Are…you alone?" Zeref asked.

"Yeah…everyone's out preparing for the festival. I was forced to be acting guild master while Mavis was away." Precht explained.

"Master…? Oh, I see. So this is the guild, huh." Without warning, Zeref carelessly dropped Mavis' corpse onto the ground. "In that case, I've come to return Mavis."

"H-HEY! How could you treat her like that!? She isn't a doll!" Precht yelled.

Zeref's eyes were red as he stared at the corpse of the first and last woman he loved. "Well…she won't be moving anymore…"

"…!" Precht's eye widened and he hurried to Mavis as Zeref walked off. "Mavis! You alright!? Did something happen!? Answer me! Are you asleep!?"

"Goodbye, Mavis…" Zeref muttered.

"Who are you!?" Prechet asked.

"Zeref." The wizard said as he continued to walk off, now entering the abyss of his mind once again. "That's right…if Mavis was a Fairy…Then I guess you could call me a Spiggan. I'm so tired of this already…I don't want to be around people anymore. That's right…I'll start with my simulation games again. I won't have to worry about anything in Aracitacia." The tears fell, but he continued to walk off. "I shouldn't have fallen in love. I couldn't…"

" _Zeref…is he…the legendary Black Wizard?!"_ The pieces came together, but there were more pressing matters at hand. Mavis was still unresponsive. "She's…really dead? No…her heart isn't beating, but I can still feel some of her magic. But I'll have to work quick if I want to bring her back! We have a lacrima under the guild that could work…!"

" _And that's how my body came to be inside that crystal. Precht worked tirelessly, trying as many spells as he could. Nothing worked. And soon he realized…that I had the curse of Ankhseram."_

Precht was a smart man, unrivaled in genius at the time. Unfortunately, perhaps he was too smart, because all the dots connected. "No…you took Rita's life…?" With this realization setting in, he fell to his knees. "There's no way I'd be able to tell the others…"

" _And ultimately, forced himself to keep this whole thing a secret. X697Precht chose to announce that I had died and that my grave was on the guild's holy ground, Tenoru Island. Tenoru was my birthplace and also where I met Precht and the others for the first time. The same year, Precht officially became the 2_ _nd_ _guild master and this was done according to my will before I had departed. Precht balanced his job as a guild master while trying all sorts of ways to bring me back. Year x700, 3 years later, Yury passed away, unaware of the circumstances of his wife's death. And then 30 years passed by, Precht never stopped trying. Everything was becoming very unpredictable. Prechet was a genius, and even with his unrivaled knowledge and talents…I was stuck with the curse. I had become somewhat suspended in animation, alive but dead at the same time. But that combination gave birth to an indescribable magic. A kind of magic that could shake the very foundations of this magical world…"_

* * *

"Eternity Magic: Fairy Heart." Mavis said.

"…Eternity magic…?" Lucy couldn't quite wrap her head around that.

"What is that?" Erza asked.

"Just like the name suggest, a limitless magic. One that will never run out." Mavis' explanation…well…nobody really knew what to say about that.

"THE HELL?!" Natsu's extremely loud yell of surprise woke Mii up from her slumber, since she had no idea what was going on.

"AN EVERLASTING FOUNTAIN OF MAGIC!?" Happy gasped.

"For example, the Etherion Cannon that the Magic Council used to use…one attack from that weapon could easily wipe out an entire country. Or, as they tried to before, the entire Isle of the Dragons. With the Fairy Heart, you could fire something of that scale repeatedly without worrying about the magic. Or should I say…it has enough magic to enable that. But then again, it's hard to explain just how much it has. It is infinite after all." In the world of magic…it was finite. Eventually something that lost magic could recover it over time, like Chelia for example. That was the law of the world. Hence, the idea of there being an infinite supply of magic was…disturbing.

"If anyone caught wind of that…" Wendy didn't like the thought.

"She's right…it could easily shake the world of magic…" Carla said.

"My son, Ivan once wanted this as well…" Makarov hadn't uttered that name in years… "I wonder how this got out, but now Alvarez is aware of it as well."

"So you're saying Alvarez is attacking because they want Fairy Heart?" Elfman turned to the others.

"But what for…?" Lisanna's question hung in the air.

"They should already have enough power on their own…" Mira placed a hand on her chin, trying to deduce a powerful army's need for such magic.

"I would think it's because they're also planning to defeat Acnologia. It's been getting on Zeref's nerves this whole time…" Mavis suggested. The mention of Acnologia caused the dragon slayers to grow tense. They hadn't seen or heard anything about the dragon since the Tartarus incident two years ago.

"Hey, I have a really simple question." Happy piped up. "If it was that powerful, couldn't we just beat both Alvarez and Acnologia?"

"He has a point." Makarov admitted. "During the Tartarus incident, I once thought to use it to deal with the Faces…but even if we won that round, there was no telling what would happen next. What would we do if we could no longer control the etherion that now has an unlimited source of magic…?"

Happy's idea got shut down and he realized it. "I'm sorry…"

"You can't just fight fire with fire here." Lily told Happy.

"Fire…? This is the First's body we're talking about…" Carla sighed.

"The Fairy Heart is something that should not be introduced to the world under any circumstances." Mavis stated.

"Yeah, of course not!"

"And we're talking about our First Master! There's no way we're giving her to them!"

Their words struck Mavis' heart. She felt guilty. "A magic born from my is…I never thought it would drag you into all of this…"

"It's not a sin to fall in love. You can't even arrest someone over that." Gajeel's sudden comment got him a few looks. Mavis wasn't expecting him of all people to say such a thing, while Levy had a soft flush on her face.

"EHHHH!?" Macao, Jet, Droy, and Wakaba all gave Gajeel a look.

"WHAT, OLD FARTS!? The iron dragon yelled.

"First…please don't blame yourself so much." Erza shook her head.

"That's right. It's coincidental that bad stuff kept piling up on you…" Mira provided her usual sweet smile to ease Mavis' pain.

"If you weren't here, we wouldn't have Fairy Tail at all." Lucy balled her hands into fists. The fight was on the horizon and she was preparing herself mentally for it.

"Which means we would never have met you." Cana added.

"You being here is what connects us all, First." Gray said.

"We want to protect the guild you built." Wendy nodded.

"So we'll fight for you, too. I know it's a stretch to say this but…if you weren't here, I wouldn't be either. I'd still be a sad, lonely girl locked away somewhere. And back in Tartarus, you tried to help me too. So…I want to do whatever I can to help you in this, First!" Cynthia pumped a fist into the air. Everyone's kind words caused Mavis to cry a little bit. She was so happy…

Makarov bowed his head. "It's become a fine guild, First."

Juvia was sniffling a little bit…and those sniffles turned into sobbing that left Gray confused. "Mavis-sama has to fight the person she once loved…" Such a thought was painful for Juvia. If she had to fight Gray in a situation like this…well, she wasn't sure what she'd do.

Mavis began to wipe away the tears. "That was a long time ago. Zeref has now become a threat to mankind. We have to defeat him…"

Mii lifted her head up now, lifting a brow at all the commotion. Whether she was truly asleep or not was never tested, but the others left her alone while Mavis told her story. Watching everyone get riled up for this war did catch her attention for one reason or another. "…"

"But even if we do something about the Alvarez soldiers…" Bickslow began.

"Zeref's immortal, correct?" Freed tried to think of options, but after the story they just heard, he couldn't come up with any ideas.

"He can't be killed then…!" Evergreen stated the obvious; however it did force them to think on the situation. Even Mavis had nothing to say. How could you kill someone who was immortal when your only option was the direct approach?

"How…do we do this…?" Erza asked the million dollar question. They could fight Alvarez, but how could they fight Zeref?

Finally…it was his turn. A sinister twinkle appeared in Natsu's eyes, followed with a strange laugh. "Nihihihih…." Natsu then jumped on the table, startling everyone due to how sudden it was. "Leave that to me!" The Salamander then held his bandaged arm up, grinning confidently. "I'll take Zeref down. I've been developing this technique in secret, just for him!"

.

.

Next Time: Prelude To The War.


	36. Chapter 36: Prelude To The War

Marin clasped his hands together, giving a simple grin towards Brandish. "Oh my, Lady Brandish…looking wonderful as always." And then Brandish brought her foot down near Marin, who in reality was tiny thanks to her magic. "Eeeep!"

"Could you do this side for me then?" Brandish asked while reaching out for a magazine of some kind. She was bored and her nails needed to be painted.

"Why of course!" Marin nodded. "Please let me paint them with as much love and care as possible~ Ahh…such beautiful legs...but before that…may I asked to be returned to my original size?"

"Are you for real?" That was Zelos, who was also tiny. "This really isn't so bad. I think I'm into this…it's not weird that I'm into this, right?"

"…And may I also ask why you brought him along as well…" Marin kept his forced smile, but it was clear that he held some animosity for Zelos just for being a dude in Brandish's presence. Zelos was aware of this but ignored it.

"He said he'd do anything in his power to appease me, much like you do. I saw no reason not to take him along." Brandish shrugged while flipping through the magazine. "He passed, in your words. Besides, he had no affiliation to those spies we encountered…I can't imagine anyone acting like him if they were a spy."

"I see…" Marin wrinkled his nose. "But he could be a spy going deep undercover…!"

"Oh, trust me, I don't go deep into anything…well, that's not true…" He let that train of thought trail off a bit. "Look man, if you're not gonna paint her toes, I will." Zelos grabbed the brush, hoisting it over his head.

"NO! You're not allowed to touch her! Failures like you aren't worthy of even being in her radiance, so consider yourself lucky! She's mine, don't forget that!" Marin spat.

"…Dude, that's creepy." Zelos stared with a blank expression.

"Don't say gross things like that." Brandish's tone was still flat, but she meant every word.

"…Oof…" Marin's shoulders slumped over. That didn't go well.

The door to Brandish's room then opened. It was Dimaria. She returned and calmed down after her encounter with White Eclipse, but she wasn't exactly in the best of moods since they slipped away. "Randi~"

"Marie." Brandish didn't even turn to face her fellow Spriggan. Her eyes were glued to the magazine. "I see you're back."

"Those mice you let escape…they were a real nuisance." Dimaria said, some harshness to her tone.

"I didn't let them escape. It was a pain so I didn't bother stopping them. I did give them a warning though…which I suppose they failed to heed." Brandish shrugged.

"Oh, I did tell her you know!" Marin swayed from side to side. "Ahh…you're looking great too, Lady Dimaria!"

Dimaria glanced at Marin and sighed. "…Return him to his normal size won't you? It's disgusting having to feel like I'm talking to a bug."

"…This place just has hot women for hot women, I'm in paradise." Zelos swooned.

"…?" Dimaria's gaze then went to Zelos. She had to keep from laughing. "…What have we told you about picking up strays? No wonder everything is such a pain for you; you're a couch potato and nothing more."

The mere thought of returning Marin to his normal size exhausted Brandish. "Ugh…what a pain…"

"Don't say that…" Marin whined.

"But you need him, don't you?" Dimaria started to make her exit. "The Spriggan 12 have been summoned We're gonna need his magic too, so bring him along. I guess you can bring your new pet, too." The door then shut, slammed a little forcefully since Dimaria blamed Brandish for the trouble she went through earlier in the day.

Brandish stared at the door for a moment before grabbing both Zelos and Marin between her toes, lifting them up a little. "W-What…wait!?" Marin flailed about.

"…Yeah, I'm into this…" Zelos didn't even try to fight it.

"I hate her. She's so uncute." The Spriggan told the both of them. "In your words, Marin… 'she fails.'".

"Catfight? I'd pay to see that…" Zelos could see it already and his eyes twinkled. Luckily with his size, Brandish didn't see it.

* * *

Natsu was boasting about his secret plan and it was only natural that everyone was curious about it. Something capable of defeating Zeref? They just had to know! "…So…?" Lucy tried to egg him on.

"What's that plan you're going on about…?" Erza asked.

"It's a secret." Natsu bragged, but he was completely confident in his own plan. "That's why it's called a secret plan."

Gray couldn't stand this attitude and immediately tackled Natsu. "QUIT WASTING TIME!"

"What have you got hidden in that arm!?" Elfman asked.

"UGH! I NEED TO KNOW!" Mest said, his unhealthy habit of chewing on people rearing its ugly head. Gajeel was the victim this time.

"Stop chewing on me before I punch you." The iron dragon groaned.

"But…I'm sure it's something really powerful if Natsu-san is so confident about it…" Wendy chimed in.

Happy was privy to this information. The knowing smile and laugh said it all. "Hehehe…"

"You know what it is, don't you?" Lily questioned.

"Well, sure…" Happy was clearly trying to avoid the subject, but it was also noticeable that he was bragging about knowing the secret that they didn't.

Carla deadpanned at this. "It's not like you're the one with the secret, so what's with that face…?"

"Hold up." Mii stood up, leering at Natsu a little bit. "You're confident that whatever you're hiding in that arm of yours is capable of killing an immortal?"

"Yup!" Natsu grinned.

Mii stared, wondering how Natsu could truly be so dense. "So you're gonna sit here and tell Mii that you had something that could have potentially beat that Alvarez thug and Em and didn't use it when we were cornered?"

"….Yeah, I probably could've beaten them…" Natsu trailed off. "Although, I'm pretty sure Emmeraude could tell I was hiding something and tried to egg me on. But even then, I couldn't use it. I can only use it once."

"Huh…so I guess everyone was just gonna die since you were so adamant in holding back." Mii said it so casually, but it was how she phrased it that was irksome to a few. But it didn't faze Natsu. Mii said a lot of things, some she didn't mean, some the meaning of which had to be interpreted a certain way, but no matter how she tried to phrase it, she usually meant well. That's what Natsu learned about her during her time at Fairy Tail.

"Of course not!" Natsu said. "I wasn't going to stand there and let them win!" He then stared at Mii, keeping that grin of confidence. "Trust me, Mii. I can definitely take Zeref out with this, don't worry. I have one chance, but I'll make it count!"

"…Who said I was worried?" Mii huffed and took a seat. "You guys are crazy."

"Once…"

"So he really has his aces hidden…" A few people started to murmur.

"Well, if Natsu is so proud of it, I guess we've gotta believe in him." Bickslow chuckled.

"And his confidence is somewhat encouraging for us in a way…" Freed nodded.

"Amazing how one man can raise so much morale…" Evergreen remarked.

"That's just how he is…" Laxus didn't let anyone else hear him, though. But Natsu's confidence inspired the others, giving them the confidence needed to head into the coming battle.

"I have a few plans as well, but let's trust Natsu for now." Mavis said with a smile.

"Master." Lucy began.

"Yes." Both Makarov and Mavis responded, making things a little awkward.

"Er…The 8th. Please tell us more about what we're going up against…" Lucy asked. It was important to go into the battle with any information they could get.

"Hmmm…yes." Makarov closed his eyes, recalling all of the information he could gather during his time in Alvarez. "Let me tell you want I know then. First is Emperor Spriggan. We know him as Zeref here in Ishgar. He has a small elite force under him called the Spriggan 12. I only spent a year there, but I've only met six of them. It could be because the continent is a lot bigger, so it isn't often that they gather."

* * *

Speaking of gathering, the Spriggan 12 gathered in a large meeting room. Unfortunately not all of them were able to attend; some were simply too far away to make it on time, while others…well. "…7 Spriggan." Zeref said. "Thank you all for coming despite it being last minute."

"Actually, Lord Neinhart is somewhere in the palace, but…" Yajeel trailed off.

"It's fine." Zeref brushed it off.

"It's not." Invel scoffed. While the 12 were responsible for their own actions and listened to Zeref, he could not stand their informal and sometimes disobedient nature towards him. "How could one of the 12 go against His Highness' words?"

"That's not for you to say, Invel." Speaking of disrespect, Ajeel was leaning back in his seat, feet propped up on the table. "Let's start the meeting with everyone here then! It's always easier with smaller numbers anyway."

"There are a few more people I'm waiting for before we can begin." Zeref said. "They're within the palace and coming as we speak."

"Oh yeah. Who's holding us up?" Ajeel asked.

Emmeraude stepped into the room, taking one of the empty seats. She needed a change of clothes after the encounter earlier, sitting herself next Dimaria. "I apologize for the wait…I needed a suitable change of clothes and my mother would not let me go…" Speaking of Emerald, she was lingering in the room as well. She overheard what was happening and was concerned for her only child.

"Not surprised the old lady held us up, but why is she here? She's not even a Spriggan!" Ajeel scoffed.

"Maybe not in official rank, but I believe you and the others are both aware of her strength." Zeref responded before Emmeraude could make a snarky remark. "In title, she isn't, but in strength…she was one of the Pergrande Kingdom's finest members."

"You flatter me." Emmeraude flipped her hair, a confident smirk stretching on her lips.

"I quite enjoy her company. It's nice to have someone around who actually does her job and not halfheartedly." Dimaria smiled, clearly taking a shot at Brandish.

"Yes, it is." Brandish simply replied, firing the shot back.

* * *

"Then we have the Winter General, Invel. Zeref's closest aid and council. And as his name suggests, he uses Ice magic, but that's all I know." Makarov explained.

"Ice…" That immediately caught Gray's attention.

"Next is the Desert King, Ajeel. He's someone who we already encountered during our escape…a wizard with the power to control sand. One of few in the 12 who's always looking for a fight…" Makarov continued.

"That guy…" Natsu found himself scowling.

"He offed one of those Eclipse mages." Mii commented. "And got sand in my everywhere…it'll take years before I can wear that bikini again…"

With Mii's first comment in mind, Makarov kept going. "The Nation Demolisher, Brandish. Hates fights, but she has the power to wipe a nation off the map if she needs to."

"…That's pretty metal." Cynthia gulped.

"We met her back at Caracall…" Erza had a flashback of what happened to both Zelos, Marin, and the island itself. "And if I'm not wrong…she likely has the power to manipulate mass itself."

"And then we have the War Princess, Dimaria…" Makarov paused. "I don't know anything about her magic, but she's a female knight that has survived and triumphed in many wars, thus earning her that title."

"So she isn't a wizard?" Erza asked.

Cana, on the other than, just deadpanned at Titania's question. "That's not the problem, isn't it?"

"…I think White Eclipse would know more about her. I vaguely recall Ajeel being interested that they managed to escape from her…" Wendy tapped her chin. "But I don't know if they're ready to talk…they did just lose someone after all…"

* * *

A veil of purple flames erupted in the room. Prometheus and Pandora stepped out of the flames and the first thing the Grim Reaper did was cackle. "HYAYAHA! I hope we're not late!"

"Oh, wonderful…the one person who manages to be louder than Ajeel…" Dimaria rolled her eyes.

"Prometheus. Inside voice." Pandora chided before sitting on her floating scepter, while Prometheus assumed the same position as Ajeel in a seat. "I apologize for our tardiness. We were tying up some loose ends."

"It's fine. I'm glad you could make it." Zeref told the pair. This was everyone he knew he could get present, so it was time to begin at last. "Most of you probably already know but…it's time. Our attack on Ishgar begins soon."

"Such a pain…" Brandish groaned.

"Don't say that, Brandish. What happened to listening to me?" Emperor Spriggan asked.

"Of course." Brandish simply nodded. "How I feel and my actions are two different things. I'd do it even if it's a pain, as long as you ask me to."

"Nobody likes a person who doesn't think before they speak, Randy." Dimaria shot.

Brandish then turned her head to the time goddess, eyes wide with a quizzical expression. "Huhhhh? But the one I don't like is you, though."

"I see…I guess we'll never be friends, huh?" Dimaria didn't seem to care too much though. But the tension between the two of them was pretty high and Emmeraude was tempted to cut it with a knife.

"Oooh, how feisty…" Prometheus snickered.

Zeref then turned to another member of the 12, one who had yet to be properly introduced. The former first Wizard Saint: God Serena. "God Serena. Was it painful for you to burn down your home?"

God Serena was…an eccentric man. Before even answering the question, he slammed his hands on the table, and crossed them, taking a dramatic pause. "It…." He then spread them out with vigor. "WASN'T!"

Brandish, Dimaria, and Emmeraude all stared at God Serena with deadpanned looks. The women were struck with silence. "Ew." Brandish uttered.

God Serena then drew his entire frame to the right before dramatically pointing forward, a wry smile on his face. "Thanks."

"…I'm sorry, I'm still having a hard time believing that this man is considered one of the strongest in Ishgar to this very day." Emmeraude shook her head, now pointing to the plate of food God Serena had in front of him. "…Is that a kid's meal?"

God Serena posed once more, speaking in faux elegant tone. "Nonsense. This is a GODLY meal! There is nothing else in the world that could appease my God Tongue! I will not settle for anything less than this."

"But…it's one of those tiny lunches that they serve young children…" Emmeraude couldn't wrap her head around this abnormality of a man.

"I know you haven't been here long…but it's best not to question his methods and madness…" Dimaria told Emmeraude.

God Serena aside, the man known as the Magic King, August, spoke. "Your Highness…We are prepared for Raganrok."

* * *

"God Serena. I guess you'd call him someone deplorable…but his strength is nothing to be taken lightly, trust me on this." Makarov let out a heavy sigh.

"…I still can't believe he turned into an enemy, though…" Levy had a sweat drop roll down her forehead.

"I wonder why he left Ishgar…" Juvia wondered aloud.

"We won't know until we meet him I guess…" Evergreen shrugged. "He left a few years ago, didn't he?"

"DAMN TRAITOR!" Elfman growled. Treason; the most unmanly of actions.

For the next Spriggan, Makarov was struggling to even speak about him. And the Magic King, August…he's on a different level! His magic is nothing like the other 12's." That…didn't inspire confidence. The air in the room grew extremely tense as Makarov spoke about the Magic King. "Rumor has it that he can control magic of every element, even the ancient ones. If compared to Zeref in terms of the types he can control, it's even more than Zeref himself." Yeah, Makarov wasn't painting a pretty picture, but this was the reality of what they were up against. It wasn't going to be pretty. "That's all I have on 6 of them. For the other 3, I only know their names. Bradman, Neinhart, and Badd…"

* * *

"So, you want the body of your former lover…" Badd chuckled quietly. "Sinful, sinful…"

"No no…" Zeref corrected the Spriggan known as the Judge. "Fairy Heart is a magic, not a person. Fairy Heart isn't all I want, though. I want Ishgar's destruction too. Mankind must perish."

"Mankind, huh…?" Dimaria mumbled.

"We are pawns." August stated.

"That's a very interesting way of putting it…" Badd smirked. Brandish and Emmeraude remained silent.

"Perfect." God Serena chuckled.

"HYAHAHA! I can't wait to reap their souls!" Prometheus cackled.

"I await your orders." Pandora used her inside voice, giving a curt nod.

"Let's start planning." Invel said.

Ajeel practically jumped at the chance, leaning on the table while slamming his hands on the ground, an eager grin present on his face. "Could you leave it to me then!?"

* * *

"There's also Emmeraude…" Lucy trailed off. "I know she's not a Spriggan…but there's a very high chance we'll be encountering her again, I feel it in my stomach…"

"It doesn't make any sense, though…" Lisanna furrowed her brows. "Why would she join with Zeref of all people? Their ideologies are complete opposites. Zeref wants to bring about the end of the world, while Emmeraude wanted to make it all peaceful. I don't get it…" She then remembered something and gasped. "What if she's coming after the Fiore throne again!?"

"…That wouldn't be good." Carla crossed her arms. "She already turned the country against us once…and since there are people who still adore her…"

"…We wouldn't be able to fight a battle on two fronts like that…" Mavis put a hand under her chin. "Emmeraude was already a difficult opponent, but…"

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that." Lucy said. The way she said it caught everyone's attention. "The Emmeraude we fought back then and the Emmeraude we saw in Alvarez…it's not the same person. By that I mean…she doesn't have the same level of determination. I saw it in her eyes. She probably doesn't even want to fight in this war, but she will anyway because it means being able to fight us again. After all…I…er, we…were the reason she fell. Everything that she worked on and was dear to her was taken, and I don't think she's recovered from it yet. Everything she worked for was snatched when she was at the top…"

"That sounds like Em." Mii leaned back in her seat. "She'd definitely do anything to get back at someone who wronged her, even if it goes against her principles. She's got some determination all right…or maybe her and Zeref's interest do align in one way. Perhaps just destroying Fairy Tail again is all she wants to do."

"…We'll have to keep that in mind as well." Mavis nodded firmly. "She matches the enemy strength so…"

"…I think there is one way we can avoid having to fight her." Lucy continued as she just remembered something. "…Although, it depends on how she still feels about the Princess. The Princess was able to disarm her last time…"

"I see…" Makarov nodded. "Yes, there is a chance that could work. That would be one less thing for us to worry about…"

"But in the event it doesn't, we need to come up with a plan for her." Mavis stared at Lucy. It looked like she had more to say, but the blonde was silent after mentioning that potential method. Mavis then turned to Mii.

"…Is there anything else you can tell us about her?" Erza asked Mii for Mavis.

"Eh? There's nothing else I can tell you that you don't already know. She's tough, smart, hot, and will probably crush Lucy's skull under her heel if given the opportunity." Mii shrugged.

"Yeah…." Lucy rubbed her arm awkwardly.

"That aside, appealing to her mother complex is probably the best chance of getting her off your backs." Mii added.

"I have a question…" Lisanna raised her hand. "Would it be possible for us to get the help of Dealer…or Cosmic Star? I'm sure they'd be willing to lend a hand…"

"We can't involve them in our guild affairs…" Erza shook her head. "It's far too dangerous."

"I know Sis is gonna be worried though…" Cynthia sighed.

"…What about the Isle? They helped us destroy Face…" Lisanna asked again.

"They're a neutral territory…" Levy explained. "They only helped since it was their way of repaying a favor. As nice as it would be to have them help us, Princess Ena has been very firm in not involving the Isle in the affair of humans."

"Yeah, they love their neutrality." Mii said.

Mavis then walked towards Mii, staring at her. The First then glanced at Lucy and Erza, gesturing for one of them to ask Mii a question. Erza was the one who spoke up. "Will you be helping us…?"

"Nope." Mii immediately replied. "I'm only here because if you guys go down, I gotta report what Alvarez is packing to Pergrande. I'm not lifting a finger…plus, I doubt you guys really want Pergrande to have another reason to dunk on Fiore." She had a point…but that seemed to be the answer Mavis was expecting.

"We'll start planning then." Mavis said. "Please listen well everyone. We need everyone in the guild for this. We are at a disadvantage at this point. The enemies we're about to face are nothing like those we've faced before. But what we have is the courage and our bonds to pull us through! Let's show them what this guild is made of!" Mavis yelled. This was the rallying cry for Fairy Tail!

* * *

"No, you won't be doing it alone." Zeref shot down Ajeel's request. "We're going on an all out attack."

"WHAT THE!?" Ajeel objected. "I'm all you need! I mean, it's where God Serena and that old lady are considered top dogs, right!? How hard could that be!?" God Serena didn't take too kindly to that comment and side eyed the Desert King.

"How hard could that be, he says…" Emmeraude rolled her eyes. "Says the man who let them escape to begin with."

"Tch…!" Ajeel grit his teeth at Emmeraude's words.

"With your level of arrogance, it would be a repeat of their escape." Emmeraude continued to dig into Ajeel while Brandish and Dimaria just watched the drama unfold before them. Invel was going to say something but Zeref motioned for him not to. "You claim to have the situation under control, yet it allowed them to slip away from us."

"Oh yeah? Didn't you lose them to anyway!?" Ajeel spat. "I had them right where I wanted them!"

"In an airship flying away while you nearly died?" Emmeraude scoffed before letting out a sigh, realizing she was far too harsh for someone who was a comrade. The loss of her own comrades still weighed heavily on her mind. "…My point is…we all have our faults, and they are the types of opponents who will take advantage of these shortcomings…" She paused, recalling her climatic battle against Fairy Tail one year ago.

"…Is something the matter?" Invel stared at Emmeruade. "You aren't having second thoughts about this, are you?"

"Ishgar was your home once too, wasn't it?" God Serena inquired. "Don't worry; it's rather flimsy these days! There was once a man named Calium who a few believed could stand up to my godly might…although I heard he's vanished. There aren't many mages of such a high caliber in that country. Burning it down won't be painful or difficult, right?"

"It's nothing of the sort." Emmeraude shook her head. "There's nothing left for me in Ishgar anymore…no, that's not true. I do have another daughter there…"

"Whoa whoa…!" Ajeel interjected. "You have two? So why are you so mopey about the other one!"

"Oh Ajeel…you'll just never understand…" Dimaria shook her head.

"I-I apologize for my grandson…he's just…" Yajeel attempted to apologize for Ajeel's attitude.

"It's fine." Emmeraude waved her hand. "Sophie was a daughter I created. She felt like my own flesh and blood. She was created with a purpose, but in the end she exceeded my expecations and sacrificed herself for my own dream. As for the other…I guess you could say I adopted her as a daughter. I don't even know if she still feels that way about me after all this time. The only thing that's kept me going is the love of my mother. But nevertheless…my conviction to fight in this battle is the same. I still wish for a peaceful world, but I've come to realize that a peaceful world cannot exist so long as Fairy Tail does. So I will do everything in my power to destroy them. I will do what I can to make this world a better place."

"Em…" Emerald bit her lip. Her daughter had been through so much…

"The love of a parent…" August mumbled this very quietly under his breath. Nobody heard his remark, but Emmeraude's words and new drive struck with him for some reason….

"Well well…that's quite the motivation you have there." Badd said.

"We should have sent her after the spies…" Brandish shrugged. Clearly Emmeraude would have done a much better job than her…not that she cared. She did her job to an extent anyway.

"We have the tactical advantage…not only in strength, but in knowledge as well. Since I ran the Grand Magic Games in Fiore, I can give everyone a rundown of some interesting things you may encounter." Emmeraude placed map of Ishgar on the table. "But before we get to that, there are two places of interest I think we should strike first and foremost…our enemies have some allies after all…"

"Oh yeah…I like where this is going…" Prometheus cackled quietly.

"With her genius and Invel's, we should have a full-proof strategy." Dimaria said with a happy hum. If she had the chance to get revenge on the guild that embarrassed her while they battled Fairy Tail, then her pettiness would be sated.

"And there you have it." Zeref had a serious tone and expression. "Anyway, we're going all out. I have my reasons. We'll begin advancing…starting with the Dragon King Festival."

* * *

The members of White Eclipse who were present stood outside at Zalen's grave. They didn't have much to say…but the depressing mood was present. "…I'm sorry, Zalen." Was what Reve said. It was rare for Reve to apologize in such a tone, but the loss of someone close showed his human side.

"….That Spriggan bastard did it, right?" Cygnus asked.

"Yes…" Aira was wiping the tears from her eyes. "The only reason we were able to make it out was thanks to Zalen…but I wish he didn't have to die for us…"

"Alvarez…they're really something else…" Royal grunted. Of course Emmeraude wasn't something they could ignore, but it was clear that she didn't care much for them, and they didn't have any beef with her.

"They want a fight." Reve clenched his hand into a fist. "And if it's a fight they want…it's a fucking fight they'll get."

* * *

"So, Alvarez is coming, huh?" Kemuri took a drag of his cigar while staring at Warrod.

"That's right. I wish I could say this was a joke, but it's a very serious matter." The old man responded to the Chairman.

"I see…" Kemuri paused. "It's always something with that guild of yours, isn't it?"

"You could say Fairy Tail is the source of all of this…but that's just a joke!" Now Warrod brought forth his bad humor. It was in poor taste and Kemuri just scowled.

"I wish I could say it was a joke." Kemuri scoffed before putting out his cigar. "Whatever the case…if war is happening, it's imperative the people are evacuated elsewhere. I'll be giving an emergency broadcast to clear all the cities."

"You're quite a reliable Chairman. The people are smitten with you, Kemuri." Warrod chuckled. Not since Siegrain's reign had the people been so receptive to a new Chairman. It was actually a little frightening how well the people adored Kemuri within a year's time. "I trust the civilians will be safe with your plans?"

"Of course. I can pull some strings." The Chairman smirked coyly. "Just leave it all to me. Once I'm done with that, I'll begin mobilizing the Council's own force. If God Serena is coming back, I'll be sure to give him a warm welcome…"

* * *

In a cave miles away from civilization, Acnologia began to stand. "My arm is itching…the arm that the flame dragon took from me…" His mind flashed to the Isle of the Dragons, when Igneel ripped off his left arm in their final confrontation. "The Dragon King Festival…that's where I'll take everything back…" In a flash, his human form shifted to that of the terrifying dragon that everyone feared. "And the absolute one befitting of the title, the King of Dragons…I, ACNOLOGIA!"

.

.

Next Time: Parental Role.


	37. Chapter 37: Parental Role

As night settled, everyone at Fairy Tail was preparing themselves for the battle ahead. With Alvarez encroaching on Ishgar soil, it was clear that they would be fighting a defensive battle. Mavis was spiriting her way through the city, checking in on everyone. The first stop? Lucy's apartment.

Lucy was sitting near her desk, thinking over everything they were told and the coming battle. Her journal was open and she was beginning to write her thoughts while thinking aloud. "Fairy Heart…An infinite source of magic…the whole reason behind Zeref's attack. We at the guild must protect it with all we've got…to make sure it never falls into the wrong hands. I guess referring to her as 'it' would be a mistake…Fairy Heart is Mavis' body and we will protect her. After all, she was the one that created this guild. If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't have each other."

"Oh! Well said!" Natsu and Happy were suddenly peering over her shoulder, staring at what she wrote.

"Nothing less from an aspiring writer!" Happy grinned.

The two of them gave each other wry grins, reciting what Lucy had written down. "If it weren't for her…" Natsu began.

"We'd never have each other." Happy finished.

Lucy couldn't believe this and stood up immediately, swinging her leg at the chair to send it flying violently at the dragon slayer and exceed, but unfortunately for her, they dodged. "YOU'RE IN MY ROOM WITHOUT PERMISSION AGAIN!?"

"Aww, c'mon…" Natsu said with an innocent smile while leaning away from the chair.

"You heard Kemuri's announcement right? It's so boring and quiet in the streets!" Happy added on.

"…Yeah…" Lucy took a seat on another chair, crossing one leg over the other. "He said for everyone to evacuate the towns. He's really been taking charge as the Chairman, so that's one less thing to worry about…"

"Yeah, so let's hang out!" Natsu smiled wide.

Happy pulled out an assortment of snacks, playing cards, etc. "I brought some stuff with me!"

Lucy shook her head. "Hey, we've got to get to the battlefield early tomorrow. This is hardly the time for this kind of stuff…" Her ear then twitched. She heard…running water in her bathroom? "Huh…?"

Mii stepped out of the bathroom with damp curly hair and a towel wrapped around her body. She blinked and just waved when she spotted them. "Hey."

"H-HOW…!?" Lucy's eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"Oh hey!" Natsu waved.

"I picked the lock again." Mii shrugged, using another towel to dry her hair. "I still have some sand in places sand shouldn't be in, so I used your shower."

"Ugh…" Lucy rolled her eyes. Just when she thought Mii would stop acting so sketchy. "Are you really going to stay and watch us fight…?"

"Mhm." Mii nodded, taking a seat. "I'm Pergrande now. Granted the 13 Commandants are allowed to act as they want…it gets messy when Ashnard decides he wants to get involved." Shrugging, Mii finished drying her hair and set the towel down. "As you probably guessed by now, I'm just a spy. Don't take it personally though, espionage is something the Pergrande royalty has done forever."

"A spy…" Lucy somewhat narrowed her eyes. It sounded like Mii didn't want to be trusted…she was always so difficult.

"Don't worry, I was asleep when you were talking about all that stuff…" What a vague response. Fitting for Mii, but she was great at avoiding questions. "Besides…Em is in Alvarez. You know how petty she can be. You keep tensing up whenever she's mention too." Mii pointed out.

"…I noticed that, too." Natsu frowned.

"It was really bad in Alvarez…you froze up. We were all worried." Happy said.

Lucy let out a heavy sigh. If there was a time to talk about it, it was now. "...It's my fault she's even in Alvarez to begin with. A year ago, right after Fairy Tail broke up; I was tasked with speaking out on her actions in a trial. It got interrupted and while I was supposed to ensure that she didn't try anything…it was Prometheus and Pandora from Avatar, too. When I think about that day, it makes me shudder. I could hear how much she hated me…even now, I feel like she hates me even more. I really don't want to have to face her…but at the same time, it's something I feel like I have to do."

"Ah…so that's why she's not in jail…" Mii nodded a few times. "Well…that's not your fault in particular. Sounds to Mii like bad stuff just kept piling on top of you."

"Yeah." Natsu actually agreed with Mii for once. "And if you have to face her, I won't let you do it alone. We're in this together, and if we fight, we'll take her down!"

"You sound like you're enjoying all of this….I don't understand it…" Lucy sighed. She did appreciate the sentiments, but…

"That's where you're wrong." Natsu's remark caught both Mii and Lucy off guard. "Sure, I love a good fight….but what I like is contests of strengths and not fights to the death. My favorite are the kind of fights where I get to go all out and compare my strength to my opponent's. But this one's different. This is a fight where we've gotta do whatever it takes to win. Or else there's no future left for us."

"…" Lucy found herself smiling at Natsu's remark. It helped her feel at ease while she was extremely tense about the potential of the battle ahead.

"Plus I've got some things to do when this is over…" Natsu grinned at Happy.

"Aye!" Happy returned the smile.

"What, you gonna propose or something?" Mii lifted a brow. Lucy blushed fiercely at this and covered Mii's mouth with her hands as per usual. In response, Mii muffled "That was the tamest thing I've ever said!"

"A-Anyway! I'm gonna need you to stop right there!" Lucy huffed. As a writer, what was happening at the moment could be considered foreboding foreshadowing. "You know they call that making 'death flags' in the real world! Like what Mii does."

"Huh?" Natsu blinked. "Whazzat?"

Lucy turned around, huffing. "You know…talking about the possible future before a big fight, making it all dramatic…stuff like that. It sets a bad omen…"

"Oh…whatever." Natsu shrugged that off. "Igneel told me to talk about the future…because it will make me want to live."

"I guess that's fine too…" Lucy responded with a soft smile. But she then noticed Mii's skeptical expression. The blonde used this time to convey her feelings to Mii, too. "…We want you to live, too, Mii."

"Huh?!" Mii was caught off guard by that and scrunched her face up. "I'm dying like…sometime this year. The sooner the better. You can stop pretending like you care."

Lucy shook her head and stood up, walking over to Mii's painting from one year ago. "I kept this painting even when you left. Because this is what you made for us to show how happy you were here. Even if you're countries away…you'll always be a part of Fairy Tail to us."

"…Eh, you kept that…?" Mii stared at the painting before shrugging. "Whatever…you guys are so annoyingly weird. I'm going to sleep now."

"W-Wait, you can't sleep in just a towel!" Lucy flailed her arms about.

"Watch Mii. But if you wanted to take a peek or have some stress relief, I'd be more than happy to help you~"

"….." Lucy's face was bright red. She really couldn't handle Mii anymore and just turned away.

"Haha…sounds like you could use some fresh air." Mii teased while walking to a window.

"Uh, Mii, you don't wanna do that…" Happy warned.

"Why not?" Mii opened the window, sighing contently at the gust of wind. "Aaaaah….AAAAAAHCOOO!" A sudden sneeze nearly shook the apartment! Mii didn't stop sneezing either and shut the window, hoping it would stop. "Achoo! Achoo! What's…happening!?"

"…There's Hay Fever in Magnolia right now." Lucy sheepishly chuckled. "Another reason I didn't want to go outside."

"Why *achoo* didn't *achoo* you *achoo* tell Mii *achoo* sooner!" Mii's suffering was somewhat humorous and eased the tension for the trio. "AAAAH! THIS IS SO ANNOYING!"

"So, how about some games?!" Natsu suggested as Mii suffered with sneezes.

"Let's play strip poker!" Happy suggested.

"NO WAY!" Lucy immediately shot that request down. "Don't give Mii any ideas! And you're naked to begin with!"

* * *

Mavis snickered at the antics going on in Lucy's apartment before departing; now making her way to Fairy Hills. Erza, Wendy, Cynthia, and Carla were relaxing in the bath. Erza was on one side while the girls were on the other. "So, Crime Soricere will be helping us?" Wendy asked.

"It seems that way." Erza responded. "They're after Zeref too, so it's only natural they'd make their move.

"That's good to hear!" Wendy beamed.

"They're still the ones that destroyed Cait Shelter though…" Carla crossed her arms. It didn't look like she was willing to let that go even now.

"Carla…!" Wendy chided the Exceed. "They've been so helpful to us over the last four years…"

"…Didn't the Council send Cobra to kill me back then?" Cynthia blinked. "I mean…I know it wasn't exactly his choice or anything…you know, speaking of back then." Her gaze went to Carla. "You really didn't like me back then, did you?"

"…Not at all." Carla admitted, although she was feeling embarrassed about it now since Cynthia was just as important to her as Wendy. "I had a hard time trusting you. We didn't know anything about you after all, and you reeked of trouble…but I had to trust Wendy who trusted you. Although…I feel really bad that I only realized how much you meant to her when that incident occurred."

"It's all right." Cynthia waved her hand to brush aside the issue. "Honestly…I thought you were kind of annoying and uptight. I just never said anything because well…I couldn't really tell anyone that."

"Oh, really…?" Carla shouldn't have been surprised.

"Hahaha…" Wendy just laughed.

 _"You all are just so cute. Reminds me of my sister and I."_ Verona infringed on the moment with a melancholy tone. _"But don't mind me…I can only watch. I do hope you come out on top. I don't wish to die just yet."_

"Psssh, we'll be fine…!" Cynthia smiled. It was meant to ease Verona's worries.

"Heh..." Erza just recalled something from a long time ago. Watching Wendy and Cynthia now…she had flashbacks to when Wendy and Carla joined Fairy Tail. Then after the Grand Magic Games in x791, they encountered Cynthia. "…I remember when you all first joined Fairy Tail…"

"And we're thankful for that…" Wendy nodded.

"Yeah." Cynthia presented a soft smile. "I can't imagine where I'd be right now if not for Fairy Tail…"

 _"What am I doing…? Involving these young girls in this…but this just means I have to protect them with all I've got…"_ Erza's thoughts suddenly made her feel foolish. Cynthia and Wendy were easily the youngest mages in the guild who were fighting in this impending war. Erza stood up and she was immediately hugged from behind by Wendy. "Huh?"

"Erza-san…you don't have to worry about us so much. Let us be the ones to protect you this time." Wendy said with a soft smile.

"I know you're worried about us…but we're not kids anymore, Erza." Cynthia spoke with a confident smile.

Erza turned around, staring at both Wendy and Cynthia before deciding to bring them both in for a hug. Since it was Erza she brought them in to her chest as her usual huge. "You're right. You two aren't kids anymore. It's been four years since the two of you met each other, and I firmly believe that it was the best thing for the both of you. You two have become so strong together and overcome a lot. You've really become such fine wizards…the pride of our guild."

"E-Eheheh…" Cynthia laughed sheepishly. "You're gonna make me blush…"

"Me too…" Wendy said. "Uh…Erza-san? There's something I have to talk to Cynthia about…er…alone. So…we'll be excusing ourselves…"

"…Huh?" Cynthia blinked. Clearly she was unaware of what Wendy was doing.

"Just go with her. I'll stay here with Erza." Carla nudged Cynthia.

"...All right. Don't stay out too long." Erza didn't know what was going on either.

"Ah…okay…" Cynthia just nodded. What was Wendy thinking? She wasn't sure. But she did know it was time to step out from the bath, dry off, and put some clothes on.

* * *

Where did Wendy take Cynthia? To the tree in the middle of town. It was easy for them to evade the pollen since Wendy just needed to conjure up a small gust of wind in the opposite direction to push it away from them. Once arriving, Wendy stopped under the tree, staring up at it. "Do you remember when I first brought you here?"

"Mhm." Cynthia nodded. "Four years ago, the day we met. I was a scared 13 year old with no idea of the world outside. I didn't have anyone at the time…but it was your kindness that kept me here. You took a chance on me, and I'm really glad you did." The ravenette then smiled at her partner. "If you asked me back then…I'd honestly have no idea that you'd become the most important person in the world to me."

"I can say the same thing…" Wendy flashed a soft smile at Cynthia. "I know we've had our ups and downs over the years…but it's only made us stronger, right?"

"Yeah." Cynthia turned her head up to the night sky. "You're my biggest strength…and my biggest weakness at the same time. When we fought Natsu and Gray in the Games back then, I realized that I was overprotective. Well, not just then either. Back when we battled King, too... I care about you a little too much for my own good sometimes…"

"You made me worry a lot." Wendy tried to chide Cynthia, but it was clear she was aware of her mistakes and trying to grow out of them. "I was just happy you were okay. I know you want to protect me, but I want to protect you too, okay?"

"I know. You'd be really upset if I did something stupid. But I've been getting better about that!" Cynthia grinned. She was improving, slowly but surely. "And the same goes for you. Please…don't do anything stupid for my sake. I'll be honest…I know we've fought some hard battles in the past…but an all-out war like this? It does worry me a lot. We've gotten a lot stronger in the past year, but…"

"If we do our best, we'll be okay. Isn't that how it always is?" Wendy kept a reassuring smile before holding out a small box. "…U-Uhm…but…I understand your worries. Which is why…I wanted to do this now over later."

Cynthia took the box, staring at it curiously. Was this what Wendy wanted to give her? She didn't waste any time opening it. What was inside made her eyes go wide! "Huh…? What is this…?"

"It's called a promise ring…" Wendy began to awkwardly shift about, a red tint forming on her cheeks. "I know we're not quite old enough yet…but I wanted to give this to you…As a promise that we'll make it out of this together, and for the future…" Clearly Wendy had been practicing reciting these words. She did her best not to stutter, and despite how red her cheeks were, she kept her gaze on Cynthia. After watching Chelia confess to Raven at last, she felt she could build the courage to do this.

Cynthia just stared in shock. The longer she stared at it and the more her face turned red! "Wendy…it makes me feel better already." Cynthia pulled the ring out and handed it to Wendy. "Would you mind…? I uh…want you to put it on me…"

"Huh? O-Oh…of course!" Wendy snapped out of her trance. She took Cynthia's hand and gently slid the ring onto her finger, and it was a perfect fit! What a relief…she bought it months ago with Chelia's help. There was a lot of snooping and investigating going on during that time, but it all paid off. "A perfect fit…! It was meant to be!"

"Y-Yeah…!" Cynthia nodded with a bright smile. This really did make her feel better. Without a word, the two of them took a seat at the base of the tree, hands interlocked while resting against one another. "It's perfect, Wendy. Thank you. Now I feel like I can take on anything."

"Mmm…me too." Wendy closed her eyes as they leaned against one another. "Thank you for being by my side all this time, Cynthia. You mean the world to me."

"Thank you for taking a chance on me, Wendy." Cynthia responded. The two of them enjoyed their moment in silence from that point on. No words needed to be said to convey their feelings for one another. Mavis smiled at the two of them and how far they've come before flying off elsewhere.

* * *

Gray was leaning over the railing, overlooking the empty town while munching on some snack bar. Juvia slowly approached Gray, just wanting to check in on him before the battle went underway. "Gray-sama…"

"Juvia…" Gray turned around, offering what was left of what he was eating to the water mage. "Want some?"

Juvia accepted the snack, feeling her cheeks heat up and her breathing increased. "G…Gray-sama's leftovers…" She didn't think she'd get this far and was now having some trouble figuring out what to say next.

"I'm really thankful that you're here." Gray said. "For always being beside me, no matter how stubborn I've been over the years. You've always been there for me, for better or worse."

This response only flustered Juvia further! How was she supposed to respond to this? Their conversations usually didn't go this way. "Ah…no…Juvia…" She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "Juvia just…wanted to check in on Gray-sama."

"When the battle's over, I'll give you my answer." Gray said. After all these years, he wasn't going to ignore or dismiss her feelings anymore. He owed her an answer and he planned on giving her one. They'd been through a lot over the years as well…and the Fukomakura incident still weighed heavily on Gray's mind. Zelos was right about one thing back then, not that Gray would ever admit that. "So far now…let me focus."

Juvia managed a soft smile, nodding in response to Gray. "Yes. Juvia understands." As long as she could continue to stay by his side, she'd do her best in this battle as well.

 _"I got something that'll take down Zeref!"_

Natsu's words echoed in Gray's mind. "I have a few aces of my sleeve too…so wait for me, E.N.D…Zeref."

Once again, Mavis was pleased at what she saw from she saw from everyone and finally decided to return back to the guild.

* * *

Inside the guild, Warren managed to set up a map and a radar to track the enemy's position from their location. "Warren, how's it looking?" Makarov asked.

"They're nowhere in Fiore yet." Warren said while holding the control pad in his hands.

"Can we really trust that, though?" Macao held skepticism in his tone.

"I made this super radar all by myself! Of course it's reliable!" Warren was offended anyone would think otherwise!

"Things would be a lot easier if we could pinpoint exactly which direction they'd come from…" Makarov mumbled.

Mavis finally touched down on the ground, overhearing the tail end of the conversation. "We could always place a diversion in the north and station our main forces in the south." She suggested.

"Ah, the First…" Makarov turned around.

"I've just finished checking up on everyone. And they're not the least bit worried about our situation. They've become so strong." Mavis was proud of them/

"Ah…so that's how you see them…" Makarov's words confused Mavis. "To me, it seems like they're barely pulling through from all the uneasiness they're feeling…and banding together like that only serves as consolation that things aren't all bad." Compared to what Mavis thought, Makarov's thoughts seemed to be the reality of the situation. "I'm not saying they shouldn't be doing so, though. After all, if a parent is afraid, it's only natural that the children would feel the same too. It is the role of a parent to stand in front of their children and protect them, even if their legs were to give out at any moment."

"Yes…" Mavis smiled softly. It looked like Makarov was truly prepared for this battle. But the time for peace was over. The bell began to ring and the alarm sounded throughout the town!

* * *

"Eh…what's going on…" Mii sat up from the couch so quickly that her towel almost fell off! Not that she cared.

"What?" Natsu blinked. Apparently he and Happy had already gone ahead and played strip poker, even without Lucy,

"It's coming from outside…" The Exceed said.

* * *

"Everyone…" Mavis had a bad feeling about this.

"Warren! What's happening to the radar!?" Makarov turned.

"What, it's my fault now?! I don't know!" Warren grunted before turning to the radar and….it was much worse than anyone could have anticipated! Several red dots were approaching and closing in! Or rather…they already closed in on Magnolia. "WHY COULDN'T IT DETECT THEM WHEN THEY WERE ALREADY SO CLOSE?! DAMN IT!"

"EVERYONE, GET READY!" Mavis yelled out to everyone in the city. "The enemy is above us! We've got about 50 large ships in the skies above!"

"THE HELL!?" Macao's jaw dropped.

"A ship that size could take out our guild in one shot…!" Wakaba's eyes were wide in shock and fear.

"That's only one part of what the empire is capable of…" Makarov's tone lowered.

"HEY! NOBODY SAID ANYTHING ABOUT THEM COMING FROM THE SKIES!" Warren yelled.

* * *

50 large ships filled the Fioran night skies! Within the largest ship, the one leading the vanguard was a familiar face: Ajeel Ramal, the Desert King and one of the Spriggan 12. And boy was he itching for this fight to get underway. Alvarez wasn't going to wait for the Fairies to strike! "OOOOOOOOH YEAAAAAH! TIME FOR YOU TO RETURN TO ASHES, FAIRY TAIL! HE WHO STRIKES FIRST ALWAYS DRAWS THE FIRST BLOOD! IT'S PARTY TIME!"

.

.

Next time: Team Flying Dragon and Osprey.


	38. Chapter 38: Team Flying Dragon & Osprey

The overwhelming threat arrived! An air fleet of 50 ships were approaching from the skies to the west! "RING THE BELL!" Mavis commanded. "The enemy is coming! There are about 50 ships coming from the west!" And so the bell rang. It signified that the enemy was approaching. They didn't have any more time and had to fight with everything they had!

* * *

"The enemy's here?!" Natsu asked, completely surprised by the turn of events.

"From the skies?!" Happy stared out from Lucy's window.

"But we aren't prepared!" Lucy panicked.

"I don't think they care…" Mii was actually getting dressed now, taking some of Lucy's clothes since they were the same size. She had some decency not to go out into the middle of the night bare naked. "I gotta say, they're pretty smart, attacking in the middle of the night like this…"

"Now isn't the time to praise the enemy…!" Lucy snapped at Mii.

* * *

Ajeel pointed to fingers forward, preparing to reduce the entirety of Magnolia to ruin! "FIRE!" All 50 ships began to bombard Magnolia with a rain of magical shots…but they didn't get anywhere close. A barrier appeared around the entire town, shielding it from any harm. Ajeel quirked a brow…perhaps things weren't going to be as easy as he thought at first. "What…? Oh…Anti-Magic barriers, huh…?"

* * *

Not just any Anti-magic barrier, but a Jutsu Shiki, created by Freed himself! He, Bickslow, and Evergreen were stationed within Kardia Cathedral. Freed was doing his best, but it was difficult to sustain a barrier of this size. Even though he managed to do something similar at the Isle to keep dragons from getting out, he couldn't afford to give an inch this time around. "They've got an impressive amount of firepower…but I'll keep this barrier up for as long as I can. I will not allow it to fall…!"

"You can do it, Freed!" Evergreen cheered.

"Freed, take my magic as well!" Bickslow offered. Anything to help sustain the barrier for as long as possible.

* * *

Back at the guild, Makarov and the others were watching the enemy's preemptive strike unfold. Thanks to Freed they were able to keep themselves safe for the time being, but it was only a matter of time until Freed gave out and Makarov knew it. "First! Freed might be strong, but he won't be able to sustain this barrier forever!" Mavis didn't respond quite yet.

"We didn't think they'd come from the west!" Macao grit his teeth. "What do we do now?!"

"No…" Mavis' words caught Macao and Wakaba off guard. "It's exactly as I've calculated. In fact, it's quite a pleasant surprise that the enemy sent a smaller fleet than expected for the preemptive strike."

"Huh!?"

"Wha…!?"

"Warren! Let everyone know that we're moving to plan D! Team Flying Dragon and Osprey, commence attack!"

"Got it!" Warren gave a thumbs up. It was time for the counter attack to start!

* * *

Team Osprey: The Connell family! They sat perched on a cliff within the eastern forest with the Jupiter Cannon from Phantom Lord at the ready. Bisca held a telescope to her eye, sweating slightly from the distance. "This is Team Osprey…we're currently at the eastern forest. The enemy is pretty far though…"

"Why Osprey's though?" Asuka questioned.

"I dunno…" Alzack was just as lost.

" _Bisca, you'll be fine."_ Mavis said with confidence. She knew Bisca could make the shot; this was the same woman who landed a shot across the ocean to an island miles off the coat. In Mavis' mind, this was the exact same shot.

"…Yes!" Bisca stuttered, but she had to do this! The woman took aim. The cannon had a 15 minute recharge, so she had to make each and every shot count.

* * *

Fairy Tail managed to protect themselves for now, but Ajeel welcomed the challenge and had a wide grin on his face. "FIRE! BLOW THEM ALL UP! AHAHAHAHA! LET'S SEE HOW LONG YOU CAN HOLD UP!"

"Sir…!" A solider spoke. "Something's coming at us!"

It was hard to see, but four blurs flew through the skies, rapidly approaching the air fleet! "…What's that…?" Ajeel questioned, quirking a brow at the unidentified flying objects speeding towards them.

"Something's flying at us at an amazing speed!"

"Evasive maneuvers!" Too late. A hole was punched through one of their ships and it exploded violently! "We've lost number 4, sir!"

"What!?" Ajeel turned, scowling. How could they lose a ship so easily!

The skies were filled with four flying dragons: Natsu and Happy, Wendy and Carla, Gajeel and Pantherlily, and Cynthia with her own pair of wings. Natsu pumped a fist sky high while wearing a confident grin. "Enter: Team Flying Dragon!" Said the Salamander.

"That brat…" Oh, Ajeel remembered Natsu well. The first person who deliver a good punch to him.

"Let's go!" Gajeel and Lily led the charge, speeding towards a nearby ship.

"I'm right behind you!" Cynthia grinned while flying forward,

"Yes!" Wendy and Carla followed right behind them.

Gajeel morphed one of his arms into a jagged iron blade. With little effort, he cleaved through one of the ships and caused it to explode. "How'd you like that!?" The iron dragon said with a wide smirk. This was only the beginning of their counter strike.

"Sky Dragon's…Wing Slash!" Wendy crossed her arms before spreading them apart, releasing a spiral of wind that violently cut through the skies to a nearby ship.

"Wind?! Watch out!" Too late. That was ship number three down as the winds of the sky dragon shredded through its hull and interior, reducing it to rubble after!

"Omega Fire Dragon's…ROAR!" Cynthia exhaled, releasing a potent funnel of crimson flames from her mouth. These flames soared through the air, striking and burning down a ship with little difficulty. Once the ship she took out went down, she gave a peace sign. "Have a nice fall!"

"We're just getting started!" Natsu and Happy flew through another ship, taking it down with ease!

"What are you idiots doing? Shoot them down!" Ajeel commanded. On his order, the remaining ships shifted their attention from Magnolia to Team Flying Dragon, the bombardment now focused on them.

But it wasn't so easy to hit them. The Exceeds and Cynthia had exceptional aerial mobility, allowing them to evade the shots with ease! Happy performed a spiral loop to avoid the shots aimed and him and Natsu. Natsu was clearly enjoying the ride. "Whoops! Nice one, Happy!"

They could dodge all they wanted, but the fact of the matter was that they weren't getting any closer to the remaining ships with all this firepower trained on them. "Damn it! We can't get closer with this barrage on it!" Lily grunted.

"What's taking Bisca so long…!?" Carla asked. They couldn't keep this up forever!

Speaking of Bisca, the Jupiter Cannon was finally charged! "This is Team Osprey reporting! The magic charge has been completed!" She relayed back to Mavis and the rest of the guild.

"You can do it, Mama!" Asuka cheered, though she was a little closer to the cannon than her father would have liked.

"Asuka, don't stand so close…" Alzack warned.

"It takes 15 minutes for this to charge…I must not miss. I WILL NOT MISS!" Bisca psyched herself up while aiming the Jupiter Cannon at the commander's ship.

"Believe in yourself, Bisca!" Alzack said. He knew she could make this shot!

Bisca took aim, a subtle grin crossing her lips. "We're Ospreys because we never lose their prey. Focused Magic Cannon: JUPITER SHOT!" The Jupiter Cannon fired, a gigantic beam of magic shooting across the sky, over Magnolia and directly towards enemy's main ship!

Ajeel could see this beam of magic coming a mile away. "NICE TRY!" The Spriggan extended his hand, the focused shot colliding against his palm. As a result, the beam scattered in every which direction away from Ajeel, leaving him unharmed. But the collateral cost came at a number of their ships!

"He scattered it!?" Bisca's jaw dropped at Ajeel's display of strength.

"Damn…! At least we've managed to take down a number of their ships!" Alzack did bring out the silver lining of the situation, but their plan hit a massive hump now.

"Shit…I didn't think anyone could scatter Jupiter like that…" Gajeel scowled. He knew full well how powerful that monster of a cannon was, but to see it dispersed so easily… "Guess we gotta do this the old-fashioned way then! We're taking down the commander's ship!"

"Let's do it!" Cynthia nodded. On that cue, the Exceeds flew down to the commander ship as the destruction of the fleet ensued from the scattered Jupiter. Natsu. Gajeel, Wendy, and Cynthia all landed right in front of Ajeel, all of them preparing to do battle.

Ajeel smirked as he stared at the dragon slayers. "Well well…look at the mess you've made…"

"Don't worry; we're here to clean up." Natsu pounded his fist into his palm, wisps of crackling around him. Due to a little foresight, Wendy cast Troia on everyone before they took to the skies in the event they were forced to land on the ship.

"BRING IT ON THEN!" Ajeel spread his arms, more than welcome to the challenge. "I'll enjoy turning you all into a pile of sand!" And Wendy was already in front of him. The speed even caught him off guard for a moment. "What the—"

"Sky Dragon's Claw!" Wendy swung her leg forward, a violent hurricane exploding from her limb to surround Ajeel and blow him backwards.

"The little brat has some power huh? Or is that just a breeze?!" Ajeel crossed his arms. While the sudden ferocity of the hurricane did push him back, saying he was damaged was an entirely different story.

The moment Wendy's attack relented. Ajeel prepared to counter, but he noticed Cynthia coming in from above. "Twin Talons!" With her legs coated in vermillion flame, Cynthia aimed two consecutive roundhouse kicks at Ajeel's frame. He avoided the first, and then blocked the second.

"If you get close, I'll turn you to sand!" Ajeel reached out to grab Cynthia's leg, but he was halted when multiple iron spears pierced his body! They did turn to sand, but this distraction did allow Cynthia to leap away. "Oh please, you thought that would hurt?"

"No, but this should." Gajeel smirked. The iron spears that pierced Ajeel's sandy body were laced with shadows. Before the lances completely turned into sand, several bursts of shadows occurred. Ajeel clearly wasn't expecting such a trick and he actually stumbled from the continuous small, but focused explosions. "Now, Salamander!"

"Oh ho ho…! So you have some tricks after all!" Ajeel forced a smile, grunting while talking.

"Fire Dragon's…!" Natsu used this opening to his advantage, a fierce aura of flames wrapping around his fist. "Firing Hammer!" Natsu's blazing fist struck Ajeel's chest, a potent torrent of flame following suit. It was a direct hit and Natsu felt it. There was fiery smoke lingering around Ajeel's body.

"Ajeel sir!" Several soldiers cried out, now preparing to storm the dragon slayers.

"What are you worried about?" Ajeel laughed as the smoke cleared. Even after their joint assault, it didn't look like Ajeel took much, if any damage from them. The title of Spriggan was not something handed out and clearly it was going to take much more than this to defeat him. "I didn't feel a thing."

"No way…!" Cynthia grit her teeth.

"It's no problem! We just have to hit him harder!" Natsu yelled.

"HA! Hit me as hard as you want, it won't make a difference!" Ajeel laughed.

"We'll see about that!" Gajeel went to take a step forward and…he collapsed. Not just him; Wendy, Cynthia, and Natsu all followed suit, collapsing on the ship's deck with pale, sickly faces.

"WHAT THE-!?" Ajeel was…flabbergasted.

"Ah! I just remembered we're on a ship!" Happy flailed his arms about.

"I thought Wendy cast Troia on everyone!" Lily said.

"She did…! I can't believe they're all like this…" Carla sighed heavily.

"I…I forgot…Troia…doesn't last long when used…on multiple people…" Wendy struggled to speak. Even though she did plan pretty far ahead…the execution of the spell was one that slipped her mind. The others just groaned.

* * *

Dark, comical shadows formed over Makarov and Mavis' eyes. "First…" Makarov couldn't even say anything after that.

"…I forgot." Mavis admitted. The fact the dragon slayers got sick on transportation…it completely slipped her mind. That was a mistake on her part.

* * *

Ajeel had…no idea how to process what was happening before him. He was about to get started and they just…collapsed! "What the hell is this? Is it that motion sickness that old lady mentioned…?" Eventually he just shrugged it off and began to approach them. "Oh well…the ship's pretty beat up anyway, so we'll just land soon. I'll deal with these punks.

"Yessir."

Natsu's motion sickness really got to him. There wasn't much he could do as Ajeel gripped him by the collar, smirking down at the sickly slayer. "Remember what you said in that grand speech of yours back in Alvarez? I'm pretty disappointed that this is all you could bring when the chips are down. What a joke. I don't know why that old lady has a vendetta against weaklings like you…" Suddenly, the mast of the ship was completely sliced in half. Ajeel's body reacted instinctively before his arm was chopped off. "Wha!?"

"The ship…got cut in half!?" A few soldiers were aghast at what just happened. The mast of the ship fell with the dragon slayers all safely on the other side. Wendy and Cynthia had an idea of who their timely savior was.

"Happy, Carla, Lily…take good care of them." Erza said before speeding through the grunts with ease, donning her Heaven's Wheel armor. In a flash, she took down the soldiers on the ship and appeared behind Ajeel.

The Spriggan was extremely irritated. The veins on his face began to throb and his lips curled down into a scowl. "…Who the hell are you?" He asked…or rather, demanded to know.

"I'm surprised you don't remember me. But if you want to know who I am, I'll gladly tell you." Titania turned around, the tip of her blade pointing directly at Ajeel. "I'm the one that will take you down." Ajeel's anger diminished and he just smirked in response to Erza's words. Down below, Evergreen was grinning, wishing for the enemy to bow down to the woman known as the Queen of Fairies.

"Erza…" Natsu wasn't sure how to feel about leaving Erza alone with an enemy like that.

"A number of enemy ships already landed. We'll be going there." Carla reported.

"Mhm…" Wendy nodded absentmindedly.

"I guess we gotta leave it to her…it's on a ship after anyway…" Gajeel grunted.

"It's Erza we're talking about after all…" Lily said. Erza always came through when they needed her.

"That sucked…" Cynthia frowned. "We couldn't do anything…but I guess we just have to focus on what we can do…"

"Erza's protected us again…" Wendy's lips curved down. After that big speech to Erza about wanting to protect her, it seemed like the two of them were unable to do so….

* * *

Back at the guild, they were keeping track of everyone's positions. Makarov didn't exactly like the idea of Erza having to deal with Ajeel alone. "She's strong…but I'm afraid there's no way she can defeat one of the 12…"

"We must believe in her." Mavis said.

"Our morale will definitely increase if we can stop the enemy and his fleet!" Warren grinned.

It was at this moment that Mii walked into the guild. Her sudden appearance made everyone jump before being at ease. "I gotta say…the enemy really is something else. Who would have expected an aerial strike in the middle of the night? Although…it does seem pretty strange that they brought such a small fleet? Are they that confident, or did something happen on the way here?" The angel surmised while taking a seat.

"Mii…! Are you here to help us!?" Romeo's face lit up.

Mii glanced at Romeo and let out a heavy sigh. "No. Didn't you hear Mii before? I'm not getting involved in this…and if I try to exit town, they'll think I'm with you guys. So…I'm kinda stuck as a neutral party." She then moved to get some ice cream from the kitchen, returning with a whole small tub of it. "I'll just watch the battle pan out from in here, if you don't mind."

"There goes the idea of sending her to aid Team Flying Dragon…" Macao sighed. What a time for Mii to be difficult…

"…" Something stuck with Mavis. Even though the First was glad to know the enemy brought a small fleet…why exactly did they do that? Alvarez had a massive army and could easily send more if they wanted to overwhelm her. She began to wonder if something happened during their trip over…but right now, that didn't matter. They had battle to fight and win.

* * *

Back at the cathedral, it looked like Freed was having a bit of trouble maintaining the Jutsu Shiki. As long as the enemy had the air fleet, he couldn't afford to move from that spot for it would dispel the barrier. "Are you all right, Freed!?" Evergreen asked with concern. "I know you made a similar barrier before, but…"

Freed was sweating, pouring quite a bit of effort into this barrier. "This barrier is strong, but not perfect. There's no such thing as perfection in this world…"

"The enemy's magic is too much for him to handle at this rate…" Bickslow growled.

"That was true at first…but thanks to Team Flying Dragon and Osprey, the attacks have been cut in half." Freed managed a smirk. "Compared to the Isle of the Dragons…this is nothing! I can handle this!"

* * *

Unfortunately for Team Osprey , they had no choice but to wait for the Jupiter Cannon's recharge. "Mama, hurry up! The town's under attack!" Asuka waved her arms about.

"It takes time for the cannon to recharge…" Bisca let out a heavy sigh, but she steeled herself just as fast. "But I'll make sure the next one reaches, no matter what!"

* * *

Western Magnolia. Since the Jutsu Shiki was still in play, the ships of Alvarez had no choice but to land near the western cliffs. The commander of Ajeel's army was a blinded folded man named Bakyll who had a few scars along his jaw. "CHARGE! MOVE TOWARDS MAGNOLIA! GAHAHAHA!"

"Uhhh…Captain. How are we going to move past the enemy's barrier?" A soldier asked.

"Dunno." Bakyll responded with a cheeky grin. That didn't really inspire confidence. "We already lost half our fleet to that dragon, but it won't make much of a difference in the end! Gahahahahaha!"

"It doesn't matter…" Kalim, another member of Ajeel's army began to speak. "'He' is here with us too, remember? It won't be long before it falls. But to be honest…I feel as though we're wasting our resources on a battle like this. But then again, it's the job of a solider to carry out his task."

"That's the spirit!" Bakyll laughed, and then sneezed.

The enemy wasn't allowed to get too comfortable! Team Flying Dragon came from the skies at a breakneck pace. "Thanks for making it easier for us by landing!" Natsu exclaimed, leaping from Happy with flames engulfing his fist. Before the enemy could react, a number of soldiers were taken down from attacks by the four dragons present. "Take that!" As soon as Natsu landed, he rolled onto the ground, shifting his momentum to his leg which ignited in flame. "Fire Dragon's Claw!" The fire dragon swung his leg down, taking out several soldiers in the process. The shockwave his kick produced violently travelled along the ground and towards Bakyll.

The commander grinned at the incoming shockwave. "BAHAHAHA!" With a swipe of his arm, Bakyll reflected the intensity of the shockwave right back at Natsu. "So, you that fire dragon I was told about? If that's all ya got, this might be easy!"

"…!" Natsu's eyes widened and he crossed his arms. Feeling that force return twofold didn't feel good and he was pushed back slightly. "Ngh…!" Once the shockwave subsided, Natsu stared at the grinning Bakyll. If they wanted to ensure that Magnolia was safe, the fleet in the west had to be taken down as soon as possible.

* * *

In the skies above Magnolia the battle between Erza and Ajeel began. Titania's opening move was releasing several blades to fly at the sand mage. "Heaven's Wheel: Circle Sword!"

Ajeel spread his arms apart, welcoming the incoming rain of blades. As soon as they drew near, he began to deflect them with his bare hands…or rather, as soon as the blades came into contact with his body, they just turned into sand. "Yeah, as if something like that would work on me!"

Ajeel was getting a little too comfortable. He barely noticed Erza appearing in front of him, now donning her Black Wing Armor as she brought her sword down for an overhead slash! "Black Wing: Moon Flash!" A crescent beam of magic shot from Erza's blade, slicing through the ship's floor. Unfortunately for her, Ajeel evaded this by leaping to the side.

"Ooooh? Yeah, I remember you now…you were among the group running away from me back in Alvarez." Ajeel smirked while swinging a sand infused punch at Erza's side. Titania managed to block the hit, but she was sent skidding backwards. "The old lady called you a miracle worker or something like that…I think it's a bunch of bullshit. But I will admit…you're great warming up material! Haha!"

"Ngh…" Erza grunted from the force of Ajeel's punch, but she wasn't going to slow down. "Don't you dare…underestimate Fairy Tail!" Erza swung her blade in a horizontal manner, but Ajeel flipped over it with ease.

"I can't be bothered…" The Spriggan of sand sighed while landing on the ground. A spiral of sand formed around Erza to constrict her body. Titania was prepared for this and quickly flew out before the sand could wrap around her. Her current blade was exchanged for the Flame Sword, which she brought down violently onto Ajeel's skull. The Spriggan was able to block the blow with his bare arm, but he was not expecting the eruption of flame to follow suit! "Whoa…!"

"Now I've got you!" Erza's free hand requipped the Ten Commandments Spear in its Mel-Force state. "Mel Force!" The Queen of Fairies thrusted the spear forward, releasing a powerful hurricane of wind that consumed Ajeel and the flames she used, resulting in a powerful fiery twister that sent the Spriggan flying back across the ship until his back hit something. Erza quickly withdrew the spear, looking on to see the damage she dealt, if any at all.

The dust settled from around Ajeel and he was laughing. Though there were damaging marks on his body composed of sand, he'd be lying if he said he didn't at least feel that. "Not bad…not bad. Looks like the old lady was a little right about you…you pack a tiny punch, but nothing that can slow me of all people down."

"By old lady, I assume you mean Emmeraude…" Erza kept her guard up. Even though they weren't grounded, Ajeel proved that he could strike from anywhere he pleased. At the very least, Erza was spared from another Ant Lion pit.

"Oh yeah…she told us all kinds of boring shit about you guys. But it doesn't matter. You see the strength you're up against, don't you!?" Ajeel gestured to the remaining ships. He also swiped his hand, sending multiple sharp lances of sand Erza's way to keep her busy. They'd impale her if she slipped up, so she was forced to parry them. "I'll let you in on a secret…we had a much bigger force than this…but we encountered some trouble on the way here from a guild in Bosco. I can't really say trouble, though…"

"A guild from Bosco…!?" Erza's eyes widened at this information. The sheer number of lances coming her way was nothing she couldn't handle, but if she allowed them to even graze her, she'd feel it.

"Oh yeah!" Ajeel laughed. "They had a dragon of all things! That nasty reptile ripped through most of our fleet! But I'm not worried. Three of the twelve took real good care of that little guild." The Spriggan's smile turned into a sinister, condescending smirk. "Do you get it now? There's no hope for Ishgar!"

Erza could feel her body shaking. Was Cosmic Star inadvertently brought into this conflict just by being allied with Fairy Tail…? Even worse, were they all taken down…or worse!? Even Gaia…? Or Alex, Cynthia's older sister? This thought enraged Erza. She couldn't allow them to harm anyone anymore! "I've had enough of your attitude…" A golden light wrapped around Erza and she shifted to her Flight Armor, using its incredible speed to circle around Ajeel, aiming a series of several slashes at his body. "Sonic Claw!"

"It's useless!" Ajeel wasn't going to let Erza think she could out speed him, so he evaded her slashes. Did he have to? Not really, but it was insult to injury. He was on the highest of horses since he was confident in the fairy's inability to do him too much harm with a weapon. "That shitty Bosco guild was first, and you're next!"

"That's what you think!" Erza had him right where she wanted! Her plan was to pull out Rune Save and stab Ajeel right in the chest with a critical strike…but it was at that moment she realized that her requip stopped working! "…!?"

"What's the matter, 'Titania'!? Can't keep up!?" The Spriggan used her title mockingly. The shock of being unable to use her requip properly provided a very big opening. Ajeel swiped his hand to the side, causing a twister of sand to envelop Erza.

"Ngh…my body…!" Erza grit her teeth. It was just like in Alvarez. She couldn't move her body and the sand was starting to scratch and violently slash at her body! _"There's something wrong with my requip…but at a time like this!? How!?"_ It became increasingly difficult to think, and the only noise Erza could make was a scream of pain.

Ajeel landed on the ground, chuckling softly. "That was a nice warm up. There anyone stronger in your guild? I'd love to wipe the floor with the smug lightning bastard who thought he got the better of me! The old lady may be a pain, but I gotta say…watching your expressions as the one good idea she had comes into motion…I love that despair. In the meantime…I'll enjoy watching you turn into sand like that scrawny punk from before."

* * *

Erza was in trouble in the skies, but the situation on the ground was about to take a dire turn. Freed's eyes widened as his barrier…it didn't falter, but he could feel something change that should not have and he started to tremble to sustain the spell. "…!"

"Freed?! What's wrong?" Evergreen asked.

"…No…this can't be right. There's a…hole in the Jutsu Shiki…!?" Freed gasped.

"What!?" Bickslow scowled. "But how…!?"

* * *

Warren stared at the map, curiously lifting a brow. "There's a crack in Freed's barrier…" Upon closer inspection it wasn't just a crack, but something far worse: a gaping hole. "No wait…a hole!?"

"A hole!?" Mavis frowned. "It can't be…unless the enemy is using nullification magic?"

"Such power…there was another one of the 12 with them!?" Makarov grunted. They only expected to be dealing with Ajeel and his air fleet, which was already a difficult task. But another member of the 12? Their chances of victory were rapidly diminishing at this rate.

"What the hell are Natsu and the others doing out there…" Laxus scoffed. He expected Team Flying Dragon to already clean up by this point.

"Heheh…" Mii was stuffing her face with ice cream. She thought of a rather perverse joke concerning the enemy entering the way they did, but she kept it to herself.

"There's coming through the streets! Everyone, prepare for battle!" Mavis commanded!

* * *

The one who easily formed a hole in the barrier was Badd, accompanied by a squadron of foot soldiers. "This stuff's so easy…" The Judge remarked with a slight grin, arms folded behind his back.

"That's our master Badd!"

"Time for us to charge then!" The soldiers were rallying themselves! Now that they pierced through the enemy's defensive barrier, it was time to take down their defensive line and storm the guild!

"Let's show them what we're made of…and display Alvarez's strength." Badd smirked.

* * *

"They've already gotten in!?" Gray grit his teeth.

"They're coming from Fairy Hills!" Juvia said.

The Strauss family was nearby, already rushing towards the scene to intercept the enemy. "Let's go, we have to protect Fairy Tail!" Mira said.

"Yeah!" Lisanna lifted a fist into the air, more than prepared to defend the guild.

"It's a man's fight!" Elfman roared, following right behind his sisters. If this was any time to put his training to use, it was now. Defending the guild from the enemy as the highest priority. Everyone was doing their best and now they had to too!

* * *

Lucy was left alone after Mii and Natsu departed. But after hearing the enemy made it inside the town, she had to fight. After swiping her keys from her desk, she prepared to move out. There was one key, however, that she kept within her grasp. "…I've gotta get moving too. Please, lend me your strength, Aquarius…" It had been two years since Lucy was forced to break the spirit's key, but she kept it in her thoughts. Thoughts that were disturbed as she heard the sound of running water…which was strange because Mii already left and she was positive she didn't leave the shower on! "…That noise…came from my bathroom!" So Lucy curiously peeked into her bathroom and…well…this was by far the worst break into her apartment she'd ever witnessed.

Brandish sat within Lucy's tub, taking a bath with no care in the world. "Oh…so this is indeed your house then?" The green haired woman asked, but her laziness was prominent even in her tone.

"You pass!" A tiny Marin yelled from the side of the tub. If anyone was wondering what happened to Erza's requip, this was the answer. Even while tiny, he still had vast control over space itself, and clearly his reach extended to the skies and beyond.

"Oh hey, nice to see you!" There was Zelos too, also tiny, waving his hand at Lucy.

"…!?" Lucy's eyes widened in utter shock. "My room…WHAT IS ONE OF THE 12 DOING IN MY BATHROOM!? AND WHY IS HE HERE!?" There was too much happening! Brandish was in her tub, Zelos was still alive and just with Brandish and that annoying creepy guy from before was here as well?!

Brandish tilted her head back, staring at Lucy with genuine curiosity. Almost as if the blonde's very existence triggered a distant memory… "I wonder why…you…left a rather deep impression…" Lucy couldn't respond. To be fair…how could anyone act calm when the enemy was just chilling in your bathtub?

* * *

"There's another one!" Warren yelled while staring at the radar. "He or she is somewhere in town!"

"What?!" Makarov turned. "But how!?"

"Three of them at once…this is starting to get hard to deal with…" Jet grumbled.

Oh…but this was only the beginning. As soon as Warren realized this, he began to shake and just mumbled the word 'no' over and over again in fear. Droy didn't like the sound of this…and he was about to ask a question whose answer would only strike fear and reality into everyone's hearts. "What's wrong, Warren!?"

"There's another 300 ships coming at us from the north! And judging by the magic, there's at least 3 more of them on board!" That was the bad news. Now it was time for the worst news. "That's not all! We've got an army of similar size coming from the south as well with another three! W-We're trapped from all sides!?" When he turned his gaze up to face everyone, the crying ensued as the harsh reality of this war set in. "And…that's not all. The east…a giant army of at least a million with another three…there's nowhere else for us to go…"

Mii dropped her spoon at these numbers. Even she couldn't have foreseen this, daunting, massive military march coming. "Holy shit…"

"How'd they manage to get through the east…!?" Macao asked.

"What about Bosco and Cosmic Star!? Seven and Dealer!?" Wakaba bringing up those two allied guilds…it brought up questions about their wellbeing that they needed to know.

"They're not answering the communications lacrima…!" Levy tried to contact them, but all she got was static and nothing else. "We…We didn't think they'd corner us from every direction…!" And with that in mind…everyone already assumed the worst had befallen them.

"This is terrible…!" Mest yelled.

Mavis started to shake. Despite her tactical prowess…there really was nothing Fairy Tail alone could do against an army of this size. No matter what plan she could devise, they were outnumbered, outmatched, and outgunned. _"No matter how you look at it…there's no winning this…"_

That's right. Fairy Tail…had no chance of survival…

.

.

Next Time: Battle of the Naked


	39. Chapter 39: Battle of The Naked

Positions in the battle of Magnolia.

In the northwestern skies: Erza battled Ajeel while Team Flying Dragon; Natsu and Happy, Wendy and Carla, Gajeel and Lily, and Cynthia battled the forces on the ground to prevent them from storming the town.

In the west, Badd and his squadron infiltrated the Jutsu Shiki and were now preparing to advance on the Fairy Tail guild. Gray, Juvia, and the Strauss siblings were rushing to intercept the Judge. In the east, Bisca was desperately waiting for the Jupiter Cannon to recharge so she could fire off another shot. Freed and the other members of the Raijinshu were stationed at Kardia Cathedral to continue upholding the barrier. And in Lucy's house…Brandish decided to drop by.

This was only the first wave as well. There were fleets approaching from the north, east, and south. But if even one part of Fairy Tail's defenses were broken through, this battle was as good as lost. Not to mention…they really stood no chance against the rest of the incoming army. As of right now, the situation was very grim…

* * *

Team Flying Dragon engaged Ajeel's forces in the western hills. Bakyll laughed while swinging his beefy arm down at Natsu, but the Salamander was capable of shielding his body with his own arm. "Gahahaha….!" As Bakyll laughed, Natsu swung and landed a blazing fist that pushed the captain backwards a great distance.

"He's pushing the captain back!?"

"But…I thought strength was the captain's forte!"

"That's the only thing he's good at…" The soldiers murmured as the one in charge battled against Natsu.

"Hey…that's a nice muffle you got, _boy_." Bakyll chuckled menacingly.

"He's okay! That punch didn't affect him at all!" The soldiers cheered.

"C'mon, Natsu! Stop fooling around! This fight would be over if you took it seriously!" Happy yelled while watching Natsu's back.

"I know…" Natsu grit his teeth. He was confident in his own strength…but that wasn't the problem here. "But…I don't know how many I've gotta fight after him. I can't be going full power from the start you know…"

Happy was…dumbstruck at Natsu's critical thinking. "He's…planning his attacks beforehand…he's grown up so well…" The comical tears ensured, and then he was rudely shoved aside by Carla who took to her human form. "Urk…!"

"Move it!" The female exceed yelled. "And take this!" Carla swung her leg rather powerfully at an incoming soldier, knocking them away with ease.

"Take that!" Lily yelled, a single sword swipe taking out a number of soldiers.

"Omega Flame Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy and Cynthia unleashed their usual joint attack. A dual spiral of wind and omega flames soared across the sky, sweeping away a large horde of soldiers with ease!

"Iron Dragon's Spear!" Gajeel's arm shot forward, cleaving through a number of opposing foot soldiers. Before he could continue on his rampage, his senses picked up something. By leaning to the side, he narrowly avoided Kalim's attack, who attempted to strike him from behind. The Alvarez soldier's attack caused the ground to explode.

"Whoops…" Kalim said, a calm stare in his eyes. The attacks kept coming. The ground continued to explode in various places, but Gajeel was fast enough to evade them before they calm to a brief halt. "Kalim of the Ajeel squad, reporting for duty."

"Oh?" Gjaeel smirked, cracking his knuckles. "Gajeel of Fairy Tail…ready to kick your ass."

* * *

Gray and Juvia were fending off a number of soldiers from Badd's squad on their own. The ice maker drew his fist back, ice surrounding it. Gray then threw it forward, a large glacier of ice instantly forming in the path in front of him. This took out several people in one shot. "The numbers here are unbelievable…" He grunted in annoyance.

Juvia brought her arms up, forming a moderately sized tidal wave to sweep away and drown some soldiers. While she did take out a few, they still had plenty to deal with. "Yes…but it's still less than those of Avatar…"

"Yeah…but in comparasion these guys are way stronger…" The icemaker grunted. They still had too many people left to take down. "And this is only a small portion of their fleet too. I have a bad feeling that this is going to get annoying…"

Cue Elfman's timely entrance, smashing several enemies down with his own raw power. "Need some help?" He asked with a grin.

"Elfman!" Boy, was Gray glad to see him!

Lisanna dropped down from the skies in her Harpie takeover. The youngest Strauss rapidly kicked at multiple people with her talons, striking them down with her quick fire strikes. "Hah!"

"Lisanna-san!" Said Juvia.

Mira stood in the back, a demonic aura flaring around her body. "Satan Soul…Mirajane Sayla." Mira's body transformed…into that of Sayla's. After the incident from last year, the resisting demon was quelled and Mira was granted the full extent of her own power, along with Sayla's.

"S-She can use it now?!" Gray's jaw dropped! This was a welcome surprise though, since Mira often said that Sayla held her back intentionally after the Tartatus incident.

"I still can't believe she took her over…" Juvia's eyes were wide.

"Yeah! She's been able to control all of her power for over a year now!" Elfman grinned.

"…It's pretty weird staring at the form of a former enemy knowing they were robbed of their body…" Gray spoke with a sweat drop. But hey…more power to Mira for being able to control this power.

Mira smiled at all the talk about her. But it was time to put this curse to use. "This is an order. All of you shall go to sleep." Sayla's curse was indeed still powerful. Roughly 70% of the people they were battling just…fell over, asleep.

"…Whoa…" Gray was just in for a lot of surprises so far.

"Mira-nee, some of them are still awake…!" Lisanna warned.

"Oh, well that's a shame." Mira then gave a wink. "I guess for these people, we'll just have to do it the old fashioned way, hehe."

"So manly!" Elfman said, shedding manly tears.

Badd was watching in the back, a sly smirk appearing on his lips. "Macro…one of the demon's many spells. I see…how impressive. How would you like to become one of the Emperor's toys, then?"

* * *

Erza was having no luck against Ajeel. She was still trapped within the whirlwind of sand and there wasn't much she could do. All Erza could muster was swinging her blade to slice through the sand, which just slowed the rate of her body drying up. "Ugh…"

"Come on…dry up already…" Ajeel said with boredom in his tone. At the same time, a brow was quirked at Erza's futile efforts to escape his sand. "It won't be long until the sand squeezes every last drop of moisture from your body. Oh, and don't try using your little flashy tricks…but it looks like you can't, can you!? HAHAHAHAHA!" Ajeel clearly knew what was going on here, and he enjoyed watching Erza's struggle. "How long can you last!?"

"Damn it…!" Erza yelled. She was stuck and couldn't do a damn thing! _"Why isn't my requip working!? Why now!?"_

* * *

Despite the situation, Mavis still had to oversee the battle. The situation down the road may prove to be dire, but the events as of right now were of the most importance. "Osprey Squad! Erza's having a hard time in the upper sky battle! How long until Jupiter recharges!?"

The communication wasn't relayed. Warren was too busy despairing. "No matter how long we hold up…it's only a matter of time until the enemy sends in another squad…"

"Warren! Please relay my orders with your telepathy!" Mavis pleaded.

"Ugh…." Warren likely didn't hear her either. The situation was so grim…what was the point of even fighting.

Mii watched with a curious and somewhat agitated brow at Warren's weeping. "…You gotta be kidding Mii…"

Suddenly Max raised his leg and kicked Warren right in the nuts! Any man would squeal like pig after a hit to such a sensitive area, and Warren was no different. "Pull yourself together, ya idiot!" Max then turned Warren around, yelling in his face to bring him back to their reality. "We're all scared to death as well! My legs haven't stopped shaking since the battle started! But we still gotta fight! This is our home and we've gotta protect it!" The sudden words did uplift everyone's spirits a little.

"Max…" Warren spoke softly…before jamming the broom up the sand mage's rear. "YOU CAN'T JUST KICK SOMEONE IN THE NUTS!"

"AAAAAGH!" Max yelled. Why did this always happen!?

Warren was still shaking, but he regained enough composure to relay Mavis' orders. "Osprey, do you hear me? It's Warren. Yeah…how many more minutes?"

" _About 6 more minutes!"_ Bisca reported.

"We're leaving it to you then! Please save our guild!" Warren said. After the communication was off, he sighed. "Thanks, Max…"

Max smiled…then he and Warren were butting heads. "What the hell were you thinking with that broom!?"

"You started it! You can't just kick a dude in the nuts! That's his scared holy place!" Warren growled.

"My apologies, First…these ruffians will never change…" Makarov sighed.

"It's fine." Mavis responded with a soft smile. But the look in her eyes told the fear of the future. _"It'll all be over if we give up…I…I need to think of something and quick…"_

It was at this moment Mii stood up and dusted her hands off. "It's not like you guys to look so grim…I remember joining a place that never gave up, no matter how bad the situation was. I mean…they had the whole country against them, and they fought. So what if they looked fucked from the start? They stuck it out until the very end, for better or worse." As she spoke, she went back into the kitchen to get another spoon. "If they were to give up here, then I could easily say that these aren't the same people I hung out with…"

Mavis stared at Mii. Was she…trying to encourage them…? That did ease Mavis' worries a little bit. Even if Mii wasn't fighting, the moral support was appreciated. Mii may have been…her…but despite trying not to show it, she did still care. Mavis knew that for a fact. "We can make it out of this…I know we can."

* * *

Lucy's house. The blonde was just…staring in shock that Brandish was in her tub. "Wh…why are you in my house!?"

Brandish stared at Lucy before delivering what most would consider an asinine request. "Come join me."

"Huh!?" Lucy shook her head. "Are you serious!? Coming into my house…my bath…and then asking me to join you…are you out of your mind!? Your worse than Mii!"

"…Don't make me repeat myself." Brandish's tone, while lazy, did convey a threat as well. Lucy was reminded who she was dealing with, and that made her shudder. "Oh…I get it…" Brandish then held up Marin and Zelos with both hands. "These two…?"

"You pass, as always!" Marin said.

"They both pass." Zelos nodded several times.

Before the two of them could say more, Brandish stuffed them into a small plastic container and sealed the lid. "Ah, wait! Lady Brandish! What are you doing!?"

"Hey hey…! It's crowded in here! I don't like being in small, tight, dark places with dudes! This is way out of my comfort zone!" Zelos yelled.

"I don't like being in here with you either!" Marin shot back.

"Well…problem solved." Brandish said while setting the container down. "Come."

"N-No way…" Lucy was flabbergasted.

Brandish narrowed her eyes before electing to tell Lucy the position she was in. "You lot lost this battle when I stepped foot into this town. I'm sure you remember what my magic can do, yes? It would take me a second to shrink this entire town…but I want to enjoy this bath so I won't do it just yet. Do you understand?"

Lucy's gaze went to the ground. She could only wonder what would happen if Brandish _wasn't_ lazy. "…"

"You'll be alright as long as you listen to what I say." The Spriggan said, shaking the plastic container with her two pets inside. "I take really good care of my pets despite my character, you know…"

"Wait…so I'm a pet!?" Marin heard this and was shocked.

"…Dude, I've been here way less than you have and picked up on it immediately. How did you not notice?" Zelos asked with a judgmental tone. Clearly he was very accepting of this treatment, though…

Lucy couldn't believe this…how the heck did Zelos survive for so long? Even more so…why was the enemy doing this? "…What's your deal…?"

Brandish didn't answer. She just snapped her fingers and the area around them shifted. "The building next to this…I shrank it." The building next to Lucy's home was currently smaller than a dollhouse. There were no means of escape. "Last chance. Please get in with me. It's an order."

"Man, I wish I could see…" Marin released a melancholy sigh.

"You and me both buddy…" Zelos let out the same sigh.

"I'm not your buddy…" Marin grumbled. He hated having to share Brandish's attention and lately, he felt like Zelos was stealing it with his kissing up…which in reality was Zelos playing the extremely long game in an attempt to get into Brandish's…lack of pants.

Lucy didn't have a choice. She began to strip down as per Brandish's wishes. _"I don't know what her goal is, or why she's doing this, and as long as that guy is there, I can't use my magic…but if it's a physical battle she wants, it's one she'll get!"_ Lucy was now naked and slipped into the tub across from Brandish with an intense stare. Let the battle of the naked commence!

"Lady Brandish! Please let me out already!" Marin whined.

"At least let me out, please! I can't stand his puppy dog whining…" Zelos groaned. The two would probably start throwing hands if they had the room to be doing so.

"…Why are you here?" Lucy got straight to the point.

"…You're so not cute…" The Spriggan responded. She then pulled out a cat hairband. "Put this on, will you?"

"NO!" Lucy shot down the idea…but ended up putting them on anyway and she was extremely embarrassed and annoyed.

Brandish stared with wide eyes. In her eyes, she created something amazing! "Oh my…what did I do…you're actually adorable…!"

"WHAT IS THIS!?" Lucy groaned.

Back to the serious topic. The green haired woman narrowed her eyes and examined Lucy. "I've…seen you somewhere before…"

"Probably Weekly Sorc…" Lucy said, turning her gaze elsewhere. "I was a journalist for a year and did a couple of model shoots as well." There was probably another reason Brandish felt a sense of familiarity with her, but she didn't want to touch upon that and prayed she didn't have to.

"The magazines here are boring…they don't interest me at all." Brandish said, lazily.

"…Uh…the Grand Magic Games then?" Lucy suggested.

Brandish just looked clueless. "Huh? Hmm…I can't remember…"

"Ngh…don't tell me you just came here for a bath… _coming into a person's house uninvited, too…"_ The second half of that was mumbled by the blonde.

"That's right…" Brandish gave a deadpan stare. "We're having a serious conversation. Take that off already."

….How irritating! First Brandish forced her to put the damn thing on, now she wants her to take it off!? "NNNGGG…."

"And will you wash my back for me?" The woman asked while stepping out of the bath and onto a chair. Of course Lucy had no choice but to do that. This was strangely awkward for the both of them. "…What's your name...?"

"Lucy…" She said. "…I'm sure Emmeraude has mentioned me a lot…"

"Lucy…" Brandish repeated. "…I do remember her speaking with such hatred about a woman named Lucy many times…I heard how her daughter was taken away from her…" She could feel it now…a tug in the back of her mind. She was lost in thought, trying to recall where else she heard the name Lucy. Emmeraude referred to her by full name often enough…she just had to remember where she heard that last name…

"Oh! No no…! It's my job to wash her back! Please let me do it!" Marin pleaded, moving with such ferocity the container wiggled about.

"Hey, stop moving! Also, keep that thing away from me; I don't want it pressing against me like that!" Zelos grunted. What was going on in there…?

" _She's dropped her guard! Now's my chance!"_ While Lucy was unable to use her magic…she still had a key in her hand. Not just any key…but Aquarius' broken key. One wouldn't notice at first glance…but celestial keys had extremely sharp ends. _"If I could take out one of the 12 right now…"_ Lucy closed an eye, steadying her aim as her hand was high above her head. The tip of the key twinkled…she had to stay calm…one hand continued to wash Brandish's back to avoid arousing suspicion…

"…Layla's daughter?" Brandish asked in a hushed whisper.

The mention of her mother…it made Lucy's arm waver. "…You…you know my mother?"

"So it's true, then…" Brandish turned to look over her shoulder, glaring daggers at Lucy. "Layla's daughter, huh?"

Oh…this was bad. Lucy didn't know how Brandish knew her mother, but she knew a murderous stare when she saw one! Without thinking she tried to leap back, but Brandish reached out to grab her ankle. "Eep…!" Luckily for Lucy, Brandish was slick from the soap, so whatever grip she had slipped away easily. Without thinking, Lucy then swung her leg with all her might to gain some distance. The Luck Kick may not have worked on Natsu, but it did managed to strike Brandish in the arm and send her tumbling back into the bath, causing water to splash everywhere!

"Whoa…what's going on out there?! Sounds like a catfight…" Zelos muttered.

"Lady Brandish! Allow me to assist you…!" Marin yelled. But Lucy swiped the plastic container before anything else, and then attempted to make a mad dash out of the bathroom and outside.

"Gotta get out of here…!" Lucy huffed. Brandish was starting to shrink her house! Unfortunately, the timing could not have been worse. As Lucy ran out of the bathroom, the house shrank and she ended up slamming her forehead onto the door frame, and it hurt. "OW!" She cried out, stumbling over a table and onto the ground. She now had a throbbing headache, but at least her house stopped shrinking…but there wasn't a lot of leg room. Barely enough to stand, really.

Brandish was now standing over Lucy, glaring down at her. "…I dislike having to do actual work…but just this once, I'll get rid of you myself."

Lucy was sweating. What was up with her bad luck in pissing certain people off? First Emmeraude, now Brandish!? This was even worse because they were still naked! Their hair and steam from the bathroom was the only thing really covering them. "Y-You…you don't…have to…do that…?" Lucy's breathing suddenly became very heavy…she felt faint and could barely catch her breath. "W-What's…happening…?"

"My magic isn't limited to just inanimate objects. I control the mass of any and everything. It would be a pain if you tried squirming and resisting…so I shrank your lung capacity." Brandish stated with that glare still present. Why didn't she just expand them until they exploded? Because that would have made a mess…and considering she _just_ stepped out of the bath, she wanted to avoid that.

"W-Wha…?" Organs too!? Lucy glanced at the door, then Brandish. She had enough wiggle room to make a desperate lunge out, and she did try…but it was already too late. The moment she tried to move, Brandish gripped her arm tightly and yanked her back with a surprising amount of force to the point she fell onto her back. "Ngh…!"

"I know Emmeraude wanted to do this herself…but she'll have to understand I have my priorities too." As Brandish said this, she positioned herself in a way to restrain Lucy's legs and arm, bending it awkwardly to prevent any movement. Brandish's free hand went to Lucy's mouth and nose, pressing down with force to smother her. "I'll snuff you out quickly…

This was bad! Lucy was already having trouble breathing, and it was getting even harder! She felt lightheaded and faint, barely able to muster the strength to move! "Mmpf!" She tried to struggle, but Brandish had a firm grip on her and what little air she had was escaping rapidly. _"What's her deal!? She won't let me go! I…I feel so lightheaded…I want to sleep…but I can't! The others need me! I have to think of something or I'll die…!"_

* * *

[Flashback: 6 months ago.]

Lucy and Tia were on the outskirts of Crocus for a training session. Tia figured that Lucy would get out of shape in her state, so she often kept her busy in combat so she wouldn't fall behind. Tia was leagues stronger than Lucy, so the training did help the blonde improve over the year and would eventually help her not fall behind everyone else. Of course she couldn't have foreseen the events that took place 6 months later. "Come on Tia…are we done yet? I still have to edit that article…"

"Almost." Tia said with a nod. "For this next little drill, I want you to use your Taurus Star Dress and throw a punch at me."

"Huh?" Lucy tilted her head. "But why?"

"Your close combat needs work. I don't think you realize it, but you fight a little like Natsu…but not quite, so it doesn't really work out. You need to fight a way to use your body type. You're really turning into him a little more each day…" Tia sighed.

"At least I didn't up and leave…" Lucy grumbled. "Okay…fine. I mean…I don't really want to punch you, though…"

"It's fine. I can take it." Tia said while waving her hand.

"All right…" Lucy nodded and changed into her Taurus Star Dress. As soon as she did this, she then sprinted towards Tia, rearing her fist back. When close she threw it forward! The moment she did, Tia slipped behind her and restrained her arm, pulling it back with a firm grip while also ensuring Lucy couldn't move her legs. "Huh!?"

"See? You're quick…but your wind up is too long and your punches are too straightforward. I saw that punch coming before you threw it." Even without her Queen's armor, Tia was strong enough to restrain Taurus Lucy.

"Let me go, Tia…!" Lucy grumbled, trying to wriggle free.

"Nope. If you wanna get out, you'll have to force me to let you go. What are you gonna do if the enemy has you pinned down like this? And most people won't be so nice about it like I am either." Tia mentioned.

'Ngh…" Lucy really was stuck. She had to think…and she had an idea! It wasn't a great one though. But Lucy did bring her head forward before slamming her head into Tia's nose. "Ha!"

"OW!" Tia yelped, releasing Lucy from the sudden hold. Lucy then turned and aimed a swift kick to her side, pushing her away with ease. "Oof…! Did you…just headbutt me!?"

"…Yeah." Lucy just nodded.

"…I can't say I'm a fan of what you did, but I respect it…" Tia shrugged. Luckily her nose wasn't hurt or anything. "I really hope you don't turn the 'use your head' mentality into a physical thing every time, though…"

"Desperate times, you know…" Lucy rubbed the back of her head.

[End flashback.]

* * *

Desperate times called for desperate measures! By some stroke of luck, Brandish restrained the arm of Lucy's that had the plastic container and not the key! With what little strength she had, Lucy jammed the sharp end of the broken key into Brandish's shoulder blade, and yes, there was blood. "…!?" Brandish's eyes widened from the sudden shock and pain, which caused her to release her initial grip. "You…!"

Now was her chance! Lucy started to pull forward, but it didn't look like Brandish was ready to relinquish her grip yet and forcefully tugged Lucy back. Just like she wanted. Lucy carried what momentum she had into the back of her head and slammed it into Brandish's nose! That was enough for Brandish to let her go after a grunt of pain. "HA!" Lucy yelled, her foot finding the Spriggan's stomach to push her back into the table, which fell over along with the enemy.

"Agh…! You're…really not cute!" Brandish snarled, beginning to shrink the entire building. If she couldn't choke her out, then she'd just crush her! "I see why Emmeraude hates you so!"

Lucy wasn't out of the woods yet! Which sucked because she was struggling to breathe with all these intensive actions. _"I gotta get out of here…!"_ Narrowly scrambling to her feet, Lucy took a few steps forward before she tripped, tumbling down the stairs and out of the building onto the street, just in the nick of time! It was now a doll house in size.

But for Lucy, she was panting hard. What she could normally do without even breaking a sweat had her on the ground, desperately gasping for air! She could barely take the time to notice her house was a toy! More importantly, Brandish, who was now fully clothed, swung her heel at Lucy's stomach. Lucy did managed put her hands out to block it, but this effort only further winded her and moving after that wasn't going to happen. "Ah…ha…."

Brandish stood with her hands on her hips, keeping that glare. The wound that Lucy made on her no longer existed, presumably being shrunken from Brandish's magic…but she'd still be feeling that sharp pain for a while. "To think I'd find you here in a place like this…"

"W-What…what happened…between you…a-and my mother…?" God, talking just might have been the end of her at this rate. But she needed to know…after all, she had to say goodbye to her mother in a painful fashion without knowing anything.

Brandish didn't answer. That glare was the only thing Lucy was going to receive. "…It's too much of a pain, so I won't be talking."

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Cana yelled while throwing a series of cards forward from behind Brandish. Brandish sighed, lazily bobbing her head to the side to avoid the cards. The cards exploded in a brilliant flash of light, but Brandish shrank the light before it became too much of a hindrance. "How dare you do this to our town!? It's really starting to piss me off!"

"C-Cana…" Lucy's face lit up with a smile.

"Wow, look at you! Someone's been having some crazy fun!" The card mage teased as Lucy struggled to cover herself.

"N-Not like that…" Lucy panted, struggling to stand up while covering herself. "C-Can't breathe…" The blonde gestured to Brandish, who just stared at the two of them.

"What did you do to her?!" Cana narrowed her eyes into a glare. Luckily Cana had a temporality solution. A card with a symbol of a gust of wind was placed onto Lucy's back. "Breath of Life!" With this, Lucy would have an easier time breathing until her lung capacity returned to normal, but in order for that to happen, it looked like they were going to have to take out Brandish first.

"She was moving too much…so I shrank her lung capacity. I'm surprised she's still conscious…but it won't be an issue for long." The Spriggan's eyes narrowed at Cana's arm, which was bare. "Oh, I see. I was told if you were bearing a certain insignia you could be an issue…but I see nothing of the sort. I can tell with a single glance: you're no threat."

Cana felt insulted that Brandish had the audacity to talk past her like that! "Not a threat?! I'll show you!" Once again, the card mage flung several cards forward, and just as before, Brandish put little effort into moving her head to the side.

"How boring…" Brandish extended her hand, only for her ears to pick up the sharp sound of wind from behind her. Just as she turned, the cards returned, and exploded in a loud burst, akin to an explosion in everything but size and damage. The white noise that ensued caused Brandish to hold her ears in annoyance and slight agony. "Ngh…my ears…!"

This was Lucy's chance! She dropped the plastic container onto the stone road and brought her foot down on it, shattering it completely. As a result, she took out both Marin and Zelos. "Sorry…!"

"Oof!" Zelos grunted.

"Gaaaah!" Marin yelled.

"Marin…!" Brandish's eyes widened. This was the first stint of emotion she actually showed towards him. Zelos was still new, so the attachment wasn't quite as strong…

"Now…!" Lucy grit her teeth, holding out a celestial key. Finally, she was able to put clothes on with Star Dress: Aries! "F-Finally, clothes…"

"Ah…Such wonderful legs…you…pass…" Marin crawled along the ground before passing out.

"…Lucy-chan…she finally stepped on me. Mii-chan…will be so jealous…" And Zelos was out like a light too.

"…A part of me…feels really gross when he says it like that…" Lucy shuddered.

"We haven't teamed up in a long time…it brings back memories…" Cana had a slight grin.

Brandish's neutral expression returned. "…You just don't get it, do you? If I wanted you both dead right now…it would be easy." The Spriggan then crouched down to pick up a very tiny pebble within her fingers. "Just like this." With a flick of her fingers, the harmless pebble flew towards the two girls…and then the pebble rapidly grew in size until it was half the size of Kardia Cathedral.

"WHOA!" Cana's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets!

"Wool Bomb! Wool Bomb!" Lucy extended her hands, creating an exceptionally large wall of wool to slow the large boulder's charge. It didn't work. The boulder punched a hole through the wool and the two girls dove, allowing it to crash into a building elsewhere. "Yikes…"

"Yeesh…" Cana whistled. "She's not playing around is she?"

"No." Brandish placed her hands on her hips. "I just got out of the bath, and I'm trying to avoid getting dirty…and I really hate it when I have to do work."

* * *

In the western hills, Team Flying Draogn managed to take out…most of the first force, but they still had plenty incoming. They had a moment of rest, but their battle was far from over. They were a little bruised and damaged, but the injuries sustained wouldn't slow them down at all. "They were quite a handful for you guys, huh?"

"Well sure…I couldn't go all out!" Natsu grunted.

"Yeah…I've only been at 10% the entire time." Gajeel stated.

"Oh yeah?! They I was at .1% then!" Natsu retorted, turning this into a competition.

"But weren't you having a hard time!?" Gajeel asked, not standing for Natsu's crap.

"…They're still coming…" Lily stared up at the airfleet above. It didn't matter how many they beat on the ground, because they'd just keep coming.

"There's no end to this…" Carla said.

"Their strength in numbers…it's almost as bad as the royal soldiers who were infected with the Lambda virus…but even then, it's barely like anything we've faced before…" Wendy said, standing back to back with Cynthia in case someone decided to try something.

"We have to think of something and fast…if we spend too long here, the town could be in trouble…" Cynthia muttered.

"EXACTLY! GAHAHAHA!" Bakyll appeared from behind Natsu, smashing his gigantic fist onto the Salamander's skull. "YOU LOT CAN'T EVEN DEAL WITH AJEEL'S SQUAD! LET ALONE GO UP AGAINST THE ENTIRE ALVAREZ EMPIRE!"

"Natsu!" Cynthia exclaimed in worry.

"….Ya think so?" Natsu responded, unfazed by the hit.

"…Huh?" Bakyll didn't get a chance to say anything else after that. Natsu's elbow sharply hit his stomach, causing him to fold over. The fire dragon then followed up with a fierce uppercut so strong it literally sent the commander soaring high into the sky!

"…Huh." Gajeel placed a hand over his eyes, trying to scope out how far Bakyll was flying.

"…Have a nice flight!" Cynthia waved with a bit of a cheeky smile. Wendy just smiled at Natsu's show of strength.

As for Kalim…he was conscious, but after watching what just happened, he decided…. _"I think I'll just play dead for a while longer…"_ Yup. He didn't want any of that.

* * *

Finally! Erza could feel her requip working again! She had no idea why she was stuck like this, but the time for her counterattack was now! Erza's body shone brightly before a burst of wind pushed the twister of sand away from her. It was time to strike back in the armor she knew would give her the advantage in this battle: "Wind God Armor!"

"Wind?" Ajeel lifted a brow. How many armors did this woman have!? Erza then sped forward, slashing at Ajeel with enough force to push him into the wall! He crossed his arms and blocked the hit, still wearing that arrogant smirk of his. "That's it?"

"I'm just getting started!" Erza clapped her hands together and pulled them apart, stylishly pulling out the Blue Crimson form of the Ten Commandments. "Blazing Stars!" Thrusting the fire lance forward, several orbs of flame shot forward, all of them homing in on Ajeel.

"Ha!" The Spriggan of sand laughed, leaping into the air while forging a blade of sand within his grip. With several slashes, the orbs of fire were reduced to nothing!

Following up, Erza swung the lance of ice in a counter clockwise rotation, the image of a moon briefly forming. "Frigid Moon!" Thrusting the lance through the center of the circle, a powerful blast of frigid wind caught Ajeel as he was in the air, further pushing him back into the wall.

"Oh thanks, I was feeling a little hot!" The Spriggan laughed at Erza's attempts. Not to say he wasn't feeling the force behind her attacks, but to him, they tickled. Once he landed, he prepared to strike Erza…but that was when Bakyll flew through the bottom of the ship and continued to soar even still from Natsu's hit. "Huh!? Bakyll!?" The hell was he doing all the way up here like that!?

Erza caught the signal and smiled. "…Got it, Natsu." Titania sped forward, now making use of the brief window Ajeel's own surprise opened up. "I WON'T LET YOUR FIGHTING SPIRIT GO TO WASTE!" SLASH! A vicious cross slash landed true against Ajeel's chest, drawing blood for the first time since this bout began!

"AAAAGGGH!" Ajeel cried out…in pain! This was painful! His eyes widened and he cringed a little from the wound on him. "W-What the!? I-Is this my blood...!? WHAT DID YOU-HOW DID YOU…!?"

"What was it you said before…?" Erza asked while turning around, a glare present in her eyes. "He who strikes first draws the first blood? I completely agree. And now…it's time to strike you down."

.

.

Next Time: Morningstar.


	40. Chapter 40: Morning Star

T-This couldn't be happening! Ajeel's mind was…actually racing? Until a few seconds ago, he was in complete control of the battle. But Erza actually managed to wound him! Not just a bruise or a scratch, but she drew blood. "T-That's impossible! Anything and everything that touches me should turn into sand! I haven't heard of a sword that can hurt me!"

"You'd do well to take that arrogance down of yours a bit…otherwise you become blind to everything around you." Erza held up a water sword; Neptune's Sword to be more precise.

"W-What…?" Ajeel's eyes widened. "A sword made of water!? What kinda…!?"

"Neptune's Sword holds the power to harden sand. With your Sand Body nullified, it allows for a clean cut, as you've experienced." Erza held her ground, carefully watching Ajeel's expression. He was very agitated…and she could use this. An adult with poor, clouded judgement often made more mistakes than a child.

"...You're starting to get on my nerves! I don't give a shit about some water sword!" Ajeel lunged forward, sand swirling around his arm. "I'm really gonna enjoy beheading you!" The enraged Spriggan then swung his arm at Erza, but she deftly ducked to the side, slipped around him, and slashed at his exposed back with Neptune's Sword for another direct hit. "GAAAAH!"

Erza flipped backwards after the hit, but Ajeel did catch her within another violent sand tomb. Unlike before, the sand did not trap her. Erza was able to blow away the sand by use of her Wind God's Sword. "It's no use. The Wind God's Sword can blow away the sand as well."

There was more!? Now Ajeel was really starting to get angry! How _dare_ this…this WORM think she actually had the upper hand against _him!?_ He couldn't stand for this…he wouldn't stand for this! "You think you're hot shit because of wind and water?! What kind of mage do you take me for!? I'm gonna slaughter you!" This declaration of anger proclaimed, Ajeel formed two axes of sand within his hands and lunged at Titania once more. "HA!"

The two were suddenly in a fierce clash of weapons. Ajeel violently brought his axes down onto Erza, but she blocked them both with her dual swords. There was a shockwave that boomed out, knocking some of the nearby airships off balance. "Ngk…!" Ajeel's physical prowess was strong. Erza felt her knees buckle for a moment before slipping away, delivering a slash with her blade of water right onto his side.

"NGH!" Ajeel growled, but didn't allow Erza to move too far away. The moment she tried to jump, pursued and slammed his fist right into her face! The blow sent Erza flying, but he grappled onto her ankle and fiercely turned while slamming her into the ship. He relished in the cry of pain she let out from impact. "You think those swords are gonna help you?! DO YOU!?" And he then brought his foot into her stomach, violently kicking her into the deck. "AHAHA!"

Erza felt those hits. Not only that, but her body felt a little weaker after the Spriggan released his grip on her. She wasn't sure why, but she couldn't afford to slow down now. Titania leapt into the air, briefly exchanging her two swords for the Explosion Spear. Erza stabbed this spear down into the ship and Ajeel just dodged it with ease. "…"

"Ha! You weren't gonna hit me with that!" The Spriggan mocked.

"You weren't my target." Erza said calmly.

"What…?" Ajeel gasped. It was then that a powerful explosion nearly destroyed the ship's interior! There was some damage on the engine and smoke began to fill the night sky! The ship was still afloat in the air, but there was no way it'd last for long without falling. Erza did all this just to ensure that Bisca had an easier target when Jupiter was fully recharged. "You bitch!"

Erza's unwavering gaze stared within Ajeel's enraged eyes. It was clear that he felt he was losing control of the situation, but his pride would never allow him to admit so. "Give it up!" Erza yelled while drawing Neptune's Sword once more, swinging it horizontally to release a crescent slash upon the Spriggan.

"I don't take orders from a lowly soldier!" Ajeel easily flipped over the crescent slash, a whirlwind of sand forming around the lower half of his body. "If you think you've got this magic beat, then try this!" From the sand, an abundance of sand bats spawned, easily within the dozens of numbers. These bats screeched before flying at Erza with the intent to bite and suck the moisture right out of her. "Dry up!"

"…!" Erza's eyes widened for a moment before changing to her Heaven's Wheel armor once more, taking to the sky with the Wind God and Neptune's Swords, using these two to combat the bats. Their numbers were only growing the longer she stayed in the sky, but she couldn't afford to stay still since they were swarming her from every angle.

* * *

"Bisca! How much longer until Jupiter recharges!?" Mavis asked, feeling slightly impatient now that Erza was putting up a struggle of a battle against Ajeel. Nobody knew how much longer she'd be able to hold up against him.

" _Just…two more minutes…!"_ Bisca responded. If anyone felt impatient, it was definitely the woman controlling the cannon. All she wanted to do was blast Ajeel and the main ship out of the sky to help Erza, but she had to sit and wait.

"Just hold on Erza…two more minutes…" Mavis said.

"If anyone can do it, it's Erza…!" Levy said with a firm nod.

"I truly hope she can hold out for that long…" Makarov crossed his arms, staring at the radar. "…She won't be able to defeat him on her own, but she's not alone."

"….." Mii slowly ate ice cream as everyone hoped for Erza and Bisca to do something about Ajeel. If they couldn't take out the air fleet in this next shot the battle was going to become that much harder for them. "Hm…"

* * *

"AHAHAHA! WHAT'S WRONG!?" Ajeel laughed at Erza's struggle. Even though she was cutting down bats left and right, they just kept coming! Not only that, but spears of sand were shooting out from the whirlwind around Ajeel's body, giving her even more to work with. "I thought you said my magic was useless! Look who's pretty useless now!"

Erza's focus was on her surroundings. She heard Ajeel, but couldn't muster a quip in time. She couldn't even breathe with this heavy offense he was throwing her way! The wind sword blew away a number of bats with a single swing, while the water sword cleaved through incoming spears. While she did try and use her aerial mobility to her advantage, Ajeel followed her with precision. Several spears did graze her body and leave noticeable cuts, causing her to grit her teeth in pain. Not only that, but each time Ajeel's magic contacted her, she just felt weaker! It wasn't poison or anything of the sort…but he was slowly sapping the moisture out of her body. _"This offensive pressure…I can hardly breathe…!"_ She could try and hold out until Bisca was ready to fire, but who was to say Ajeel wouldn't notice again? She had to ensure that Ajeel wasn't ready to counter Jupiter again!

"I can do this alllllll night! What about you?!" Ajeel remarked on Erza's lack of offense. He completely forced her on the defensive just to survive. Despite being injured, his hubris came back in full swing! Watching Erza hopelessly squirm before his might made him feel good again.

At this point, Erza was starting to look a little rough and she was even feeling a little lightheaded. Think Erza, think! There had to be a way out of this…ah! There was an opening back down on the ship. It had to be a trap, but if it was the only way to escape this mass aerial bombardment, she had to take that chance! Erza dove down back onto the deck of the ship, and just as she thought, it was a trap. "Tch!"

"Got'cha!" With a wide grin, Ajeel had two spears at the ready, one larger than the other. The smaller sand spear was thrown at Erza just as she landed. She was able to react by blowing it away with the wind god's sword, and as she performed the motion, that's when Ajeel struck with the deadlier spear! "Sand Spear: Zaraach!" With a mighty javelin throw, this spear of sand rocketed through the air with the intent to run Erza through!

"Go, my Spear!" Erza commanded. A magic seal formed in front of her and out came Rune Save! The spear that sliced through magic with ease soared through the air, easily slicing through the incoming spear and even struck Ajeel in his chest.

"Ghk…!" His eyes widened. What the hell was that spear?! Oh…now he remembered…!

" _Beware of Erza's spear. As a weapon from another world, it has various means of combating magic and is very powerful…"_ Emmeraude's words echoed through his mind, but this only made him angrier. He didn't need that old lady telling him what to do OR how to do it!

Erza appeared in her Flight Armor. The speed boost did catch the Spriggan off guard since he was rattled. "Huh!?" Erza gripped the hilt of the spear and pulled it out of his chest, following up with a quick upward slash across the center of his chest. "NGAAAAAAAH!" Following this agonizing cry of pain, sand exploded out from Ajeel that pushed Erza backwards. "DAMMIT! H-How dare…a lowly soldier like you…make _me_...the great Ajeel… _ **THIS ANGRY!?**_ " Ajeel's temper was beginning to boil over. The injuries sustained did not only wound him physically, but also to his god complex. How DARE someone have the audacity to injure him!? "HAAAAAAAH!" Ajeel unleashed yet another gigantic vortex of sand, aiming to completely swallow Erza within its grip.

Ajeel's anger made him blind to the truth. Erza used Mel-Force to blow away the sand with a powerful vacuum wave, leaving nothing in its wake. "I will say it once again…your magic is useless against me. My blade of water hardens your sand and leaves you susceptible to physical damage like any other human, the wind blows away the sand, and this spear can do both." This was checkmate. Even if she wasn't able to defeat him on her own, Bisca had to be ready to fire at any moment.

"Oh…?" As Ajeel trembled, a grin stretched onto his lips. "What about a sandstorm then…?" As soon as he said that, the entire sky was enveloped within a massive sandstorm!

Erza had to cover her face to avoid sand getting in her eyes. "The entire ship…?!"

"Oh, that's not all…" Ajeel was feeling it now. It wasn't just the entire ship. The entirety of Magnolia, all the way to the forest on the opposite side was drawn into this powerful sandstorm. "WECLOME…TO SAND WORLD!"

"No way…!" Erza's eyes widened in disbelief. He still had this much power!?

* * *

"Huh!? A sandstorm out of the blue!?" Natsu asked while glancing around.

"Did that sand wizard do this!?" Wendy questioned.

"I didn't know he could do that! That's not fair…!" Cynthia yelped.

"Agh…! This is ridiculous, I can't see anything!" Carla yelled.

"It's in my eyes!" Happy whined.

"This is bad…the enemy's still coming…!" Lily grit his teeth. They were completely blind now!

"Back down, cats! It's too dangerous." Gajeel commanded. "We'll use our noses to track the enemy down!"

* * *

Sand was flooding into the guild hall as well. "What is this?!" Makarov asked.

"Ack! NO! Not more sand! I just took a bath…!" Mii whined while trying to escape the sand flooding into the guild.

"Close the guild doors, please!" Mavis commanded.

Max was on the case, the least unbothered by the sand since it was his element. "We're getting weird weather here…!"

* * *

The battle between Lucy and Cana vs. Brandish was put on hold the instant Sand World came into play. "Ugh…what is this sand!?" Lucy groaned. Cana couldn't even say anything, she was just coughing since some got in her mouth sadly.

Brandish covered her mouth, sighing in annoyance. "Tsk…Ajeel is giving us unnecessary work again…"

* * *

"I can't see anything at all…!" Gray yelled while trying to glance around.

"Gray-sama! Where are you!?" Juvia asked, clinging to who she thought was Gray, but in reality was Lisanna.

"…Uh…" Lisanna wasn't even sure what to say.

Badd, however, was strangely unaffected by the vicious sand wildly whipping around. "Sand World…so…someone's finally forced him to use it. Interesting…"

* * *

"This is ridiculous!" Bickslow turned his head to the building's entrance. "The sand is flooding in from that hole the enemy made!"

"Damn it!" Freed couldn't do anything about this! All he could do was keep the barrier up, but when that barrier had an exploitable hole he couldn't fix, it was difficult to withhold his frustration.

Evergreen held her fan in front of her face to shield herself from the sand. "Just when I thought the Hay Fever was bad enough, we've got sand to deal with too?! Gimme a break…!"

* * *

Things were even worse for Team Osprey. The sand that reached the eastern forest obscured Bisca's view. "No…this isn't good…! I still have less than a minute left before the recharge is complete, but I'll never be able to fire like this…!"

"The sand's getting in my eyes!" Asuka whined.

"Don't worry, it'll be okay!" Alzack said while holding Asuka close to him.

* * *

"The power to shrink an entire island….to control a sandstorm of this size…they really are on a different level…" Erza was reminded of the power they were up against.

"Grand, isn't it?" Ajeel's voice echoed from…everywhere. It gave Erza the horrible realization that she couldn't see or sense him! "Welcome to my sand world where I am… _god."_ The moment Ajeel made his presence known to Erza, she noticed too late. He was already above her, raining down a plethora of sandy swords! "Ramal Sayf!"

Erza took every hit directly! The rain of sand swords did leave their mark and she tumbled along the ground violently before coming to a halt. "Ngh…"

"The fear of not being able to move freely…the fear of an invisible attack…I can see it all. That fear of yours when you're up against us…" Ajeel taunted.

"There…!" Erza swung Mel Force forward, unleashing a vacuum wave that cleared a part of the sandstorm briefly, but to her dismay, it wasn't where Ajeel was.

"Yeah, like that'll work!" The Spriggan scoffed. At that moment an axe of sand slashed against Erza's thigh, causing her to cry out in pain and nearly fall to a knee. "Oh yeah, that didn't feel good, did it? I'm going to graciously repay you for each wound you dared to inflict on me!"

"…" Erza glanced around, keeping her guard up and spear at the ready. Every time she thought she knew where Ajeel was, she was proven wrong with each attack! Her thigh, her back, her arm, and her chest, all of them were inflicted with heavy injuries faster than she could process! All she could do was cry out in pain, feeling her body buckle. But she couldn't give up here! "I got you!" With Rune Save, she aimed a slice directly in front of her…only to be met with nothing. "What?!"

"HA!" Ajeel then lunged forward, finally exposing himself just as his hand wrapped around Erza's throat. This sudden grip and the weakness in her body caused her to drop her spear as he held her up.

All Erza could do was make choked noises as she gasped for air. "M-My energy…it's draining…"

"Feels shitty, doesn't it? I noticed you started slowing down during our fight. Wanna know why? My magic has the power to suck the moisture right outta ya. In a few seconds you'll be nothing but a shriveled up sack of meat. But….I'll grant you a mercy blow. If you revere me as a god…maybe, just maybe I'll forgive you…and strike you down in one blow. Isn't that pretty merciful of me, your God?" Of course, as Ajeel spoke, he intentionally tightened his grip around her throat. Which would come first? Erza choking to death by his hand, her drying up, or her giving in to call him God? "Come on…call me God already…"

"AAAAAAAAAH…!" Erza screamed. It took all she had to stay conscious and defy Ajeel as he just grinned heinously at her. "E-Even if…you actually do become god…my guild…will not fear you."

"…Huh?" Ajeel lifted a brow.

"Human…demon…dragon…angel…god…whatever you become…they know well enough what to believe in and what not to do. They will never bow to you…I will never bow to you!" With her dry throat, she proclaimed her defiance.

Ajeel stared at Erza before laughing. "AHAHA…oh…oh man. What is it with you Ishgar mages and this act? You know, this is exactly how that punk back in Alvarez responded to me, too. And you know what happened to him? I sucked him dry, then crushed his head under my foot…and then I watched as his body turned to sand and scatter into the wind. It was glorious watching the despair on his face when he realized it was all pointless! I can't wait to do the same to you! Maybe I'll just clip your wings one at a time!"

"I will never give in! Because the deeper the darkness…the stronger the ray of hope is! I will be the light at the end of that tunnel!" Erza's body gave off a fierce bright light as her armor changed once more. "MORNING STAR!"

"THIS IS POINTLESS!" Ajeel scoffed. "IT'DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU DO! YOUR HEAD IS MINE!" And so, Ajeel formed another axe of sand, this one sharp enough to behead someone. "I CAN'T WAIT TO SHOW YOUR HEAD TO YOUR GUILD!"

* * *

"Light…!" Bisca could see it from below. Just as the recharge was complete, she could see light in the skies above. "That light must be…" It had to be her. It couldn't be anyone else. "Erza-san's light!" The beacon of hope in the sky…it served as a perfect target. Bisca fired the Jupiter cannon once more, releasing the gargauntan beam directly at the source of light!

* * *

Erza was helpless in this situation. She couldn't do a thing as Ajeel's axe came for her neck…just before contact; a bullet flew through the sand, striking Ajeel's hand and forced him to drop the axe. "W-What the!?" Another bullet came for his head, but it went wide, almost intentionally. "How the!?"

"Sucks doesn't it?" A very familiar, cocky voice asked. "The fear of an invisible attack…not knowing where the next bullet is coming from, even though you _know_ it's aimed for you…" Another bullet, one that Ajeel could barely dodge. He did try putting Erza in the way, but the before the bullet touched her, a rift opened up and it flew through, appearing on the other side to strike him in the back. "NGH! What the hell!? WHERE ARE YOU!? WHO ARE YOU!?" Ajeel fired a spear of sand off in a direction, feeling it destroy something…a gun, yes. But that didn't explain why bullets were coming from all directions!

"Oh…you don't remember?" Reve asked as his voice continued to echo. "The 'scrawny punk' you killed back in Alvarez…he was my partner…"

"What!?" Ajeel's eyes widened. "Why don't you come out and fight me, then!? If you're as strong as you claim! But you're in a far off place because you know you can't contest with God!"

"I don't see any god here." Reve spat. Another bullet to strike Ajeel's side, but he dodged it. "I just see another person with a crosshair on their forehead."

"You shouldn't be able to see in my sandstorm!" Ajeel then tightened his grip on Erza. "There's no one in your guild who can shoot like this?! So who the hell is he!?" The Spriggan asked Erza. Strange how in this situation she could find a way to smile at him.

"…You're right…he's not one of ours…" Erza smirked.

"The name's Reve Volver…and the name of the man you killed…his name was Zalen Castle!" If it weren't for Erza being stuck in Ajeel's grip, Reve would have opened fired on him mercilessly. But…this was better in a way. He got into Ajeel's head. The man who was in control of the situation had no idea how to react when an element outside of his control came into play.

"I'm gonna find you and KILL YOU!" Ajeel growled.

"I'm so touched that you know I'm your biggest concern right now…especially with that gigantic blast coming your way. But don't worry…I'm still the one you have to worry about" Reve taunted.

"Wh-!?" Ajeel turned…but it was far too late. There were two things that he was unaware of when occupied with Erza and Reve. Reve placed several guns around the airship with his Devil's Wheel: Long Range. He had to use his Target Eyes for this to work, and ironically, the reason he was able to get so many clear shots was because of Erza's light, the thing Ajeel failed to notice. To him, it was nothing but an annoyance, but to everyone down below, it was the light at the tunnel's only out. There was nothing Ajeel could do as Bisca's well aimed shot utterly destroyed the ship, consumed him, and resulted in Erza being free. "GAAAAAAAAAAAH!" After beign consumed by the blast, Ajeel just started to fall. "I-Im…possible…I…the great Ajeel…"

When Ajeel let her go, a bloodied and bruised Erza fell to her knees, but she made sure to grip the spear that had fallen. With a powerful lunge forward, Erza shifted the Ten Commandments into its strongest form and finished off the Spriggan of Sand! "Saint Spear – REVALT!" Upon impact with the critical slash, a powerful explosion of light occurred in the sky. And in that instant…the sandstorm disappeared. The king of sand…met his match.

* * *

"…Hey, it's gone…" Wendy blinked.

Natsu grinned at the twinkle in the sky. But that grin soon vanished as Erza started to fall from the sky. If she fell from that height and with her injuries, she'd definitely die. "Cynthia…!" Wendy yelled.

"You should go, she looks all kinds of messed up." Gajeel nodded.

"Okay!" Natsu knew the others could handle themselves here and took off in an immediate sprint!

"We'll take it from here!" Lily told them.

"You too. Get going." Carla ordered Happy.

"Aye!" Happy nodded and followed Natsu.

The fire dragon made a mad dash to catch Erza before she hit the ground! When close, he dove, wrapped his arms around the injured Fairy, and tumbled along the ground due to his momentum. Once they were safe, he crouched next to Erza with a worried look. "Erza! You okay!? Hang in there! Wendy'll be here before you know it!"

"Natsu…" Erza spoke softly. Her voice was raspy and dry considering the state of her body. Despite the hurt, she lifted a fist into the air, along with a soft, victorious smile. That was the symbol she wanted to show them. "…Thank him, too…" She gestured to the cliff base where Reve was standing.

Natsu grinned at Erza. He shouldn't have expected anything less. But then his gaze went to Reve who was briefly visible because he was already on the move. "What's he doing here…?"

* * *

Reve's eyes never left Ajeel as he fell from the sky and landed somewhere a few miles off. "Finally got you, you sandy bastard…" A singular pistol was drawn. Reve had no intentions of letting Ajeel escape with his life. An eye for an eye…

.

.

Next Time: Pegasus Descends.


	41. Chapter 41:Pegasus Descends

With Ajeel defeated, the sandstorm plaguing Mangolia came to a halt. The sand completely vanished, as though it was never there to begin with. "The sandstorm stopped…!" Lucy said.

"Yeesh…that didn't take long…" Cana was pretty irritated about the whole thing, but she was glad it was over now.

"Wait…where's Brandish!?" Lucy quickly turned back around, but the sound of Brandish sneezing caught their attention.

"Achoo!" Brandish sneezed, and she didn't stop either! "What's wrong with this stupid city!? There's pollen everywhere! *Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!*

Lucy just stared with wide eyes. What were the chances that Brandish would have caught the Hay Fever? "She….she has Hay Fever…"

"And the sandstorm just now stirred up all the pollen throughout the city…" Cana stared with a deadpanned look. This was utterly ridiculous.

Brandish, however, just couldn't stop sneezing."AG! NOW I'M REALLY ANNOYED!" Cana had enough and just walked behind Brandish, smacking her in the back of the head with her fist. "Kya…!" And Brandish fell over, unconscious.

"…No mercy…" Lucy blinked.

"She left herself open…it was like she was just begging me to do it." Cana shrugged. Good thing too, because she honestly wasn't sure how they were going to handle Brandish after what she did to Lucy. Speaking of…

Lucy coughed a few times. She could feel her lungs returning to normal and she breathed out a sigh of relief. "Ack…my lungs…I think I can breathe normally now…" She then took off the card Cana applied to her and it was true, breathing was easy now! "Thank goodness." Brown eyes then stared at the unconscious Brandish. "Looks like she's out cold…"

"Ha!" Cana snickered. "Guess the twelve aren't everything we cracked 'em up to be!"

"So…what are we gonna do with her…?" Lucy asked.

"Take her prisoner. Let's bring her back to the guild." Cana said, bending down to hoist Brandish up.

"…Where'd Zelos go…?" Lucy took a step forward only to realize she was standing on something. It was Zelos, who was fully back to normal now. "Oh…there he is. Still out cold, too…"

"Leave 'em…he'll bug us at the guild when he wakes up…" Cana sighed heavily. Just when they thought they got rid of him too.

"I suppose you're right. I feel gross accidentally stepping on him…" The blonde shuddered once more. That did beget the question where Marin was…but since Lucy could still use her magic, he was likely unconscious somewhere, presumably thrown about in the sandstorm.

"It was pretty great for me." Zelos said.

"AHHHH!" The male's sudden comment startled Lucy and she ended up changing into Star Dress: Taurus, and Lucy Kicking him pretty far! Out of sight even. When Lucy realized what she had done, she had a minor sweat drop on her forehead. "…Oops…"

* * *

"The sandstorm is over!" Gray exclaimed. As it cleared, the fairies were beginning to see exactly the types of opponents they were up against. While some of the people Badd brought in were humans, those that didn't fall asleep to Mira's command were mechanical soldiers! Five of them lined up, matching the current team perfectly.

The soldiers then sprinted forward, each one going for a different Fairy. "Here they come!" Elfman exclaimed.

A soldier aimed a punch at Juvia, but her Water Body allowed this physical attack to go through her. "Such an attack will not faze Juv-" Before she could finish, the robot soldier emitted blistering hot steam from its wrist. Juvia's eyes widened and in the next second she was on the ground, screaming and writhing about in pain with a burn mark on her side, steam emitting from it.

"Juvia…!" Gray cried out in worry. "Shit…!" Gray turned, preparing to unleash an attack. "Ice Make…" Too slow. The robot that was his opponent was already in the motion of swinging a blazing fist in his direction. "GAH!" Gray was able to block the incoming hit, but the explosion of fire did push him backwards. "Fire!? What the hell!?"

"Juvia's enemy uses steam…" The water mage stood up, sweating from the earlier attack.

Elfman swung at his opponent, but it was literally running circles around him! "What the hell!? This one's so fast, I can't hit it!"

Lisanna was clawing at another robot rapidly, but unfortunately, her attacks weren't doing any damage. "I can't put a dent on this one…!"

Gray was running through the scenarios in his head. Somehow, everyone was currently being hard countered…exploited in one way or another. _"A flame user for me…a steam user for Juvia. For Elfman, a speed type, and Lisanna, a power type…are you telling me these guys have been designed to aim and exploit our weaknesses!? But wait…! Mira doesn't have any…!"_

"Ugh! Ow! Stop it!" Mira put her arms up to defend herself. When Gray turned…he just saw a robot with Elfman's face beating Mira. "Stop it, Elfman!"

"Nee-chan! Nee-chan!" The robot said. It was actually pretty disturbing.

"That's OBIVIOUSLY A FAKE!" Gray yelled, unable to believe that Mira was actually so unwilling to strike down what was a faker.

"What the hell's going on!?" The real Elfman asked. "How is the enemy so clearly aware of our weaknesses!?"

Badd chuckled, figuring he'd indulge them. "My magic, Weakness (weakness specific soldier), allows me to construct soldiers that exploit my enemies short comings. The good and bad of humanity…I have the power to see through it all."

"You're kidding me…" Lisanna grumbled. All the speed in the world wasn't going to help her if she couldn't even damage her opponent. It was at this time she had to recall her training with Ace! There was something he said about this type of scenario, but it escaped her at the moment.

That's when Zelos started to land. But since he was pretty elegant, he managed to catch himself on his feet. "Oh hey…there you guys are."

"HUH?!" The Fairy Tail members shouted in surprise.

"You're alive!?" Gray shouted. "But we saw you…!"

"I was with Brandish…" Zelos grinned. "We had such a great time…oh hey, Badd was it?"

"Brandish's pet…" Badd examined Zelos. "If you're back to your normal size…then that means Brandish must be down…this is becoming problematic…"

"That's two down, huh?" Zelos shrugged. "Man…that sucks…anyway! I'm just here to see how things play out!"

"Well…we'll see about that, won't we? I can see right through you…and quite the oddity you are. Be sure to play nice with my men. I have to go attend the slaughter of that irksome barrier user…" Badd created one more soldier, this one in the form of a woman, and then flew off towards Kardia Cathedral.

"Oh?" Zelos lifted a brow. The woman approached him and was quite beautiful at that. "Oh, hello my new hunny! I'll be more than happy to offer you my heart!" And the robot actually aimed to take his heart, causing him to yelp and leap backwards. "WAIT WAIT! I'm not ready for this level of commitment yet!"

"You idiot…" Gray groaned. They were so much better off without him here. To make matters worse, they were stuck as Badd began to make his way to the Raijinshuu. If they were taken down, the barrier would fall. As long as the invaders in the west were still active, Freed had to keep the barrier up. It was up to Team Flying Dragon to take them down, but…

* * *

"Ugh…." Ajeel groaned from his injuries. Despite the severity of his wounds, he was more pissed off than he was hurt. "Damn it! That was…a fucking fluke…!" Where even was he? Glancing around, he noticed he wasn't too far away from Magnolia. He could still see his air fleet in the skies. "She was two inches away from death's doorstep and I was robbed! I won't stand for this!" A bullet then flew by, but he was able to dodge, however he did so narrowly. "Huh!?"

Reve was standing a few yards away from Ajeel, a glare present in his eyes. "There you are."

"Huh…? Oh…you're that one from Alvarez. You're the one that shot at me, aren't you!? That was a punk move! You couldn't wait until I was done with that lowly soldier could you?"

"Don't you remember what I told you? They're not the ones you have to worry about. It's us." Reve spat.

"Us?" Ajeel then realized that they weren't alone. From behind Reve; Jack, Kuro, and Waiston appeared. The original members of White Eclipse all stared down the Spriggan with scornful looks. "You think you scare me!? I'm a GOD!" Even while wounded, Ajeel's hubris knew no bounds. Nothing scared him. The injuries on his body, while severe, were not going to slow him down. At least, that's what he believed.

"A god, huh?" Royal sipped down some beer from his flask while staring at the Spriggan. "You look like a pathetic human to me."

"So what!? You won't kill me. If you're with those Fairies, you're soft. I realized it when she finished me off…if she wanted to kill me right there, she would have. But she didn't…and that's what your weakness is." He didn't like saying this…but it did expose him to what Fairy Tail's weakness was. His mistake was thinking every guild in Fiore held the same code of morality. With this line of thinking renewing his confidence, he stood before the White Eclipse mages.

"You're gravely mistaken." Kuro said while cracking his knuckles.

"Yeah, asswipe." Waiston's blue aura began to waver around his body. "We're not with them. We're not even doing this for them. We're doing this because you killed Zalen. If you think for a second we didn't come here to snuff the remaining life out of you, you're wrong."

"You punks think you can KILL ME!?" Ajeel brought his hands to his sides, sand violently forming around his hands to take the shape of razor sharp discs. "I'll slaughter you just like I did that ZALEN!" He still had plenty of fight left in him despite his wounds. He'd show the power of a Spriggan to them once again! As soon as Ajeel threw the discs forward…a leg slammed into him from the side, violently throwing him into a tree. The unexpected blow caught him off guard and he hit the tree on his back, groaning in near agony. "W-What the hell!?"

"…He's here." Kuro said.

Who was here? None other than Sidney Castle, the Ace of White Eclipse. Sidney stared down at Ajeel. He didn't say a word, but he caught wind of the situation over the last week. Sidney was never one to show his emotions and everyone knew that…but hearing about the death of his brother by the hands of this wizard? It was clear as day that Sidney was angry. His apathetic expression didn't fade, but the air around him was extremely thick and tense. "….."

"W-Who the hell are you!?" Ajeel growled while trying to stand up. It may have just been his injured mind speaking…but the strength he sensed from Sidney was abnormally high for a mage from Fiore, the weakest country in Ishgar. Ajeel didn't think it higher than his own, because that was simply impossible outside of a select few other Spriggan, and even then he always thought of himself as the strongest.

"Is this the one?" Sidney asked Reve.

"Yeah." Reve walked forward, pointing his pistol at Ajeel's forehead; aiming for the space right between his eyes. "That's the guy we came out here to kill."

"Try it! I DARE you!" Ajeel refused to back down. His arrogance, pride, and god complex…they'd surely be his end at this rate.

"Gladly." Reve clicked the trigger and fired the bullet and it soared towards Ajeel. Even though Ajeel could never admit this, he was too exhausted to muster up a proper defense and planned on staying defiant until the very end. The bullet was unchallenged until the moment it hit Ajeel's forehead…which it didn't. Just before contact, a blast of lightning shot it down. "What the!?"

"That's enough, Ajeel." Pandora floated down from above. Prometheus was next to her of course. "If you continue this brazen act of defiance…you will die."

"What…? I didn't ask for you two to show up…" Ajeel grumbled, but all attention was on the duo of chaos and order now.

"Perhaps not…but this is war, and we cannot afford to lose you. If you were to die here, Sir Yajeel would be very sad…and Emmeraude would say she told you so."

"I don't care, though." Prometheus remarked, grinning at the White Eclipse mages. "I just came for the harvest…"

"…Tch…" Ajeel sucked his teeth.

"You think we're just gonna let you go!?" Waiston stepped forward, unleashing a potent Frozen Dragon's Roar upon the trio. However, it was cleaved in two by Prometheus' scythe. "Tch…!"

"I hate to be that guy…but it's not time for your showdown yet!" The Grim Reaper cackled as a portal appeared behind the three of them. "If you wanna kill him, at least wait until he's back at full strength! Picking off someone when they're weak is such a human thing to do, HYAHAHA!"

"THEY CAN'T KILL ME!" Ajeel yelled, annoyed that Promtheus would even suggest they could content with him at full strength. With no more words, the trio vanished into the rift.

"….They'll be back." Sidney turned around and started to walk off. There wasn't much anyone had to say…but they did know that this war was about to expand the entire country. They'd run into Ajeel again sooner or later, and they wouldn't let him go a second time.

* * *

On the outskirts in the west, Team Flying Dragon was still combating the enemy. Their forces were thinning, but not fast enough. They also had to keep an eye on Erza, who was too wounded from her battle with Ajeel to actually participate. As such, Wendy was keeping a watch over her while the others fought. "You'll be just fine, Erza-san. You just can't move too much yet, okay?"

"Thank you, Wendy…" Erza nodded slowly. "I'm sorry I can't be of more use right now?"

"More use? You took out one of the 12! You've done enough for tonight. Please, leave the rest to us." Wendy said with a firm nod. She wouldn't allow Erza to overexert herself anymore.

"I had a little help…" Erza admitted. "It was thanks to Bisca and Reve mostly…"

"Yeah, those shots were pretty impressive right?" Takeru said, casually, appearing out of nowhere.

"KYAAAAH!" Wendy jumped from Takeru's sudden appearance. Takeru wasn't alone, Selene was with him too. "W-What are you two doing here…?! T-This is a warzone…!"

"Yeah, we know." Takeru nodded. "But we want payback on those Spriggan…"

"Plus…we saw their air fleet pass over the mountains. We had a feeling they were coming for you guys." Selene pointed out. "You guys don't look like you have a lot to do…so we'll be lending a hand."

"We don't want to get you wrapped up in our affairs…" Erza said. Her biggest concern with this war breaking out was getting others involved since it was mainly between Fairy Tail and Alvarez.

"They already took one of our own. This matter isn't just about you." Selene said before diamonds covered her body. Without even waiting for Erza to object, Selene and Takeru took off to join the fray! "Ha!" A diamond coated leg crashed into a soldier attacking Gajeel, knocking them away easily.

"Long time to see, giehe…" Gajeel gave a smirk at the diamond dragon slayer.

"How are you, sensei?" Selene said with a grin of her own.

"I hope you've been keeping up with your training." Gajeel stood side by side with Selene, keeping that smirk of his present.

"Gieheh…what do you think?" Selene really did pick up on a few of Gajeel's bad habits. But she was more than ready to kick some ass with her teacher!

"I didn't expect to see them pop up…" Carla said.

"The more the merrier!" Cynthia exclaimed, releasing an Omega Fire Dragon's Wing Slash open a group of soldiers. The heat wave was more than capable of pushing them back with no effort.

"How many has Salamander taken down? I bet I can take out more." Takeru smirked, turning this into a competition while entering his Shadow Drive. It cost little magic and it augmented his strength tenfold.

"I've already taken out the most here! Good luck!" Natsu shouted while punching a soldier into the dirt. There was no way he'd let Takeru out do him even now. The guild's defense was important, but so was his win record against Takeru.

"That's a lie!" Gajeel yelled.

"I can close that gap easy…" The shadow dragon smirked before getting to work. Team Flying Dragon had backup, and this only meant they were going to run through the invaders of the west that much easier!

* * *

Back in town, Gray's team was still having a tough time. The Weakness Soldiers were giving them a run for their money. Even if damage wasn't being dealt across both parties, it still prevented them from moving forward to assist Freed and the others. "Damn…these guys are really annoying…!"

Zelos was still dancing around the female robot. He refused to strike it because it had the most attractive face he'd ever seen! "I could use some help here…I can't hurt a lady, living or not!"

"You're absolutely hopeless…" Lisanna groaned…not that anyone could really chastise him right now. Everyone had a weakness, no matter how silly it may be. Their weaknesses were being exploited at the moment.

"Oi oi…you guys need a hand?" Luke asked from a building not too far away. He was tag teaming with Cygnus.

"What the…!? How did you get here!? Why are you here!?" Gray asked while evading a fiery punch from his current opponent.

"There's a gaping hole in that barrier." Cygnus pointed out. "Plus we're here to fuck up Alvarez."

Well…they weren't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, no matter how annoying it was. "The cathedral! One of the 12 is going for Ever and the others in there! If Freed goes down, the barrier falls and the air ships will attack!" Elfman shouted.

"On it!" Luke and Cygnus nodded before making their way to Kardia Cathedral!

* * *

"Huh…?" Warren stared at the radar.

"What now?" Laxus asked. He was wondering if he was going to have to get involved sooner than initially planned.

"Nothing bad…! It's just...there are familiar magical signatures on the radar." As Warren said this, the symbol of White Eclipse appeared in a few locations. In Magnolia, and to the west of it. "White Eclipse is here!? I can't say I saw that coming…"

"Neither can I…" Mavis pursed her lips. But this just meant that they had backup. Badd was the only one of the 12 remaining who attacked Magnolia…but they still couldn't leave the air fleet to the west open.

"Well, I'm sure they want revenge for that dude of theirs that was killed…plus I doubt they'll really sit by when an army of 1 million is invading the country within the next day or so…" Mii shrugged. She wasn't wrong.

"Even so…we can't let up yet…" Mavis said, responding to Mii, although briefly forgetting that Mii couldn't hear her.

* * *

"Freed, hang in there!" Evergreen said. "The airborne enemies in the western skies have almost been wiped out!"

"And it looks like Erza and Bisca took out one of the 12!" Bickslow said with a grin. If they could keep this up for a little longer, they could surely survive the night!

"Yeah…just a little more…" Freed nodded.

"A shame on the name of the 12 that he was…" Badd said as the doors flew open.

"An enemy!?" The Seith mage gasped.

"How'd he get here already!?" Evergreen asked.

"This barrier is similar in size to that of the Isle…and even though I can move, I'm afraid I can't fight like this. The barrier has sustained a lot of damage and its taking all I have to keep it from falling…it's taking most of what I have just to continue closing that hole made earlier. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to cover for me!"

"On it." Bickslow scowled at Badd, arms crossed. "Laxus' elite guard, the Raijinshu…"

"If we drop the ball here, we'd simply be dragging his name through the mud." Evergreen scoffed while placing a hand on her hip. "So leave it to us."

"I see it…to me, it is clear as day. The good and bad of humanity…which includes your weakness as well." Badd held his arms out to his sides. "Weakness Creation." Two soldiers manifested from thin air, each of them already having a target in mind. "Go forth."

"Line Formation!" Bickslow yelled, shooting his dolls forward in the specific formation. But they didn't get very far. The dolls dropped to the ground right in front of him. "Huh!?"

"Purification." The weakness soldier stated.

"White magic?!" Bickslow began to sweat. What kind of…!? Well, he didn't have time to think about that as the robotic soldier slugged him across the face, easily sending him flying back. "Gah…!"

Evergreen spread her arms apart, scales of dust forming and shooting forward. "Fairy Bomb: Mist!" But it didn't work, for a strange dust cleared out her own before it could touch the robot. "What's this stuff!? My scale dust isn't working!?" And she was met with a pretty fierce punch that sent her tumbling along the floor. "Kyah…!"

"Damn it…white magic cancels out my black magic…" Bickslow grunted.

"Use your alternate magic! Eye magic!" Freed suggested.

Of course! Bickslow could control one's soul, while Ever could turn one to stone! The two of them gave fierce glares to the soldier's, only to realize it had no effect! "It's not doing anything!" Evergreen said.

"The one controlling them!" Freed quickly said. If they took out Badd, then surely the soldiers would follow suit!

"End of the line!" Evergreen aimed her gaze right at Badd, staring him directly in the eyes! "Stone Eyes!" And Badd just smirked in response. "W-What…? It's not…?"

"Why won't it work!?" The shock of this failure left Bickslow and Evergreen open, allowing them to be slammed into the ground by the soldiers that they were ignoring. They let out painful screams when they were crushed.

"EVER! BICKSLOW…!" Freed was worried. At this rate, they weren't going to make it!

"Fufu…" Badd simply chuckled. "Too easy. Far. Too. Easy." He then opened his coat, revealing a large core that began to whirr and beep. Badd was beginning to transform, but not in a humanistic way…more so in a robotic way.

"Wha..!?" Bickslow's eyes widened. What were they looking at!?

Badd's transformation was complete. His humanoid form was replaced with something more fitting of a battle machine, and there was a perfectly logical reason for that. "I am not a human. I am a Machina."

"A machine…that uses magic…?" Freed was shocked at first. But then he recalled Aiden's inventions and even Sophie now that they knew more about her. To think that one on this scale could even exist…was shocking.

Although, the tension in the room did fade when the weakness soldiers began to spark, conducting electricity from an outside source. "Oh…?" Badd held an inquisitive tone.

"Lightning…?" While Freed's heart was pounding anxiously at the sight of this element, Evergreen and Bickslow looked relieved. Well…until it was revealed who really used the element.

"These things actually conduct electricity pretty efficiently….thanks for that. It's ideal for my thunder perfume." Said…Ichiya, of all people! His unexpected arrival just…left the Raijinshu speechless. The Ace of Blue Pegasus descended onto the battlefield!

Luke and Cygnus were behind Ichiya, also staring in shock and horror at his arrival. "H-HOW THE HELL DID _**HE**_ BEAT US HERE!?" Luke asked a question that probably had no answer.

.

.

Next Time: Light Shines Through.


	42. Chapter 42: Light Shines Through

"Ichiya-san!?" Evergreen's jaw dropped in disbelief.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Bickslow couldn't believe that Ichiya of all people was here and the one that saved them! Badd said nothing. He just turned over his shoulder to stare at the stout man who arrived on the scene.

"…I know why we're here, I just can't figure out why _he's_ here…" Cygnus muttered. He and Luke were staying out of sight since it seemed like all attention was on Ichiya for the moment.

"I cannot believe you would forget how cruelly you treated me. Well…no matter. First and foremost, I shall eliminate this ruffian…" Ichiya said.

" _Cruel treatment? Did something happen…?"_ Biskslow didn't say anything, but he gave Evergreen a look that conveyed the message.

" _No idea…"_ Evergreen replied.

Freed, however, seemed to have an idea as to what this was all about. _"I've failed…! To think that Ichiya would bump into Laxus…!"_

"No matter how many people show up, the outcome will remain the same." Badd said confidently, beginning to scan Ichiya to assess and exploit his weaknesses. "I see everything. All of your…weaknesses…are as…plain as day to me…"

Men!" Ichiya said.

Badd started to hesitate as he scanned Ichiya over. What was it that had the Machinas so shaken? Ichiya's weaknesses. He didn't have just one! He had…a lot. Ugly (which was a lie), excessively self-consciousness, lower back pain, smelly feet, overweight, a 5'o clock shadow, slow running abilities, low physical strength… "….." Badd could say nothing. He just stared at Ichiya and his overwhelming amount of weaknesses. "ANALYSIS ERROR! YOU HAVE WAY TOO MANY WEAKNESSES FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!"

"Me~n" Ichiya posed, as if this information meant absolutely nothing to him.

"…I'd expect nothing less from him." Evergreen said with a wry smile.

"To think he'd have so many weakness the machine can't focus on a single one…" Bickslow's jaw just hung open. What were the chances?

"Although it may have been short lived, you were all once fellow members of Blue Pegasus. In other words, you are my family. And I…will never forgive anyone who harms my family. Whether they are fairies or demons, it matters not." Ichiya's words caused all members of the Raijinshu to grin. Even though this wasn't Ichiya's business, here he was risking himself on their behalf.

"NOW!" Luke and Cygnus jumped forward while Badd was attempting to process the weakness information on Ichiya. A Darkness Crash and Gravity God's Heavy Smash slammed into the Spriggan, sending him flying backwards.

"Error! Error!" Badd's automated voice slipped out as he tumbled along the floor, eventually coming to a halt.

"Ha, got em!" Luke smirked.

"What the…!? What are you two doing here?!" Freed asked, although at the moment, their intervention wasn't exactly unwelcome.

"We can talk later. Right now we have bigger fish to fry, don't you think?" Luke said while rotating his wrist.

"Quite a descent onto the battlefield by you members of the Eclipse. But the Pegasus shall remain much more handsome. Now, come! Quiver in fear of my overwhelming parfum!" Ichiya spread his arms apart. Upon arrival, he already snuck some of his poison parfum into the air and was just waiting for Badd to feel it, but there was no response. "Hm hm…have you begun to feel the effects of my poison parfum?"

"I do not have functions that allow me to detect smells." Badd said, flatly at that.

For some reason, Ichiya seemed horribly shocked at this. "I-It's true…! He doesn't have a nose! …he was a machine from the start though, so it makes sense."

Without wasting time, Badd pushed forward, gunning directly for the most annoying and weakest one present: Ichiya. "Your overabundance of weaknesses caused me to hesitate and take damage…however…in the end, all it means is that you're pathetically weak!" The Judge exclaimed while swinging a powerful fist forward, the impact sending Ichiya soaring across the building.

"MEEEEEN!" The Pegasus cried out while violently tumbling along the floor.

"Ichiya!" Bickslow was going to assist, only to be reminded of his weakness opponent, who brutally chopped him on the head. "Agh!"

"As for you two…" Badd turned his attention to Luke and Cygnus, who were already in the midst of lunging at him. "I can see all of your weaknesses!" Two more weakness soldiers manifested within mere seconds. "You're nothing but nuisances in the end!"

"You think a piece of plastic is gonna slow me down!?" Cygnus scoffed while gunning for the soldier that decided to take aim at him. "Gravity God's…!" However, before his attack could come out, the weakness soldier beat him to the punch with a blast of wind that sent him skidding backwards in a surprising amount of agony. "Guh…God Slaying!? Just like that!?" How annoying!" It got even worse! The robot actually began to fire meatball subs at Cygnus. Silly it may seem, but they were actually coming in pretty fast and violently! He could barely avoid them! "Oh, that's just dirty…!"

"Ha!" Luke smirked, feeling confident at the robot coming his way. "Jokes on you! When it comes to magic, you can't pin a weakness on me!" While he said that, the robot he encountered was similar to the Elfman robot Mira encountered. It had Roxanee's face, which caused him to tense for a moment and block the punch aimed at him. "What the hell!? That's…not right…"

"Weaknesses aren't just physical and magical. I can see it all…even emotional weaknesses deeply pry into the human heart. It's what makes machines so superior. Emotional ties do not weigh us down." Badd shook his head. With everyone preoccupied, he could turn his attention to Freed, the one who was manning the barrier.

"That's…where you're wrong…!" Luke was about to go off on a tangent, but he had to avoid the incoming punch from the body of a robot. The punches were surprisingly strong and did a pretty good job keeping him occupied. He knew this was a fake, but for some reason, in his eyes, it almost seemed real. Perhaps that's what Mira was experiencing as well, but he'd be damned if he let this cheap knockoff stay in his way for too long! Ironically…it was also just hard getting past the damn thing. Cygnus wasn't having too much luck either.

"I think…we've encountered a truly troublesome foe…" Evergreen grumbled while remaining on the defensive. Just like with everyone else, it was taking all she had just to muster a barebones defense against the weakness soldier attacking her.

"Guys…" Freed grit his teeth this was bad. Even members of White Eclipse were having trouble against this. The worst part was, even if they could hold their own, there was nothing stopping Badd from marching over to Freed and finishing him off!

"Leave it to me!" Ichiya stood in a crouched position, reaching down for one of the many vials around his waist. "Even machines have one infallible weakness!" That said, he then stuffed two of these vials directly into his nose! "Thunder Parfum! DIRECT INHALATION!"

"UHHH…." Freed's jaw dropped What…was he looking at? He'd seen it before in previous Games, but this was a much closer view than he ever wanted.

Lightning began to surge around Ichiya. "Mmmm…! That's right! Machines are weak to electricity! MANLY THUNDERBOLT OF JUSTICE!" Proclaimed the handsomest man in the room. A bolt of lightning shot forth from his stout body, soaring towards Badd for what was a direct hit! Badd even seemed to be recoiling from the hit!

"Ooooh!" Freed underestimated him! Maybe they could make it out of this alive!

"Heh!" Ichiya was pleased with his handiwork. But something was wrong…the electricity began to intensify, but it wasn't by Ichiya's own doing.

"It may be true that machines made of organic metals are susceptible to electricity. However, do you truly think that _I,_ one who has ascended to the Spriggan 12, would not overcome such an obvious vulnerability?"

"Oh, I don't like where this is going…" Cygnus grumbled.

Badd's robotic form began to change as he channeled the lightning through his body. "My magic identifies my enemy's weaknesses. So it's only natural that I would conquer my own weaknesses as well. And that's not all…I have mastered a technique that enables me to freely convert and use electrical energy! VORTEX CHARGE!" A powerful explosion of lightning shot out from Badd's body, sending all mages except Freed flying backwards with cries of pain. Badd now took a completely different form, one that flowed with electricity.

"I had heard that there were some machines with alchemic abilities, but…to think he'd be able to completely alter his form as well…" Freed gasped. This situation was looking even more bleak with each passing second.

"By absorbing electrical energy…I can enhance and augment my strength even further!" Badd was even stronger than he was before. Ichiya's stroke of genius just backfired on everyone.

" _In other words…Laxus' magic is completely ineffective here?"_ Evergreen thought while trying to push herself up. She and the others weren't looking too great at this point.

" _I was disappointed that it was Ichiya who showed up instead of Laxus, but in the end, it was probably for the best that he didn't come here. Even the Eclipse guys aren't looking too good…"_ Bickslow had his guard up. What could they do against this?

" _He's the worst possible matchup for Laxus…I have no choice…"_ Freed had to join the fray. And so…he started to undo the barrier.

" _FREED! DON'T UNDO THE RUNES! THEY'RE STILL ATTACKING FROM THE WEST!"_ Laxus yelled into Warren's ear, but the telepathy still got across.

"…!" Freed grunted and quickly reestablished the barrier.

Badd noticed. If he had a face, he'd probably be grinning right now. "My my…it seems that you instantly dispelled the runes just now. Self-preservation over your precious runes…if you don't dispel your runes, and you'll be killed. And thus you dispelled them without hesitation…"

" _Freed! What the hell is your status over there?! Those White Eclipse chumps aren't being any help are they!? I'm coming over to back you up!"_ Laxus said, continuing to shout into poor Warren's ear.

" _You don't have to yell…he'll still hear you…"_ Warren whined.

" _NO! DO NOT COME HERE!"_ Freed yelled, telepathically of course.

" _Huh…?"_ Laxus was surprised at this response.

" _We are the Raijinshu…your bodyguards. We exist to protect you, Laxus! No…not just you. The entire guild!"_ As Freed sent this message, Evergreen and Bickslow attacked Badd from behind, managing to push him forward.

"Oh…I see you still have some fight in you…" Badd seemed impressed, but in the end, this was nothing more than an inconvenience to him.

"WE'RE FAR FROM RUNNING ON EMPTY!" Bickslow proclaimed.

"IT'LL TAKE MORE THAN THAT TO TAKE US DOWN!" Evergreen yelled!

"ENOUGH!" Badd yelled, only using one brutal fist to strike down Bickslow and Evergreen, sending them soaring away. "Weakness soldiers, eliminate these pests at once!"

As soon as Badd swung at Evergreen and Bickslow, a slightly battered Luke and Cygnus emerged from behind him. "Forgetting something!?" Luke said, swinging a leg into Badd's side to send him staggering forward.

"Try this on for size, you oversized toaster! Solar God's Ray!" Cygnus unveiled some new magic. A powerful beam of solar energy shot forth from his hands, striking against Badd's chest to send him flying! "I don't plan on going down to some microwave!"

"How annoying…" Badd growled, digging his claws into the ground. A surge of lightning sparked through the cathedral floors before exploding violently, throwing Luke and Cygnus backwards. "Them too!"

Luke stood up, scoffing at Badd's attempts to off them. "That all you got!? I'll admit, your magic is threatening in a one on one scenario. But in a larger group…"

* * *

"If you have more than two over there, then switch opponents!" Elfman shouted.

" _Elfman!?"_

"It's no big deal!" Gray was back to back with Juvia. The two of them switched opponents, so he was taking on the steam user that gave Juvia that nasty burn, while Juvia dealt with the fire user.

"Agreed! Juvia can easily handle the fire types with water!" Said the water mage.

"I'll take the brute force types!" Mira entered a stance while staring down the robot that gave Lisanna trouble.

"And I won't lose in a battle of speed!" Lisanna clawed at the soldier that ran circles around her older brother.

Meanwhile, Elfman had to punch himself in the face…literally. He was pounding away at the robot with his likeliness. "How in the hell did it come to this…me smacking myself around!?"

"Even these 'weakness soldiers' have their own weaknesses…" Gray smirked.

"UH, HELLO!?" Zelos was still having problems with the female soldier. Unfortunately for him, everyone else was a little preoccupied at the moment. "I can't hurt a pretty woman, fake or not! It goes against everything I stand for…!"

"…I'll help you in a moment…!" Mira said. At least her tone held the sincerity she was known for!

* * *

"Ngh…how useless can I be…" Ichiya grumbled. He'd been on the ground since Badd transformed.

"In that case…" Bickslow and Evergreen split up, now gunning for the soldier that gave the other trouble. "My white magic is still effective!" Evergreen threw her arm forward, releasing countless needles of Fairy Magic that pierced the soldier!

"Even in this thick fog, I can capture the enemy with my soul!" Bickslow's babies released numerous beams ono the soldier.

"That's right! Even if your weakness is something you can't overcome on your own…" Luke slammed a White God's Punch right into the soldier that was made for Cygnus, while Cygnus struck down Luke's enemy. "Your comrades can always back you up!"

"Everything in this world has a weakness. Even a weakness." Cygnus scoffed.

While it was great that they overcame the weakness soldiers, Badd already reached Freed and placed his hand on his skull, lightning beginning to surge around his palm. "As great as that sounds, it appears that you were all one step too slow."

"FREED!" Evergreen cried out.

"Shit…we're not gonna make it…!" Luke started to run, but it's just as he said, they likely weren't going to be able to intervene in time!

" _Enemies from the west…eliminated…"_ Natsu's voice entered Freed's head. _"HEY! CAN YOU HEAR ME!? WE OPENED A CAN OF WHOOP ASS ON THE INVADERS FROM THE WEST!"_

There it was…Natsu was right on time. This caused Freed to grin, a purple aura steadily wavering around his body. "Perfect…I'd expect nothing less of you, Natsu…"

"…!?" What was going on? Badd…didn't feel right! Even Ichiya began to force himself up in this critical turning point.

Freed's eyes turned pitch black, now staring up at the machine with a malicious grin. Now that the invaders from the west were taken care of…Magnolia didn't need a barrier. And you know what that means? "Now then…I can fight to my heart's content…!" Freed's body was covered in his signature armor! He lunged forward, clawing through Badd's left with his claws. "Dark Ecriture: SEVERING SHADOW!"

And in tune with Freed was Ichiya in his muscular state, punching through Badd's right side! "Parfum of Power: MAXIMUM MANILESS!" These two attacks together were capable of destroying Badd's body, tearing through it like nothing!

"…Damn it! In the end, he stole our thunder!" Bickslow groaned.

"I can't unsee that…" That image was burned into Evergreen's mind.

"Damn it! That's what we came here to do! How did he beat us to that too!?" Luke groaned.

"…I guess every man needs his day. We can't take this from him." As much as it bothered Cygnus, he had no choice but to let Ichiya have this one. He just now stared at Badd's severed robotic head as it rolled along the floor. He made a noise, but other than that, Badd was out of commission. 3 Spriggan down, 9 to go…

* * *

Gray's team finally wrapped up on their end. "Woo…we've taken out all the trash over here." Gray exhaled. His shirt was off, and so was Juvia's but at least she had a bra on.

"Mhm!" The water mage proudly grinned.

"Uh…what happened to your clothes?" Lisanna asked, but she was quickly interrupted by Zelos.

"Ssssh…no need to answer that." Zelos said while staring openly, but Juvia didn't seem to notice since they were too busy basking in their victory.

"Are you all right, Ever?" Elfman asked.

" _I don't need you of all people to worry about me."_ In other words, yes.

"How's Erza holding up?" Mira asked.

" _She's fine!"_ Wendy responded. _"She's conscious and stable…but she needs a bit of rest and a lot of water."_

" _Like…a lot."_ Cynthia added.

" _We managed to capture one of the 12! …Even if it was a fluke."_ Lucy wasn't going to deny how lucky they were in this regard. But why look a gift horse in the mouth, right?

" _We'll bring her back to the guild!"_ Cana stated while carrying the unconscious Brandish.

* * *

"ALL RIGHT!"

"WE WON!"

"WHAT NOW, ZEREF!?"

"THIS IS FAIRY TAIL!"

The resounding cheer of victory reverberated through the guild hall. Somehow, somewhat, Fairy Tail managed to fend off Alvarez's preemptive vanguard! "It seems like we endured the first assault…"

"Indeed. We preformed magnificently!" Mavis nodded, grinning gleefully.

"Hm…so they made it through the night…" Mii stuck a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth as everyone cheered. "So…which one of you is gonna deliver the bad news that your friends in Seven and Bosco got attacked just for being your friends?" Oof…that wasn't going to be easy news to deliver to those who didn't know.

"…Cynthia won't react well to hearing what happened to her sister..." Mavis bit her lip.

* * *

"So…what are you guys doing here?" Freed asked Luke and Cygnus.

"We saw a huge fleet coming this way from our guild. We were already planning on jumping them whenever they arrived." Cygnus said. "This battle is more than just you guys."

"Reve and the others planned to take out Ajeel. I don't know if they managed to finish him off or not after that wicked sandstorm…but we'll find out when they come back. Selene and Tak said they were going to help the dragon slayers in the west too. We came in to see what was going on. We got the rest of the guild on standby depending on how things turn out, and I'm pretty sure it's about to get ugly fast." Luke explained.

"I see…that's all plausible…" The rune mage nodded.

"Man…that was rough though. I guess you could say we had a Badd time…" Luke laughed and was immediately smacked in the back of the head by Evergreen's fan. "OW!"

"That was horrendous and you should feel awful for it." Evergreen stared at Luke in disgust while fanning herself.

"Yeah Luke, knock it off with the Badd puns." Cygnus said, only to receive the same fate. "OW!? You tryna start something old hag!?"

"Old hag? With those gray hairs, I'm fairly certain you're at least twice as old as me, senior.…" Evergreen and Cygnus were about to go at it. But Luke stepped between them before things got ugly.

Evergreen scowled at Cygnus once more before her attention then shifted to Ichiya. "But Ichiya-san…you were in Magnolia the whole time?!"

"Did you really forget about me…?" Ichiya asked, pretty offended at all of this.

"What the hell is going on…?" Bickslow scratched his head.

"Good grief…are you all honestly so forgetful? Don't you remember what happened a few days ago?" Ichiya had a flashback to when the B team arrived at Blue Pegasus. They swiped rounded the Raijinshu and Laxus, took his ship, flew to Alvarez to rescue Natsu's team, and finally flew back to Magnolia. He was there. The. Entire. Time. They just ignored him within his own little world of happiness. "That was a week ago you know!"

"Well…you could've gone home." Freed suggested.

"How far do you think we flew!? Christina needs time to refuel and restock!" Ichiya grumbled.

"Right well…we're gonna leave now…" Luke and Cygnus started to back up.

"And then boom! Alvarez attacks out of nowhere! I'm very angry right now!" The stout man began to repeatedly stomp on Badd's head. "Damn yooooou!"

"Uh…sorry…?" Bickslow grumbled.

"But you saved us…so thank you." Evergreen said.

"Hmph! As if that's gonna soothe me!" The handsome man gave his handsomest pout. He was feeling pretty grumpy at the moment.

"This guy is such a pain…" Freed groaned. He then heard a strange noise coming from Badd's head. It wasn't just him; Luke and Cygnus heard it too. Without thinking, Freed sprinted towards Ichiya. "ICHIYA! WATCH OUT!"

Ichiya looked down at he saw it. Badd's mouth was open and he let out a heinous laugh for a last ditch effort! "AYAHAHAHAHA!" And after that laugh, a chaotic explosion shook the cathedral.

* * *

"What!?" Gray's head turned to the building.

"It's come from the cathedral…" Lisanna whispered.

"Ever…!" Elfman yelled in worry.

"So, we're bombing churches now…?" Zelos scoffed.

* * *

Luke was able to muster a Black God's Bubble around him and Cygnus just in time to shield from most of the explosion. They were still dinged up, but they were far better than the Raijinshu at this point. "Shit…didn't think he'd blow up…!" The copycat grumbled.

"Desperation…" Cygnus groaned.

"Oh…oh…!" Ichiya took a lot of damage…but he realized that the reason he was still kicking was due to the efforts of Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen. "Y-You guys! Get a grip on it! Hey! Freed! Ever! Bickslow!"

"Oh shit! Are they okay!?" Luke rushed over to the downed group. Even if they weren't exactly friends, the recent event did bring cause for concern.

"Now…we're even…" Bickslow said grinning with his tongue out.

"Tank god…you're okay…" Evergreen spoke before fading.

"You're…like family to us…" Freed mumbled. It didn't take long for all of them to lose consciousness.

Ichiya's tears began to fall. The handsomest man in Fiore had some ugly crying going on…but he was touched by their sentiments. "You guys…you guys…!"

"Damn it…" Cygnus muttered. He was kicking himself for not thinking the robot would blow up at the end of its lifespan just to take them out…

* * *

South of Fiore: The seas near Port Hargeon. An armada of ships rolled in, rapidly approaching the port. Wahl Icht, the true Machinas, laid on a ship's deck, laughing his ass off at the turn of events. Badd was nothing more than a puppet, and Wahl as the true Spriggan. "Ah-hyahyahya! AHYAHAHAHAHA!"

Dimaria's gaze narrowed as she stared at Wahl laughing on the floor. "What a disgusting laugh…can you please stop already? You're ruining the sound of the waves."

"AYAHAHAHAHA!" Wahl continued to laugh. "Oh man…things have become way more interesting than expected! But then I could…oops, I should shop with the talk. So machines won't just be enough huh? Ahyahaha…."

"Oh…did they break that toy of yours?" Dimaria asked.

"Well…I did expect that to happen though." Wahl stood up, a toothy grin forming on his face. "What's really interesting is that they've defeated Ajeel and captured Brandish."

Wait…what? Dimaria blinked once before bringing her hand to her mouth, snickering at the news. "Pfft…what's with that? Randy's been captured by the enemy? How pitiful…"

"Ahyahaha! Whew! That was a good laugh. These Fairy Tail guys really have it in them! White Eclipse too, kinda. Even if they showed up near the end of the assault."

"They did make the Emperor send out the entire army after them, you know." Dimaria stated. "It's only a matter of time before they fall, though."

"But I can't have them underestimating me now!" Wahl stood up straight. "BORRRRRRRRRIIIINNNG, DIMARIA!"

"Calm down…" The time goddess groaned. Why was she stuck with someone so eccentric like Wahl? "We'll be reaching them soon, and our first mission is to take control of that port once we've landed." Wahl then clapped his hands together, several magic seals forming in front of him. This caused the Spriggan of time to lift a brow. "You're planning to blow up the port? We still have 30 kilometers to go."

"Nah…" Wahl grinned as a gigantic rail gun formed before him. "Target: Fairy Tail."

Dimaria placed her hand over her eyes, trying to scope out the distance. "That's 400km away. There's no way you'll actually hit that…" But she _really_ wanted to see him try.

"Don't underestimate me…" Wahl's grin turned into one of insanity as he began to charge this gigantic cannon. "THE MACHIAS ELITE: MASTER WAHL! SUPER LONG DISTANCE ANTI MATERIAL MAGIC CANNON!" The gigantic blast of magic ripped through the ocean, the ground, and the sky itself as it flew fight for Fairy Tail!

* * *

"Wait, hold on!" Warren's announcement cut the victory party short. "The sensors are picking up a heat source coming from the southeastern…wait…is that MAGIC?! Either way, it's coming at us fast!"

"What!?"

"A new enemy!?" Makarov asked.

"No…it's probably one of their attacks…" Mavis corrected.

"What kinda aim…" Mii blinked.

"Just how are they shooting at us!?" Romeo asked.

"Freed! Could you recast the…!" No response. "Freed!? It's no use…! They aren't picking up…!"

"Dammit…!" Max grunted. The beam of magic was heading right for them and there was nothing they could do about it!

"Incoming…! 700…600…it's a direct hit!" Warren yelled.

"Everyone, take cover!" Said Max.

"Is the guild gonna get destroyed again!?" Droy whined.

I won't let that happen!" A voice echoed out through the sky.

"That voice…?" Levy recognized it…

* * *

As the beam of magic came soaring towards Fairy Tail, Christina came flying into intercept it! As such…it took a direct blow. The beam now struggled to destroy the ship. Chrstina had seen a lot of use over the years, and she wasn't going to break apart that easily! "MEEEEEEEEN!" Ichiya yelled.

* * *

"Maaaan…." Wahl groaned.

"Oh? Did you miss?" Dimaria found Wahl's disappointment amusing.

* * *

"He used Christina as a shield!?" Happy's jaw dropped.

"Why would he…!?" Natsu couldn't even begin to fathom why Ichiya would do such a thing.

"This is a fight…but not one that you guys will fight alone. Fiore communications newtwork, on! Do you hear me, ladies and gentlemen!? THIS IS OUR FIGHT!" This broadcast was the last thing he could utter before Chrstina finally went down.

* * *

"We hear you loud and clear…"

White Eclipse, Black Phoenix, Shaman's Haven, Sabertooth, Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale, and Quatro Cerberus (for real this time) heard the message loud and clear! This wasn't just Fairy Tail's fight, no matter how much of a burden it may have been on them!

* * *

"Ichiya…" Mavis couldn't believe the sacrifice he made for them. "Everyone…" Oh…but it didn't end there. "I…I have to inform everyone that Cosmic Star and Dealer are…" Just outside the guild, the ground swelled before exploding. It caught everyone off guard and they were ready to fight…but the ground spit up Daryan, Magnus, Shadowlore, Hiruka, Yakuza, and Alex! Everyone was present from Bosco's top guild excluding Gaia. They were all unconscious and heavily battered, but still alive!

The symbol of a heart formed outside as well. From it, Ace, Tia, Jack Corvus, Diamond, Strong, Spade, Spark, and Heartless all spilled out. They looked worse for wear, but they were still kicking. "Sorry we're late…" Ace coughed up some blood.

"They're….they're here…!?" Mavis was shocked, but glad to see them all alive!

This wasn't just Fairy Tail's fight, no matter how heavy the burden it was for them to bear. This was a fight for all of Fiore…no…all of Ishgar! No matter how dark the tunnel…light shined through.

Light shines through.

.

.

Next Time: Battlefield.


	43. Chapter 43: Battlefield

The sun shone on a new day on Magnolia. Fairy Tail was able to come out of the first battle against Alvarez thanks to White Eclipse's members and Ichiya's own sacrifice. Ichiya sent out a communication to all the guilds of Fiore, at least those he knew that were willing to help. Cosmic Star and Dealer also arrived, although they were all pretty beat up and Gaia was the only one missing, which left a number of questions. But for now, most of the night was spent patching up their injured friends, and now that morning came, it was time to plan their next move. "We somehow managed to fend off their vanguard. However, our current situation, which is being attacked from all sides, has not changed." Makarov said.

"But hey, we've got all the guilds in Fiore helping us out now!" Jet said with a grin.

"We can count on those guys for sure!" Vijeeter nodded.

"We've got this war in the bag!" Droy exclaimed.

"Not to mention…Kemuri has rounded up the Council to begin the counter attack as well." Levy said. "He's been mobilizing forces for the past week…"

"Yeah, you're welcome." Reve waved a hand. Reve, Waiston, Kuro, Sidney, Jack, Luke, Takeru, Cygnus, and Selene were within the guild hall as well, recovering after the battle from yesterday. The rest of White Eclipse was on standby, ready to act whenever Fairy Tail got their act together.

Even though Fairy Tail's spirits were high, Mavis didn't like where this was going. "I'm afraid not…this is Fairy Tail's problem. I never intended to trouble the other guilds by getting them involved."

"That may be, but politeness won't win us this war." Laxus said as a scowl formed. "If Ishgar is going to be a battlefield, this was bound to happen sooner or later. Lucky for us, it was sooner. But that's not important right now. All I've got on my mind…is taking down the bastard who took out Freed and the others." Freed, Bickslow, Evergreen, and Ichiya were all in Fairy Tail's infirmary.

"I'm surprised…it was pretty arrogant of you guys to think you could fight this battle alone." Considering that this statement was coming from Reve of all people…and he wasn't taking shots either. "Laxus was right. We were going to enter this fray regardless."

"Can't you stand to be a little less of an asshole right now?" Gray narrowed his eyes at Reve.

"He's right." Makarov said. "There is truth in both Reve and Laxus' words. For now, it is our duty to graciously accept the help from the other guilds and devise a new plan to face the coming enemy. Warren, give us the report on the current state of the battle."

"Got it! It'll be here in a few minutes!" Warren said. Mavis still looked a little uneasy. Ishgar was going to be a continent ravaged by battle soon enough…

* * *

In another section of the guild, Cynthia, Wendy, and Carla were attending to the wounded Cosmic Star. The conversation was going to be overheard by the others as it was important information for them to know. "Sis…I'm so glad you're okay…but what happened…?"

"We got ambushed…" Alex rubbed her bandaged arm, her gaze averting away from her sister. "A huge air fleet came out of nowhere and just started ravaging Bosco. We knew Alvarez was going to attack, but…"

"Not like that…" Daryan groaned, popping a few of his bones back into place. There was also a noticeable gash along his side, but one he poorly stitched back together using some thin bones. "Agh…damn it. We didn't even have the time to muster a counter attack. God Serena led the charge…I didn't get a chance to give that bastard a piece of my mind…"

"What happened to Gaia…?" Carla asked…although she did dread it a little bit.

"She was the reason we were able to make it here safely…" Alex gripped the bottom of her dress, feeling the tears well up in her eyes. "She fought Alvarez off…"

"Wait…do you mean she's…" Carla didn't dare finish the sentence though. She could see the pain in Alex's eyes…

* * *

[Flashback: Hours before Alvarez attacked Fairy Tail]

The country of Bosco was ravaged from above by Ajeel's air fleet. At this point in time, the air fleet was double the size of what it was before attacking Magnolia. While his destination was Fairy Tail and Magnolia, Emmeraude suggested that they strike down Bosco in the process. "Guess that old lady has a bright idea every now and then…I heard Bosco had mages stronger than those in Fairy Tail, but is this all they got!? This'll be a piece of cake then!"

"Sir! We have a large magical signature coming towards us!" A soldier reported.

"What!?" Ajeel turned, only to see a massive blast of earth consume multiple ships, shooting them out of the sky! In one shot, Gaia was able to take down half of Ajeel's fleet. "Is that a dragon!? Holy shit! She wasn't kidding!"

Gaia in her dragon form was visible on the ground. Though she was wounded and protecting Cosmic Star from any further harm! There was too much going on at the moment…even the palace of Bosco had fallen, but King Ceros was a much stronger man than that to die. "If you continue on this path, I will NOT hesitate to unleash my wrath upon you!"

"Gaia, you can't fight all those ships…you're wounded…!" Alex yelled, showing concern for the woman thought of as both her foster dragon and her mother.

"Yes…this is a battle that we are better off fleeing." Magnus stated. "It is for the best that we retreat!"

"I can't do that." Gaia shook her head. "They're going for Fairy Tail. If I leave them as they are now, I don't think they will be able to come out on top!"

"Gaia, don't be foolish!" Shadowlore yelled. "What do you want us to do then? Stand here and watch as you fall? There are a lot of things I can do as the amazing Shadowlore…but I can't do that."

"I…" Before Gaia could say anymore, a vicious gust of wind struck her! The dragon roared in pain while holding her ground, snarling at her attacker.

"And so…the dragon appears! But never fear, for _I_ am here!" God Serena stepped forward, his eyes black in color and a malicious grin spread across his lips. "With my godly descent onto the battlefield, the foul dragon of Bosco shall be slain by me: God Serena!" While God Serena boasted about his appearance, August and another member of the Spriggan 12, Jacob Lessio, watched from afar. God Serena insisted this encounter was his and his alone.

"God Serena? Gaia snarled.

"Oh, there he is…" Ajeel scoffed. While it was annoying that Gaia managed to strike down half of his fleet…the size of it now was still more than enough to take down Fairy Tail. So with this in mind, Ajeel continued on.

"You're no Acnologia…but it will serve as a wonderful warm up. Once regarded as a weaker dragon…you now have considerable strength…" God Serena's grin widened. "After I've slain you…perhaps I will test my skills on that isle off on the coast and slay all of them!"

"What do we do…!?" Hiruka asked. The poor exceed was at a loss.

"We fight, that's what we do." Yakuza said as a frigid aura emanated from his body.

Gaia shook her head and slammed her leg into the ground. This caused the ground to rumble and open up underneath the members of Cosmic Star. "You will fight…but not here, and not with me. This war is more than just me. This war will envelop Ishgar and change the fate of the entire world. This is an order to me as your guild master! PROTECT FAIRY TAIL WITH EVERYTHING YOU CAN! I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!"

"GAIA!" Alex started to cry, but there was nothing she could do as the ground opened up under them and caused them to fall, immediately closing right after.

"Sending off your kin? It matters not…because if they fight alongside His Majesty's enemies, they will fall sooner or later." God Serena's fangy grin widened as he extended a hand. "I hope you said your farewell. Because it's _**GOD BYE BYE**_ for you…"

[End flashback]

* * *

"And that's how we ended up here…" Alex sighed after explaining the story.

"Gaia…" Cynthia frowned. She then took Alex's hands to look her sister in the eyes. "Gaia did a brave thing for you…and for us too. I promise that we won't let her sacrifice be in vain…"

"I know…I trust you guys, and I trust her too. She'd hate to see me crying like this…so I…I'll fight with everything I have…!" Alex wiped the tears from her eyes. Her sister needed her now, and she had to be the older sibling! "…Also, I know this is an awkward time…but what happened to your hair…?"

"Oh…nothing…!" Cynthia bashfully smiled.

"… _Your relationship with your sister…it reminds me of the one I had with mine…"_ Verona told Cynthia.

* * *

Lucy, Lisanna, Elfman, and Mira were checking in on Dealer. Lucy crouched down, staring at Tia with a worried look. "What happened to you guys…?"

"We got ambushed too…" Ace groaned. His sickness really did get the best of him this time and Lisanna was worried.

"Are you all right!? You didn't push yourself did you?" Lisanna asked rapid firing questions about Ace's wellbeing.

"Those assholes came out of nowhere!" Jack slammed his hand onto a table angrily. Though his anger issues were mostly resolved…he was still extremely irritable. "We were minding our own business when the jackass with a scythe and that scepter lady just attacked!"

"Prometheus and Pandora…" Lucy frowned. She was hoping they wouldn't be an issue…

"Yeah…those two. They also got in the way of us finishing off Ajeel…so he got away." Waiston added from afar.

"So there are even more troublesome enemies…" Elfman crossed his arms before glancing at Jack. "…Your right arm doesn't look great…"

"It's fine." Jack scoffed. "It's just a scratch. That scythe wielding maniac thought he could pull one over of my sister, not on my watch."

"So you protected your sister…" Elfman felt a grin tug on his lips. Perhaps his words from two years ago really did stick with the young man.

"I owe him one…" Tia spoke while ruffling her brother's hair.

"Regardless…we were ambushed." Heartless took a seat, wincing in pain. "Our base of operations was mostly destroyed in the process, but we were able to grab Joker's lacrima in the event we need to use him. As for the country itself…it has seen better days. Queen Vena preformed wonderfully against the initial wave of Alvarez invaders."

"You're all so horribly injured…you need to rest." Mira nodded, not taking no for an answer. They looked far worse than those from Cosmic Star.

"I won't argue with that…" Strong then fell asleep on the spot, much to the shock of Diamond, Spade, and Spark.

"We won't be doing much for a while, like it or not…" Spade rotated his shoulder. "So…we'll do what we can from here…"

"Sorry…" Tia sighed. She hated this feeling of uselessness, and she really wanted to get back at Alvarez for what they just did.

"How did you manage to get here so quickly?" Mira asked.

"This." Heartless pulled out a card with the shape of a heart on it. "I've created multiple 'space' cards for everyone. They can't be hindered by other types of space magic and are untraceable…Spade helped me create them. They're single use, though…and it takes me time to create another one. I already used mine."

"You guys are kinda scary with your tech…" Lisanna said with a small sweat drop.

* * *

In the dungeon of the guild, Brandish was locked behind bars. Magic sealing cuffs bound her hands and feet and she laid on the floor as Macao and Wakaba watched over her. She was stripped of her coat and heels, leaving her in her two piece getup. "Will this sealing stone really keep her in check…?" Macao asked while looking her over.

"Considering how quiet and obedient she's been, her magic must be sealed up good…" Wakaba said. Brandish then glanced at them and the older men swallowed nervously. "But damn…she's quite the woman, ain't she?"

"Do all chicks from the west wear this kind of getup?" Macao asked.

"Hey, look at Bisca!"

"Ah…yeah…she definitely doesn't dress like the mother of a child…" The two men went back and forth with this guy talk. Brandish just listened since she didn't have anything better to do.

"I know, right?" Zelos said while running his hand through his hair. "Bisca-chan is quite the looker, though. Even though she's a mother…"

"Right?" Macao said. At this point they all knew Zelos was alive and well…and it was becoming clear at this point that he took part in the talk with Macao and Wakaba quite often.

"By the way…" Wakaba stared at Zelos. "You spent time with this one, right…? You're not gonna like…let her go or anything? Because we're enjoying the view, ya know?"

Zelos then gasped. "What? You guys have such little faith in me…!" He said, pretending to be offended. "But I mean…as much as I would love to let Lady Brandish go for treating me so well, you guys would probably lock me in there with her and then we'd both be stuck. But I will not stand here and listen to you two objectify this beautiful woman!" Zelos then turned the two men around, draping his arms around their shoulders. Ah yes…that left an impression on Brandish. At least he thought so. "If you think she looks good now, you should really see her with her coat on. It may not seem like much…but it _really_ is a good look, especially with the heels…"

"You think we should give her clothes back…?" Macao was seriously considering this. Usually, putting more clothes on a woman took away the effect, but Zelos did know what was up with attractive women so they could trust him in this regard.

"It's almost tempting…" Wakaba was tempted to do it…!

"…." Brandish said nothing. She could hear a few of their whispers. Nothing Zelos said, but she could make out the two older males debating putting her clothes back on for god knows why.

"I say you do it…!" Mii spoke with a tone that caused the men to jump.

"Ah, Mii-chan…!" Zelos grinned. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Since they talked about Bisca. And let me tell you, that is one mother that I would…." Mii trailed off, shrugged, and stepped forward. "But I can't believe you disgusting men! Standing here and objectifying these beautiful women like that…!" Uh oh…was this seriously coming from Mii of all people!?

"…" The men were speechless. Was she about to tear into them!?

"…Without Mii!" She finally said, walking over to examine Brandish. "Yup…yup…just as I thought. She's definitely much better with the coat and heels on; you guys should put them back on. Also, she's in handcuffs; take advantage of it."

Now that they actually took a closer look at Mii…the men realized that she was wearing some of Lucy's more…revealing clothing. Knowing Mii, it was intentional, and now that they noticed, it was hard to look away. "…How old did you say you were again?"

"Older than 20, less than 30." Mii replied absentmindedly while continuing to look Brandish over. They made eye contact and Mii winked.

Zelos whispered to Macao and Wakaba about Mii's real age. The look they had showed their surprise. "R-Really…!?"

"Yup." Zelos nodded. "She looks good for being that age, right?"

"Hmmmmm?" Mii turned around while leaning over, giving the men a wry smile. "Are you spilling my secrets? That's no fun." Pop! The tight top she wore couldn't contain her chest and a button flew off, only further exposing it. "Oops…the button came off…~" She was doing this on purpose. "So about that position she's in...?"

Mii might have been too much for Wakaba and Macao to handle. She was too similar with their line of thinking. "Maybe we should change her position…A bit of a sexier pose…" Macao was starting to let out steam from his nose just thinking about it.

"Heh heh…yeah…something that really accentuates that ass, you know…!" Wakaba agreed!

WHACK! Lucy's fist struck the back of all four of their years. Mii was the only one who didn't flinch in pain while the guys did. "Keep it in your pants! The Master told you to treat her hospitality, didn't he?"

"Hey, I don't have to listen to him." Mii shrugged.

"We take our eyes off you four for two minutes and this is what we find?" Cana sounded disgusted with their actions…but at the same time, she wasn't surprised.

"WE'RE SORRY!" Wakaba and Macao yelled in unison while holding one another. They got caught with their pants down.

"I would never objectify Lady Brandish." Zelos scoffed the assumption away. That only made Lucy sweat.

"What happened when you were over there….?" Lucy shuddered at the thought. Her attention then turned to Brandish, who just silently sat by at the sexual comments about her. "You. Tell me. What is your relation to my mother?" Brandish just looked at her. "You…referred to me as "Layla's daughter", didn't you?"

Brandish slowly began to sit up. "If you're going to kill me, hurry up and get it over with."

"We won't treat you like a prisoner of war or anything of the sort. Please, just tell me about my mother…" Lucy clenched a hand into a fist subconsciously. "I…I need to…"

"You should just kill me while you have the chance." Brandish repeated herself, a sinister smile crossing that pretty face of hers. "I'm sitting right here…in the middle of your guild…this may be your one and only chance."

"…Oh, come on…don't say things like that…you're tempting Mii in other ways…" Mii grumbled. Cana had to tug both her and Zelos on the ear to pull them away. Mii just let it happen while Zelos whined. "Don't waste your breath, Lucy…she's not talking."

"I can make her talk…" Mii muttered.

"You're out of control." Lucy shook her head. She also just now realized what Mii was wearing. "And you just _had_ to pick those clothes, didn't you…?"

* * *

Just outside of the guild hall, Marin was hiding around a corner, snickering to himself. "So…this is the enemy's base of operations is it? With my space commandment magic, it'll be easy to sneak in and get Lady Brandish back…"

* * *

Far west of Magnolia. A large troupe of 1 million soldiers marched forward. The march in the west was led by Zeref, who was accompanied by Invel and Emmeraude. Yajeel and Emerald were also there, both presumably unable to rest easy knowing their relatives were going to war and wished to be there for them. "Your Majesty…it seems that Ajeel and Brandish, who were leading the charge, have both been eliminated." Invel reported.

"Inconceivable…" Yajeel shook from the news.

"Oh my…" Emerald placed a hand over her mouth. "I'm so sorry, sir Yajeel…."

"I bet he was reckless…" Emmeraude sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. After she gave them such a good plan, too.

Zeref only smiled at this news. "And that is to be expected. It would be a bore if you couldn't manage at least this much, Mavis."

"Ajeel has been…has he truly been defeated…?" Yajeel found this hard to accept…

"To think that not one, but two of the 12 would be killed. This surpasses my predictions…" Invel muttered while adjusting his glasses.

"No, you're wrong." Zeref remarked. "They haven't been killed…and therein lies the enemies weakness."

"That's correct." Emmeraude said, speaking from experience. "Unless the situation is truly dire and their hand is forced. Otherwise, they'll simply take away things that are dear to you." The woman then held up a device. "…I've got a report from Prometheus and Pandora. They managed to whisk Ajeel away from death by the hands of White Eclipse members. It appears that the other guilds of Fiore are beginning to enter the fray. It was only a matter of time until it happened, though. It also seems as though the forces sent to Iceberg and Minstrel failed…"

"As expected." Zeref kept his gaze forward. "This battle has only begun. We're entering the second phase now."

* * *

"I've received information from the eastern front! The guilds in the nation of Bosco have all but been eliminated…!" Warren reported.

"…Just as I thought…." Magnus grunted.

"No doubt Seven is the same way…"Ace said.

"I don't get why they'd attack the entirety of Seven and Bosco. It'd be much easier to get rid of us…" Diamond tried to figure things out, but she couldn't.

"Okay. Lesson time." Mii walked up to the map that displayed the entirety of Ishgar. "I can't believe you guys need one so late into the game, but it's whatever."

"Ugh…why is she here…?" Tia huffed. She still disliked Mii.

"She won't leave…" Laxus scoffed.

"Anyway!" Mii pointed to Fiore. "Alvarez's main target is you guys. No doubt they wanted to get rid of potential help by taking out Bosco and Seven since they're your neighbors. This war with Ishgar is really just war with you guys. Anyone else is likely caught in the crossfire. Pergrande won't be doing shit to help."

"You'd think if they wanted war with the entire continent, they'd take out Pergrande…" Carla said.

"Nope. Wrong." Mii shook her head. "Pergrande has the biggest army on this continent…and probably second largest in the world next to Alvarez. Knowing Em…she probably wanted to do it, but knew it was for the best they didn't. Not to mention, it's really far out of the way. If they fought Pergrande, it wouldn't end well for either side. Plus, King Ashnard is easily one of the strongest people…well, living. You know the Heracles Cannon? It can basically do what Jupiter did without the recharge. As for Iceberg…Queen Ice could probably take care of things on her own…"

"…." Diamond wrinkled her nose at that name.

"And Minstrel…well, the Martell Family isn't exactly one to be trifled with. I don't know a lot about them, but they're pretty strong. Plus that little kid of a ruler has a gigantic air fleet at her disposal, and it wouldn't do them well to mess with that. And when you think about it…Fiore is _really_ low on the ladder…like…easily the weakest country in Ishgar. And that's all for Mii's lesson on Ishgar!"

"Well…that was insightful. All it told us is that we're isolated." Takeru sighed.

"…That was insightful." Mavis said. Alvarez was confident they could take out Bosco, Seven, and Fiore. But the rest of Ishgar as a whole left doubts.

"I have news regarding the army marching from the north! Sabertooth, Quatro Cerberus, Shaman's Haven, and Blue Pegasus are moving to intercept them!" Warren reported.

"We'll have some of our members go join them." Reve said.

"I'll be joining them as well." Royal said while holding up a flask.

"Me too." Yakuza stood up and rotated his shoulder. He wasn't going to sit around and do nothing while the others fought.

"That leaves Port Hargeon…although it was seized by southern forces, Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale, and Black Phoenix are moving to liberate it!" Warren said.

Daryan perked up at. "Did you say Mermaid Heel? I have to go. I haven't seen Kagura-chan in so long…"

"Give it up dude…" Gray said with a deadpanned look.

"Hey, I respect his drive." Mii quipped.

"In that case, we just need to deal with the enemies from the east and west!"

"No, we can't say for sure. There's no guarantee the other guilds will win."

"Hey! Don't lose faith in them so easily!"

The no names were talking. Those from the other guilds who were important just stared at the unfamiliar faces. "…Who are they…?" Luke whispered to Selene.

"No idea…" Selene said.

"First…let's go back them up!" Romeo suggested.

"That's right! We can't just sit back while the other guilds at as our shield!" Jet yelled.

"Now is the time to go on the offensive!"

"But of course!" Mavis agreed.

"Mirajane, Elfman, Gajeel, Lily, Levy, and Lisanna, you will head north!" Mavis said. "Joining them will be Yakuza, Jack Royal, Takeru, and Selene, yes?" Mavis turned to Sidney. She knew he could see and hear her, and he simply nodded in response and looked towards the three to tell them they were going north.

"Now's my chance to make Jenny owe me!" Mira grinned.

"I've been waiting to arrest those Saber guys…" Gajeel smirked.

"Get your priorities straight!" Lily yelled at the dragon slayer.

"To the south I will send Natsu, Gray, Juvia, Wendy, Cynthia, and Laxus." Mavis said.

"I'll get to see Lyon's ugly mug for the first time in a while…" Gray chuckled.

"Juvia…isn't looking forward to seeing him…" The water mage said.

"We'll be able to fight with Chelia again! I hope she and Raven have been doing all right…" Wendy said.

"The Sky Sisters will be reunited once again." Carla laughed.

"She's gonna flip when she sees the ring…" Cynthia was imagining Chelia's reaction. It was priceless already.

"That's where the machine bastard is, right?" Laxus scowled. He wasn't kidding when he said his only thought was taking down the one that took out Freed and the others.

"Hm…? Wait…where's Natsu?" Gray looked around.

"Juvia thinks he ran off…" She said. Everyone then began looking around for Natsu.

"…Did you see him leave?" Levy asked those from White Eclipse, but the just shrugged.

"Natsu is definitely all right." Erza said, using a stick to balance herself. She was still recovering from her battle with Ajeel. "I will accompany you to the south in his place. I wish to see Kagura as well…"

"With those injuries?" Reve looked Erza over and scoffed. "You look like Calium in his older days…barely being able to walk. I have to see how this turns out."

"If you're worried about me…there's no need to be. I can still fight." Said the woman who was hobbling with her temporary third leg.

"Trust me when I say I don't care what happens to you." Reve answered quickly. "Luke, Cyg, Waiston, and Kuro. You're with me. Aira, Jaxon, and Taya will be meeting us there. The others will take the north."

"Got it!" Kuro nodded, answering for everyone.

"I'm coming too!" Alex piped up. "Someone has to watch over those two…" She pointed at Lore and Daryan, both of them eager to meet up with Mermaid Heel again.

"Me too!" Hiruka said.

"Lucy and Cana will continue to watch over the prisoner." Mavis turned to the two women.

"Y…yeah…" Lucy was a little downtrodden. Her thoughts were on Natsu at the moment. Where did he go?

"Ugh…" Macao and Wakba groaned.

"We can't leave her with the old geezers that's for sure." Cana grinned. "Wanna join us, Tia?"

"Ah…sure…? Watching over the prisoner? I can do that." Tia nodded slowly.

"The rest of you will be entrusted with the defense of the guild! The enemy may attempt to launch a surprise attack on us at any moment!" Mavis. Dealer was going to help, because right now they were too beat up to really go anywhere at the moment.

Makarov turned to Mavis. "First…how are we going to cope with the forces from the east and west?"

"The advance of their western forces is comparatively slow. Most likely, Zeref himself is marching with them." Oh boy. Zeref himself was marching towards them? "We will in al llikelihood end up converging him with our remaining forces after the battles on those sides are decided."

"What about the east!? Please, let me go!" Romeo pleaded.

"Sit down, kid." Cygnus shook his head.

"At present, the east is our greatest threat! As such, we must intercept them head on with our strongest forces!" Mavis said. "Warren, were you able to contact them?"

"But of course! This force is Fiore's very finest!" Warren held up an 'okay' sign with his hand. The force on the eastern front consisted of: Jura, Hyberion, Warrod, and Wolfheim.

"The four heavenly kings!?" That caused a positive riot.

"…." Sidney then poofed out of room in a puff of smoke.

"…Where'd he go?" Cynthia asked.

"You can't really call that force Fiore's finest without the strongest mage from the strongest guild, can you?" Waiston said confidently.

"But Gildarts isn't here…" Cynthia awkwardly rubbed the back of her head.

That aside… "They were originally working behind the scenes to prevent the war from happening. But after all that happened, they feel responsible…even though it's really not their fault." Levy explained. "And this is on top of what the Council is going to be acting on as well…"

"If it so happens that those three sides cannot hold…then I do not think any mage in Fiore will be able to hold them back." Mavis said. _"I'm counting on you, Warrod…"_

To break it down:

To the north: Sabertooth, Shaman's Haven, Blue Pegasus, and Quatro Cerberus were going to intercept the enemy. A few members of White Eclipse were going to join them as well, since it happened to be near their guild anyway. Gajeel, Jack Royal, Yakuza, Selene, Takeru, Mira, Lisanna, Elfman, Lily, and Levy were going to meet up with them.

To the south: Mermaid Heel, Black Phoenix, and Lamia Scale were going to liberate Port Hargeon from the grip Alvarez seized over it. Erza, Laxus, Gray, Juvia, Wendy, Cynthia, and Carla were going to head down to assist them. Luke, Reve, Cygnus, Waiston, and Kuro were joining along with Daryan, Alex, Hiruka, and Shadowlore. Aira, Jaxon, and Taya were supposed to meet with them down there, where Dimaria and Wahl awaited.

The east: Jura, Wolfheim, Hyberion, and Warrod were going to intercept August, Jacob, and God Serena. Sidney himself was moving to join them against Alvarez's big guns.

The west: the only point they didn't have to worry about for now. The slow march was led by the Black Wizard himself, accompanied by Emmeruade and his trusted advisor, Invel.

The others were going to remain at the guild. Magnus was going to assist Warren with his own telepathy to increase the scope of the radar, Dealer was going to rest due to their injuries, and Lucy and Cana were going to keep watch over Brandish.

"H-HEY! LOOK AT THIS!" Warren shouted, catching everyone's attention. There was a big dot on the radar rapidly heading west. "It's Natsu! We've found him and he's moving at an incredible speed!"

"What the hell is he…!?" Gray's eyes widened. To the west was…

"Don't tell me he's…?!" Makarov couldn't believe it either.

* * *

Invel looked to the sky, sensing Natsu's presence. "Your Majesty…it appears that an unidentified flying object is hurling straight towards us." This news only made Zeref grin.

* * *

Natsu and Happy flew at full speed, heading right for Zeref! The fastest way to victory was to defeat Zeref, and it was time Natsu finally brought their fate to a close! He was determined to do this and absolutely nothing was going to stop him. "IT'S TIME YOU AND I FINISH THIS DANCE! I'M COMING FOR YOU…ZEREF!"

.

.

Next time: Natsu vs. Zeref.


	44. Chapter 44: Natsu vs Zeref

"Does he really intent to face Zeref alone!? That's way too dangerous!" Warren yelled.

"That brat…!" Laxus grumbled.

"Leave it to him to go off on his own like that!" Takeru had a tick mark on his forehead.

"Change of plans it is then! Let's go!" Gray wasn't going to let Natsu get all the glory against Zeref!

"Wait." Erza stuck her arm out in front of Gray. "We'll move according to the First's plan. Let's leave Zeref to Natsu."

"That doesn't sound smart to me." Tia pointed out.

"You serious!?" Gray scowled. "We're talking about Zeref here! He has the book of END with him y'know!"

"Natsu said he's got something to defeat Zeref, so…we'll be all right." Erza said, keeping her faith in Natsu.

Gray was in Erza's face, his scowl growing even deeper. "You've got too much faith in him, Erza!"

Awkward silence. Watching Gray and Erza argue moments before they were supposed to head out… "…Yikes…" Mii said.

"We don't have time for this…" Reve shook his head. He and the others were going to start going on ahead.

"So you're telling me you don't believe in him?" Erza didn't back down. She just stared right back at Gray.

The two of them kept this silence before Lucy came between them, pushing them apart from one another. "Okay, okay! Stop this already…!"

"What do we do now, First…?" Mira glanced at Mavis.

"Well, let's place our hopes on Natsu then. His moves might seem reckless, but I'm sure there's a reason to them." Mavis surmised. "We're cornered from all sides. He must've thought the faster way to end it all was to take down the enemy leader, and I must agree, it is the most effective way. Let's just believe in him, shall we, Gray?"

Gray turned his back, rubbing the back of his head, sheepishly. "Yeah well…it's not like I _don't_. It's just…y'know…him going all out there alone…and stuff…."

Juvia gasped. She knew what this was about! "Gray-sama's worried for Natsu-san!"

"Well, he's not alone, is he?" Carla walked up to Gray, presenting a soft smile. "Happy's with him, am I right?"

"…I guess…" Gray sighed.

"Right then. It's time for everyone to move out!" Mavis commanded. "The fate of the world rests on these four battles! I have faith in all of you!"

"Time to move." Laxus said for those who couldn't hear Mavis. "We can scold the idiot later."

"All right, let's go!" Luke grinned. But before he went out, his gaze went to Lucy, wishing to confirm something. "So…before we go. Is it true you fought one of the 12 naked?"

Lucy's face began to heat up and she started to push the copycat out the door. "I don't know who told you that, but get out! Go fight!"

"Heheh…" Mii snickered. It was her.

.

.

Natsu and Happy were rapidly approaching Zeref's march. "Natsu…I think I can see them." Happy said. Up ahead was the troop of 1 million soldiers. All of them condensed so tightly together just looked like a wave of darkness slowly approaching from the horizon.

"Yeah…" Natsu nodded.

"That really is a pretty big number of people…" Happy said, taking in the numbers they were up ahead. "It's like we're looking at a black carpet. But we're still flying right at them."

"Oh yeah…" Natsu just remembered something. "What did we do with that carpet we messed up?"

"Eh, you burnt it, remember?" Happy said.

"Really? It burnt, huh…?" Natsu had a grin on his lips. "ALRIGHT! HERE WE GO HAPPY!"

"AYE SIR!" Happy dove down, taking Natsu directly towards the incoming troops. As Happy flew down, fire exploded form Natsu's arms, taking the shape of wings. The Fire Dragon's Wing Slash struck down a number of soldiers while catching them off guard.

"What the hell!?"

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"

The soldiers began to yell and tried to regroup after Natsu's surprise attack. Now was the time to keep his offensive momentum going! "Happy, drop me off!"

"Huh!? Are you planning on taking them all at once!?" Happy was confused, but he dropped Natsu right in front of the platoon of soldiers.

"Yup…" Natsu landed on a knee, staring at the enemies ahead. "What better wat to draw Zeref's attention." The fire dragon reared his arm back, flames gathering on it, then thrusted it forward! "TAKE THIS!" A powerful wave of flame consumed numerous soldiers, travelling for yards on end and destroying everything in its wake.

"That kid!"

"How dare he!?"

A couple of soldiers tried to attack Natsu, but he flipped over them and struck, knocking them away with his raw strength. As soon as he landed, he lunged forward, slamming a blazing elbow into a soldier's face, melting their helmet while sending them flying back in the process. "HA!" Now the soldiers began to wise up, using their weaponry to fire of long range blasts of magic. With a single swipe of his arm, Natsu parried the blast right back and it exploded.

"He parried our attacks!"

"It doesn't matter! Keep firing! Remember, it's only one of him against all of us!"

The idea of quantity over quality really shone when you were literally out numbered 1 million to 1! The soldiers continued to open fire and Natsu realized the situation he was in. The salamander deftly evaded some of the shots aimed at him, but he couldn't dodge forever and a single shot was all they needed to corner him. "Ngh…!" One shot hit, forcing Natsu to stumble back. This allowed them to open fire on him relentlessly.

"NATSU…!" Happy cried out in worry.

"I'm okay…" Natsu said through the deafening roar of all the blasts converging on him. "I'll keep fighting…TO PROTECT WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME!" Natsu held his breath, gathering an absurd amount of magic within his mouth. "FLAME DRAGON KING'S ROAR!" Upon this cry, a gigantic burst of flame erupted on the area, covering everything for meters on end.

What was left after Natsu's roar? The ground was completely incinerated, leaving nothing but a trail of steam in its wake. "T…The entire ground's gone!"

"M…Monster?!"

"Hey…! Nobody told us about guys like him in Ishgar!"

"Urk…"

"How many of our men are down!?"

An obsidian sphere materialized from thin air. "1,032 people." A familiar voice spoke as the sphere grew larger. "But we've still got 998,968 people left." Zeref spawned from the circle of darkness, stepping out to meet Natsu with a soft smile.

"Huh…you appeared a lot sooner than I expected…" Natsu said.

"Well…I wanted to see you as soon as possible, Natsu." Zeref kept the smile on his lips.

Natsu began to finally unwrap the bandages around his arm. "Heh…too bad we've gotta say our farewells soon, Zeref."

"What did that mage call His Majesty…? Zeref…?"

"Zeref?" The soldiers of Alvarez murmured among one another. The name Zeref was foreign to them.

"In Ishgar, they refer to His Majesty as such." Invel explained. "Zeref, the Black Wizard. In actuality, that is His Majesty's true identity."

Emmeraude stepped forward, placing her hands on her hips while scowling at the soldiers of Alvarez. "Over 1,000 soldiers down. Are you serious?"

"L-Lord Invel…! Lady Emmeraude…!" The soldiers straightened up at their appearance.

"Nobody told you about the mages being this strong? Do you all not listen?" Emmeraude tapped her foot impatiently. She was above the rank of a soldier, but not that of a Spriggan. As such, she held the right to berate them. "I warned you all exactly what we'd be dealing with" Sigh. "But no matter." She then turned her attention to Natsu. "Zeref…er…Your Majesty. I can take care of him if you would allow it."

"I'm afraid I can't allow that." Zeref kept his gaze on Natsu. This was the moment he was waiting for after all this time. Their second clash. "I can only ask that you all back away a bit."

"Happy, you too. Fly away from here." Natsu glanced up at the Exceed.

"Aye." Happy wasn't going to object. He flew off as Natsu continued to unwrap the bandages. _"He's planning on using that right off the back. Give 'em hell, Natsu!"_

"Invel, Emmeraude. I would ask you to have everyone retreat to the west. Put at least several kilometers between us." Zeref said.

"I must protest, Your Majesty." Invel shook his head. "Is there truly a need for you to dirty your hands on someone lowly as him? We should allow Emmeraude to take care of it, she seems rather eager."

"This is something that I, and no one else, can do." Zeref's black gaze stayed on his younger brother.

"…." Invel sighed before ultimately complying to Zeref's request. "All troops retreat westward! His Majesty will create a path for us!" As Invel commanded this, the troops began to move backwards to give them space. Emmeraude remained silent, but followed orders. She wasn't going to keep her eyes off of the ensuing battle, however. Something about Natsu…was vaguely familiar in this instance.

"We ain't handin' over the First." Natsu said.

"Things unfolded in this manner only because you were unable to destroy me." Zeref stated.

"…Things won't be like that this time." Natsu was firm. He knew mostly what this was all about. Even though it didn't make any sense to him, it was clear that he had to be the one to defeat Zeref. Everything Zeref told him from the Isle, within Tartarus, and during the Emmeraude incident…it was all leading to this battle. When Natsu finished unwrapping the bandages, a radiant heat flowed from his body and there was a red tattoo along his arm in the shape of a dragon.

Zeref was admittedly a little shaken by this. _"What…is this magical power? This radiant heat…!"_

Natsu wasn't going to wait for Zeref to move and was already in his face, a fist of white hot flame already prepared. "LET'S DO THIS!" Natsu swung and landed a direct hit! Zeref let out a cry of pain while flying backwards several meters just from the single blow!

The Black Wizard crashed through a nearby rock formation but hopped up immediately and unfazed, now pointing two fingers forward. An obsidian orb was conjured and flew towards Natsu. Who knew what it could do, but it would be bad if it hit. Natsu didn't flinch. Flames coated his arm and he swung it up, incinerating the pitch black orb before it could even get close. This left Zeref aghast. _"He…burned the magic!?"_

"HAAAAAAA!" Natsu wasn't stopping. He was already in front of Zeref before he could react, slamming a fist into his gut. An enormous eruption of flame exploded from behind his fist, only adding to the impact that sent Zeref flying!

"...That heat…" Emmeraude could feel Natsu's heat from a distance. She knew what this was. It was the same heat he released during the final moments of their clash one year ago.

By the time Zeref recovered, Natsu was on him once more with his insane offensive momentum, slamming him into the ground with raw force! "I'M NOT DONE YET!"

"YOU GOT THIS NATSU!" Happy yelled from above!

Natsu went in for another punch, but halted when Zeref's hand struck his chest. "!?" Zeref then created a flame-like dark matter within his palm, which exploded violently onto Natsu's frame. The force was so strong it bruised Natsu pretty badly and created a scar on the right side of his face. "Gah…!" Natsu tumbled before catching himself, now shooting forward head first full speed! "I'M COMING FOR YOU!"

"…" Zeref didn't move a muscle. He simply conjured a black pillar underneath Natsu. The sudden force did push Natsu up, but the fiery aura around his body prevented the death magic from having any effect on him as it burned up.

"TALON!" Natsu dropped down from above with a fierce axe kick aimed for Zeref's skull. The Black Wizard dodged this. The impact of Natsu's foot hitting the ground caused a crater to form, leaving nothing but heat and steam emitting from the near hole in the ground. Large pieces of rubble flew into the air, and that just seemed to be what Zeref was after.

Emperor Spriggan held his hand up at the falling rubble. "Nemesis." This was a spell used by Hades, and it came from the Book of Zeref. It only made sense that Zeref would use this spell since he invented it. The pieces of rubble that fell from the sky turned into huge, intimidating monsters of darkness that towered over the Fire Dragon.

"This won't stop me!" Natsu lunged at the monsters, only to find that they were surprisingly fast for their size! An arm crashed into him, inflicting a surprising amount of damage onto him. Natsu saw the other attacks coming and tried to dodge them, but each time he dodged, another one either came close to, or actually hit him. This grew annoying fast and he wasn't here to play this game! "OUT OF MY WAY!" By slamming his fist into the ground, an eruption of orange flame completely overtook the area. The ensuing explosion incinerated the monsters into nothing but ash. With them out of the way, a path was clear to Zeref and he charged forward. "Take this!" Another blazing fist was released, only to clash with Zeref's fist of darkness. A shockwave boomed out from the clash between the Black Wizard and the Son of Igneel.

 _"Without a doubt…this is the same heat…"_ Emmeraude thought as her eyes were glued to the fight. _"But…he didn't have this level of strength one year ago…and for someone like him, it's impossible to have permanently obtained this. So it only stands to reason that he's here because he believes he can defeat Zeref. But to defeat one inflicted with the curse of Ankhersam…is that truly possible?"_ The woman was deep within her thoughts. So many what ifs, and knowing Natsu's brazen personality, for all she knew this could be gamble with high risk high reward.

Natsu and Zeref exchanged high speed blows with one another. The pair of brothers hit blow for blow, landing fierce strikes against one another. Eventually one final clash sent them sliding away from one another. Both brothers were bruised and beaten up from their short, but intense exchange. "Well, that was a surprise." Zeref said. "Just what is that power of yours?"

"I inherited this power from Igneel." Natsu explained. "The last of the power that Igneel left inside of me. That same power I tapped into back against Dhegensea…I thought I used it all back then, but the fight with Emmeraude told me that there was something deeper. Something I hadn't unlocked just yet…if it wasn't for her, I might not have known I still had Igneel's embers left within me. It took 10 months of training for me to be able to unleash this power today."

"What…?" Emmeraude could feel herself shaking at Natsu's words.

"The last of Igneel's powers…?" Zeref questioned.

"Yeah…" Natsu nodded. The flames lingering in the area behind him vaguely resembled the King of Fire Dragons. Natsu turned Igneel's final embers into a roaring wildfire, all for this very moment. "This is a one-time deal only now. This is everything left…so once I use it; this magic will probably never regenerate. This power truly is Igneel's undying tenacity."

Zeref stared in awe. Was this…was this the moment he was waiting for all this time? _"Power granted from the dead. I see…! If that's the case, it may just be able to destroy one who has become immortal!"_

The flames around Natsu's body swirled around him and intensified, setting the very earth itself ablaze. "FLAME DRAGON KING MODE!" This was it. Natsu was using his full power. The reason he left one year ago. It was all just for this.

"The earth itself has been sent ablaze…remarkable…" Zeref dropped his guard completely. He left himself open. This…this was everything he ever wanted…

Natsu reared his fist back, gathering an astronomical amount of flames within that one fist. "I'M FINISHING THIS RIGHT NOW, ZEREF!"

Zeref turned his head to face Natsu, grinning softly. The thought of his brother finally finishing off his cursed existence…he was at peace during these last few seconds. _"To think that after all this time…my wish would be granted. Thank you, Igneel…Anna, Layla, Mavis…and…"_ Natsu's fist struck Zeref, a bright explosion of flame occurring the instant he made contact. _"…My beloved younger brother…Natsu…"_

* * *

There was nothing but silence as Natsu held his follow through. A thick cloud of smoke filled the area where he struck Zeref. Happy grinned, while Invel and Emmeraude stared at the result in shock. Nobody knew what happened. Was Emperor Spriggan truly defeated…? Natsu huffed and puffed, desperately trying to catch his breath after releasing such a mighty blow. The tattoo on his arm started to fade away and he fell to his arms. "Agh…"

"Im…impossible…" Invel said.

"…If I had been hit by that back then…" Emmeraude spoke through gritted teeth. If Natsu came at her with that kind of punch back then…well, she could only wonder. Just by watching Natsu she could tell the level of power from that punch was miles beyond what she received, but in the end she still got up.

"Natsu…!" Happy said worriedly.

"I'm okay!" Natsu yelled, still heaving. "I'm okay! I can still do this!"

The smoke around Zeref dissipated, and he was still standing, albeit heavily injured after an attack of that magnitude. "Your Majesty…" Invel sounded relived and the soldiers were cheering for Emperor Spriggan's safety.

"…As I thought…" Emmeraude's hand found its way to her skull. She still remembered that brutal blow to the head she received…so she knew that Zeref was hurting.

Natsu gripped his arm, staring right at Zeref. It wasn't over yet…but the next attack could very well be the decider. "Please lend me your strength, Ingeel! At least…for this one last attack!"

"You've…really become a lot stronger, Natsu." Zeref said in a melancholy tone. "Maybe you'll be the one that'll stop me…at least, that's what I've been believing. But…you're a little too late. I've chosen to destroy the world over destroying myself. Seeing you now though…maybe your next attack will prove that I'm not actually immortal, I don't know. It's all up to you really. But there's something I'd like to tell you while I'm still alive. I told you of our relationship two years ago…but I didn't tell you everything."

"Huh…?" Natsu was attentive now. He could feel the magic power fading fast, but he was just barely keeping it in check. Everything was focused into his arm for that one last attack he had waiting.

"You know that my name is Zeref Dragneel, and that I am your brother. But haven't you wondered about the time gap? 400 years ago, you, along with our parents, were killed by dragon embers."

"…W…What are you talking about?" Natsu didn't remember any of this. If he died it would make since…but if he was supposed to be dead, why was he here?

"I've done all I could to bring you back…and created something called the Etherious in the process. And that was you, Natsu. Etherious Natsu Dragneel; END."

Natsu was aware of…well, some of this already. But this was the first Happy heard of it and he refused to believe any of it. "N…Natsu! Don't listen to him!"

"….That doesn't make any sense. First I'm your brother, then I'm END, and now I died? I've had enough of this! I heard that Igneel couldn't destroy END…and if it were me, he could've destroyed me!" Natsu shot back.

"He couldn't because he loved you. He could've killed you, but he didn't. Why do you think he asked you to retrieve and keep the book safe?" As Zeref said this, the book of END appeared in his hands from thin air.

"END is what created those Tartaros monsters! Not me!" Natsu clenched his hand into a fist. Even though he was told he was END two years ago…it was something he couldn't accept. Those monsters that tried to destroy the world of magic just to bring back their 'master' and return to Zeref, those monsters that harmed his friends and countless innocents…the monsters that toyed with Cynthia and turned her into something she wasn't!?

"Marde Geer and Daityas made Tartaros." Zeref said. "Marde just so happened to pick this book up and made it sound as though he made all of those monsters. Daityas' faction came about through different means, and it was clear he never held interest in the book. I allowed Marde to keep the book in hand for all these years…but in the end, he ultimately failed." Zeref then dropped the book to the ground. "But, maybe in that sense, it would mean that you made those monsters…"

"I WOULD NEVER…!" Before Natsu could continue, the book was pierced by a beam of magic. The second time this happened. The first time, Natsu tried to pass it off as coincidence…but twice? No. This was irrefutable proof that he was, in fact, END. "…! Gh…agh…" After the book took damage, Natsu felt a piercing pain in his chest and he fell to a knee. Happy watched with a frown. This couldn't be real…

"…" Emmeraude was surprised as well. Her expression was a mix of intrigue and disbelief. Invel, however, was already fully aware of the situation. After all, he was Zeref's confidant.

"See, you were never one to listen…" The Black Wizard continued as Natsu gave him the death glare. "You didn't even want to learn how to read or write. That's why I went to a friend of mine to talk about it…Igneel."

Hearing Zeref say Igneel's name so casually made the salamander seethe. "Igneel… _your_ friend…?"

"Igneel was special. A dragon that didn't harbor any ill feelings for humans. I met him when I was getting herbs I needed for my research. Igneel told me all about his plans to teach you dragon slayer magic. With Metallicana and a few other dragons as well, they were planning on bringing up dragon slayers and going to the future using their Dragon Soul Magic by becoming the power that you slayers would use. All this to defeat Acnologia."

Natsu continued to growl. He was listening, but that didn't mean he liked the conversation. "…."

"Why would they need to go to the future, you ask? The dragons were weakening and they figured they'd need as much Ethernano they could get to regain their powers. Look at the dragons Gaia, Adamantine…and Mithril, although his whereabouts are unknown even now. He may have already been felled by Acnologia. The Dragons on the Isle aren't exactly that strong in comparison to their strength 400 years ago, with the exception of Dhegensea, as the Sacred Gem kept him from losing his powers. They needed to break the spell on themselves. The children they chose were: You, Gajeel, Wendy, Sting, Rogue, Waiston, Heather, Blues, Selene, Daryan…among others. They were all orphans. You had me, but I gave Igneel my permission."

Invel took a brief glance at Emmeraude. This was history that nobody knew and in the end she was still a scientist and researcher. "…It's rude to stare at a lady." The former queen remarked while taking notes. A lot of them, too.

"To me, Acnologia didn't matter. All I needed was for you to become stronger. Strong enough to kill me, was what I hoped you'd become. That was where we waited for the Eclipse and used the door to the future. A celestial wizard called Anna did it for us. We didn't really have a plan for when we'd stop…all we did was follow Anna's plan and she sent us to a time where the concentration of Ethernano was high. And then, at the same time, another celestial wizard, Layla, opened the door and there we were. The 7th of July, x777…you thought of that day as the as the day the dragons went missing…but that was when in fact, the day you had awoken. You all are children from 400 years ago."

"That's…!" Natsu tried to fight the statement, but he couldn't…

Zeref's gaze turned to the ground. "I've…been waiting all this time for you. But 400 years was a long time. I've seen so many civilizations come to an end; I've begun to lose my feelings towards life and death. I met Mavis, and lost her. I hoped that two years ago, you could have killed me before Acnologia arrived…I…"

"Shut up…" Natsu snarled, leaping at Zeref to bring this to an end! "THERE'S NO WAY I'M BELIEVING ANYTHING YOU SAY!"

"You are a demon from the book of Zeref. If I die…" Zeref didn't move. Natsu charged up his finish blow, flames roaring around the entirety of his arm. "You die too."

"WELL, WHAT ABOUT IT!?" Natsu didn't care! He had to finish this here and NOW! Everything he had was going into this final blow. This was for everyone he cared about…!

But Happy…Happy couldn't let this happy. "NATSU…!" With tears streaming down his cheeks, Happy flew down to stop Natsu.

"I'M NOT HESTIATING! I'VE MADE UP MY MIND! I CAME ALL THIS WAY TO DEFEAT YOU!" Natsu's gaze was unwavering. Everyone knew that when Natsu set his mind on something, there was no stopping him. This time was no different.

"This is your last chance to stop me…" Zeref said calmly.

Just as Natsu threw his fist…he whiffed. No. He was being pulled back by Happy! "Happy! What are you doing!? Left me go!"

The aura around Natsu was so hot; Happy's paws were burning just from touching his clothing. But despite this, Happy wasn't going to let go. "I don't wanna…Natsu…I don't want you to die…!"

"Let me go! Before Igneel's power goes away!" The tattoo was already fading. Natsu couldn't let it fade away now! "I won't get another chance to take Zeref down if I miss this one!"

"YOU'RE MY FRIEND!" Happy screamed, trying to get it through Natsu's thick skull. "Don't you think the same of me!? We will go back to the guild together!" Natsu couldn't say a thing, and Happy already made the executive decision to retreat at high speeds. He knew Emmeraude was going to shoot him down if he didn't and he was right. She had a shot all lined up, but he already carried Natsu off into the horizon.

"…Almost." Emmeraude sighed.

Zeref smiled as Natsu and Happy retreated. _"You can't stop me anymore. Goodbye, Natsu…"_

Invel finally stepped forward. "Your Majesty…"

The wounds on Zeref's body healed instantly due to his immortality. Emperor Spriggan then issued his next orders. "There is no longer anyone capable of stopping me. The last remaining bit of hesitation within me is now gone. We shall continue our advance. Our target is Fairy Tail. We will conquer the guild and obtain Fairy Heart, the absolute power."

"Yes, sir!" Invel said.

"So in the end, he couldn't do it." Emmeraude stared off into the horizon. She was…angry. She didn't know why, but seeing Natsu throw his life away to take down Zeref pissed her off…

"I have one more request of you, Invel. Would you please procure me a new set of clothes?" Zeref turned to face the Winter Soldier, his eyes now gleaming red. The look of insanity now returning to him after so long… "Garments more befitting of an Emperor, that is…" At this moment…the extermination of humanity was all but decided…

.

Next Time: The North and South Fronts


	45. Chapter 45: The North and South Fronts

After fleeing from Zeref, Happy brought Natsu to a nearby lake. The Exceed carefully dipped his burnt paws into the water. Natsu sat cross legged on the ground, staring at Happy. The tattoo on his arm faded…the last of Igneel's powers, his embers burnt away before he could use them to finish off Zeref. Would he have been able to take down the one who was immortal in that final blow? Because of Happy's intervention, he'd never know. "Happy, are your paws all right?" The salamander asked, concerned.

"Aye. They feel just fine." Happy responded.

"I see…" Natsu thought back on what Zeref told him. As much as he didn't want to believe it, it was hard to deny it.

"Natsu. We'll always be best friends no matter what!" Happy turned to give Natsu a smile.

Happy's words, while out of the blue, were also encouraging. "Yeah. I know." Natsu said with a small nod.

Happy then ran over to Natsu and hugged him. After hearing everything, the last thing he wanted was to lose him. "There has to be another way, Natsu. I…I definitely won't let you die! I'll never, ever let you die!"

"…Yeah…" Natsu nodded once more, giving a soft smile.

* * *

Port Hargeon was completely captured by Alvarez's forces. Dimaria and Wahl were the main force and the time goddess now took a glance at the area, placing a hand on her hip. "It's a rather nice port town, I must say. Looks like you were right not to blow it off the map."

Wahl was perched on a rooftop, letting out his usual annoying laugh. "Well, I was aiming for Magnolia, after all."

"Alas, it was probably best Magnolia was better off left intact." The Spriggan's gaze turned up for a moment. "Randi's still in captivity there, you know. Simply imagining her in such an unsightly state is not enough to sate me. I have to see her pathetic face in the flesh…" Oh…the mere thought of seeing Brandish captured by the enemy just excited her!

"I'll never understand what's goin' on in those human heads of yours…" Wahl shrugged.

Dimaria shrugged and looked around, realizing they were missing one. "What happened to Neinhart?" It was then she felt a tug on her pants. When she turned, she saw none other than Sophie, but didn't take it as a surprise. "…Oh, it's you."

"Neinhart said that you two you being too loud…so he's staying on the ship." Said Sophie, glancing around curious. "…Where's my mom?"

"Oh, it's probably for the best that she's not here. She'd throw a fit if she saw you." Dimaria sighed while staring ahead. "She's up in the west, marching with His Majesty and Invel. Lucky me…stuck babysitting the non team player and the bolts for brains…along with the deceased daughter of a very uptight woman…"

"…" Sophie tilted her head. Did die, she remembered that much…although she wasn't very informed as to the current happenings since she was brought back into the world shortly before Alvarez departed by Neinhart. Whether or not this was done with Emmeraude's permission was unknown…but it was highly likely that she was unaware of this, although this wasn't the first time it's happened either. But if Sophie had to fight the current enemies of her mother, then she would.

Dimaria let out a melancholy sigh. Out of all the fronts she had to be stationed to, it had to be the south. She wished she took the preemptive strike…but if that was the case, she'd certainly miss out on Brandish being captured. "Oh how I wish I could see the look on your face right now, Randi…"

Sophie turned to Wahl, who just shrugged. "Humans are weird." He didn't get it either.

* * *

Several kilometers away from Port Hargeon were the forces of White Eclipse, Lamia Scale, Black Phoenix, and Mermaid Heel. Just outside of the port was an extremely large faction of soldiers just waiting for them. "HOW FREAKING MANY ARE THERE?!" Toby yelled at the top of his leg.

"…About 2,000, I'd say." Yuka estimated.

"There must be more within the town as well…" Arana pointed out.

"On top of that…there are still boats that haven't even laid anchor yet…" Melody said and Risley agreed with her.

"So…all together, we're probably talking…over 30,000…." That number made Beth sweat.

"Yup….I soiled myself." Milliana wasn't feeling too great about their chances.

"Please, keep that information to yourself. You're a lady, aren't you?" Taya sighed while running a hand through her hair. "30,000 soldiers, hm? That's quite the number…"

"Our welcoming committee is kind of small in comparison…" Jaxon glanced around at their numbers. They weren't even half of what the troops guarding the port were.

"Kind of…?" Jin had a sweat drop on his forehead.

"If anyone gets hurt, don't hesitate to come to me!" Aira lifted a hand up. "I'll also be fighting, but my priority is ensuing that nobody loses their life when we get started! Everyone's survival is imperative!"

"Even if we combined all our numbers here…we barely break 200…" Said Tristan of Black Phoenix. In terms of manpower, they were completely outnumbered. Outmatched? That had yet to be seen.

Alexander stared at the soldiers ahead. "…The numbers don't bode well for us."

"Don't be such a downer, Alexa. We can handle this!" Asuka spoke up once again. The star rookie of Black Phoenix was confident in their chances. "Right, Ethan?"

"Yeah!" Ethan gave Asuka a nod.

"This isn't just a battle…" Hikaru Frost reminded the two aspiring rookies. "This is war. It's fine to be ready to fight, but don't get crazy…otherwise you'll lose an arm and a leg at least." As an S-class her words carried a certain amount of weight.

Leon looked as everyone mentally prepared themselves for the battle. "I won't let anything bad happen to any of you." He said with conviction. That was just Leon, ready to put himself on the line for everyone.

There was another odd person here prepared to battle; Diana, Luke's mom. Whatever was she doing with Black Phoenix? A long story indeed, but Leon accepted her with no issues. The woman gave Chelia a glance and a wave. "I've heard the stories…what a strong young woman you've become. I can't wait to see that display of strength in battle."

"Ehhhh….." Chelia shuddered. That was creepy in her eyes.

Raven's bad omen of death only intensified the longer he stared at the battlefield. "Yeesh…there are a lot of dudes there…"

"Don't worry, I won't let anything bad happen to you!" Chelia turned her attention from Diana to Raven, offering a bright smile. "I'll protect you, remember?"

"Don't do anything stupid." Sherri chided her cousin and Raven. "I'm already worried enough about Ren fighting up north as is…I would appreciate not adding you two to that list."

"As it stands…we have no other option but to face them head on." Lyon said. "Regardless of the overwhelming number of enemies, that fact doesn't change."

Kagura was going to lead the change. The ace mermaid stared ahead with a look of determination. "Fiore…no, Ishgar is out turf! We shall not forgive any who try to invade, and that includes Alvarez!" The woman pointed her sword up high, taking command of Fiore's southern forces. "I hereby commence the battle to liberate Hargeon! Chaaaaaaaaarge!" On that cue, they all charged forward!

Dimaria watched as Kagura's forces began to charge at them. A scoff escaped her lips and she placed a hand on her hip. "It seems we have a few rats who don't understand their place. Well then…we shall burn the power of the 12 into their minds!"

* * *

And so, the battle to liberate Hargeon begun! A band of 200 mages vs what was going to be 30,000 soldiers, and that was excluding the 3 Spriggan. The first one to make a move was Jaxon, who amplified the sun's rays on the Alvarez soldiers. "Welcome to Fiore, where I control the weather. I hope it's not too hot for you." Oh, but it was. Combined with their armor and the already somewhat hot temperatures, this just made them feel like they were melting.

Taking advantage of this, Jin sped forward with the spell Meteor. He appeared as a streak of golden light, taking out numerous soldiers in his high speed wake thanks to Jaxon's heat wave. A brotherly combo of sorts, but it was far too early to get comfortable. Despite how many Jin took down more came out, all of them using long range staffs to fire. "Whoa!" Jin crossed his arms as the blasts came in. They were covering both him and Jaxon, making defense their only viable options at the moment.

Lyon jumped down from above, his hands already in the maker position. "Ice Make: Giant's Foot!" A magic seal formed in the sky, and down came a frozen leg of a giant! The foot stomped down violently on the ground, crushing multiple soldiers under its weight. By the time Lyon finished casting his spell, a pink streak of light crashed into him and sent him tumbling along the ground. It happened so fast he didn't even realize he was hit until he was on the ground! "What the…!? What was that!? Watch out, they have a fast one!"

Chelia reared her arms back before throwing them forward. She was getting more and more magic back by the day, and little by little the girl with much potential was starting to make her return. "Sky God's Boreas!" A vicious spiral of black wind shot forth, sweeping a number of enemies off their feet and blew them away in the process.

Raven covered Chelia immediately, drawing the materialized bowstring backwards as an arrow of wind formed. "The Wind's Howl!" Releasing the bowstring, he let the arrow loose and it flew forward, piercing through multiple soldiers in a line with ease. Raven's accuracy was always pretty deadly. "Got em!" And BAM! He was slammed into by a pink streak of light as well, causing him to fly back!

"Raven…!" Chelia shouted in worry. That light though…she'd seen it before…

Sophie continued to tear through Fiore's numbers with her raw speed, catching a number of people off guard. She even slammed into Toby and sent him flying. "AAAAH! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON, ON!?"

"That light…" Aira could follow it easy. Sophie aimed a punch at Aira, but she blocked it and skidded backwards. Green eyes widened when she laid eyes on Sophie. She wasn't the only one. Those who caught a glimpse of the deceased were extremely surprised considering how she went out. "S-Sophie…!?"

"Well I'll be damned…" Jaxon turned his attention to the young girl. "What the hell are you doing over there?"

"…" Sophie stared at the White Eclipse members. They also just now noticed that their mark was no longer on her hand. "…You are enemies of my Mom…so I have to fight…I'm sorry."

"What the hell!? We didn't think they'd be this strong…!" Now that the soldiers were getting a grasp of Fiore's strength, they were starting to realize they were potentially outmatched despite their numbers.

Wahl remained perched on the rooftop, but now he was actually taking aim at people. With several reticles placed, he was locked and loaded! "Target: Locked on." Multiple missiles materialized into existence. "Now…time to blow all of you…TO BITS!" The missiles then fired, launching at insane speeds!

Beth seemed to be the first one to notice and turned her head up. "What's that…?" BOOM! A missile touched down near her and exploded violently!

"BETH!" Arana screamed, only to be consumed in the chain explosions of missiles. Wahl's single attack was already piling on heavy pressure to Fiore's southern forces.

"Kagura-chan, it's coming from the sky!" Milliana pointed out!

"I AIN'T DONE YET!" Wahl yelled, firing off even more missiles! He planned to completely decimate the flesh bags before him.

Kagura dashed forward, placing her hand on the hilt of her blade. "Leave it to me!" In a simple slash, all of the incoming missiles were disarmed and slashed apart thanks to her flipped form. It was a piece of cake for someone like herself. "Flipped Form!"

"Whoa…that was cool…!" Chelia said with sparkles in her eyes.

But that battle was only just getting started. As soon as Kagura landed, she felt an overwhelming presence close in on her. Blade drawn, she found herself clashing with Dimaria's sword. The held a fierce deadlock while everyone else stared in shock; they weren't expecting a Spriggan to arrive so soon. Not only that, but they got the impression of 'WOW she's strong', and Dimaria had yet to let her magical presence known. "Oh…not bad at all…" Dimaria hummed. The two broke away from one another and slid backwards. "So that's a kimono…it's pretty cute. But I can make it look better. All we need…is a little red."

Kagura had to take in Dimaria's suffocating presence. _"…This overwhelming magic of hers. I can't even hear anything that's going on…so this is the power of the Spriggan 12…"_ But…this was also the same woman who fought against Daityas with no hesitation. Kagura steadied herself and lunged at Dimaria!

"Oh…but you ad Randi have similar haircuts. It'd be so much fun to cut it off…" Dimaria's lips curved up, her inner sadism beginning to displaying itself. Just as Kagura swung her blade down, Dimaria's came up. The clash of steel against steel caused sparks to fly! "Not a bad swing for a cute girl…"

"I don't need your pretty words…" Kagura narrowed her eyes before using her gravity change to decrease Dimaria's center of gravity. This allowed her to push Dimaria back with physical force since she wasn't grounded. The ace of Mermaid Heel then swung her blade in a horizontal matter, a crescent slash of gravity following the motion. "HA!"

"Oh…?" Dimaria found herself not grounded, which was a little inconvenient all things considered. But when it came to blocking the wave of gravity; that was no problem. A simple downward swing was all she needed to slice the wave in two, and its power was shown as the ground around Dimaria was cleaved in half. "I think I'm starting to take a liking to you."

Dimaria's words were annoying to Kagura, but she kept focus. In the very next second, Dimaria was gone; now appearing from Kagura's left with full momentum in her swing! "How did you…!?" The mermaid's eyes widened as she barely brought her blade up to defend the slash, but she staggered a few steps back. "…!"

"Don't blink~" Dimaria taunted, repeating these motions! She'd stop time just long enough to appear near Kagura and swing with a forceful slash. She was playing with her. Oh how she enjoyed watching the Mermaid squirm~. Her fun ended when a beam of acid came barreling towards her. She was able to dodge it by stopping time and moving slightly to the left and an exasperated sigh escaped her. "It's rude to interrupt two ladies."

Leon narrowed his eyes. He watched Dimaria's movements the entire time, and something about it seemed highly unnatural to him. "I didn't see her move at all…"

"That's the one that stops time…!" Aira warned.

"Time stop…?!" Kagura overheard this and her stance tightened. So it wasn't teleportation!

"Oh, it's the blonde from the other day…but I don't see that one mage with you. Maybe this is my lucky day after all…" Dimaria rolled her eyes. "I'll get to you in a moment…right now I'm having so much fun with my cute new friend."

"Fun…?" Kagura could tell she was being mocked and wouldn't stand for it! She decreased her gravity to move at incredible speeds! Even Dimaria was surprised at how fast the Mermaid could move when she wanted to…but all it took was a click of the teeth and the world was hers. A slash was aimed, but it went wide. Dimaria took a mocking step to the side. She froze time each time Kagura swung, only toying with her further and further. But all this toying around made Dimaria an easy read. Kagura was anticipating Dimaria's movements, since the time stop was only lasting so long for her to move slightly. And after one particular stop, she had her. "HAAA!" …Or so she thought. A sudden breeze hit Kagura's skin and she stopped. Before she knew it…her kimono was torn to shreds, leaving her in nothing but her underwear. "W-What!?"

"There. That's a much better look for you~" Dimaria winked.

Kagura's bare body caught the attention of…well, many men. This only embarrassed her…not to mention the scar on her stomach was visible! She couldn't hide it when covering her chest with one hand and wielding her sword in the other. "S-Stop…! Don't look!" She pleaded, her cheeks bright red.

"Awww…that's adorable. The warrior woman has a badge of honor. I can give you another~" Dimaria wasn't going to toy around anymore. She enjoyed seeing her victim's faces in embarrassment right before she finished them off. A powerful slash was aimed at Kagura, but she did narrowly manage to block it. Of course, in her position, it was hard to fight back. Dimaria was hitting hard and she could barely move without exposing herself.

 _"_ _I…I can't fight like this…! They're all staring…_ " This was bad. Kagura was just barely able to fend off Dimaria…but likely only because she allowed it. For the moment, she forgot the scar and instead remembered a certain dragon slayer's words from one year. A brief increase in confidence was all she needed to duck low and just barely cut at Dimaria's leg! It was a hit, although a small one.

Dimaria blinked and stared down at the cut on her pants and the blood oozing from the small wound. She wrinkled a brow before giving Kagura a sultry smile. "I do enjoy when they fight back…~" A yellow glow formed along her blade as she poured her magic into it. Dimaria went to swing, but she found that her blade was held back by an invisible force! "…What on earth..?"

Taya walked forward, taking her jacket off and handing it to Kagura. "Here. It's indecent for a woman to be exposed like this…even more so when another does the deed."

"T-Thank you…" Kagura graciously accepted the jacket. She could still feel some prying eyes, but there was a battle to be fought.

"So, how are you, blondie? Still clingy like before, or have you loosened up a bit?" Taya's vectors kept Dimaria's blade in place, but there were also several around the demon that acted as a wall just in case she tried something. "Nobody likes a clinger…"

"My lucky day indeed…" Dimaria was just having people pile up to fight her. The people who humiliated her in Alvarez with their crafty escape? Well…there was no escape here. Tayakata and Kagura vs. Dimaria!

* * *

While Kagura and Taya were busy with Dimaria, there really was nothing stopping Wahl from unleashing hell from afar! With his precise aim, he could estimate exactly where the missiles would strike and avoid collateral in the explosions. "BLOW TO BITS!" The machias yelled as more missiles fired off from afar! They didn't get very far as several steel lances shot them down! "Huh!?" Wahl scanned farther, noticing Tristan Gareth, who also noticed him. "Oh, you think you're a hotshot, huh!? Try this on for size!" The Spriggan clapped his hands together, once again forming the anti-material cannon!

"Whoa! Is Master Wahl really trying to blow everyone off the map!?" A few soldiers in town wondered.

"AYAHAHAHAHAHA! TARGET LOCKED AND….FIRE!" Wahl let loose, the beam of magic flying precisely at Tristan and nowhere else. But if he failed to block it, the people behind him were in for a world of death.

"Damn it! He has that kind of power!?" Tristan clasped his hands together before shooting them forward. "STEEL MAKE: FORTRESS WALLS!" Ten steel walls formed in front of Tristan, all of them extremely thick in diameter. The fact that Wahl was already pushing him to use his ultimate defense spell with one attack displayed how strong he was.

"I'll help too! Silver Make: Maiden!" Melody threw her arms forward, crafting an extremely large iron maiden in front of Tristan's walls to help soak up the damage. Wahl's blast annihilated a majority of their joint defenses, but in the end, they were able to hold out. Melody felt her heart stop for a moment out of sheer anxiety. "Good god…"

It was time to go on the offensive! Tristan spread his arms apart, multiple steel bastille forming in front of them, each one loaded with ten large arrows each. "Steel Make: Ballista: Archery Line!" Without even wasting time, the arrows all flew towards Wahl!

"Aiming for a shootout, are we!? I'M GAME!" Wahl perfectly calculated the amount of arrows coming his way and created an equal amount of missiles at first, and even more! The primary force shot towards Tristan's arrows, resulting in multiple explosions upon collision. As for the rest…they'd sneak in through the smoke and strike. At least this is what he thought, but something wasn't right. There was no screams of surprise or an explosion. "Hey, what gives?!" Answer received when a rift composed of territory opened up above him, raining down the same missiles he shot out! "Oh!?" The machine jumped from the roof and the explosions ravaged that one building. As soon as he landed, a condensed blast of magic came for him, but he blocked it easily.

"HONO…HAMMER!" Asuka charged in with a fist of flame, swinging right at Wahl's jaw! But he blocked it with a single arm and didn't budge an inch.

"Oh…how did you pipsqueaks get in so quickly?" Wahl questioned.

Asuka, Alexander,Ethan, and a fourth member of their team, Chiara Taranto slipped through the army by use of Territory. Chiara was the youngest member of their group with blue hair and gray eyes. She was also part of the finale of the Games before Natsu ruined it. It was a small force, because anything larger would arouse suspicion on the battlefield. These rookies were being pretty reckless fighting against one of the big boys. "That doesn't matter. Because you're gonna be scrap metal by the time we're done with you!" Asuka shouted confidently, lightning surging through her body as she activated her Rajin Tempo. "Let's do this!" Team Asuka vs. Wahl Icht!

* * *

The north. Blue Pegasus, Shaman's Haven, Sabertooth, and Quatro Cerberus and a few members of White Eclipse were already engaged in combat against the Alvarez army. Bacchus was already enjoying himself! The Drunken Falcon was swaying his body between the attacks of soldiers, laughing all the while laying down palm strikes! "Haha! This is WILD!"

"This isn't a game, Bacchus-sama…!" Yukino exclaimed. Granted, Bacchus was putting in work, but she wished that he'd take the situation a little more seriously. This was war after all.

"I haven't even warmed up yet!" Bacchus laughed before coming to a halt. He was surrounded on all sides and the soldiers, while slightly hesitate, were ready to take him down. The Drunken Falcon glanced around and a subtle grin formed on his lips as he lifted up one leg. "Wild….FOUR!" A powerful stomp resulted in a powerful, explosion shockwave that blew the surrounding soldiers away!

Blues watched with a few other members of QC as Bacchus was taking care of things on his own. "Huh…maybe we should just leave this to him. But that wouldn't be very wild, would it!?" Blues grinned as his Blue Drive activated and he dove headfirst into the action. "Save some for me!"

Sting pushed forward, cupping his hands at his waist, light shimmering within the empty space between his palms. "White Dragon's Holy Ray!" The guild master of Sabertooth shot his hands forward, releasing multiple beams of holy light that exploded brightly onto his foes. These soldiers were pretty tough all things considered. "Geez, they just don't stop coming…!"

"They outnumber us rather significantly…and to think there are even more of them coming from different directions." Rogue ducked a swung from a soldier and fired back with a Shadow Dragon's Slash. For every solider than managed to take down, more and more just seemed to replace them.

"It won't end at this rate…" Jenny said while just punching a dude in the face. It was pretty effective; her pretty face made most of the male soldiers not want to hit her and it wasn't her fault her beauty stunned the opposition. Not her fault if she took advantage of it either.

Vanya drew a sword from behind her back. The blade began to vibrate intensely due to her magic. Despite being blind, she could make out the numerous enemies before the. The sword was raised then slammed into the ground. A shockwave split the ground in two and continued to travel on, ripping through anything and everything in its path. Vanya let out a small exhale as she managed to take out quite a large number of soldiers. "Whew…"

"…Wow." Reiss blinked in surprise. This was the first time they'd actually had to fight since White Eclipse reunited. Even Kanade, Ramman, and Micaiah were popping off with their attacks, so he really couldn't fall behind here! "Okay, let's get going Taru!" Reiss summoned the rocky native spirit and got to work along with everyone else!

"BOMBS AWAY!" Roy chucked a bomb into a group of soldiers. It took them a moment to register what it was, and by the time they did, it exploded violently and scattered them! The explosion mage laughed and juggled a few bombs within his hands. "Come on, come on…let's have a blast!"

"It's almost like everyone's enjoying the fight…" Melanie said with a slight sweat drop. At least they were putting their all into it, but still.

Mason was face to face with a pretty tough dude. The mischief mage didn't falter though. His eyes turned red and he stared them directly in the eyes. The big soldier then coward and ran away! "Ha…don't worry. I'd run away from me too."

Despite how much of an 'easy' time it looked like they were having, the battle was still pretty tough. They were outnumbered and the soldiers weren't going down as easily as they were anticipating. Yukino wiped the sweat from her brow as she watched everyone do work. They were a united front and had to make sure that they could hold this line! Although things were going to grow a little worrisome as people began fleeing in the opposite direction. "Huh…?"

"Run for your lives!"

"Wait…what's going on…?" Yukino asked.

"Run, Yukino! It's the Grim Reaper!" A no name said while fleeing.

By Grim Reaper, they were actually referring to Bradman of the Spriggan 12. The hooded, ominous figure slowly approached. A ghastly aura radiated from his mere presence. "…."

"T-The Grim Reaper…?" Yukino took a step back. She could feel just how strong he was from that distance…but at the same time, it wasn't magic she felt.

Micaiah's nose lifted up into the air and she turned around immediately. "I smell a demon…" Speaking as a half breed herself, she could pick out a demon pretty easily. But if that was the case, there was something even more dangerous about this opponent.

"I don't know why they're calling _him_ the Grim Reaper. _I'M_ the one with the scythe! I'm the one who actually does the reaping!" Prometheus gestured to himself, feeling a little aggravated that he and Bradman shared the same title.

Pandora floated beside Prometheus, placing her index finger on her chin. "Perhaps having two with the same alias does cause confusion…but nevertheless, we are allies, and must fight alongside him."

"Oh, I know…" Prometheus smirked before drawing his scythe back. A single vertical slash released a crescent beam that sliced through the ground and exploded, knocking down Yukino and several others in the process. "BUT LET THE SOUL HARVEST BEGIN! KYAHAHAHAHA!"

Yukino let out a cry of pain as she tumbled along the ground before coming to a halt in a crouched position. "I recognize those two…they attacked Crocus two years ago…!"

"And our power has increased sustainably since then." Pandora gently traced her scepter in a circle. The magic seal she crafted then released extremely high voltage bolts of lightning and freezing icicles that rained down from above! Bradman didn't even have to do anything yet. Pandora's one attack was causing destruction and forced a number of people to flee if they hadn't already been caught up in the attack. "It would be wise of you to surrender. This battle is between Alvarez and Fairy Tail…"

"Not a chance!" Eve spoke up while adjusting his tie. "You are invading our home, and I'm afraid we cannot let that slide. That aside, if you wish for a tour, we'd be more than happy to show you around when this battle is over~" It wasn't just Eve. Ren and Hibiki also had sparkles around their body as they seriously tried to flirt with Pandora just now. The battle aside, the goddess of balance had a pretty face.

Pandora tilted her head. It took a moment for what the Trimen were saying to register. "This is…flirting, yes? I must question your rational thinking if you believe now is the time for this. I don't have time for such affairs."

"Ignore them." Jenny pushed the Trimen aside. "I'll be your opponent instead. Unlike my friends here, I don't mind hitting another woman."

"I see…" Pandora floated down across from Jenny, her cold, analytical gaze focused on the model before her. "If you wish to flee at any point, I will not blame you."

"And have Mira make light of me again? I think not." Jenny brought her arm to the side, a golden light flaring around her body as her Take Over began to activate. Blue Pegasus' Jenny Realight vs. The Goddess of Balance: Pandora!

Meanwhile, Bacchus stood in front of Prometheus, a confident grin stretched out on his lips. "So…the Grim Reaper, huh?"

"Kehehe…why do you ask? Do you want me to reap your soul?" Prometheus questioned with his scythe in hand. "I'd be more than happy to do so! I can feel your soul quivering in fear, allow me to put you to rest!"

"Oh, my soul, huh…?" Bacchus brought out his flask and lifted it to his lips, downing the alcohol inside. "My soul's quivering all right…for a wild fight…" The Drunken Falcon vs. The Grim Reaper: Prometheus! The war with Alvarez had only just begun…

.

.

Next Time: Retreat!


	46. Chapter 46: Retreat!

The plan was to beat Dimaria so badly that she'd never want to see another woman ever again. For Kagura, that task was going to be a little…embarrassing. She did have Taya's jacket on to cover her chest, but she was still in her panties which wasn't exactly a good look. The Spriggan couldn't take Kagura seriously in that fit, and she had absolute confidence in her strength to take down both her and Taya. "Well…it's been quite some time since I've had a decent warm up. I'll prove my superiority to you ladies even without my world. I'll be sure to strip you of your clothes, dignity, and life when I'm finished."

"Your smile irritates me." Kagura pushed off once again, rapidly sprinting towards Dimaria once more. The mermaid swung her blade and clashed with Dimaria's own. Sparks flew from steel kissing steel, but that was only the beginning. Their blades parted, only to meet several more times. Both women were skilled in swordplay and didn't give an inch. Kagura spun around on her heel, aiming a spinning slash at the Spriggan's chest.

Dimaria scoffed, easily front flipping over Kagura and her blade. In the same motion, she aimed to slice at Kagura's back, but her blade was parried by Taya's own, one that was forged b darkness. "I didn't take you for one who used the blade."

"I don't really." Taya admitted before swinging her leg at Dimaria's face. The hostility was present, but Dimaria shielded the blow with her free arm, sliding back slightly from the blow. Taya didn't waste any time and threw her obsidian blade at the Spriggan's chest, aiming for a strike to the heart! While it wasn't going to be that easy, the effort was certainly there.

Dimaria hastily stepped to the side to avoid the incoming blade, shaking her head with a wry grin. "Oh, come now. There are better ways to get to a woman's heart. You should study up." The Spriggan held her hand out, releasing a golden wave of magic in Taya's direction. The beam covered too much space to make dodging an option.

"Don't tempt me…" Taya brought her vectors up to defend herself from the blast. It was surprisingly powerful for what she could tell was minimal effort. While her vectors did mitigate what could have been high damage, the demoness was still blown backwards from the overall strength.

Kagura used this opening to leap in from above with her sword sheathed, using the scabbard as a blunt instrument to strike her target's skull! "Strong Form!" The ace mermaid violently swung the blunt weapon down with the combined force of gravity, attempting to crush Dimaria's skull. Unfortunately for her, the flat end of the Spriggan's sword blocked the hit. Despite the successful block, the ground caved in under Dimaria's feet and a massive crater formed from the impact. Dimaria could feel her knees bend slightly.

"Oh my…how forceful…~" Dimaria still had time to play around, noted by the grin on her lips. Kagura was increasing the gravity to keep her edge, and it slowly seemed to be working. The crater deepened every few seconds. "So, why don't you tell me…how long have you had that little scar? I've seen my fair share of battles…inflicted my fair share of scars and mortal wounds alike. I'd say…maybe 2 years? Perhaps a fatal wound that was narrowly treated?"

"…" Kagura didn't answer. She just piled on the pressure, intent on cracking her opponent eventually.

"And if I had to take another guess…" A sinister grin stretched on the blonde's lips. "I'd say it's still a soft spot if you hit it hard enough…!~" A swift knee raised up to knee Kagura right in the gut, and how right her assumption was. Kagura's eyes widened and her entire body recoiled from the shock of being both winded and struck in a sensitive spot. Dimaria followed up with a forceful elbow with such force that Kagura was sent flying out of the crater and even tumbled along the ground before coming to a halt.

"Agh…" That hurt. Kagura was attempting to recover, but Dimaria wasn't going to give her that chance.

Dimaria hopped up from the crater, her sword brimming with golden light. She slammed it into the ground, sending multiple shockwaves that split the earth before it arrived on Kagura and exploded! It was a direct hit as Kagura let out a cry of pain and was seen tumbling across the ground violently. "That was a lovely scream...I think I want to hear more of that." She then turned, slicing through an orb of darkness sent by Taya. She didn't just send one, but several! The orbs all exploded behind Dimaria after she cleaved them in half. "You'll have to do better than…!"

"That?" Taya was already upon Dimaria the instant she began speaking, the darkness she was known for using taking the shape of sharp claws along her hands. She surprised Dimaria before she could even make use of her Age Seal. This resulted in a successful slash along the time goddess' left thigh, resulting in a hiss of pain. Taya's claws of darkness were very effective in tearing through flesh, so she knew that was going to leave a mark. The Eclipse mage smirked knowing she landed a direct blow and planned to keep things up. Another upward slash was aimed for the woman's chest, but Dimaria blocked that with the sharp end of her blade. Taya swung her leg around for a fierce roundhouse kick for the woman's skull, but Dimaria ducked it swiftly and countered with a slash that landed against Taya's side. "…Tch!"

"That was just a love tap." Dimaria smirked and shifted her momentum for a slash across Taya's abdomen, but it was deflected by the demon's claws. The two of them were locked in fierce close combat. Taya's claws met Dimaria's sword, and when the Spriggan attempted to sneak a physical blow in. Taya blocked it. This ended when they both drew back, forming a golden and dark sphere respectively within their palms and thrusted them forward. The result was a potent explosion that not only pushed the two of them back, but blew away a number of their own allies in the process. These two women weren't here to play and neither of them escaped without some slight injury; bruise, scratch, etc. "I do love a fighter…"

Kagura sprang up once again, unsheathing her blade while approaching Dimaria's blind spot. Kagura's speed was nothing to take lightly and the moment she slashed at the Spriggan multiple times within a fraction of a second. "Slashing Form!"

"…!" Dimaria was admittedly caught off guard for a moment. She was fast to slash back, but the best she could do was parry the multitude of slashes away from her body. Several grazed various areas of her frame and she finally turned to face Kagura. "You're so much fun to play with…I enjoy watching your expressions as you think you have a chan…" Sometimes, Dimaria got too cocky…it only came naturally when you could control the flow of time with a click of the teeth. That's why she was susceptile to people moving faster than she could react, and in this instance, that nearly costed her. Taya and Kagura were upon her again in a heartbeat, both aiming fatal attacks at her! Dimaria's Age Seal came into play to allow her to deftly avoid the attacks and appear not too far away. "…That was a close shave…"

"And here you said you didn't have to use your magic…" Taya rotated her shoulder, ignoring the wound on her side.

"I was just starting to have fun…" Dimaria's tongue came out, slowly dragging across her lower lips as she stared down her prey. Toying around resulted in a few injuries, but nothing she couldn't handle down the road. This was the War Princess; the Valkyrie. She lived for battle. A few scrapes weren't going to slow her down. To her, in the end, Taya and Kagura were powerless before her. "But if you want things to end so swiftly…I'll be more than happy to oblige…"

* * *

Team Asuka stood before Wahl Icht. Thanks to Alexander, they managed to sneak into the front section of port Haregon. They had a little time before the rest of the Alvarez ships docked and this was the chance to take down Wahl! If they could do that, then the battle would shift in their favor easily. "We're gonna send you to the scrap heap, metal man!" Asuka said confidently.

Wahl began to scan the four mages before him, looking for potential weaknesses. "Let's see what you're made of…oh." The Machias sounded rather disappointed before bursting out into maniacal laughter. "I don't need to scan for anything! You're all so weak! I never understood why humans believe that strength exists in numbers…" Multiple missiles manifested themselves into existence and they were all launched forward. "BUT DO TRY TO MAKE THIS ENTERTAINING!"

"That won't work!" Alexander swiped his hands, creating multiple rifts of territory. Once again he planned to redirect the missiles back at Wahl, but things weren't going to go so smoothly this time. The missiles curved around the rifts, much to the surprise of the territory mage. "What!?"

"Watch out!" Ethan cried out, but it was too late. Multiple explosions occurred, blowing away the Black Phoenix rookies with ease.

"AYAHAHAHAH!" Wahl cackled at his work, several buildings being caught within the destruction in the process.

Asuka tumbled along the ground after the explosions. With a quiet hiss, she sprang back up and used the speed of her Rajin Tempo to close the gap between herself and Wahl. "I'm gonna fry you!" The rookie aimed a lightning infused kick at Wahl's side, but he blocked it with ease and didn't even flinch. Asuka just thought that this was due to how soft her impact felt…Wahl on the other hand had a surprise, one he couldn't wait to release and he wanted to see their faces when he did.

"Is that all you got!?" Wahl pushed his free hand forward, consuming Asuka in a widespread blast that threw her backwards. She couldn't help the cry of pain released and the Spriggan just laughed. "Humans are soft…"

"Ngh…" Asuka landed on her back, wincing from that direct blow. "Chiara, slow him down!"

"Don't tell me what to do…!" The young female rudely quipped back as she began to cast a spell. "O hollow wind that carries heavily through the valleys! Ail-Vernier!" Sound familiar? It should. While the Vernier spell was used to increase a targets speed, the Ail version of this spell did the opposite; slowing down the opponent to make them sluggish. Chiara specialized in anti-support magic, acting as a hindrance to foes. This slowing spell was used on Wahl to make his movements easier to read and react to.

Next up was Ethan, taking advantage of the spell his team member used to slow Wahl down. Ethan donned a full body takeover: Neo Shining Blitz. It armor colored red and white, streaks of flame flowing from the shoulder pads, wrists, and ankles. Flame boosters exploded from the soles of his feet, sending him forward as fire flared around his fist. "Take this!" Ethan swung his fist at Wahl, who was unable to move as quickly as he liked. This resulted in a direct hit against Wahl's, which gave Ethan slight confidence.

Wahl's head tilted back from the blow and his maniacal grin formed. His personality was beginning to change. As a complex machine, he was capable of changing and updating himself in any way he saw fit. "A Machias Takeover, huh? Don't get any ideas on trying to take me over…I'm too strong for you! Plus, unlike me, your takeovers actually have weaknesses!" Ethan aimed a follow up punch at Wahl's chest, but he grabbed the takeover mage's wrist tightly and smirked as his free hand shifted into a cannon. "12mm Hydro Cannon!"

"Wha!?" Ethan's eyes went wide. He tried to use his free hand to shield himself, but it was far too late. Wahl unleashed a high pressurized blast of water point blank at Ethan. The flames on his suit were doused and pieces of his armor were already breaking from the intensity of the water. Wahl released Ethan to let him fly and eventually hit the ground hard. "Ngh…"

Wahl wasn't finished there either! Two guns emerged from his back and launched multiple bullets at Ethan. These bullets were composed of both copper and zinc! Nobody had a chance to register what was happening as two of the bullets pierced through Ethan's arm and his leg! "AHAHAHA!"

"ETHAN!" Asuka dove forward, using Raijin Tempo's speed to grab Ethan and effectively tackle him out of the way.

Chiara didn't appreciate Wahl shooting her guild member like that. Even though she often responded rudely to the people around her, that didn't mean she didn't care in some way. The girl extended her hands, conjuring a tornado around Wahl to sweep him off his feet. "You'll die for that!"

"Oh ho!?" Wahl laughed and his legs changed. The Machias changed his legs to grow larger and a little heavier to keep him safe from the force of the wind. When the tornado formed, multiple orbs of territory formed around his body and exploded! All except one…Wahl jumped back from the explosions and didn't seem too injured. It was hard to tell since he was a robot. "Is that the best Fiore can muster!?"

"WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED!" Asuka lunged from the one territory orb in front of Wahl, while Alexander emerged from one sneakily placed behind him! Asuka had flames wrapped around her fist while Alexander planned to strike from behind. For a moment, it looked like they had Wahl right where they wanted him! "Hono Hammer!"

Just before both of them could connect with their strikes…Wahl grabbed Asuka's wrist while also throwing his opposing elbow backwards, sharply striking Alexander in the stomach. The Spriggan then whipped Asuka around, slamming her into the territory mage and threw them both in the opposite direction. "Play with fire…and get burned!" Wahl's hand changed into something akin to a flamethrower, now releasing a powerful stream of flame at the two mages. Chiara attempted to protect them with a gust of wind, but it was ultimately futile and all three mages were consumed by the fire. "Burn, burn, burn!"

"HAAA!" Ethan came charging through the fire and flames, still within his Neo Shining Blitz. Even though he was hurt, he wasn't going to slow down! Another punch was aimed for Wahl's face, but he caught it. Ethan's momentum caused him to slide backwards at most.

"Didn't you learn your lesson already!? Humans are so redundant!" Wahl was prepared to use the same trick again, but just as his free arm shifted, Asuka sped forward to latch onto him. "Huh?"

"Alexa, now!" Asuka screamed!

From behind Wahl, another territory beam opened up. The injured Alexander condensed his magic into a sphere no larger than a baseball. This caused the magic to swell and overload, eventually turning into a gargantuan beam that rocketed across the sky! This struck Wahl right in the back as Asuka and Ethan held him down! "Got him!"

"AHAHAHA!" Wahl laughed despite the damage taken. "Minimal damage sustained. Counter attack: initiate!" Since he still was holding onto Ethan's fist, he maneuver his arm in a way to catch Asuka in the ensuing blast as well. The Machias unleashed a potent burst of raw magic that blew away both mages, sending them quite the distance. He then whipped around, shooting a 9mm bullet of zinc at Alexander that pieced right through his side before he quickly warped away with a portal. "Though you're weak, this is kinda fun!"

Chiara lifted her hands up, forging a tidal wave of water that crashed down on Wahl! No damage was sustained, but he was waist high in water and Team Asuka all took to the rooftops. At this point the other soldiers of Alvarez noticed the fight, but they dared not to step in. "Now!" Chiara released lightning that surged through the water.

Not only that, but Alexander, Asuka, and Ethan were all attacking from above! Asuka was using lightning, Alexander controlled the territory around his fist to have properties of lightning, and Ethan was coming down with a booster kick! "YOU'RE FINISHED!" They all yelled as they struck Wahl simultaneously! Between the lightning, the water infused lightning, and Ethan's kick, there was no way to them that this wasn't it!

"AAAHHHHH!" Wahl screamed as the lightning surged through his entire body.

"We got him…!" Ethan grinned.

"AAAHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" That fake out scream was just heinous laughter. Wahl's hand touched the water and some strange alchemy occurred. The water changed into a highly volatile gas. "Oh, I had you going there didn't I?!"

"No way…it didn't work…!?" Asuka's eyes were wide. One could see the visible strain on her face from pushing Raijin Tempo too hard, already reaching a level that she wouldn't be achieving on her own anytime soon…and it didn't do anything!?

"AYAHAHAHAHA!" With his heinous laugh, Wahl released an ember into the gas and it exploded violently, catching all four members of Team Asuka in its destructive wake! The four of them tumbled about violently, just barely managing to stay conscious after something that extreme.

"No way…his strength is out of this world…" Alexander said with heavy breaths. They couldn't give up here!

"Vortex Charge!" Recall all of that lightning they used? It was now coming back to bite them. Wahl allowed the lightning to charge and fuel his own systems, which he then flooded into his arm that took the shape of a railgun. "Targets locked. Chances of escape: 0%...chances of survival: minimal. FIRE!" And so, the gigantic blast of lightning soared towards all four them with nothing to stop it.

"Ngh…!" Asuka rushed forward. So long as she used an element, she was immune to it! So surely she could stop a blast of this size? Well…she wasn't entirely wrong, but her assumption was going to cost her a lot. Wahl's powerful blast struck against her, and though the element didn't fry her, she was still consumed by the raw force of the blast and ultimately so were the others. There was nothing but a destroyed alleyway when the blast cleared. Team Asuka was down.

"That was fun." Wahl admitted while walking over to them. "This is all that Fiore has to offer, huh. …?" When Wahl looked down, a damaged Ethan was attempting to take him over, even in his condition. "Didn't you listen? You can't take me over." Wahl didn't feel anything. So he kicked Ethan in the head to render him unconscious. They were all still alive, but barely.

"That's Master Wahl!"

"Yeah, go Master Wahl! They never stood a chance!"

The soldiers cheered Wahl for his victory. Four mages of Fiore down without so much as breaking a sweat…though he was a robot, so he didn't really have to put in effort. "…I want to send them a message, but how…? Oh…I just got an idea…" A sinister one at that…

* * *

"Sophie, we don't have to fight!" Aira pleaded as Sophie continued to speed around. Aira was capable of blocking Sophie's high speed strikes, but she only fired back with gusts of wind to create distance since she didn't want to hurt her.

Sophie slid back, keeping her violet gaze on Aira and a few others who surrounded her. "…But you are my enemies now. I'm no longer of White Eclispe…"

"That doesn't mean you have to fight us…!" Aira said. "Please, calm down…!"

"Isn't that the one who died…?" Chelia asked while keeping herself at the ready. Sophie could jump at any moment. Luckily the nearby soldiers were either kept busy, or watching Dimaria battle against Taya and Kagura.

"…I did expire." Sophie said with a nod. "I am here…but I am also not here."

"A ghost!?" Jin gasped.

"…No." Sophie shook her head. "Not a ghost. But not alive either."

"That…doesn't make any sense…but we don't want to fight you, Sophie." Aira said once more. In truth, Sophie didn't want to fight them either, but it was her duty.

"I'm afraid I have little choice in the matter. Enemies of my mother…and Neinhart…" Sophie got into a battle ready stance. She was about to lunge, but the loud laughter of Wahl echoed through the battlefield and turned all attention to him.

"Hey, it's that guy who fired on us…!" Melody pointed.

Wahl was once again perched on a rooftop, four large missiles around him. These missiles had the unconscious Team Asuka strapped to them and they were ready to fire at a moment's notice. "Hey, do these pieces of human trash belong to any of you?"

"What the…!?" Tristan's eyes widened. "Is that what the commotion in the town was? How did they get there and why!?"

"…" Leon's gaze glared at Wahl. He had a look that said 'don't do it' but Wahl was ignoring everything for the incoming spectacle.

"Those idiot kids…!" Hikaru snarled.

"HERE! TAKE THEM BACK!" Wahl laughed as the missiles fired, each one going off in a different direction on the battlefield.

"INCOMING!" Lyon yelled. They were prepared for the missiles to explode when they hit the ground…but it was far worse than that. The missiles actually exploded in midair! The members of Team Asuka all fell from the sky, completely motionless upon hitting the ground. Their breathing was extremely light to nonexistent…and if they didn't get medical treatment immediately they would meet the end of their mage career before it could even start.

"AYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Wahl cackled, proud of what he did.

"Let's finish them off!" A number of soldiers roared and they took advantage of the stunned silence from the mages of Fiore! A few no named members caught the worst end of it, while the fatally injured Team Asuka was about to be picked off!

"Shit…!" The tides were shifting against them! Members were down and killed already in the confusion and the enemy was starting to push forward! "Ice Make: Snow Tiger!" A quick, one handed incantation was all Lyon needed to summon a tiger composed of ice. This tiger clawed through the enemies, keeping Team Asuka safe from further harm. "We have to get them to safety!"

"There's nowhere safe for you!" More heat seeking missiles formed from Wahl and he rained destruction from above! The multiple explosions sent numerous mages flying!

"Pull back!" Jaxon ordered. Things weren't looking good now that the enemy had momentum!

"…." Leon was seething in anger. Even though Team Asuka went too far to try and battle a Spriggan, Leon could not forgive the example Wahl made out of them. As much as he wanted to fight right now, it was best to make sure they survived this battle. They could always come back. Wahl wasn't going to get away with this. This much was certain.

"You're all sick…" Kagura growled at Dimaria.

"Compliment me more~" Dimaria hummed before pointing her sword forward. "But you really should have kept your attention on me…"

Riiiiip. The sound of fabric hit the ears of the two women. The jacket Kagura wore was shredded to nothing, once again exposing her, and Taya's clothes were all ripped apart as well! Both women were bare for all to see, and it did catch many eyes!

"You…" Taya did cover her chest, but she wasn't going to give Dimaria the satisfaction of seeing her flustered. No, she just gave the Spriggan a death glare. That expression was a fine substitute for the blonde, unfortunately.

"A-Again…!?" Kagura squealed.

"Kagura-chan! We have to go…!" Milliana yelled. Melody fired off several lances of silver to get Dimaria away from them. "Things are looking bad! We've got people dropping like flies…!"

With no other options, Kagura and Taya also had to make a tactical retreat. Dimaria didn't bother chasing them down. She just licked her lips and that sultry grin of hers appeared once more. "Oh…leaving so soon? I was just about to get to the fun part. But I suppose I can wait until tomorrow to sink my fangs into you~"

The battle of Port Hargeon…was a loss for Fiore today.

* * *

As things down south went…well, south. Things up north were tense as Bacchus and Jenny squared off against Prometheus and Pandora. Bradman's presence was still something to watch out for, but at the moment, the Spriggan was hanging back as the duo of chaos and balance took the field. Meanwhile, everyone was taking care of the soldiers they could.

"COME ON! LET'S GET WILD!" Bacchus yelled. He was drunk, so his speed and power increased tenfold! The Drunken Falcon rushed at the Grim Reaper, aiming a series of unpredictable palm strikes at him!

Prometheus' cackle echoed through the northern plains and he swayed around Bacchus' strikes. But this was something he could get into! "Kyahahaha! Let's see what you can do!" The reaper floated away, swinging his scythe at Bacchus' chest at the same time. Bacchus bent back, allowing the scythe to fly over him!

"I'm feeling good!" Bacchus then sprang up, throwing a strike that landed square against Prometheus' chest. The impact did send the demon of chaos skidding back a bit.

"Hm…not too shabby…" Prometheus admitted before lighting his hands up in purple fire. "But let's see how you handle this! Skull Flare!" Four skulls of flame formed around Prometheus, all of them shooting sphere of the element directly at Bacchus.

"Oh, that ain't good." But Bacchus was grinning regardless. He didn't have many options to strike from a distance, so he had no choice but to rush in and strike! As he ran forward, he did his best to avoid the demonic flames that came his way, but they did graze his body.

Just as Bacchus neared, Prometheus swung his scythe at one of the skulls, coating it in these flames. "Sinister Slice!" Prometheus aimed a downward slash at Bacchus, and the Drunken Falcon just narrowly managed to prevent the tip of the scythe from piercing into his chest by catching it with his hands! It was an extremely close call, but it wasn't over yet! Bacchus felt the flames burning into his hands.

"This guy ain't bad…!" Bacchus grit his teeth. He could feel his hands burning and he wasn't going to be able to sustain this forever. Lucky, and unluckily for him, Prometheus then slammed a fist into Bacchus' gut, sending the Cerberus staggering back. It was better than having scythe sticking out of his chest. "Oof…" His hands hurt pretty badly now, but this made him grin! Things were getting exciting! "Let's keep it going! I ain't finished yet!"

"Good, good! I'm just starting to have fun!" The Grim Reaper sprinted forward once more, now aiming a series of scythe slashes at Bacchus. Prometheus was stylish with his swings, flipping his weapon around his body in a way that flawlessly allowed the next strike. It made Bacchus' dodging a little difficult and he was barely able to counter with a palm strike whenever he found the time, but in exchange his body was being cut up! But this was fine! This kind of fight was EXACTLY what Bacchus was looking for! War or not, he hadn't felt this kind of excitement in such a long time.

Just nearby, Jenny was dueling with Pandora, who was a surprisingly tough opponent for the model. Jenny wasn't quite ready to use Takeover: Dragon just yet. She didn't know how many more people she'd be fighting after Pandora. As such, she was using her Takeover: Submarine. This allowed her to release torpedoes that swam through the air, flying at high speeds towards the Goddess of Balance. "Surrender now, before I get serious!"

"No." Pandora whipped her scepter forward, releasing icicles to clash with the torpedoes. There were several explosions that occurred in a chain. The goddess then allowed lightning to surge along her scepter and she vanished, only to reappear behind Jenny and slam the charged scepter into her side!

"Agh….!" Jenny yelped and staggered from the hit. "You sure don't pull any punches…"

"I hit everyone the same. I do not discriminate." Pandora remarked. Jenny was about to fire back with a quip of her own…but both women turned when there was a piercing scream.

What happened? Well, going back a few seconds, Bacchus attempted to challenge Prometheus in close combat despite having the disadvantage. What was the result of this? A mistimed palm strike missing, and Prometheus' scythe swinging at the exposed wrist. Bacchus' hand was sliced clean off and landed not too far away. Bacchus screamed in pain after this! "AGGGGGH!"

"BACCHUS-SAMA…!" Yukino's hands covered her mouth and her expression paled. She felt her stomach churn at seeing the hand on the ground.

"Oh shit…Bacchus!" Rocker cried out in worry.

"Huh…" Prometheus shrugged. "That armor doesn't really help, does it…"

"Oh, that ain't good…" Roy blinked behind his mask.

"Whoa…" Reiss felt his eyes widen at the scene.

"…" Micaiah did get a little sick looking at that.

Bacchus continued to scream…but that scream then turned into a mild laughter. "…Hahaha…oh yeah. Now this….THIS IS WILD!" Bacchus landed a surprising palm strike against Prometheus, nearly sending him flying!

"Whoa…!" Prometheus chuckled at Bacchus' drive. "You…I LIKE YOU!"

Despite being dismembered, Bacchus was going strong! He sprinted forward, putting all the magic power he had into his other hand! "CHOP HANGING PALM: UNDER MOONLIGHT!" Prometheus was prepared to meet this attack as Bacchus threw it, but neither got the result they expected. Instead, Bradman interfered, his broad palm stopping Bacchus' after an explosive impact. "Huh!? What the hell!?"

"Hey hey! You can't have my alias AND my opponent! Get outta here!" Prometheus nearly whined.

"…This human…peaks mine interest…" Bradman said. There was an odd aura around him. It wasn't quite death…but the grass around him back to wither and die. If that wasn't a red flag…

Sting, noticing this, decided to make an executive decision. One of their strongest was currently injured and the Spriggan was beginning to advance. He was a threat, and one that they couldn't take on in this scattered position. "Guys, pull back!"

"Sting…" Rogue looked over and saw that Sting was sweating, completely serious about this. Not to mention. Prometheus and Pandora were beginning to tear through some of their ranks now that Bradman decided to step forward. The injured had a chance at survival and they needed to get them out of there and fast!

"…I suppose we have no choice then…" Minerva did Bacchus a solid. She used her magic to wrap his fallen hand in territory to keep it safe. They had to reattach it later, but that was after they made their escape.

"I got us covered!" Roy had several bombs at his disposal. They were all hurled at Bradman, resulting in explosions of smoke and some regular ones. The immensely thick cloud of smoke served as cover for everyone to pull back! Even Roy could sense that Bradman wasn't one they could take lightly.

The explosions around Bradman…didn't do any damage to him. The Grim Reaper of the Spriggan 12 just stood as his cloak wavered in the wind. The humans were pulling back… "…A futile struggle by thy humans…Alvarez shall win the war…and I will take those who oppose through the gates of hell…"

* * *

Eastern Fiore. God Serena, August, and Jacob met with Jura, Wolfheim, Hyberion, and Warrod. "Yo." God Serena said with a grin. "Long time no see."

"Are you the one who attacked Bosco, you traitorous bastard?" Wolfheim questioned.

"Hm?" God Serena tilted his head. "Alas, it was not my power alone that destroyed Bosco. It was a combined effort between August, Jacob, and myself. Though, if you plan to oppose me…I can't say it would end well for you. After all, I did defeat the mighty dragon Gaia…she was no match for my Godly powers. If you think you can stand in my way...well, I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't want to see you try."

"Why do you lay waste to your own homeland, God Serena?" Hyberion asked. It had been years since God Serena left Ishgar, and for reasons no one but the former Wizard Saint himself knew about. It was easy for everyone else to wonder why.

God Serena could barely hold back the smile on his lips. "That expression on your face is priceless."

"So this is the man who once stood atop the Ten Wizard Saints…God Serena…" This was Jura's first time actually seeing God Serena. First impressions? A traitor.

"And the man behind him is the wizard who wields every known spell with ease, and is lauded as the supreme king of all magic, both past and present: August." Warrod's old expression held a scowl. "And last but not least, another member of the Spriggan 12, and a genius practitioner of assassin magic; Jacob Lessio."

Jacob adjusted his gloves before turning to Jura, a wry grin stretching on his lips. "I'm digging your hairstyle." Said the assassin with the low buzz cut to the bald man.

* * *

Western Fiore: Magnolia. All was silent in Brandish's cell. Tia, Lucy, Cana, Zelos and Mii checked up on her a few minutes ago, but she was asleep. Since there was nothing she could do, Brandish just took a nap. But her nap was disturbed when Marin snuck into her cell! "Lady Brandish…" Her underling whispered. "I've found you at last. I've come to get you back."

"Marin!" Brandish smiled. What luck! She knew it was a matter of time until he came, plus Zelos wasn't going to be any help unfortunately. She could tell that he was thinking about it whenever they came to check up on her...which is probably why he wasn't allowed to be near her alone. She still couldn't get a read on that one. The Spriggan sat up right. "I knew you would come. You are deserving of the title of my adorable pet." At least Marin was still the favorite. "There is no time to waste. Undo my restraints. The only question remaining is how I should crush this shabby building…"

Marin didn't say anything. He stood over Brandish ominously. "…"

And in the next second, his hands were at her throat! Brandish couldn't fight back and she fell onto her back. Marin now stood over her, the grip he had tightening! She squirmed, but being restrained did her no favors. "M-MARIN!? What do you think you're…!? CEASE THIS AT ONCE…!" She thought she was screaming, but since Marin her such a tight grip on her throat, her voice only came out in a choked cry.

"You've completely and utterly had your way with me up until now…~ You even tried to replace me with that shit for brains man…" Marin started to sweat and an insane grin crossed his lips. He was waiting for this moment for such a long time! These feelings were bubbling up since he realized that she really was treating him as a pet! "AND FOR THAT, YOU GET A FAILING GRADE! YOU FAIL, MY DARLING! YOU FAIL!" Marin yelled, laughing as Brandish gasped desperately for air. There was nothing she could do, and Marin loved it. His grin widened as her eyes started to roll into the back of her head. This was how he felt; powerless and used. Now he had power over her. He was going to crush her windpipe with his bare hands and wouldn't stop until he choked every ounce of life out of her!

This was the twisted melody of 'Raganarok'….

.

.

Next Time: Mother's Key.


	47. Chapter 47: Mother's Key

Brandish awoke with a sharp gasp, sitting upright and looking around. "Where are we!?" Her neck was bruised by Marin's hands, which only confirmed that what happened wasn't a nightmare. That was real.

"We're in the infirmary." Lucy said. Though her voice startled the woman. Lucy, Mii, Tia, Cana, and Porlyuisca were sitting and standing near her bed. "It'll probably sound redundant, but we still can't take those off." Freed and the others were still unconscious and nobody planned to interrupt their rest.

"It was a little mean to keep you locked up in there like that, though. So we brought you here." Cana flashed a grin.

"…Where's Marin?" Brandish asked.

"Uh…still in lockup, probably." Lucy shrugged. "Zelos was really angry when we saw what happened…"

"It was a shock though, trying to see him kill you and all…" Cana sighed.

"Yeah…" Mii shrugged her shoulders. "Even I know the difference between consent and attempted murder. Strangling just seems like a really dumb way to kill someone, though…unless you're into that kind of thing and just forgot the safe word. Then I guess we should apologize in that case…"

Tia just ignored Mii's comments completely and crossed her arms. "You're very lucky that his emotions got the best of him. If we didn't overhear him yelling, you'd probably be dead."

* * *

Quickly cutting to Zelos, he was standing over Marin in the prison. After they apprehended him, the girls took Brandish to the infirmary but he stayed behind, glaring at the space mage. "You know…I already kind of didn't like you, and I know you didn't like me...But I draw the line at attacking a woman when they can't fight back." Zelos' boot slammed into Marin's gut, causing him to cry out.

"Agh…! I never liked you either…!" Marin coughed. "I was so tired of being treated like a dog! I don't understand how you could accept that so easily! I had to…! GUH!" Zelos kicked the shit out of Marin once again.

"This isn't just my chivalry talking." Zelos' red hair created a shade over his eyes. But there was a fierce, ominous glow within them. "But there's something that really pisses me off about what you did. I want to smear this cell in your blood…but they'd all get mad at me if I did that. So I'll settle for kicking the shit out of you instead. So I guess you could say…you failed."

* * *

"These children found you when you were about to fall unconscious. You should be thankful." The old doctor told Brandish.

The Spriggan looked down. She noticed the jar and cup full of water nearby. They were nice enough to even prepare a drink for her, which made no sense considering the situation they were in. "Why would you save someone like me?" She finally asked.

"Well, that's because we have tons of question for you!" Cana answered.

"I have nothing to say to you." Brandish replied.

Tia blinked as Brandish's attitude reminded her…a lot of her own prior to befriending Fairy Tail. "…"

"Yeah, but we don't want any more lives to be lost anyway…and that includes yours, too." Lucy said while keeping that smile.

"You always have the option of torture…" Brandish trailed off.

"We won't do it." Lucy clarified.

"Do you want to be, though?" Mii and Cana said that same thing at the same time, causing Tia and Lucy to sharply glance at them.

"Cana! Mii!" Lucy huffed.

"Hey…she's the one who brought it up…" Mii shrugged.

"I can't believe you both…" Tia pinched the bridge of her nose.

"We did take a bath together, after all." Lucy leaned forward. "And I somehow don't think you're all that bad…"

"Didn't she try to kill you in that bath…?" Tia said, but Cana muffled her since it looked like Brandish softened up a little after that comment.

Brandish did concede, at least to Lucy. "So…your questions were about Layla, yes? Take this off and let me talk to you alone, that's my condition." Brandish gestured to the chains on the cuffs on her wrists. She still couldn't move as she liked.

"Hey, don't you dare get cocky now…" Cana stepped forward, but Lucy stopped her.

"Sure. It'll be fine, Cana." Lucy said.

"Wait a second!" Mii objected. "You wanna think about this a little more? She's still the enemy…that's like…trusting Mii. I don't trust Mii…so I wouldn't do this."

Tia nodded. "For once, I agree with the walking liar. This is a bad call."

Lucy turned to Mii and Tia, tilting her head slightly. "It's okay, you two. After all…you guys started out as enemies too. But look at you now. I trust you both." And so, Lucy undid the chains so Brandish could at least move her arms and legs freely.

"Ngh…!" Tia didn't have a comeback for that one. She was an enemy once…yet here she was, siding with them in this war. "…Tch…"

"You're an idiot." Mii sighed. She didn't have anything to really say. So they all left Lucy alone with Brandish. "I can almost guarantee that she's gonna try and kill you before this is over."

"It'll be all right. Thank you for the help, Granny Porlyuisca!" Lucy said as they all departed.

"You can have the key, but I'll be keeping the sealing stone with me…" The doctor muttered.

"Just scream if you need help!" Cana said.

"…I don't like this." Tia made her point very clear.

"Just let Mii know if you want a third party~" Mii waved and closed the door behind her. This left Lucy and Brandish alone.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Brandish finally began to speak. "My name is Brandish Myu. My mother's name is Grami. She was one of your mother's disciples." That news shocked Lucy. This was the first she was hearing of this. "When your mother gave up on being a celestial wizard, she split her keys between three of her servants. She gave Scorpio's key to Zoldio and Cancer's key to Spetto."

"Old lady Spetto?" Lucy asked. She remembered that lady.

Brandish then gripped the sheets of the blanket. "And the key she gave to my mother…was Aquarius' key." Now that was news Lucy didn't know about. "My mother looked up to Laya, and she polished Aquarius' key 'till it shone without fail, every single day. But Layla…Layla betrayed her…"

"W-…What did my Mother do…?" Lucy was afraid of asking the question, and even more so of the answer she might receive.

"Where do you suppose you got the key from?" Brandish cut her eyes at Lucy.

"It…was my mother's…" Lucy stuttered.

"The key was supposed to be left in my mother's care. Now…how could it have ended up with yours then?" Lucy had no answer. "Layla had my mother killed so she could get the key back."

"No…!" Lucy shook her head, refusing to believe that statement. "My mother wouldn't have…!"

"Ah…now naïve…" Brandish then began to move. "A girl living in her own little world…" And without warning, she lunged at Lucy, making sure to grab her hands.

"Wait…!" Lucy cried out.

A familiar scene. Brandish restraining Lucy. She was behind Lucy, one hand covering her mouth and nose while the other gripped her wrists tightly. Brandish's legs were crossed over Lucy's own to limit her movement. "You should have listened to your red headed friend…you shouldn't trust others so easily…"

"Mmmmmpfh…!" Lucy started to thrash about. She couldn't believe this was happening again! "S…Stop…!" At the very least, all she managed to do was knock over the jar of water that spilled onto the floor. But the noise wasn't loud enough to catch anyone's attention outside. They must have been discussing something…

Lucy tried to roll them over, but Brandish wasn't having it. "I don't have anything against you, really. But this is all I can do for now." Lucy tried to scream, but her voice was muffled by Brandish's hand. She was suffocating and fast. "I'll be taking your life…to avenge my mother…" Brandish started to cry, but the look of animosity on her face didn't fade. "I'm sorry…but please, just die." Despite Lucy's thrashing about, she couldn't do anything. Brandish used her own legs to keep Lucy's apart, thus limiting her movement even more. Now the blonde was completely trapped.

"MMM! MMM!" Lucy was going to try and do the headbutt once again, but Brandish wasn't going to fall for the same thing twice. That's precisely while she held onto Lucy's face so tightly, keeping her head close to prevent another escape. The small pool of water nearby rippled the more Lucy began to lose consciousness. Eventually, she couldn't even make a noise and Brandish flipped them over, now on top of Lucy as she planned to finish the job, refusing to stop until she choked the life out of Lucy. It was ironic that she was suffocating someone after she was nearly choked to death herself…

Then, suddenly, the water nearby surged into a moderately sized wave, one that pushed Brandish off of Lucy and into the wall. "Aaahhh…!"

Aquarius emerged from the pool of water, holding Lucy close to her while staring at Brandish. "What did you say about my key again?"

Lucy was trying to focus on well…the fact she didn't die. There was also Aquarius keeping her safe, which was something she needed to process. "A-Aqua…Aquarius…?"

"….." Brandish was staring at Aquarius. This…didn't make any sense.

Aquarius turned to Lucy with a soft smile. "Been a while, hasn't it Lucy? I see you're looking better than you did a year ago. That's good. I'd hate to have to drown you for looking so depressed."

Lucy wrapped her arms around the celestial spirit, sobbing into her chest. "Aquariussss! You've finally come back to me!"

"….." Brandish still didn't say anything. She was attempting to process all of this.

"Well no…that's not entirely true." Aquarius frowned. "It's been roughly 2 years since that incident. Although at the time last year, there was hardly time for a proper explanation." By that, she meant that the one year anniversary of Lucy having to break Aquarius' key was ruined by the Emmeraude incident. "I was unable to tell you this last year, but as of one year ago, a new key of the Water Bearer was born somewhere in this world. Though it wasn't in celebration or anything like that, the Celestial Spirit King decided to temporarily open a gate to this world with his own power. And that's why there's no time. We'll have to cut our reunion short."

"Huh..?" Lucy didn't quite understand. But she did catch the part of a new key for Aquarius being born into the world. She would have known sooner if she wasn't wrapped up in the Emmeraude affair. But that didn't matter right now. Right now, Lucy was happy to see Aquarius again. "Even so…the simple fact that we were able to meet again…I'm just so…"

Aquarius turned to Brandish, who was silent the entire time. "Long time no see to you too, I suppose…Brandish."

"You two have met!?" Lucy gasped.

"The little brat said it herself, didn't she? My key was in her mother's care for some time. That really takes me back. The two of us used to play all the time, didn't we Brandish?" Aquarius said, but Brandish just gave a stubborn start. "HEY! WAKE UP YOU DAMN SQUIRT! AFTER ALL THIS TIME YOU CAN'T EVEN MUSTER A HELLO!?"

Brandish's eyes widened and she flinched, leaning away from the screaming spirit. "My…my deepest apologies, Master…."

"MAS….!?" Lucy nearly shrieked from the shock of what she just heard. "WHAAAT?!"

Aquarius leaned forward, grabbing the Spriggan's face with one hand to smoosh her cheeks. "You sure turned into a rebellious little bitch, didn't you? You'll never get a boyfriend with a shitty attitude like that got it!?"

"Yesh…." Brandish mumbled. Lucy just….stared.

"That reminds me…I want to see you crawl on all fours like a little puppy, like you always used to do." Aquarius smirked.

Brandish did just that. She got on all fours, barking like a dog. "Woof! Woof!"

"That's a good girl." The water bearer rustled the woman's hair.

"Master…"

And then, Aquarius slapped the shit out of Brandish. "LIKE HELL YOU'LL GET OFF THAT EASILY!"

"THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH, MASTER!" Brandish yelled.

Lucy continued to stare. There was a blank expression on her face as she tried to register what exactly was going on in front of her. _"…What am I supposed to be doing here. I have no idea what's going on."_

Well, after all of that, Brandish was bowing before Aquarius who seemed to have her fill of toying and scolding Brandish. "My master is Lucy, and by proxy, that means she's your master as well. You full well know what that means don't you, Brandish?"

Brandish knew what it meant, but she didn't like it. "Even though that may be the case, I…I will never be able to forgive Layla for her sin of killing my mother…"

"But Lucy's not Layla now, is she?" Aquarius asked. "I understand how you feel…but you can't judge the daughter for the sins of the mother. But in this case…Layla didn't kill Grami in the first place. She never would have, not in a million years." A strange light then enveloped the three women. "Come with me to the other side and I will tell you the truth about it. No…it would be more accurate to say I'll show you."

* * *

Lucy, Brandish, and Aquarius were all in a space-like setting. The only strange thing about this was that the two humans ended up becoming mermaids. "What is this!? I have a tail!?" Lucy looked back, sweating a little from the sudden transformation.

"I'm a Mermaid…?!" Brandish looked down at herself. "Never mind that…where are we?"

"This is the Memory of the Stars. An archive of memories by celestial spirits for generations." Aquarius explained before swimming forward. "You could think of it as being inside of a dream, if you want…only this time, there will be no killing anyone to get out of it." She remembered that blissful nightmare from 2 years ago. "But make no mistake; everything projected here is the absolute truth. Follow me."

"…" Brandish and Lucy shared silence. The Spriggan was unamused and Lucy was just confused.

The first image steadily came into view. "Hey, I see someone..!" Lucy said.

It was a woman who had blonde hair and a face extremely identical to Lucy's, but there were a few subtle differences. "The woman you're seeing there is none other than Anna Heartfilia. She's Lucy's ancestor, but also quite possibly the greatest celestial spirit mage to ever live. It was 400 years ago. The Black Wizard, Dragons, and Celestial spirit mages collaboratively set a great plan into motion."

Brandish and Lucy could see Anna talking to Zeref himself. They were unable to hear anything they were saying, but to see them together was a shock all the same. "Zeref?!"

"The Emperor…!?"

As Aquarius spoke, multiple shooting stars flew overhead in the blanket of darkness. "It was a plan to send powerful warriors, who would one day defeat Acnologia, into the future. The celestial spirit mages sent them on their journey to the future using the door of Eclipse. As you know, it is a form of celestial spirit magic. Anna opened that door, and for generations to come, the Heartfilia family watched over and protected the other door which it led to."

"The other door…?" Lucy asked. "What do you mean?"

"By nature, the door of Eclipse requires two celestial mages to attend to its entrance and exit." Aquarius continued. "If it is not operated with the utmost care, an incident such as the one from the Grand Magic Games in four years ago could occur." The attack of the dragons in x791, Future Rogue…Future Lucy…it was all connected in one way or another. Continuing forward, Aquarius led the three further into the archive. "In this instance, the exit, if you will, was in the future. In other words, after opening the entrance, the Heartfilia patiently waited for hundreds of years. At long last, the door was opened in Layla's generation. In order to finally open the door, all of the 12 keys of the Zodiac were required. The image then showed Grami, Brandish's mother, sitting with her little girl. "In addition to gathering the keys that she herself handed down, Layla contacted all the world's spirit mages so that all of the keys could be assembled. However, there was one small problem: she was unable to contact Grami, who traveled the world to the continent of Aracitacia. My key had yet to be found. To compensate, Layla decided to use her own life force to make up for the magic power contained in the missing key."

"She went that far…?" Brandish mumbled.

"…" Lucy didn't have anything to say. It was all making sense why she always saw her mother so sick…and it only pained her a little more when she remembered that she was the one who put her mother's soul to rest.

The scene changed once again. A weary and sickly Layla was in bed and Grami was by her side. "As a result, although she was successful in her attempt at opening the door, Layla, who was born with a frail body to begin with, fell ill with magic deficiency disease. It was not until seven days later after the fact that the news finally reached Grami's ears." Said the spirit.

Grami was trembling next to Layla's bed, blaming herself for being away. "Miss Layla…I…After all the kindness you showed me, I have inflicted such great pain upon you. For this, I will never forgive myself…"

"Do not worry…it is nothing to work yourself up over, Grami…" Layla tried to reassure her friend everything was okay.

"I'm no longer worthy of possessing this key which you so graciously entrusted to me…please, take it in your hands once more." Grami spoke while holding up the key of the Water Bearer.

"Alas, in my state, I can no longer use magic…" Layla said.

Grami started to tear up. "Then please, at least allow me to give Miss Lucy the key. She will surely become a magnificent celestial wizard in your place." After hearing those words, Brandish's gaze softened.

"The duty of opening the door of Eclipse, which had been passed down in the Heartfilia family for hundreds of years, has finally been fulfilled by my generation. For that alone, I am eternally grateful." Layla said with some difficulty. "My only wish was for my beloved daughter to be able to live freely, and now it has been granted." And upon hearing those words, Lucy's expression saddened. "Which reminds me…how is Brandish? Full of energy as always?"

"Of course..." Grami responded. "Although, without Aquarius, I'm sure she's feeling a tad lonely…"

"She was around the same age as Lucy, was she not?"

"That's right…I'll be sure to bring her along next time I see you."

"I'm sure that they'll become great friends…" The bed ridden blonde smiled.

"They will, of that, I'm certain." Grami spoke with tears in her eyes. Happy ones. How ironic that the complete opposite happened. Instead of friends, they were enemies in a war to decide to fate of humanity. Lucy and Brandish realized the cruel irony of fate…

"Just like the two of us, you mean?" Layla asked.

"Friends, with the likes of me?" Grami shook her head. "Do not be absurd, Miss Layla…"

"You are the one being absurd. It goes without saying that we've always been friends!" Layla clarified.

"Miss Layla…." Grami couldn't believe the words, but they did make her feel so much better.

* * *

Grami departed the Heartfilia manner with a sad look. She was going to go home to Brandish…until a knife plunged right into her back. The one who did the deed? A tearful Zoldio. Brandish covered her mouth and shrieked in horror. "M-MOTHER!"

"It's all your fault! Miss Layla is dying because of you!" Zoldio growled.

"Z…Zoldio…" Grami glanced back at her assailant.

"STOP THIS! STAY AWAY FROM HER!" Brandish yelled, the tears beginning to form as she witnessed her own mother's day. In the heat of the moment, she completely forgot that this was nothing more than a retelling of years ago, and that she was powerless to stop the events playing before her.

"Indeed…you're right about that…" Grami didn't even deny Zoldio's accusation. In fact, she accepted it, which is why she was already at peace and so understanding of his rage. "It is all my fault…this is…what I deserve…"

"How dare you…! How dare you take her from us…!" Zoldio screamed, sniffling right after. This decision was made on the spot, A whirlpool of anger and sadness clouded his mind and pushed him to this murder.

"I beg of you, Zoldio…" Grami turned her head back. The warmth of her body was rapidly escaping and she didn't have much time left. "My daughter Brandish…please, spare her life, In exchange for my own, will you grand me this one, final wish?"

Zoldio took a step back, his entire body trembling. How was he supposed to respond to that? He attacked with anger in mind, but to see that she didn't even resent him for attacking…? "Ahh…ahhh..."

"MOTHER! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME…!"

* * *

Suddenly, they were back. Brandish was wailing and Lucy immediately wrapped her arms around her for a tight hug. "it may be a little late, but…maybe the two of us can be best friends from now on…just like our mothers…" Said the blonde.

"Hey, hey, what's happening!?" Mii and Tia were already in the infirmary both of them flabbergasted what the turn of events on their end. "We heard some screaming and shouting so we rushed in as soon as we could, but when we did, you two were gone…!" Tia yelled. "Wait…Aquarius…?"

"And then you come back a few minutes later and now you're both crying? What the hell happened in here and why didn't you invite Mii!" Mii huffed. She had the wrong idea about all of this. She then turned to Aquarius. Had they met before? "Oh hey…I don't think I've ever imagined spending some time with an actual mermaid…" Surprisingly, no, they hadn't. As long as it had a pulse...

"…Who is that?" Aquarius narrowed her eyes at Mii. She didn't have a good feeling about her at all, but there was no time for that. "Lucy…there's still one last thing I need to tell you…"

SLAM! The door to the infirmary nearly broke open as Happy flew through, crying all the while. "HE…PLEASE, HELP ME!"

"Happy…?" Lucy turned.

The cause for Happy's concern? Natsu. Natsu was unconscious. He wasn't moving; he wasn't even breathing. "N-Natsu just passed out all of a sudden! Someone, anyone, you have to save him…!"

"…!?" Lucy's eyes widened at Natsu's condition.

At that moment, Cana and Porlyuisca followed suit. "What's going on in here?!" The card mage demanded to know. Happy flew past them so quickly with Natsu's dead weight, it was only natural to be concerned.

"You seem to be in an awful hurry…" The doctot noted.

"Natsu…!" Happy tripped over his words. "He fought with Zeref and…we decided to temporarily retreat. And then, without any warning he just…"

Lucy immediately grabbed Natus, trying to shake him awake. "Natsu! What's the matter! Get a hold of yourself!"

Cana turned to the Water Bearer. "Huh? You're…why are you here?"

"There are more pressing matters right now, don't you think?" Aquarius said. Brandish said nothing while Lucy, Tia, and Mii gathered around Natsu.

"Is he alive…?" Mii asked. "It would suck if he just dropped so easily after all that talk from before…"

"Don't you know anything about sensitivity?! Just shut up for like two seconds." Tia growled and shoved Mii aside. Now wasn't the time for her shit. Mii just shrugged and leaned against the wall. "Is he okay?"

Lucy pressed her ear against Natsu's chest. She couldn't hear anything… "I…I can't hear his heart beat. This…this can't…"

"Natsu! Natsuuuuu!" Happy yelled.

"Out of the way!" Porlyuisca pushed Lucy aside while trying to diagnose Natsu. When she figured out what happened…well, it wasn't good news. "This child…he's the one who's always pushing himself beyond his limits and trying to do the impossible. This is a direct result of his constant overexertion. His magic power is overheating, and an anti-ethernano tumor has developed within him."

Happy began sweating when it was explained. Natsu was always the type to 'use tomorrow's magic today'. While it did save them a number of times in the past in fights against King, Joker, Emmeraude, and Dhegensea…the tipping point was Flame Dragon King mode's full power. Power that went to waste since Happy decided to flee with Natsu.

"Anti…what the hell is that!?" Cana didn't even understand what was going on.

"A malignant mass has developed inside his body. If it's not removed promptly, he will perish." The woman said, but…

"You're telling me this idiot got magic cancer!?" Mii scoffed. "I didn't even know that was possible! You really have to be some kind of reckless idiot to afflict yourself with that." She wasn't entirely wrong…but again, she could have at least phrased it with a little more care.

"Stop it…!" Tia snapped. She was starting to like Mii less and less the more she spoke.

"How can something that's inside his body like that be removed?" Happy looked up for an answer. A positive one, hopefully.

"Surgery is the only option. However, this is likely no doctor capable of this feat on this continent. Furthermore…even if there was…"

"They wouldn't make it in time." Mii delivered the line. She had no problem with speaking the reality that had everyone worried. "You could try and find someone in Pergrande, Iceburg, Joya, or Minstrel…but if his heart's already stopped beating, then it's too late. I don't think Wendy is strong enough to do anything about it either."

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" Tia glared at Mii, who shrugged.

"Eh, I'll stop talking when I'm dead." Mii replied.

"Then how about I shut you up right now?" The water mage stepped forward.

But Mii only grinned in response to the rising tension. "Oh please…I've been waiting~"

"STOP IT YOU TWO!" Lucy shrieked, catching both women off guard. "I don't want anyone to die…! What are we supposed to do!?" She was trembling. The thought of losing Natsu frightened her. Even though she was so mad at him for leaving when he did last year….she already forgave him. They didn't even have the chance to high five again like old times…

"I'm sorry…" Porlyuisca sighed. There was nothing they could do…

"Please answer me, Natsu…" Lucy begged.

Brandish had seen enough. "These magic seals, could you remove them for me?" She asked, causing everyone to turn. "My magic is capable of altering the size of all matter in this world. If we can pinpoint the tumor, I can shrink it to the point that it will be relegated to a nonfactor?"

"D-Did she say all matter…!?" Tia's eyes widened. "You can really do that?"

"She shrunk an island for fun; I think she can do that…" Mii said. "But are you sure that this is a wise idea?"

"Can you…?" Happy pleaded.

"Please! Save Natsu! I'm begging you!" Lucy cried.

* * *

Some time passed. Natsu was resting on an infirmary bed, still unconscious, but safe thanks to Brandish. Makarov was now present, the anger (and concern) visible on his face. "Honestly! One moment he's flying out the door on his own, and as if he hadn't given me enough to worry about, he comes back sick!?"

"Stop acting so irritable around my patients." The doctor said.

"You're the last person I want to hear that from!" The old master yelled.

"But…we've managed to make it through the most critical parts; you can rest easy." The woman reassured. "I must say, that child certainly wields impressive magic. Brandish Myu, was it?"

"Who would've thought that in our most desperate hour of need, as opposed to having our weakness exploited, we would be saved by our enemy…" Makrov mumbled.

"That child…is an enemy?" The doctor asked.

"Until the battle has ended, I will not disclose those details." Makarov responded, despite already letting it slip.

" _I'm a prisoner of war, aren't I? Could you return me to my cell? Ah…but I'd like my jacket, if it's not too much trouble."_ That was all Brandish had to say after assisting Natsu.

"…So she said. Quite the confounding young woman, if I do say so myself…"

.

Brandish sat alone in her cell, leaning against the wall. Lucy, Mii Happy, and Tia were visiting her. "I can't thank you enough for saving Natsu." Lucy said with an appreciative smile.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Happy grinned.

"There was no need for you to go back to your cell of your own accord like that…" Lucy began, but Brandish cut her off.

"We're in the middle of war and you want to let your prisoner run free? I warned you once about your naïve thinking…one day; it just may cost you your life. I have no intention of becoming your friend or confidant, so I'd appreciate it if you left me alone."

"She's not wrong." Mii quipped.

Tia crossed her arms and sighed. "You know…I told her the _exact_ same thing once…and I was just like you."

"…." Brandish didn't say anything.

Aquarius placed her hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Lucy, I need a moment of your time."

"Aquarius…" Lucy turned.

"I hope our paths cross again someday, Brandish." Aquarius said, but got no response. "SPEAK, YOU MUTT!"

"…Okay." Brandish muttered.

"Did she just…call her mutt?" Tia blinked.

"And she just took it…That's kinky…" Mii nodded.

* * *

Lucy and Aquarius were on the guild's balcony, staring off into the distance as the sun began to set. "Come to think it, there was something I failed to mention to you earlier." The spirit said.

"What is it?" Lucy asked.

"I mentioned that my key has reincarnated, didn't I? That key is somewhere out there in this vast world. It could be here in Ishgar…or it could be in the faraway continent of Arakitashia. It could even be on some other continent, the possibilities are endless. And just so I make myself crystal clears, you won't be getting any hints from me."

Lucy looked up to her dear friend and smiled. There was a look of determination on her face, one that Aquarius hadn't been able to see in a long time. "I understand. I won't give itup to anyone else! You're my best friend, so that goes without saying!"

Aquarius' time was up. She began to fade back to the Spirit World, but she was able to part with a smile. She was glad she could see Lucy so strong again as compared to last year. "Thanks. I look forward to the day you find me."

" _I've got some things to do when this is over."_

Those were Natsu's words before the battle started. And now… _"I've finally found it too. The thing I want to do…and I won't lose to anyone!"_

* * *

As the war continued, those in the South and North had to flee. But what of the East? Well…that was the one battle that had already been decided. The Four Gods of Ishgar were all down at the might of God Serena. "Hey, please tell me this is come kind of joke? I mean…I know my mighty powers bested a dragon, but is this really all you're capable of against lowly 'ole me? And to think, after that pathetic display, you dare don the title of Wizard Saints…"

"God…Serena…" Hyberion growled.

Wolfheim was on his back, nothing but despair in his eyes. "His power…is this vast…?"

"How powerless…could I…" Jura was face down on the ground.

"Mavis…." Warrod was breathing heavily, grasping at the ground in front of him. "I just…wanted to see your smiling face…just one more time…" _"Yuri…Prechet…Mavis…it looks like its finally time for me to join you…"_

"Hm?" God Serena turned his attention to Warrod. "Just close your eyes, you decrypted tree. I'll put you out of your misery. _ **God Bye-bye.**_ "

* * *

And back at the Fairy Tail guild hall, Mavis felt it. She could feel a disturbing force that struck her to the very core… "Warrod…?"

.

.

Next Time: Hybrid Theory


	48. Chapter 48: Hybrid Theory

The southern camp. The forces of Lamia Scale, Black Phoenix, Mermaid Heel, and White Eclipse had to flee from the overwhelming numbers of Dimaria and Wahl. Several mages were injured after the clash and now they only had time to plan their next move. Lyon and a few others were surrounding the table with a map on it. "Damn it! Their manpower is utterly overwhelming…!" Lyon said, frustrated at their failure yesterday.

"We couldn't get near the city, let alone liberate it…" Chelia sighed.

"Not to mention…those four mages who tried to take on one of the Spriggan." Jaxon turned his gaze to the downed Team Asuka. They were being tended to a by a woman with long gray hair and silver eyes. That was Black Phoenix's doctor: Ivixa.

"They're alive….but they're not going to be fighting anymore anytime soon." Tristian was beside himself. "I should have been more attentive. I should have taken more care of that Spriggan in town…but he forced me to be defensive…" Remember, Tristan was Black Phoenix's SS class mage. The fact that he was forced to play defense really put a blow to his pride.

"The enemy is a lot stronger than I thought. I'll really have to put in muscle next time." Hikaru stretched her limbs and glanced Leon's way. He was oddly silent, likely still thinking over Wahl's example.

"There's also Sophie…" Aira stared down at her hands. "She said she was here, but not here. She wasn't a ghost either…and I don't think robots, er…Machias, have ghosts?" Sophie could technically be considered a Machias….but it was a little late for that.

"So what are we going to do, though?" Raven asked. "If we charge again, we might get stopped. We managed to cut down their numbers a little bit…but there are even more in the town now since those ships docked."

Sherri placed a hand on the map. "We'll have to try again. We know what they're capable of…but what are we going to do about that women who stops time? She seems like the biggest threat…"

"I heard that Luke will be a part of the force joining us." Jaxon said. "He's got some method of countering time stop for a little bit…so we're in luck there at least."

"She claimed to be a goddess or something, right…?" Chelia wrinkled her brow. "I could try and fight her…"

"Absolutely not alone." Sherri stared down at her cousin. "You're still in a sensitive condition."

"In the meantime, I suggest we just hit her hard and fast!" Jin suggested. "Even Time Stop takes time to activate, right? If she keeps her guard down long enough, we could deliver a decisive blow!"

"That's not a bad thought…" Yuka nodded in agreement. "I could try setting up an anti-magic field…although I'm unsure if it would keep anyone safe from time stop. It's worth trying."

"WHAT ABOUT THE ROBOT, ON!?" Toby asked.

"You don't have to yell, man…" Yuka sighed.

Jaxon stroked his chin, thinking hard about that one. "Robots are tough customers. If lightning doesn't work on him, then we'll have to resort to just…hitting it hard." The new guild master of White Eclipse wasn't exactly well versed in complex machinery.

While the others discussed their failed plan, Kagura sat somewhere in a new kimono. She sighed, thinking about what happened in the battle against Dimaria. How she was stripped naked, embarrassed, and made an utter fool of. "…Ugh…"

"Are you okay, Kagura-chan?" Milliana asked.

"…Yes, is what I would like to say, but…" Kagura trailed off.

"I figured as much." Milliana said with a sheepish laugh.

"Hey! Keep your eyes off her!" Risley yelled at the men who were staring at Kagura. It seemed as though they couldn't get her body out of their minds. "She has a enough to worry about with one man already looking at her!"

"Don't…tell them that." Kagura sighed.

Taya took a few steps forward. She was fully clothed as well. The ravenette stared down at Kagura, gesturing for her to stand up. "A word?"

Kagura stood, giving Taya a nod. "Ah…I wanted to thank you for…"

SMACK! Taya's palm swiftly struck Kagura's cheek, forcefully turning her head to the side. The sound echoed through the camp, all eyes now turning to the women. "Get your shit together."

"HEY!" Risley stepped forward, using her magic to change her form to her taller, slimmer state to be at eye level with Taya. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"

"That's a yikes…" Jaxon said, but stayed out of this.

There was a red mark on Kagura's cheek. She rubbed it and it sure did sting. "…"

"Do you think the enemy is really going to care if you're naked? I can guarantee that is the furthest thing from their minds." Taya snapped at Mermaid Heel's ace.

"Just because you're from White Eclipse you think you can…!" Milliana snapped at Taya.

"This isn't about guilds. This is war. We all have to be at the top of our game. A single mistake can result in our deaths. Look at those four mages from Black Phoenix." The demoness gestured to the downed Team Asuka. "That easily could have been her and I, why? Because she was too caught up in her lack of attire to put up a proper fight. She was in my way because she couldn't get over herself. I thought you were supposed to be strong. If you're going to be the one leading our charge, you should be acting more like a commander and less like a bashful teenage girl."

"Hey, that's not…!" Melody started, but Kagura held her arm out.

"No…she's right." Kagura shook her head. "I let my guard down because I was embarrassed. In a battle like this…I shouldn't have. I was the one who commenced the battle and should have seen it through to the end no matter what. I'm sorry, everyone. I won't let such a thing happen tomorrow."

"At least we have a reliable leader." Tristan could smile at that. Kagura's renewed confidence did raise moral for everyone else.

"…Thank you." Kagura said once more. She couldn't afford to falter again in a battle like this.

"Don't thank me. You still owe me a new jacket. You think Mink Fur comes cheap?" The demoness lifted a brow, pulling out the receipt of the jacket to hand to her.

Sweat drop. Kagura did kind of get Taya's nice jacket ruined. "…I'll be sure to pay you in full for the jacket when this war is over…" When the mermaid took the receipt, her eyes widened at the number of zeroes that followed. "T-This is…!?"

"I told you. It's an expensive jacket. I'll be waiting for a new one." Taya then waved and walked off to rejoin the others in their discussion. Kagura was just left staring at the amount of jewel she had to pay in comical horror.

* * *

With the overwhelming threat of Bradman, the forces of White Eclipse, Blue Pegasus, Shaman's Haven, Quatro Cerberus had no choice but to retreat. Their army was at a standstill and needed some time to recover in order to properly strike back. "We've suffered far too many casualties…" Sting grumbled. That first skirmish didn't go the way he would've liked.

"We've got to find some way to keep them in check here." Rogue said. "We can keep them busy, but that's the most we can seem to do."

"We'll just have to strike them harder." Minerva crossed her legs. "The soldiers themselves aren't that strong. Maybe durable than the average foe…but nothing we haven't faced in the past."

Jenny let out a sigh. "Those other two, though…Prometheus and Pandora, was it? They're a troublesome duo. I don't know if I would have been able to defeat that Pandora on my own…" She hated admitting this…but they did need to know what they were up against.

"That Prometheus guy was pretty good." Bacchus had his had attached again thanks to Yukino and Micaiah's medical efforts. It was bandaged and it was best he didn't use it, so he just used his free hand to chug some more beer down. "Things were starting to get fun!"

"You lost your hand…" Reiss pointed out.

"That's what made it good!" Bacchus laughed. The fact he was temporarily dismembered didn't bother him past or present!

"I think he's just an idiot…" Tyson remarked.

"Just don't lose your hand again, Bacchus-sama…" Yukino shook her head. "For all our sakes…"

"These guys are really something else…" Melanie sighed. "But what are we going to do about them? They're way too strong to take on alone."

"Then we'll have to take them on together." Sting said with a nod. "Despite our rivalries, we're a closely knit country. All this fighting together, and against one another has strengthened our bonds. That's where our strength lies!"

"How cheesy." Roy laughed. "But nicely put. We have to work twice as hard considering the strength of our enemy. Considering the stuff we've been through, I think we'll be fine."

"That's comforting coming from an ace…or should I say the Phantom of the Opera?" Minerva lifted a brow. "Do you ever take that thing off…?"

"It comes off when it wants to." Roy shrugged, tossing a small stick of dynamite up and down.

"HEY WHOA WHOA!" A few people started to crowd around Roy. Just having such an explosive nearby was unnerving!

"What? It's fine…" Roy laughed.

Micaiah crossed her arms, thinking back to Bradman's appearance. He was the reason they decided to flee and he didn't do anything. "I have to take down that demon, though…" She grumbled. "Bradman, I think it was…"

"The Spriggan?" Orga turned his head. "I didn't get a good look at him…but he's the reason we pulled back, right?"

"Something wasn't right about him…" That was all Sting could really say. He had a bad feeling and trusted his gut instinct.

"He's a demon…of what, I can't tell." Micaiah explained. "Just trust me, I know." She also didn't want to get into further detail.

"We've fought demons before." Rufus stated. "And as far back as I can remember, we've always won. This time will be no different."

Sting stood up. Just as Kagura acted as the commander of the south, Sting was taking the role of the commander of the north. It was fitting since he was Sabertooth's guild master. "We will win this war! Fairy Tail has helped us out in the past, and it's our turn to lend them our hand! In this war, we're all comrades! So we have to set our rivalries aside and help one another out. We're all making it out of this war together! We have reinforcements on the way, so the least we can do for them is hold this line!" The white dragon then pumped a fist into the air, his positive attitude becoming an influence to everyone. "Let's push Alvarez back! Who's with me!?"

"YEAH!" Everyone cheered. Sting's high spirits infected everyone and raised their morale tenfold! They were prepared for the battle ahead with renewed vigor

…If only they knew what was really waiting for them when their battle resumed…

* * *

"I'll start with you first." God Serena brought a hand up, his high level of magic power beginning to swell. "Warrod… _ **God-Bye Bye**_."

Warrod was lying on the ground, having already accepted his fate. _"Farewell, Mavis…but I too am a founder of Fairy Tail. And I don't intend on leaving just like that! YOU'RE COMING WITH ME, GOD SERENA!"_ That's right, Warrod may have accepted his fate, but he'd be damned if he wasn't taking God Serena down with him! Why was he gripping the ground so tightly? To take advantage of his magic. His fingers grew into the ground, suddenly surging into large trees and vines that rose from the ground, entrapping God Serena within their roots.

God Serena was genuinely taken off guard by Warrod's last ditch effort! "Whoa…!?"

Wolfheim wasn't going to lie down either! The old man forcibly turned into his beast taste, luging up at the rising tree. "OOOOH!" And with amazing force, Wolfheim slammed his fist into the former First Saint, destroying the roots while sending him even higher into the air.

"Gnk…!" God Serena barely had time to recover. But Jura wasn't going to let him breathe. Several large fists composed of rock slammed into him from several angles, leaving him to fall into the sky with a few bruises. "So…you lot could actually do it if you tried…" God Serena admitted. The Four Gods were on their last legs, sure, but he was now aware of the possibility that they could potentially bring him down like this. Before God Serena could fight back…he felt his body leave his control. "Gnk…!?" And then he was slammed onto the ground by none other than Hyberion, landing awkwardly on his side. "Hyberion…? Ultimate Magic, huh…?"

"Rock Prison!" Jura clapped his hands together. The broken pieces of rock and debris were taken under his control, all of them assimilating onto God Serena to encase his body, leaving everything but his head in stone.

"And so many…all at once. Now that is a surprise…" August said, calmly.

"You put too much faith in yourself, God Serena." Hyberion said while taking a step forward. "You claim to have slain the dragon of Bosco, but you have no proof other than your ego and words. Your ego is your biggest weakness."

"Ugh…." God Serena was growling. Was he…actually struggling with them after such boastful words?

Jacob noticed God Serena's disgruntled expression and wasted no time in adjusting his gloves and cracking his fingers. August held his arm out to halt him. "…?"

"There's no need to worry. Maybe it's time we show them his power." August stated. He was never worried. As far as he was concerned, God Serena still had this situation under control.

"You doubt that I slayed the dragon?" God Serena's eyes then turned pitch black and his aura exploded, causing all of the rocks around him to fly in different directions. "CAVERN DRAGON'S RUMBLING EARTH!" And just like that, the entire ground underneath the Saints shattered violently.

As the saints screamed in pain, Jura was trying to figure out what just happened…! "Is that…Earth Dragon Slaying Magic!? Is that how…!?"

"Nope." August said.

God Serena had a near feral grin on his lips, drawing his arm back as flames wrapped around it. "Purgatory Dragon's INFERNAL HELL!" He threw his fist forward, not even connecting with anyone, but a massive explosion of flame occurred in front of him, swallowing the Wizard Saints within its blazing glory. And with his other hand… "NEPTUNE DRAGON'S CICLE OF WATER!" The same thing, but with only water.

"FIRE!? WATER!?" Jura could barely shout this as he was completely consumed by the attacks. It wasn't unheard of these days for Dragon Slayers to have mastered more than one element. Two was the most common, and three was rare…but God Serena?

"HURRICANE DRAGON'S….!" Wind wrapped around the Spriggan's arms, swirling about violently as he just wanted to keep going.

"Wind too…?!" Four!? Jura gasped.

"That's enough, God Serena." August said. God Serena was so into it he didn't realize that the Saints were already down. For good this time.

"Oh, oops…" God Serena's gaze was still pitch black and his expression showed a hunger that had been satisfied. "Was that a lil too much?"

"The dragonslayer with 8 lacrima within him…how interesting…" Jacob didn't know why he was worried.

" _ **Hyrbid Theory.**_ " August spoke with a very subtle grin. "The man loved by the Dragon God…"

God Serena was pleased. His orange hair flowed in the small breeze that passed. "There's no such thing as dragons or gods now. Gaia was the first step…the dragons on the Isle on the coast will be the next…and then, Acnologia will bow to me. All dragons will crumble before me…" The Spriggan turned his back on the downed saints and began to walk off… "All right, it's time to move out then. Time to head towards Fairy Tail."

Warrod gasped for air, lifting his head up to see these three monsters making their way to Fairy Tail. _"We…We can't let someone like him reach the guild! Somebody…stop him…!"_

And just on that cue…God Serena found himself being pushed backwards. Someone aimed a punch at him that he was just barely able to block! The force behind it was incredible and he slid backwards, lifting a brow at his assailant. "Another one?"

"…Who?" Jacob had an ominous aura flowing around him, but once again, August halted him.

"Hold on…" The King of Magic said, staring at God Serena's attacker: Sidney Castle.

"And you are…?" God Serena scowled for a moment.

"…" Sidney didn't answer. There was no reason to. Instead, the ghost mage placed his foot on the ground, a magic seal forming. "Resurrection: Werewolves." From the seal, multiple cliché wolves began to rush God Serena down. Though they looked fake, their fangs were very sharp and could easily tear through flesh. The Ace of White Eclipse was not here to play games. He was here to get right to the point: taking out one of the biggest threats on the enemy side.

"Ah…I suppose it doesn't matter. I can tell your magic power is impressive. Although it doesn't compare to my own Godly might!" Another element was about to be unveiled. "Luster Dragon's…LUMINUOUS PURGE!" Throwing his hand forward a brilliant blast of light exploded from his palm, soaring across the sky and consumed the wolves that attempted to rush him down. As soon as the blast faded, he noticed Sidney was gone. "Oh, all it took was one blast? And here I thought you were the strong silent type!"

"You talk too much." Sidney suddenly appeared by God Serena's side, slamming his leg into the Spriggan's chest for a direct hit!

"Guh…!" God Serena slid backwards from the hit. "Not bad…but do you think you can take me by yourself? You're no Wizard Saint!" Fire and ice swirled around God Serena's fist and he lunged forward, engaging Sidney in close combat. "Infernal Wrath of the Frigid Dragon!" Such long, elaborate names. But they really did fit God Serena.

Sidney narrowed his eyes and fought right back. He and God Serena were blow for blow, shockwaves booming out from the collision of their fists! "…!" God Serena ducked a punch from Sidney, following up with a rising uppercut to the ace's chin with his blazing fist!

"I got you now!" God Serena followed up by slamming his frigid fist into Sidney's chest, pushing him backwards. The Hybrid then inhaled, the wind around his body intensifying tenfold. "Hurricane Dragon's Song of the Wind and Moon!" Exhaling, a vicious torrent of wind gave Sidney little time to recover! The blast of wind consumed the ghost mage and utterly destroyed everything in its wake. "Haha!"

The wind cleared. Sidney blocked the attack, but his clothing and skin were torn and scraped from it. It wasn't anything he couldn't handle, but God Serena's strength was still as formidable as rumored to be a few years ago. Unshaken, the ghost mage fired back by shooting his palm forward, releasing an onslaught of tombstones onto God Serena's body! "…"

"Hey! Ow…!" God Serena crossed his arms to stop the tombstones! They actually hurt a lot much to his annoyance and he wasn't going to stand there and take it for much longer! "Tungsten Dragon's Armored Blow!" The seventh element unveiled was essentially steel! With his arms covered in steel plating, this easily allowed him to handle the tombstones. The dragon slayer pushed forward, rearing an arm back to slam right into Sidney's skull. The very second he was within arm's reach, he swung…and his fist phased right through Sidney. "Huh!?"

Sidney's body went transparent. God Serena put all his momentum into that swing only to miss. Sidney took advantage of this smashed his fist into the dragon slayer's face, following up with a fierce hammer fist right into the ground! God Serena let out a grunt of pain before Sidney's leg kicked him away, sending him tumbling along the ground. "

"A ghost…?" Jacob was finally putting it together.

"Perhaps the embodiment of a ghost…"August muttered. He was no stranger to Sidney's magic, no matter how rare it was.

"This man…" Hyberion watched as Sidney battled God Serena. Had Sidney joined them sooner, perhaps they would have been able to defeat God Serena without so much trouble… "They could be equals…"

God Serena sprang up, some blood trailing from his lower lip. "I must admit…I wasn't expecting someone to put up more of a fight than those pathetic Saints. But I suppose it's time I get serious" Wind and fire swirled around his hands, but he then took a huge leap to burrow into the ground and out of sight!

"Where did he go…?" Wolfheim asked.

"I can feel him…within the earth's crust…" Jura said.

Sidney didn't move. He stayed very calm, feeling for God Serena's movements within the ground. Even though he wasn't an earth mage, this was the most basic of basic techniques to him. And then…he felt it! Sidney took a leap to the side, but there was a slight problem. The incoming attack was much larger than he expected. "…!"

"Cavern Dragon's…Rising Inferno!" God Serena did fail to get a direct hit on Sidney himself, but a rising twister imbued with flames covered a wide area, sweeping Sidney away in the process! Sidney was forcefully carried into the air where God Serena was, who was now unveiling the eighth and final element within his repertoire! "Raijin Dragon's Thunderous Blow!" It was just a kick. A kick infused with lightning was aimed for Sidney's face, but he blocked it by crossing his arms. The impact did send Sidney crashing into the ground on his back, and God Serena planned to take advantage of this. "And for the finishing blow! Purgatory Dragon's Ruinous Flames!" With one last exhale, God Serena released a stream of hellish flames at Sidney that exploded on contact!

"Is he all right!?" Warrod struggled to speak.

"There is no one that can stand before my Godly might. Least of all a mage from Fiore." God Serena exhaled. His eyes were still black and he was excited…he went overboard on the Four Kings, but Sidney was giving him a good workout! First Gaia, now Sidney? He was prepped and primed to go to Fairy Tail after this! But as the smoke cleared…there was just a jar where Sidney once was. "Huh…? What is that? Is this a joke?" There were cracks within the jar that spewed strange mist. "You think that shabby jar can protect you from my magnificent powers!?" God Serena set a fireball at the jar to shatter it! The jar did break, but Sidney wasn't inside. Just mist that ended up enveloping him! "Hey!? What is this…!?" When the mist cleared, God Serena was suddenly on a raft adrift at sea! "…Was is this? Some kind of joke!? If you think that you can…uh…" Uh oh. His face was starting to turn green. Even the mighty God Serena had a weakness…he shared the same commonality that all dragon slayers did: Motion Sickness. How ironic that this was a throwback to how Sidney handled Natsu all those years ago as well. "I…I will not bow…to a shabby piece of wood floating in the ocean…I…I am God Serena…! The strongest…!" He was trying his hardest not to spew the contents of his kid cuisine that he had for dinner prior to the war starting.

WHAM! In came Sidney's infamous gut punch. It didn't matter who you were. That punch was just not good for you. God Serena felt the full force as the illusion faded upon impact, but he was so stunned from the blow he couldn't even register what happened. Sidney then followed up with a swift roundhouse to the Spriggan's skull to send him spiraling away! As God Serena attempted to recover, Sidney tugged his scarf once before pulling it off. His jagged, horrid teeth that nearly spread to the back of his cheek were revealed and he wasted no time inhaling. Between these two mages, the residual magic power lingering in the area was huge and he was taking advantage of that. After sucking it all into the magic seal near his mouth, Sidney fired it off right at God Serena! The beam of raw magic power exploded against the Spriggan and caused the very ground to shake! "….."After that, Sidney could be seen with his chest moving up and down slightly. God Serena was no doubt strong…even Sidney was trouble with him, but that was to be expected. He didn't walk into this thinking it would be easy.

"My my…" God Serena stood up after the blast. He tanked it pretty well. Both he and Sidney were equally bruised and bloodied. "I admit…I would love for this fight to continue…but I'm a busy God. So I'm afraid I have to wrap this up quickly so the Emperor can get his hands on Fairy Heart!" As God Serena spoke, the cross on his back began to light up in eight different colors, each one representing an element he had mastery over. "You should feel honored! I was saving my full might for Acnologia as a special surprise…but I'll unleash it on you and those fallen Saints that are barely clinging to life behind you!"

"So this is your strongest technique?" Sidney asked for clarification.

"Only befitting of someone such as myself! I hope you've said your God Bye-byes!" God Serena confirmed as his magic power surged and swelled! The ground trembled from his mere might!

"…Then I will unveil my strongest technique as well." Sidney said calmly, placing his hands together. Now that his aura was getting involved, the ground started to break apart from two high powered magical energies converging! Four pillars of eclipse magic started to form around God Serena as Sidney prepared to use Eclipse Tower.

"….Eclipse magic, huh? I haven't seen anyone use that since…" August trailed off.

"They're going to destroy everything!" Wolfheim gasped.

Wolfheim was right. These two attacks were going to cause devastation for everything around them. But the rising tension came to an immediate halt as an overwhelming presence took everyone present off guard. A black vortex materialized into existence in the air nearby. A shadow was visible within the gust of wind that kicked up, but this only left Hyberion confused among the others. "Who…?"

It was Acnologia in his human form. He stood not too far away from Sidney and God Serena, who were about to blast one another off the map. "…I smell a dragon."

"Acnologia…" Sidney didn't keep his focus off God Serena, but his gaze was on the dragon as well. It was very clear to the ghost mage that Acnologia was about to join in on this war…

God Serena, however, essentially said screw Sidney and turned the attack he was preparing at Acnologia! A wide grin spread on his lips and the darkness in his eyes intensified. "To think you'd come to me. The entire reason I left Ishgar…I came all this way just to…" Acnologia already walked past him with his arm extended, cutting deep into God Serena's side. It was so fast that nobody even realized it until after it happened! "….Huh…?" God Serena spewed some blood before collapsing on the spot. Was he dead? Was he still alive even after that? There was no way to tell…nobody even focused on that right now. All they could do was keep their eyes on Acnologia as he continued walk, not even acknowledging their existence. There was only one thing on his mind…

"…One dragon slayer down. But there are still many more before there are none left. I will exterminate them all…" The ominous words of the Black Dragon hung in the air as he continued to walk. His mission was clear: the eradication of every last remaining dragon slayer. And lucky for him…they were all in Fiore.

Sidney didn't say a word, he didn't do anything but cancel the Eclipse Tower he was about to unleash. Even the ghost mage had to keep his eyes on the dragon just in case something happened. He had to tell the others the third danger that abruptly came into the war. It was more than just Ishgar vs. Alvarez now… "…."

Jacob was awestruck. As an assassin…he was used to swift deaths and watched people die all the time. However…when it was one of his comrades, that was absolutely something he couldn't let slide. His glove was pulled back, the veins on his head were throbbing in rage and he was about to strike…but once again, August stopped him. Because this time, it was an opponent well out of either of their leagues. "Don't…" August said softly. "He isn't somebody you could deal with. His Majesty could…if only he had the Fairy Heart…"

All of these powerful mages in one place and nobody said a thing. Not Sidney, not August, not Jacob, and the Four Kings of Ishgar could only watch in stunned silence…all they could do was watch Acnologia's back as he walked off. This war…was only just beginning.

.

.

Next Time: Until The War Ends…


	49. Chapter 49: Until The War Ends

Mii was sitting in a chair near the bar. She was going to ask Mira for a drink, only to remember that Mira went up north with a few others. This caused her to sigh heavily. "Oh, right…"

Tia then slammed her hand down onto the bar near Mii, giving the angel a glare. "What the hell is your problem!?" The drama was starting. A few heads turned to Tia as she yelled at Mii.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Mii blinked, as if she didn't know what Tia was talking about.

"You know what I mean!" Tia had to refrain herself from slapping Mii. Mostly because she knew it wouldn't do anything, and Lucy was in the infirmary watching over Natsu. "Natsu could've died back there and you didn't show an ounce of compassion! I know you were a member of this place was, but just because you aren't now doesn't give you the right to act like an uncaring bitch!"

WHOA! There was awestruck silence as Tia's voice continued to rise. Mii just stared and eventually shrugged. "Yeah, I'm a bitch, so what? I never once claimed that I was a good person…that was just an assumption everyone made. The one time I speak the truth, everyone yells at Mii for it. So what's the point, ya know?"

Tia scowled at Mii's words. She was trying to get under Mii's "You honestly can't tell me that after everything that's happened you don't feel the need to help them out?"

"Sis…she's not worth the effort. No matter how much of a bitch she is." Said her brother, Jack. Such rude words from a young man. But that just resulted in Heartless smacking him in the back of the head. "OW!? What the fuck!?"

"Language." Heartless said, smacking him against for the use of profanity.

All eyes were on Mii as they awaited to hear her answer. Mii was…irritable, that's true. But ever since she came back from Caracall with the main group, she's been worse than usual. With a sigh, Mii stood up. "I should've been dead two years ago…but no, instead, pair of reckless idiots decide that I should get a second chance at life. So…what do you do when that happens? You kind of want to try for them, right? So you start to trust them, and you get a place that almost feels like home…only to be outcast a second time and abandoned. Then, the idiot that tells you to live nearly kills himself, leaving behind nothing but broken promises."

"Broken promises? I don't…" Tia rubbed her temples in annoyance. "So you're being a piece of shit to everyone who's your friend because of that? If you're not going to help them like we are, then why are you here?"

"To see if they make it or not." Mii answered, honestly. "Plus I'm here on Pergrande business. Alvarez might want to attack, and I have more important things to be concerned about."

"…..Mii." Kiana took a few steps forward. "…I know the guild disbanding hurt you, but…"

"I didn't realize she was this hurt by it…" Mavis lowered her head. Even though she wasn't aware of Mii's upbringing or circumstances, the pain in her eyes was visible no matter how she tried to hide it.

The situation in the guild was pretty awkward. Tia confronting Mii and Mii's answers left the air filled with unnecessary tension. Warren and Magnus kept their attention on the radar, and then noticed something that was worth reporting. "U-Uh…I hate to interrupt…" Warren coughed awkwardly. "But we've picked up something concerning the eastern front…"

"What is it?" Makarov asked. He'd have a talk with Mii later, if she was willing, but right now this war was more important.

"One of the beacons we've set up to distinguish the 12…one of them is blinking." Magnus reported, gesturing to the flickering beacon. "There is some disturbance going on in that area…but it's clear that one of the 12 have been taken down. Judging from the signature, it might be God Serena who has gone down…It may have been Sidney and the Four Kings…but at the same time, something isn't quite right."

Ace examined the radar, furrowing his brow while munching on a snack obnoxiously. "I see…something went down over there. I can only hope that those on our side are okay…but if the east is being taken care of…then that only leaves the west."

"Indeed…that is currently our weakest position." Makarov nodded. "A match being led by Zeref himself…"

"Happy also said that Em was there too." Mii pointed out. "So you've got Zeref, Em, and that Winter guy all on one side. Sounds pretty threatening if you ask Mii…"

"No one did." Tia replied with snark, but Mii ignored it.

"And if you also ask Mii…I honestly don't see any reason why Em herself wouldn't just advance towards the guild herself. I mean…she hates you guys, or at the very least, hates Lucy. And she's still in the guild…I didn't want to freak Lucy out some more by bringing that up, though." The angel shrugged.

Oh yikes. Mii actually brought up a good point. In the chaos of the war, they forgot that Emmeraude could potentially run up on them…and since everyone was scattered across the country, the chances of her victory weren't in their favor. "Shit…I forgot about Emmeraude." Cana grumbled.

"Well, that settles it. Zeref's charge is in the west, right? Since Natsu's down, we'll go in his stead." Ace stated, causing all eyes to turn to Dealer.

"What? Are you crazy? You guys are still injured!" Laki shouted.

"So what?" Ace scoffed. "We can't just sit here and watch everything go down! Even Cosmic Star is out there fighting, so this is the least we can do too!"

"I agree. I'm tired of sitting and being worried about something going wrong." Diamond crossed her arms. "Everyone's doing their part, and it's time we did too. Zeref could decide to march at any second if not send someone ahead…so someone has to slow him down by force whether he likes it or not."

"Are they…truly going to cover our west flank?" Mavis asked. It was dangerous since Zeref himself was there…

"Don't worry, we'll be fine." Diamond waved Mavis off. They were both essentially ghost, so it no surprise she could see her.

"Hell yeah! I get to kick some ass again!" Jack pumped a fist into the air. He couldn't wait to release all his pent up aggression on the jackasses that struck them down!

Spade leaned down to his younger brother, Spark, who had been silent all this time. "Don't worry. We'll be fine." Spark gave a slow nod. He trusted his brother.

"All right, let's get moving." Tia stood up and dusted her dress off. If she was in the same building as Mii, she'd end up strangling her.

"Actually…I need you to stay here." Said Ace.

"Huh!?" Tia shook her head. "Absolutely not! I'm not some princess that needs to be protected, you oaf! And besides, you still have that condition!"

Ace chuckled at her predictable reaction. "Of course not. But we need someone to help with the guild defense in case someone slips inside. Plus…I think your friend could use some support right now too." He was referring to Lucy. "I'll be fine. I'm not going anywhere until this war is over."

With a sigh of defeat, Tia sat back down, annoyed that she was sitting this one out. "Fine…"

Heartless held up Joker's lacrima core. "We'll be bringing him along with us. At the very least, we should be able to punch a hole through Zeref's numbers."

"LET'S DO IT!" Strong yelled, lifting his club into the air.

"Good luck. And stay safe." Makarov told the forces of Dealer.

Heartless held out a card and pressed it against the air. This opened a portal to the western plains where Zeref was marching. They were going to meet him halfway. Everyone started to step through the portal, but Jack hung back to look at his sister. "Don't worry, Sis. I'll be sure to fry some for you!"

That made Tia smile a bit. "Okay, you idiot. Go wild. But if all of you come back anymore injured than you already are, I'm going to drown you." With that tsundere-like farewell, the other members of Dealer stepped through the portal and it closed. "Ah…man, I wanted to fight."

Cana slung an arm around Tia's shoulder, giving a sly grin. "Hey, don't look so down! They left us with the best girl!" She was about to grope Tia, but the water mage saw through it and smacked her hand away. "Aw…only for Ace, huh?"

Tia's face lit up with a bright red hue and she shoved Cana over and away, folding her arms over her chest. "I'm not dignifying that with a response."

Mavis smiled. "They've really made some good allies, huh, Eighth?"

Makarov had a slight smile of his own. All the trials and tribulations over the last few years did bring about some reliable allies. "Indeed they have…"

* * *

Natsu was unconscious, but stable in the infirmary. Lucy refused to leave his side and watched over him. Freed was conscious by this point and also decided to check in on him. "How's Natsu doing?"

"He's…still unconscious…" Lucy sighed. At least he was still alive. "How're Bickslow and Ever doing?"

"They'll be okay." Freed reported.

"Thank goodness… " Lucy could breathe easy there.

"…." Ichiya was still there, too. In fact, he was awake when Brandish tried to kill Lucy, but he couldn't do anything because of his injuries, though it seemed as though they ignored his presence and shouts of concern the entire time. "Are you forgetting about me…? Again…"

"Oh…where's Laxus though?" Freed asked. He was unconscious the entire time Fairy Tail and the others plotted their counter attack.

"He's headed to the sound with Erza and the rest of them. They're going to free Hargeon." Lucy said.

"Gray, Cynthia, and Wendy are there too. Along with a few others." Happy added.

"I see…I hope they're not pushing themselves…" Freed was absentmindedly thinking about Laxus…

"That's a tough request, really…" Lucy said, knowing how everyone was.

Freed realized his mistake, but luckily for him, Lucy didn't. But he had to recover before she had any suspicions. "Ah…no…oh, I see. I guess…so…" While Freed tried to avoid suspicion, but this only made Lucy tilt her head curiously. She had no idea what he was going on about.

* * *

Erza's team rested in the woods just a few miles off of Hargeon. They were getting close, but it would be dangerous to risk going any further. They were travelling all day and now it was nightfall, so they set up a camp. "We'll be reaching Hargeon tomorrow…" A bandaged Erza said while munching on an apple. "So we'll rest up for today."

"Yes." Wendy nodded.

"But don't push yourself. Wendy is the only healer around right now." Carla scowled at Erza.

"For real…" Luke piped up with some orange soda in hand. "You look like a freakin mummy with all those bandages."

"Next thing you know, she'll start trudging forward and moaning…" Waiston nudged Luke and the two of them started snickering.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't make fun of my injuries…" Erza bit down on the apple, her chocolate gaze glaring at the two Eclipse mages.

"Why so serious? Things are going to get extremely hectic tomorrow…so we might as well be a little lighthearted. Or are you just the type of person that can't stand being the end of a joke?" Waiston asked while chewing on some ice. He had to keep his magic power as high as possible for the battle tomorrow.

"Come on…leave her alone…" Cynthia huffed. "She still needs to drink plenty of water too."

"I'm fine…" Erza said with a slight sweat drop. Yes she was still recovering from her battle against Ajeel from the previous night, but she wasn't that bad. At least, so she thought.

"Either way, don't expect to do any heavy lifting." Reve said while leaning against a tree. "We've got just as much at stake as you do."

"…" Erza stared at Reve. Of course White Eclipse had their own reasons for joining the war, but even so… "I know we've been bitter rivals over the last few years. But despite our differences, you've taken our problems in as your own and helped us. Thank you, Reve. No…thank you, White Eclipse…"

Cygnus stared at Erza as though he were hearing things. "Did she just thank us?"

"…" Thanks from Erza? That was probably the first time she'd ever done that sincerely! Reve wasn't sure how to respond to the genuine thanks, but he waved it off eventually. "Don't thank us. We're just making sure you know that-"

"YOU'RE WELCOME!" Kuro jumped up, grinning widely. Reve was gonna say something cool, but Kuro ruined it with his positive interjected.

"...Haha." Cynthia laughed. "Despite the fact you guys are annoying, I can still call you my second-"

"No. Stop. We're not doing that again." Luke shut that down right now.

"Nice one." Hiruka nodded a few times in agreement. The Exceed did try to scoot closer to Carla, but she pawed his face and knocked him over. The silent rejections hurt the most, but he wouldn't give up! He was definitely a lot like his dragon slayer partner.

Juvia ignored everything that was going on and instead slinked up to Gray, holding up a heart shaped sleeping bag that was big enough for two! "Gray-sama! I thought something like this would happen, so I brought a sleeping bag we could share together!"

Gray stared at it and shook his head. "There's no way I'm getting in that oven." The rejection broke Juvia's heart.

"Don't worry, Juvia." Waiston took this chance to slide in. "If you want some company, I don't mind sleeping with you. I'm much cooler than Gray anyway…" He phrased it that way intentionally, but Gray wasn't about to sit there and take it. Suddenly, he was head to head with Waiston!

"Hey! You keep your mitts off her!" Gray yelled. What fueled this? Jealousy? Or the fact that just like with Lyon, he refused to have anyone going after her like this? No outsiders allowed.

"Why are you so defensive, huh!?" Waiston said with a widening smirk. "If you keep rejecting her, she's gonna find someone else eventually! I'm just letting her know she has someone to sleep with if she feels lonely! A real ice mage isn't afraid of a little heat."

"I'm gonna kick your ass!" Gray and Waiston were now wrestling each other over Juvia's attention and affection.

Juvia just watched with widened eyes. She wasn't sure how to feel with these two ice mages fighting over her. Actually…why _was_ it always ice mages fighting over!? "…Fighting to sleep…with Juvia…" And then her mind started to wander in typical Juvia fashion…only instead of her being involved, she was having another fantasy of Waiston and Gray sleeping together in the sleeping bag without her. "Or…forbidden love…!?"

"Oh good grief…" Carla placed her paw on her forehead. "Why are human men so stupid…?"

"By the way…where'd Laxus go? I don't see Daryan, Alex, or Shadowlore either…" Wendy glanced around. The four of them were MIA, but she could tell they were still nearby.

"Laxus said something about being hungry before running off…" Carla noted.

"He seems like the type that'd nab a bear for a snack…" Gray could see it now…

Upon hearing this, Erza's eyes had sparkles in them and she started to drool. "Does that taste good!?"

"Erza-san, you're drooling…" Wendy said with a sweat drop.

"Have some dignity for god's sake…" Reve shook his head. This was the woman he considered a rival? And to think in their last fight, he lost. He was almost embarrassed for both him and her…

* * *

About an hour or so passed, and the others had gone to sleep. Cynthia and Wendy slept together as usual, the members of White Eclipse all had their own sleeping arrangements, the members of Cosmic Star hadn't gone to bed yet, and as for Juvia…well…neither Waiston nor Gray ended up sleeping in that sleeping bag she brought. Instead, it was Erza, who was happily cuddled with the annoyed water mage. This was the not the outcome she wanted or expected when bringing this thing along.

Alex was sitting alone on a log, staring up at the night sky with a heavy sigh. Carla decided to check in on her in her human form, arms crossed. "What's the matter? Can't sleep?"

"Eh…I have a lot on my mind." The redhead sighed while glancing at Carla. This was the first time she was actually getting a look at her human form. "…Oh yeah, Cynthia told me you can do that."

"What's this?" Shadowlore crept from the bushes. While Alex wasn't surprised at his sudden appearance, Carla shivered since she didn't realize he was there. "Two ladies staying up at night? You both need your beauty sleep."

"Ew." Carla shook her head before decided to ignore Shadowlore to talk to Alex. Since she was Cynthia's older sister, Carla felt the need to extend a helping hand. "What's bothering you? Is it this war?"

"Yeah…" Alex nodded before turning her head to the sky again. "I honestly…didn't expect to be attacked by Alvarez out of the blue like that. And then Gaia put everything on the line for us…and I don't believe that she'd die so easily…" Gaia was her foster dragon and basically her mother at this point, so it was understandable for her to feel this way.

"Gaia's a stubborn lizard." Shadowlore nodded in agreement.

"And then there's Cynthia. Did you know that Wendy got her a promise ring? She showed me and she looked so happy…!" Alex recalled the conversation she had with Cynthia during their trip.

"Oh, that finally happened?" The animal mage brought out his little black book and proceeded to scribble something down. "About time."

"Huh?" Alex blinked.

"Anyone with eyes could see that it was going to happen eventually. It was never a matter of if, only when. Every pair I write down in this book comes true." The male nodded before sliding it back into his pocket.

"He isn't wrong…" Carla added. "I noticed it a while ago, but they were both too shy. I'm surprised it was Wendy who made the move, though."

"Mhm…." Alex laughed a bit. "Cynthia has been so happy at Fairy Tail. We never did get to spend much time together back when we were little. In order for Aiden to do what he wanted with her, he had to make her as unhappy as possible. I guess that's why he killed Vanessa and abandoned me. Even though it was brief…I hold the memories of Cynthia, Vanessa, and I together. And I feel so horrible that I couldn't be there for Cynthia when she was in pain…even more so that I was 'programmed' to kill her…which I nearly did when we fought in the Games that one time…"

"You're not still…" Carla sharply turned.

"No, I've taken care of that." Alex said. "There's nothing to worry about. The only thing that matters for me now…is trying to be a better big sister to Cynthia. We're not related by blood, sure…but that's my sister. Wendy is the person she's always needed in her life, and Fairy Tail is her home. So…I want to protect what's important to her."

"Worry not." Shadowlore spoke while patting his guild mate on the shoulder. "The amazing Shadowlore is more than capable of protecting all the ladies and weak men. So you can focus on protecting your sister." Alex and Carla smiled at Shadowlore's words. Even though they were somewhat harsh…it was easy to tell that he meant well.

* * *

Laxus was off on his own. No, he wasn't eating a bear, but he was sitting on a log, huffing and puffing while bringing a hand to his chest. As he struggled to compose himself, Gray walked in behind him. "So…how long has that been happening to you?"

"It's none of your business." Laxus snapped.

"Heh…tough talk. We're from the same guild." Gray said. "Was this from the Tartarus battle? When you inhaled all those magic barrier particles in Magnolia?"

Laxus' sigh of defeat was his answer. "Don't go flipping your lips about this."

"You don't have to glare at me like that…" Gray said with a slight sweat drop.

"It's no big deal. It just does this once in a while. No need for anyone to worry." Laxus stated. "I ain't dying until all this is over. Watch me as I protect it…the guild I mean."

"Always the reliable one…" Daryan was leaning against a tree. His sudden appearance startled Gray. "I knew something was up with you in the Games last year…your fighting was a little sluggish."

"You trying to get put into the dirt again?" Laxus scowled.

Daryan put his hands up defensively. "Hey hey…I'm just saying I admire your strength. We're all on the same side, right? I got things I wanna protect too."

"You're annoying, but you're not all bad." Gray admitted.

"That poorly stitched wound of yours is gonna open the moment you start fighting." Laxus scoffed.

"Hey…I'm not the best medic…but it'll be fine." Daryan waved his hands. He also noticed that Gray stripped sometime between when he spoke and now. "What the…?"

"…Put some damn clothes on." Laxus groaned.

"HUH!?" Gray looked down. He didn't even notice he removed most of his clothes! "When did this happen?"

* * *

Northern Fiore. The Strauss siblings and Yakuza were all asleep, while Royal, Tak, and Selene were sitting around a campfire discussing the battle that awaited them tomorrow. It was pretty cold, so a few of them had to wear proper clothing. But for Yakuza and the White Eclipse members, they were fine. They were nearing the mountain where the guild was anyway. "I hope the others have managed to hold out so far." Selene said while sitting up straight.

"They've got a pretty big force up here. They should be fine." Royal took one final swig from his flask. It was never too late for a drink! But that was also the last one he was going to have for the night. "If they've been managin' to hold the enemy back here, then our arrival should give them the extra push they need. And I've got a technique I've been waiting to use for a while now…"

"Plus…we've got another helping hand coming." Takeru was acting somewhat smug. He was hiding a secret about the other reinforcements they were receiving.

"Who is it?" Selene leaned forward, really wanting to know!

"I can't spoil the surprise!" Takeru grinned. He was just going to keep it a secret until it was revealed, much to their annoyance.

"Taaaaakk…." Selene whined while tugging his arm.

"Ah…it's too late for this." Jack was about to curl up and sleep. In order for his secret technique to come into play, he was going to have to be completely wasted. But now wasn't the time for that.

* * *

Gajeel on the other hand was perched on a clifftop nearby, scoping out the area. Levy slowly approached but minded her distance. "Aren't you gonna rest, Gjaeel?"

"Huh?" Gajeel didn't look back. "Like you're one to talk…"

Levy's gaze went down. "Yeah…well…I've just got this bad feeling that we won't be making it to the guild. The enemy we're up against this time is way different from what we've dealt with. And my powers…they can't even compare to everyone else. I guess I'm just a little spooked now…" Multiple iron poles then popped from the ground around Levy, surrounding her. "W-what?! Gajeel!?"

Gajeel was now propped against one of the poles, staring down at Levy with a grin. "I'm gonna arrest you for complaining you know."

"Sorry…" Levy sighed.

"I'm gonna arrest you…and lock you up in the guild's prison for sure." Kurogane said.

For whatever reason…that made Levy feel better. She was able to look up at him and smile now. "Okay." Pantherlily, who was pretending to sleep, opened one eye and smiled.

* * *

Dawn of a new day, and the first thing that happened was the continuation of the Liberation war of Hargeon! With renewed confidence, Kagura once again led the charge and pointed forward. "Today's the day we'll be taking back Hargeon for sure! FORWARD!"

"After all I did to you yesterday; you sure bounce back fast…" Dimaria said with a somewhat amused smile.

Meanwhile, Wahl was once again perched on a rooftop, laughing as usual. "AYAHAHAHAHA!"

"So…they're striking again…" Sophie prepared herself for battle.

While Dimaria did think about tormenting Kagura once again…playing with the same pretty could be a little boring. "I think I'll try someone new today…"

Chelia flipped forward, releasing a gigantic black cyclone of wind that tore through a high number of enemy troops! "Sky God's Boreas!" Despite not being at the level she used to be, she was still on a level high enough to blow away so many people!

"What the hell's with that brat!?"

"Nobody said a kid would be that strong!" The soldiers shouted and quarreled amongst one another for their inability to take down a single young adult.

Chelia slid along the ground, rearing her arm back for a follow up attack. "Sky God's…" However, before she could, her clothing and jacket (which was Raven's) were torn into shreds, leaving her in nothing but her skirt! The moment she realized this she crossed her arms with an embarrassed blush and realized Dimaria was in front of her! "H-Hey…! N-no…!"

"She's mine…" Dimaria licked her lips as Chelia covered herself. "I love it when cute girls look like that. I'll make you look even better than the one yesterday…but on second thought, maybe not today. Em told me about you…the former Sky God Slayer…but it seems like you've been getting your magic back, hm? That makes you a healer…which makes you a pain." Dimaria began to charge forward with her blade at the ready. "So maybe just die, won't you?"

Chelia's eyes were wide. She was still trying to be accustomed to the fact she was naked from the top up, but the corners of her lips lifted into a very tiny smirk. At the cost of being bait, she was able to exploit Dimaria's weakness. "…!" A silent cue.

Dimaria was prepared to slash Chelia, but noticed a powerful arrow of wind right in front of her! Where in the hell did that come from!? Nevertheless, she was able to deflect the arrow off into the sky with her blade while glaring off into the distance. "Oh?"

"Crap…she blocked it." Raven appeared beside Chelia, trying really hard to not get distracted.

"You almost had her! And you gave me your jacket too early…!" Chelia huffed. It was a good plan, but the execution fell short.

"Oh yes…I heard about the both of you." Dimaria rested her blade against her shoulder. "The sky goddess and her little knight in shining armor. Quite a troublesome duo if left alone, so I was told…"

"You really think I'm a knight?" For some reason, Raven became a little bashful at this. "Maybe a squire or something, but I never really thought that…"

"She _isn't_ flattering you…!" Chelia had to harshly remind him.

"Oh right! Enemy!" Raven prepared to take aim once again, but Dimaria fired off a finger beam that pierced his shoulder, causing him to drop his bow and hiss in pain while dropping to a knee. "Gah…!"

"Raven…!" Chelia turned in worry.

"I've seen many battles and I know how you two work. The little god slayer attacks from up close, and before I can counter, he'd fire upon me. Not that it would matter with my magic, but I'd hate to be annoyed anyway. I'll kill her first, then you." The Spriggan smirked and once again tried to cut Chelia down, only to be stopped by a powerful gut punch that forced her to gasp for air. "….!?"

Alex and her large fist crashed into Dimaria's stomach, both surprising and winding the Spriggan. "Hands off!"

Wendy in Dragon Force, and Cynthia in Sky Flame then rushed in, both of them kicking Dimaria in both of her cheeks! Not even the Spriggan could stay grounded after a dual assault like this and tumbled along the ground. "Sorry we're late!" Wendy said as her hair began to change back to normal from exiting Dragon Force. "Thanks for waiting, Chelia!"

"Traffic was awful!" Cynthia added. "But the Sky Sisters are back in action! I hope you don't mind if we added one more…!"

"You two…!" Raven gasped.

"Wendy! Cynthia! Alex!" Chelia had a big grin on her face.

The only one unamused by this was Dimaria, who now had two bruises on her cheeks. As she regained her composure, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Did you two…just kick me in the face…?"

* * *

"LYON! WE'RE PUSHING FORWARD!" Gray yelled as he, Juvia, Luke, Kuro, Cygnus, and Waiston led the charge forward so suddenly!

"Let's do this in one go!" Juvia yelled.

"Stand back and watch a REAL ice mage at work!" Waiston taunted both Lyon and Gray while preparing to join the fray. "Jaxon, Aira, you guys holding up well?"

"Absolutely!" Aira nodded. "But uh, we've got a little problem I should tell you about…!"

"Took you guys long enough! Get your asses in there." Jaxon said with a big grin. Now he was feeling extra confident in their chances now that their backup arrived.

"Gray?! Juvia!?" Lyon had no idea what was going on. But when his eyes went onto Juvia, he was blushing. _"She's still so cute…"_ The dynamic ice mage was infatuated. "Wait…what are you doing here?!"

"I didn't expect them so soon…!" Sherri admitted.

"Oh, let them help." Diana waved a hand, slinking an arm around Luke, who was her son after all. "I've been so excited for a mother son team up! What do you say, Luke? It's been so long since we've had some quality time together."

"WHAT THE!?" Luke took a step back. "Why are YOU here?! And HELL NO!" The copycat vehemently denied working with his mother. "Absolutely not!"

When Reve appeared, gunning down the enemy soldiers, Taya couldn't help the slow grin drawing itself on her lips. "What took you so long, cowboy? You missed the fun yesterday."

"We had to slow down a little so Fairy Tail could keep up." Reve replied without missing a beat.

Erza stepped forward in her standard armor, holding her sword up high. "This is our fight to begin with…so, for helping us deal with our problems…thank you all very much!" Titania proclaimed.

"Not a problem, Erza-san!" Tristan said with a nod. "This is our fight now too, and we will defend our country!"

"Erza…!" Kagura turned. Erza was so beat up, but she looked fine. What else could she expect from the woman she called her sister?

"Follow me!" Erza said.

Kagura had a small smile on her lips and she nodded. "Yeah!"

"KAGURA-CHAN!"

And then that smile faded immediately. "Oh no." Kagura knew that voice all too well.

Daryan appeared, panting heavily while mustering a smile. "It's great to see you again! I've missed you so much…!"

"…This isn't the time." Kagura said while beginning to follow Erza. Of course, Daryan followed beside them. She expected this. One glance at Daryan and she could tell his poorly stitched wound was going to reopen any second. "…Your wound."

"It's fine." Daryan said with a firm nod. "I'll deal with it when this battle is over. We have a lot to catch up on, after all! Once this is over, I mean…!"

"…" Kagura glanced at Erza for advice on how to deal with…this. Erza just shrugged. "…Don't be an idiot…" Was all she could say. It was her way of telling Daryan to be careful.

* * *

Wahl was watching from his perched rooftop, absolutely loving the show going on before him! "Oh hooooooh…? They're coming at us no their own, those Fairy Tail brats!" Wait…something was right. Wahl sensed something under him and took a huge leap backwards off the building as it was consumed in acid! Landing on the ground, the Machias stared at his assailant, who was wrapped in a cloak of green and purple, piercing emerald eyes staring at him. "Oh?"

"You're the one." Leon said while in his Acid Drive, slowly stepping towards Wahl. With each step, the ground corroded around him. "You're the one that hurt them."

"Are you referring to those four sacks of flesh I destroyed!?" Wahl started to laugh. "That was a good time! But they weren't even a half decent warm up. You though? I think I can have a little fun with you!"

"You hurt not one…not even two or three, but four of my own. I won't forgive you for that." Leon wasn't taking Wahl's bullshit.

"So it's a fight you want after all!? Well it's a fight you're gonna get! AYAHAHAHAHA—" …Wait. Something wasn't right. Why was he already IN the ground, when Leon was still a few feet away? It took Wahl a second to realize that someone was not only standing over him, but already struck him. "….."

The one standing above him? Laxus Dreyar, his fist infused with lightning and his expression a scornful glare. "It was you that hurt them, wasn't it?"

Wahl then grabbed Laxus' wrist, his grin forming as magic swirled around his free hand. Since lightning didn't affect him, he thought this counterattack was set in stone. "What the hell, man!?" The machine yelled, attempting to feign ignorance. He was going to strike, but…

"THEY WERE MY FRIENDS!" Laxus roared, swinging his free hand into Wahl's face before the Spriggan could even act, thus sending him flying away! In Wahl's excitement to fight, he never considered the monsters his actions enraged: the Lightning Dragon of Fairy Tail, and the Acid of Rage.

.

.

Next Time: Wahl Icht.


	50. Chapter 50: Wahl Icht

Laxus' punch sent Wahl spiraling through the air and crashing through a few crates. Wahl did catch himself, digging his fingers into the ground to force his momentum to a halt. The Machias grinned at his two opponents: Laxus Dreyar and Leon Shi. Just by looking at them he could tell that this was going to be so much fun! "Oh ho?" The Spriggan grinned as bullets began to materialize into existence. "Fusing copper and zinc…and drill them into 9mm bullets, then…FIRE!" A bullet hail ensued from the machias…but he wasn't prepared for the outcome. Before the bullets could touch Leon and Laxus, a field of lightning caused a few of them to disperse, and those that didn't break simply melted away from Leon's acidic aura. "…!?"

Leon then charged forward, taking advantage of Wahl's brief surprise to slam an acid infused fist into Wahl's face, crushing the Spriggan into the ground with his raw power. "Acid Dragon's Steel Fist!" As Leon slammed Wahl down, he used his momentum to flip over and gain a large amount of distance. Why? Because immediately after Leon was in the clear, Laxus flexed and a gigantic bolt of lightning dropped down from the heavens to smite Wahl.

* * *

The bolt of lightning Laxus dropped down was visible from well…anywhere in the port town. Lyon's jaw dropped due to not expecting lightning on a day with clear skies. "Lightning!?"

Gray smirked, he didn't even have to take a guess at that one. "That's the forecast for Magnolia, didn't you know? Sunny with a chance of Laxus."

"Don't EVER say something like that again." Luke snarled. That was even worse than one of his puns!

Gray then slammed his hand on the ground, a glacier rising from the ground to freeze over a few enemy troops. "Transitioning into freezing rain later in the day!"

Upon hearing that, Waiston and Jaxon looked at one another and scoffed at Gray's words. "That's Magnolia's weather?" The frozen dragon chuckled while taking a few steps forward, a cold aura flowing from his body. "Mt. Fiore's weather is much better. For example…we always start the day with a nice cold front!" As he said this, he leaned forward and parted his lips, releasing a Frozen Dragon's Roar to strike down several soldiers.

Jaxon followed up, spreading his arms apart as a blue magic seal formed in front of him. "Which transitions into a raging snowstorm later in the day!" After he said that, a vicious blizzard shot out from the magic seal, instantly freezing over anyone in its path. "Leave the weather forecast to the weather mage."

"Oh come on guys, don't do this…" Cygnus placed a hand on his face, groaning at the weather puns flying around.

"Huh." Jin just watched as his older brother ended up getting sucked into…whatever was going on.

"Come on guys…leave the bad puns to Luke…or rather, let's just stop bad puns in general…" Aira suggested with a comical sweat drop.

* * *

The battle only grew more intense now that Fiore's southern forces had reinforcements. Erza cut down a soldier with ease. It was almost as though she wasn't even injured to begin with. "Ha!"

"Erza! Let's proceed forward!" Kagura said, not even bothering to include Daryan since she knew he'd barge in if she was involved anyway.

"We still have enemies here…" Erza said, hesitate to move forward with so many enemies present.

"No worries!" Milliana said, appearing alongside Beth, Risley, Arana, and Melody. "We'll clean up the mess here!"

"If you underestimate Mermaids, you're gonna get burned!" Risley cracked her knuckles with a smirk.

It was at that moment that Shadowlore appeared, giving a firm smirk. "And I, the great Shadowlore, will assist them!"

"Nyeh…!?" Milliana gasped at the animal mage's appearance. Granted she did bury the hatchet from the Games a while ago, but that didn't mean she liked him. More so…tolerated him. "You…!?"

"I'll help too!" Hiruka flew down and gave a confident nod. He was really trying to help Daryan out here too.

"Tch…" Melody sighed. In this situation, they didn't have much choice but to accept any and all help. "If you try anything funny, you're getting a silver bullet in the chest again!"

To this, Shadowlore scoffed as a confident aura comically flared from his body. "Hah! Threaten me all you wish, but the amazing Shadowlore has NO weaknesses!"

"But…" Melody began.

"NONE!" If anything, Shadowlore was confident. "Watch and be amazed! Animal magic: Lotus Wheel: Swarm!" A magic seal formed in front of Shadowlore, causing a swarm of lotus to pour out, all of them swarming multiple soldiers.

"Huh…not bad…" Melody admitted. "I hope you can keep that same energy when you get rejected!"

It seemed like they really had this. "Kagura, go you go to the port!" Arana said. "We can hold them off here!"

"The port…?" Erza questioned.

"The Spriggan 12…" Kagura began. "The female who can control time…the Machias…those two aside, yet another still awaits us in the port area. From what I've been hearing from a few members of White Eclipse, it seems that that person may be the reason for that little girl, Sophie's return."

"Wait, she's alive!?" Erza's eyes widened at this thought. If Sophie was alive then…!

Kagura shook her head. "She's claimed that she's both dead and alive. I don't know what that means, but Aira said that she could be an illusion, or something of the sort."

"I see…" Erza lowered her gaze. If Sophie was alive, Lucy wouldn't have to blame herself for her death…and Emmeraude's grudge against them would vanish into thin air…but of course it wouldn't be that easy. "So she's roaming the battlefield…"

"So whoever the dude on the ship is…it means that they have some way of bringing the dead back and under their whim. A necromancer of sorts…" Daryan said, and his deduction wasn't too far off either.

"We won't get anywhere standing and talking about it." Kagura said while beginning to take the lead. "The two…" A pause. "The three of us will join forces to take them down." She was actually including Daryan this time! Outside of his excitement to see her again, she could tell that he was actually taking this war seriously…and the way his poorly stitched wound looked bothered her. There was nothing that could be done about it now, but she'd feel better having him within sight and not getting hurt elsewhere. Was she…actually worried about him? That had yet to be seen. Instead of focusing on feelings she was unsure of, she chalked it up to acknowledging his strength and leaving it at that. She was the commander of the south, after all. No time for such thoughts!

"Leave it to me!" Daryan said with a firm nod. "I'll give it my all, you have my word!"

"You have my word and my blade." Erza said with a slight grin.

* * *

Dimaria remained crouched after being kicked so rudely in the face. Carla took this time to hand the exposed Chelia one of Wendy's jackets. "Going topless in war is unbecoming, you know. Here, you can take this for now, it's Wendy's."

"Thanks, Carla…" Chelia said with a slight laugh. While she was able to put it on, there was a small…complication. "Huh…? This is…really tight!" Way to phrase it. Wendy and Raven both blushed at her words.

"You good?" Cynthia asked while keeping her eyes on Dimaria.

"A little chilly, but I'm okay…!" Chelia responded.

"Good." Alex nodded.

"What am I, chopped liver? I have a hole in my shoulder…" Raven shakily stood up, hissing as he rotated his arm. He could still shoot a bow, but it would be a little harder now.

"Pardon the interruption, my little band of brats, but are you done? Need I remind you where exactly you are right now?" Dimaria said while standing back up. "Two's company, three's a crowd, but this is a little ridiculous, don't you think?"

"…This is the one who can stop time." Chelia said. That didn't really garner positive reactions.

" _Time stop? That's a problem…"_ Verona piped up, making her occasional comment from Cynthia's mouth.

"Aw…why spoil the surprise? I was going to have so much fun with their shocked expressions…" Dimaria feigned a long sigh. "I wanted to see their expressions when I tear their clothes off too…although I don't think I could beat the two from yesterday~"

"The more she talks, the more violated I feel…" Chelia shuddered.

"Luke-san came into the port with us…I know he has something to combat time stop, but…" Wendy kept her gaze on Dimaria. It was possible to strike Dimaria before she activated Age Seal, but would they really get an opening like that again? She didn't want to bank on an off chance like that.

"This is a battlefield." Dimaria sighed while shrugging her shoulders. "Not some playground for children like you to meander around in. Also…I'm not exactly the best babysitter, you know?"

"You're the one that turned this peaceful port into a battlefield…" Cynthia replied with some sass. "And as such, we're going to take it back from you!"

"And we're not kids, we're adults!" Alex yelled, just throwing that out there.

"So be it." Dimaria shrugged as her predatory grin formed along her lips once more. "But as the pink one said, time is my world. So really, I could turn your bodies into lifeless corpses in an instant…a split second to your point of view."

They didn't have a choice. Dimaria was about to attack whether they liked it or not! "Here she comes!" Carla yelled, getting into a battle ready position.

* * *

Wahl grinned even after the two consecutive attacks. It was clear to him that he happened to enrage some strong opponents. "You two are pretty good, ain't cha? So…let's see here…" The Machias began to scan both Laxus and Leon just to get an in depth view of what he was up against. When his eyes went to Laxus, he was surprised at what he saw. "What the hell…your organs!?" Laxus' organs weren't looking great. The fact he was still standing, let alone breathing was a testament to his undying tenacity. As for Leon, while he didn't have the exact same internal damage as Laxus, his body under the surface wasn't looking that great either. The strain of fighting Daityas in the Tartarus incident still affected him even to this day. "Both of you?" Laxus wasn't going to stand around any longer. The Lightning Dragon sprinted forward and reared his fist backwards, lightning surging around it. Wahl countered by augmenting his arm, shifting its weight and appearance to match Laxus' own. The two of them threw their punches and collided against one another, causing a shockwave to boom out. "You two punks are something! How the hell are you even alive right now!? You two can't be human!"

"How are we alive right now…?" Leon repeated the question before moving in; aiming his own punch at Wahl, but it was countered with a fairly similar arm. The three of them were in a deadlock, neither side giving an inch. "That isn't the question that matters!"

"I have never have and never will sweat the details…" Laxus unintentionally followed up with Leon's statement. The lightning dragon reared his free arm back, slamming it down onto Wahl's skull to crush the Spriggan into the ground once more. "IT'S ALL ABOUT HOW I LIVE FROM HERE ON OUT!"

"AND THAT'S WHAT MOVES US FORWARD!" Leon yelled, swinging his leg down at Wahl at the same time, resulting in a miniature explosion of Acid.

Even after that dual assault, Wahl was on the ground, but still grinning. Since he was a machine, it was ultimately difficult to ascertain if he was actually taking damage or not. "Give me a break! You humans are always fixated on your little 'expressions' and 'morals!" Wahl's head started to change just a little bit. "Well, before you get your hopes up, hear me out. "ACID AND LIGHTNING AIN'T GONNA DO SHIT TO ME!" The machine suddenly sprang up, slamming his head into Leon's chin to send him staggering backwards, following up with a brutal punch to Laxus' face. "AYAHAHAHA!"

"Gah…!" Both Leon and Laxus shouted from the sudden blow.

Wahl then grabbed Laxus' shirt, pivoting sharply on his heel to throw one dragon into the other. "So, how do you two wanna die?! Think EEEEEEEEEEEEEXTRA HARD!" As he said this, his arm shifted into a cannon; a smaller version of the anti-material cannon he used earlier. Despite the smaller size of the cannon, Wahl still unleashed a potent, condensed beam of destruction that consumed both dragon slayers, sending them flying backwards. "AYAHAHAH!"

Laxus and Leon tumbled along the ground before coming to a halt. Their bodies were bruised from that last attack, but it wasn't enough to put down these two monsters. This machine wasn't playing around, but neither were they! Wahl's claims about their elements having no effect may have had some warrant, as Leon's acid didn't even burn the machine. But that wasn't going to stop either of them! "I WILL tear you apart one way or another!" Leon yelled as a purple aura mixed in with his green one, signifying the activation of his Poison Acid dual mode.

"AYAHAHA! COME AND GET ME THEN!" Wahl yelled while perching himself on a roof, his favorite spot. Be careful what you wish for. Laxus used his Lightning Body spell to zip around Wahl, slamming a fierce leg into his back to push him towards Leon.

"Poison Acid Dragon's Missile!" Leon formed two spheres within his hands, both of them swirling with explosive magic. As Wahl was forced forward, Leon threw one of these spheres at the incoming Machias. The sphere exploded violently with poison and acid, and while their corrosive effects didn't bother the Alchemist, the explosions did their job and forced Wahl back into the air, where once again, Laxus slammed a lightning infused leg into his back to kick him back down! And guess what, the process repeated again when Leon threw the second sphere forward, the explosion pushing Wahl high into the sky.

Laxus finished off this tag team assault by soaring above Wahl, interlocking his fingers together as lightning dangerously crackled between his palms. "Lightning Dragon's Jaw!" The behemoth violently swung his joined hands down, slamming them into Wahl's frame. A discharge of lightning crackled out as the machine was sent crashing into a few buildings below.

Wahl laid on the ground for a moment. "Huh. I see." He then sprang up faster than Laxus was anticipating and circled around him, his left augmenting into something stronger to give it a little more kick…both figuratively and literally. Wahl's leg hit the back of Laxus' neck, causing him to stumble forward awkwardly. This left him vulnerable to the powerful punch aimed at his back which sent him flying forward with so much force his coat came off! Laxus ended up crashing through several buildings, but Wahl gave him no rest as a plethora of missiles followed suit, exploding on Laxus while reducing the building he was in to dust! "AYAHAHA!"

Leon jumped forward while puffing his cheeks out. "Poison Acid Dragon's…!"

"TOO SLOW!" Wahl's fist already hit Leon's gut, winding the master of Black Phoenix. "Thrusters, engage!" The Machias' arm ignited with thrusters, the sudden push in momentum allowing him to slam Leon into the ground as a form of petty revenge, but also drag him violently. "Heat blasters: fire!" The palm of his hand opened up, unleashing a potent blast of heat that exploded right on Leon's face! The Machias leapt back after, landing on the roof with a pleased grin.

Surprise! Laxus emerged from the rubble with lightning body and flipped several times, using his momentum to land a fierce axe kick onto Wahl's skull, sending him through the roof and several stories down onto the ground in a crater, but he did land on his hands and knees to soften the impact. "I ain't done yet…" The injured lightning dragon said while breathing heavily.

A burned Leon took to the skies above the hole in the roof, his cheeks inflated once more. "Poison Acid Dragon's Roar!" Once he exhaled, a corrosive torrent of poison and acid shot down from above, crashing into the Spriggan for a devastating hit! Wahl could say whatever he wanted about their elements not working, their brute strength was still enough to send him flying one way or another.

"Analysis complete." Wahl finally said. "Laxus is afflicted by Magic Barrier Particles that have somehow entered his body. However…this lug still has magic that is easily top tier within Fairy Tail. As for Leon, his body is nearly on the verge of tearing itself apart, no doubt from continuous strain over the years. It can be considered a miracle that he's even in fighting condition. Even still, his magic power is still extremely high despite this. With my current 'frivolous' personality setting, there is a very high chance I could get the carpet pulled out from under me. Overwriting current personality setting to 'coldhearted'. Strengthening exoskeleton, switching to assault mode. Setting "Laxus ad Leon" as sole targets. Diverting all magic power to magic fusion oven ignition. Estimated time for complete annihilation: 100 seconds." As Wahl said this, his entire body began to change before a massive pillar of heat exploded from behind Laxus and Leon, rising high into the sky! The two of them were extremely caught off guard by this sudden surge.

* * *

"What in blazes…!?" Erza asked while looking up at the sky.

"It's hot as hell…!" Daryan whined.

"The sky itself…has been scorched!?" Kagura asked while in complete awe.

* * *

There stood Wahl, his appearance completely altered. Wahl Icht was in his assault mode! "Assault Wahl, ready for sortie." His tone wasn't as carefree as before. It was cold, devoid of emotion.

Laxus gripped his chest, sweat beginning to pour down his forehead. _"Now of all times!? This damn body of mine…!"_

Leon was starting to feel it too. He hadn't had such a serious fight like this since Daityas, and his body was still recoiling from the extremes he pushed it to back then. Now that Wahl was like this, things were looking a little grim. _"This isn't good…I can feel my body screaming in pain again, just like before. But I…I can't stop now! I won't stop until he's put down!"_ Because he was here on Team Asuka's behalf to avenge them, and as their guild master he wasn't going to let their pain go unanswered!

Ready or not…Wahl was coming. Jet boosters allowed Wahl to fly into the air, where he caught the two recoiling Dragon Slayer's off guard. Both fists slammed into both slayers, striking their chests. Before they could react, Assault Wahl's fist changed into outward thrusters that sent them soaring into the skies! "Missiles ready. FIRE!" Multiple missiles were released from Wahl's hands, all of them exploding on Laxus and Leon, creating a fireworks show in broad daylight! Both slayers were recoiling from this impact and Wahl just continued to pile on the pressure, now throwing his arm forward as a small barrel formed along his forehead. "Demo-laser!" A quick beam shot out, striking against the two slayers while they were still in the air, immediately after the missiles exploded on them!

A little further away. Tristan and Hikaru could see the struggle Leon and Laxus were having. "Master Leon…!" Tristan's eyes went wide and he started to rush to assist them, but he was halted by several Alvarez soldiers. "Damn it!"

"You aren't going anywhere!" The soldiers yelled.

"Now you guys wanna act tough?" Hikaru scoffed as her cold aura flared around her body. "I didn't want to have to get too serious with you guys, but if you're gonna stand in our way, then I'll make you regret it."

Wahl's assault continued, his right arm now shifting into the railgun! Recall all that lightning he was hit with? It didn't go anywhere, but he stored it within his body, now converting it into his own electricity to increase the voltage of the ensuring attack! "Vortex Charge! Railgun ready…PIERCE 'EM!" Wahl fired, the devastating bolt of lightning soaring through the sky to strike Laxus and Leon! Leon fell from the sky, but Laxus? This only fueled Laxus! "Dammit! I forgot that one thrives on electricity!"

Reenergized, Laxus flew down, slamming a lightning infused fist into Wahl's cheek, sending him flying backwards. He was able to regain himself and used his jet boosters to fly backwards, shifting his arm into a chain gun to release rapid fire bullets. "But electricity doesn't work on me either!" Laxus flew through the bullets and continued his counter, slamming his leg into Wahl to send the Machias crashing through several crates.

"That was your third mistake!" Leon didn't even allow Wahl to recover. The guild master of Black Phoenix lunged forward within Dragon Force now, slamming his acidic body right into Wahl's own. It was a makeshift Sword Horn technique, one that caused Wahl to abruptly crash into a building nearby! "Your second mistake was believing you could fight us…and your first was harming my guild members." Leon then parted his lips once more, but he wasn't releasing another Roar. He was unleashing something much more dangerous. "Acid Dragon's Wave!" From his mouth, destruction in the form of acid came from. This immensely powerful wave crashed against the building and Wahl, reducing the structure to nothing! But as the smoke cleared, another laser was released, striking Leon in the stomach to push him far away. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to put him down.

" _System Error. Exceeded time for eradication. System Error."_ Wahl's mechanical tone came from elsewhere, but not his own mouth. "Those brats…" Laxus continued to walk forward…only to then drop to a knee.

"Guh…gahhh…" Laxus' breathing was getting heavier. His body wasn't going to last much longer.

"Looks like time's up for you…" Wahl's composure returned and he stood up as Laxus ended up falling down. "The magic barrier particles inside you are probably at peak stage right now. You won't be able to move, and breathing will soon become painful. Well, even if you could move, your element wouldn't work on me anyway. I think one could call this…checkmate."

"D-Damn it…" Laxus was sprawled on the ground, completely unable to move.

"Laxus….!" Leon growled while rushing forward. If Wahl thought he was going to get rid of Laxus that easily, he had another thing coming! Even though he was fighting Wahl for Team Asuka's sake, everyone fighting in this war right now was his nakama, and he wouldn't let any more harm come to them! Leon's acid infused fist slammed against Wahl's chest, sending him flying away. "I don't know who you think you are, but I'm not letting you get away with this!"

"You again!? _System error! System error! Personality error!"_ Wahl growled and flew forward, slamming his fist into Leon's gut to send him flying back in return. Immdiately after this, heat seeking missiles flew from Wahl's wrist and exploded against Leon, violently throwing him about before he hit the ground on the opposite side of Wahl. With both slayers down, Wahl pointed both arms to his sides, aiming at the two of them. "Let me do you both a favor and end this. You should be happy that you aren't suffering any longer, unlike those four lowly humans who thought they could fight me. I'll make sure there's nothing left of you here." Wahl was conducting power into his palms for two highly devastating attacks. "Illegal explosives made from Ethernano separation, equipped. Prepping magic power to the max, kill systems online…Etherion starting up."

" _Come on…MOVE!"_ Laxus yelled at himself internally. Body be damned, he was going to move! His teeth grit and his fangs bared as the bloodied slayer forced his body to move against all odds. His finger traced along the ground. That was all the movement he could muster, but that was enough. _"The reason I came all the way back here is to protect the guild! It's been here for 100 years already, and I'll make sure it stays for 100 more!"_

Leon's emerald eyes shot open when Wahl mocked his fallen guild mates. "…What…did you say about them?" As if it wasn't enough he sent them close to death's doorstep, but now he had the nerve to mock them!? This brought Leon so much rage…too much rage. Unrelenting rage. The magic power flowing off of Leon's body began to consume him to the point where his skin began melting off! The Dragon's Rage returned once again. But even as his rage consumed him, he was still frighteningly calm. Leon learned how to control this rage, thus making it even stronger. But don't get him wrong…he was still very, very pissed off.

"Now die." Just as Wahl was about to fire, a Jutsu Shiki appeared in the immediate vicinity around him and Laxus, covering the space between them. "Wh…What's this!? A Jutsu Shiki!? Since when did something like this appear!?" Wahl questioned, demanding to have answers.

"Got it right from Freed…" Laxus said while bringing himself to a knee. "And in this Jutsu Shiki…"

"HAH!" Wahl yelled, finding this attempt fruitless. "But it's too bad! Did you forget already! Jutsu Shiki doesn't work on me!" That was still true. Badd was an extension of Wahl, but the same rules still applied.

"Magic Barrier Particles cancel!" Laxus proclaimed as he got to his feet. While in this barrier, his condition was stabilized. With a few huffs and puffs, Laxus was able to face Wahl with a grin, all while Leon was also slowly standing up behind Wahl, the acid dripping from his body corroding the crust of the earth he stood on. "Thanks a lot Freed. There's no wizard that could break your spells, and even if there was…he or she would have to neutralize magic barrier particles completely. Meaning, they would be my cure."

Wahl realized where this was going and his eyes widened. "S…Shit…! _**DAMN YOOOOOOOOOOU!**_ _Personality settings error! Personality settings error!"_

Recharged once again, Laxus sped forward within lightning body, aiming to finish this once and for all, and so was Leon. "I know it's kinda painful to bite the hand that feeds, but you took out my friends!"

"And I'm going to kill you for what you did to my guild members, in the name of Black Phoenix!" Leon roared his words barely unintelligible.

"AYAHAHAHAHA! IT WON'T WORK! YOUR ELEMENTS ARE USELESS! YOU'RE HELPLESS! THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO NOW!" Wahl was laughing. His cold hearted personality shattered into insanity as this exceeded his expectations.

"YEAH WELL, YOU AIN'T GETTING MY LIFE THAT EASY EITHER!" Laxus roared as his lightning coated fist slammed into Wahl's stomach region.

"BUT WE'LL BE TAKING YOURS!" Leon followed up, his fist of acid hitting Wahl's back.

"Like that would work…" Wahl said with an insane grin, his eyes beginning to flicker strangely due to the all the personality errors he was experiencing. So he said this…but then the lightning Laxus used began to turn crimson red, while Leon's acid started to ignite in very specific flames: the flames of Hell that Daityas himself used. "W-What!? What's this reddish-dark thunder!? I can't analyze it! And this acid!? What is this!?" There was no actual response from either Dragon Slayer. They just roared as they began their final push!

* * *

It was at this very moment that Laxus recalled something from a few years ago. During the first trip to the water park in Crocus during the x791 Grand Magic Games. "Yury?" Laxus said.

"Makarov's grandfather." Mavis explained. "He's your grandfather."

"So he's one of the founders of Fairy Tail. Why didn't the old man say anything about him…?" The bulky male grumbled.

"You resemble Yury a lot." Mavis said with a small smile.

"What kind of person was he?"

"He was a really cheerful guy. The life the party, I must say."

Laxus frowned and scoffed. "Hey, that's nothing like me."

"And he treasured his friends more than anything else in the world." Mavis held that soft smile, recalling her times with Yury.

Laxus glanced at Mavis before ultimately sighing. "Heh…nothing like me. Did you forget that I once attempted to take over the guild? And for some reason, now I'm back here. It's a hilarious story really."

Mavis looked up to Laxus. "But it didn't stop you, did it?" It didn't. When she said that, Laxus realized that was true, too. "That's where you're so much like him…"

* * *

Yes. He was much more similar to his grandfather than he initially thought. He'd protect the guild. That much was certain. With the spirit of Yury Dreyar following him, Laxus' fatal blow to Wahl struck true, piercing through the left side of his body. _"Lightning that can no longer be called lightning…and is as red as blood…"_ "RAIKOU AKAMIKAZUCHI!" From parent to child, and from child to his child…the miraculous power that brings their lives together. Laxus and Leon were human, but when push came to shove, no matter what, they could easily become the monsters that people feared.

"ACID DRAGON'S HELLISH WRATH!" Leon roared in time with Laxus, his fist igniting in Hell's fire to utterly destroy the right side of Wahl's body. Together, the two of them were able to turn the deadly Wahl Icht, the Machias of the Spriggan 12, into nothing but scrap metal. Fury and serenity…for the sake of those he swore to protect and avenge. Their final blow, while successful, left them utterly drained of magic and exhausted, but that didn't matter at this point in time. They fought Wahl with such determination for one reason, and one reason alone:

Freed, Evergreen, Bickslow, Ichiya, Asuka, Chiara, Ethan, and Alexander. The people who risked their own lives to battle against the Spriggan.

They were avenged.

.

.

Next Time: Dimaria Chronos Yesta


	51. Chapter 51: Dimaria Chronos Yesta

Lucy had fallen asleep at Natsu's bed. Natsu was still unconscious which worried everyone greatly. "Natsu…" Happy was still thinking on Zeref's words; if they wanted to defeat Zeref once in for all, that also meant killing Natsu as well. There was just no way he could accept that! _"I won't give up! There has to be another way!"_

* * *

"Warren, how are things looking?" Mavis asked.

"Ah…it's looking pretty intense." Warren responded. "The north is still at a stalemate, but if Gajeel and his team arrive it should get better."

"Oh, are we reporting?" Magnus turned his head to the radar. "The situation in the east is…difficult to ascertain. There was a battle that took place and while a Spriggan is down, I believe that two of them are still heading for us."

"Wait, what?!" Droy's jaw dropped. "Did they get past!?"

"But we had Jura and the other Wizard Saints!" Max said. "Didn't Sidney go there too? Don't tell me even White Eclipse's ace wasn't a match for them…!"

"You guys worry a lot." Mii scoffed while standing behind the bar, getting a drink for herself.

"I'm sure everything's all fine." Said Zelos, leaning back on a chair. Seems he had his fill of beating up Marin.

"You two are always so carefree, I don't get it…" Cana crossed her arms and shook her head. Then again, it kind of made sense since the two of them weren't really taking part in the war. At least Mii wasn't.

"What about the south? Erza and her team." Makarov asked.

"It seems like they've arrived and even managed to take down one of the 12." Magnus reported. "There are still two more of them in Hargeon, however."

"They beat one? This looks pretty hopeful for us!" Macao grinned. Perhaps things were starting to shift in their favor?

"Yeah! We have one of the 12 in captivity, too." Wakaba added.

"So out of the 12, 8 are left…!" Romeo was smiling.

"We're winning!" Nab said.

Makarov had to cut this premature celebration short. "No. As it stands now, we may be wide open in the east. If that's the case, we still have to be wary about the two Spriggan coming our way. We don't know what happened to Sidney or the Wizard Saints…but we might have to assume the worst."

"At least Dealer has us covered on the west…" Laki said.

"They've arrived safely." Warren said. "They haven't moved forward yet, but they've maintained a safe distance from Zeref's army."

"Sounds like an Ace place." Tia crossed her arms. "We're all still kind of beat up. Heck…the only reason I'm in decent shape is because Jack took a hit for me. Ace is making sure that they can monitor Zeref's movements while ensuring the others can rest up. As soon as Zeref starts moving, they're going to meet them halfway. So for now, you don't have to worry about the west for now. And if things get bad, they'll retreat. They aren't dumb." If they didn't, she'd kill them herself.

"That's good at least…" Makarov could breathe easy there. "As for the situation in the east, we should consult the First on that matter." The old master turned to Mavis, who was staring down at the ground.

"I'm sorry. Please…give me some time." Mavis muttered. This response surprised Makarov. _"In order to take down Zeref…the only thing I can do is…"_

* * *

The battle raged on in Hargeon. Even though Wahl was taken down, the battle only grew more intense. "Lyon!" Gray yelled while throwing his hand down.

"Yeah!" Lyon followed Gray's lead. The two of them merged their magic together, forming a joint glacier that froze over a number of soldiers.

Juvia followed up by swiping her arm forward, releasing multiple crescent slashes of water that knocked away several enemies. "Water Slicer!" But what Juvia didn't see was the two soldiers preparing to strike her down from above.

"JUVIA, LOOK OUT!" Gray yelled.

"Huh…!?" Juvia turned, her eyes widening at what she saw. Luckily for her, several pink beams shot forward, striking the soldiers down before they could hit her.

"Phew…" Meredy let out a soft exhale. She made it in the nick of time, dressed in a new outfit, but still had a cloak on to hide her face if necessary. "I made it on time. It's been a while!"

"Meredy!" Juvia's face lit up with a smile.

"You…what? What are you doing here!?" Gray asked, as if that really mattered right now.

"Crime Soriciere's here to help!" Meredy said while waving her hand, giving a bashful smile. "We heard about what was happening and rushed over to Hargeon as fast as we could!"

"…" Lyon stared at Meredy. He'd seen her before, yes. But something about her current outfit just had him stunned! _"She's so cute…"_

* * *

Kagura, Erza, and Daryan hurried to the port. They had to take down the Spriggan who had yet to leave ship, Neinhart. "I see the port!" Erza said.

"Wait, someone's there!" Kagura pointed forward. The three didn't even bother stopping as two soldiers stood before them. They stood out from all the rest, meaning they were certainly of high rank.

"I can smell four of them…" Daryan narrowed his eyes. At this point, the three mages slid to a halt at the enemies before them.

"We are the Neinhart army of the Knights of the Four Crest!" Said one of the enemy soldiers.

"You shall not pass here!" The other said.

Daryan lifted a brow at their title. "You got enough words there?"

They didn't have time for this. "Erza." Kagura placed her hand on her blade.

"Yeah." Erza nodded. The two of them were in sync. Erza shifted to her Clear Heart Armor, stepping forward in tune with Kagura. The both of them cut down their foes before they even had a chance to put up a fight. "Let's force our way through!"

Kagura then gave Erza a deadpanned look. "Are you _really_ injured?" The mermaid question, not buying that story for a moment after what she just saw.

"The same could be said to you, too." Erza said with a nonchalant tone.

"Whew." Daryan whistled. "That was hot."

Kagura felt her brow twitch and she turned to Daryan, pointing her blade at him. "Do you want to be ne…"

"Fools!" A voice came from above. "Did you forget that there are four knights!?"

"Oh crap, I did…" Daryan's eyes went wide….before his lips curved into a smirk. The dragon slayer formed a bone to use as a pole vault, leaping high into the air to slam his leg into the attacker's skull, sending them right through a window. "Not! Haha!" The dragon slayer then landed and dusted his shoulders off. While Daryan was taking in his victory, he cringed a bit from his wound. "Ah…"

"I told you watch yourself." Kagura said, scowling at Daryan.

"THERE'S STILL ONE MORE!" Said a knight, emerging from behind Daryan to take advantage of his weakened state.

"Behind you!" Erza yelled.

"Shit…!" Daryan was actually not ready this time. But before the enemy could strike, they were knocked away and out cold by a fourth party! "Eh…?"

"You…" Erza said softly.

Jellal landed on the ground in a crouched position. No hood on this time, just a slick coat. "Sorry I'm late."

"Oh hey…sup dude…" Daryan lifted a hand.

"You should hide your face…" Erza suggested.

"I'm tired of running." Jellal replied. "I've come to defeat Zeref. That's my purpose here."

Kagura started to sweat and tremble at the sight of Jellal. It had been four years since she first laid eyes on him…they even fought once, and still she couldn't get rid of this stomach twisting feeling she got when she saw him. "Jellal…" The best she could do was tolerate him, and even that was pushing her to an extreme. Daryan placed a hand on her shoulder, which lasted for a few seconds before she ultimately shoved his hand aside. "I'm fine. There are more important things to worry about right now."

"…." Erza didn't say a word. She was glad Jellal was here to assist them, but she was also worried for Kagura's wellbeing. Would this truly be okay…?

* * *

"Gravity God's Bellow!" Cygnus threw his head forward, a golden wave of gravity releasing from his mouth, easily taking down the incoming soldiers that charged his direction. "Come on, Alvarez! Is that really the best you've got?!"

"Fire Make…" Kuro placed his hands on the ground. "Tornado!" From the ground, a vicious twister of flame swirled into existence. The blazing tornado swept away every enemy in its path, incinerating everything before it in its fiery wake.

"Oi!" Luke slammed his fist into a soldier before turning to Taya. "You said Dimaria was hiding around here somewhere, right?"

"That's right…" Taya said while her vectors choked slammed some poor soul multiple times. "I don't want her think she can get away with the stunt she pulled the other day. But I believe the pink haired god slayer and her archer friend went to take her on."

"All by themselves?!" Sherri gasped at this. "I told her not to do anything reckless!"

"So that's where those girls went…" Luke let out a heavy sigh before deciding to push forward.

"Cynthia is here, isn't she? I'm going too." Taya said.

"We're gonna go ahead!" He had no idea where the girls went too. Luke was actually on the other side of the port where the confrontation with Dimaria was happening, so he had to hurry. Taya was with him as well, so they could likely run through anyone who tried to stand in their way.

"I'm coming with you!" Sherri said while ignoring any objections Luke may have had.

"Fine, just stay out of the way!" Luke yelled. Although, before he could get too far, a pink streak of light came out of nowhere and slammed into his chest, causing him to stagger backwards. "Gah…!"

Sherri was also a victim, getting hit in the side and fell onto ground. "Ouch…!"

"There she is…!" Aira pointed.

Sophie landed on the ground, staring at the mages of White Eclipse before her. "…"

"SOPHIE!?" Luke, Waiston, Kuro, and Cygnus all yelled in unison. Aira never had the chance to tell them that she was here, but they found out about it now.

"Didn't you die…? You definitely died…!" Cygnus pointed accusingly at the small girl.

"And that's why Emmeraude is so pissed!" Luke added.

"I am dead." Sophie said. Their confusion was understandable and she wasn't annoyed by it. "But that doesn't matter now. Right now…you are my enemies. I honestly do not want to fight…but…"

"You gotta be kidding me…" Luke groaned.

"This is the girl from yesterday too…" Sherri placed a hand on her chest. "She looked so sad when fighting…" The older Blendy then shook her head. She didn't have the time to focus on Sophie when Chelia and Raven were in danger.

* * *

"If I wanted to, I could easily kill all of you. In the blink of an eye, really!" Dimaria grinned.

"Here she comes!" Carla said.

"Get ready!" Alex yelled.

"And especially if it's you lot…" As far as Dimaria knew, there was no one who could stop her. As soon as she clicked her teeth, everything froze. There wasn't even a gentle breeze. Everything around them came to a stop. "And now, this world belongs to me, and me alone…" The woman felt a sense of euphoria flow through her. "I'm sure everyone's had wishes, no? The kind that went like, 'oh, I wish I could stop time'." The woman then leaned closer to Wendy's face. "Well, as you've heard, my magic has the ability to stop time itself. It's a shame the pink one had to spoil the surprise…but it doesn't matter." The Spriggan used one hand to smush Wendy's cheeks together. "In the end, it's the ultimate magic that can't be defeated. Why? Because in my world, there's not a thing you can do, teehee." Her gaze then went to Cynthia. "Maybe I should strip that one's clothes of. Oh, right…I'll pass on that. Killing all of you would be far too easy and not much fun. But oh! What if…" A lightbulb! "What if I killed one, then time resumed? They'd know who it was and would feel so much despair! Yesss…that sounds oh so much better. I wonder who I'll pick…" She had so many options! Carla, Chelia, Wendy, Cynthia, Alex, and Raven! As her eyes wandered, they eventually settled on Wendy and Cynthia. "Maybe I should kill these two. Em said if one goes down, the other becomes an extreme annoyance…plus they kicked me in the face. Definitely them then." She patted Wendy, then Cynthia's face and drew her sword back. "Oh well…goodbye!" A lazy swing was aimed to cut through both Wendy and Cynthia…but then they moved at the last second! "Huh!?"

"Cynthia!" Wendy yelled.

"Right…!" Cynthia didn't know what was going on, but she and Wendy jumped to the side, immediately firing back with a counter! "Fire Arrow!"

"Sky Arrow!" With their respective elements shrouding their legs, they kicked at Dimaria who was still trying to figure out what was going on.

"Gurgh…!" Dimaria slid back from the direct hits, but little did she realize that this was the end of it. Alex extended her arm forward, the whip-like claw covering a long distance as it nearly impaled the Spriggan's stomach. Dimaria jumped to the side, gritting her teeth as it grazed her instead.

"Sky God's…Hurricane Kick!" Chelia was in front of Dimaria, whipping her leg forward to smack against the woman's chest. This prompted a potent whirlwind of black wind to spiral outwards, pushing Dimaria even further back.

"HOW!?" Dimaria snarled. How!? How were they moving in her time! She didn't see anyone that could intervene with her time like this! Just when she thought she had a moment's rest, Raven fired off another potent arrow of wind. He was attempting to finish her off, but it wasn't that easy and she used her sword to slice the arrow in two.

"There disparities in time…and this small little world of yours has an even stranger sense of time. But the part about this only being your world? I'm afraid that's not the case. This is my world as well." Said Ultear as she casually walked onto the scene, displaying a smile. "Crime Soriciere will punish you for your crimes in this prison of time."

"Ultear…!" Wendy, Cynthia, and Chelia all said at the same time. They were happy that she showed up.

"Were you the one that undid my spell?" Dimaria asked. Her body was beginning to shake. This was the second time someone dared to defile _her_ world!

"Undid? No, time is still in the state that you left it." Ultear explained while examining some of the frozen people like Toby. "My magic my not have such a scope as yours, but I can ensure that myself and a few others aren't affected by the flow of time should it stop." She then turned to the girls and Raven. "Honestly, you girls are reckless…but I can't help but admire your bravery as well."

"Ahah…" Chelia rubbed the back of her head.

"To be fair…I didn't know what we were getting into." Alex pointed out.

"Once again, chopped liver…" Raven rolled his eyes, but he was glad Ultear included him, too.

"Are you…telling me you plan to corrupt this world of mine!?" Dimaria continued to tremble. How…how and why would people defile that which was hers! This was her haven!

"She would have taken us down instantly…" Carla couldn't get that thought of out her head.

"It takes a lot of magic to sustain this amount of people within frozen time. Because of that, I might not be able to lend too much aid in this battle…" Ultear said while turning to Dimaria. "But I will do my best to ensure that nobody is trapped, you have my word."

"GET OUT!" Dimaria screamed at the top of her lungs. The limits of her patience had been reached and she lunged at everyone in sight.

"We're on it!" Wendy and Chelia jumped forward. "Sky Dragon's Wing Slash!"

"Sky God's Boreas!" Both Wendy and Chelia attacked at once. Spirals of cyan and black wind shot forward from their bodies, however Dimaria blocked both of these attacks with her blade. The only thing they managed to do was push her back, only she wasn't taking any damage this time.

"You little brats!" Dimaria pointed a hand down, resulting in a powerful, sudden eruption of raw magic that exploded on the sky dragon and goddess, easily blowing them away. "Get out of my world this instant! It's MINE! ALL MINE!" A yellow aura flared around her sword and she aimed to bring it down, only for Alex's arm to shift into a sword coated in earth that blocked the strike. "Huh?"

"You sound like a whiny kid! Is this how all Spriggan act when they don't get their way!" Alex then sent a roaring uppercut to Dimaria's chin, but the woman evaded it by leaning backwards, pivoting on her heel to send her foot crashing into the back of Alex's skull, sending the red head tumbling away along the ground. "Oof!"

Raven remained grounded, firing an arrow of darkness off into the ground. This arrow took the form of a snake that slithered along the ground, attempting to sink its fangs into Dimaria's exposed ankle. "Serpent!"

"Your arrows aren't hitting me!" Dimaria yelled while striking down the serpent with her blade before it got too close. She'd experienced far too many battles for a mere archer to get the best of her. Although Raven was upset he missed, his attack created an opening for Cynthia and Carla to strike from above.

With her wings out, Carla dove down from above, spinning around to gain momentum and aim a fierce drop kick at Dimaria. "White Moon!" Of course, Dimaria was able to block this attempt with her forearm with minimal effort.

"Talon!" Cynthia yelled, swinging a red blazing foot at Dimaria's face again, but her blade stopped this. Cynthia was close enough now and grinned; for a closer look at her face revealed that her cheeks were inflating. "And…ROAR!" Her lips parted, a massive funnel of omega flames unleashing from her mouth that consumed and pushed Dimaria back! "Got her!"

Ultear watched with an intense stare. "They're doing well…they might be able to win…"

The funnel of flames was quickly dispersed with a simple slash of Dimaria's sword. The embers faded out of existence and the Spriggan didn't look too pleased at first…but then a smile formed on her lips. "Have you ever wondered why I could manipulate time?" Well…let me show you the power of the 12." The gauntlet on Dimaria's arm shattered and she pointed her arm down. What came next was a much bigger pillar of magic than before. This one completely consumed Cynthia, Chelia, Wendy, Raven, Alex, Carla, and even Ultear within its wake!

"WAAAAAAH!"

There was a sudden spike of power. One that the injured Ultear noticed immediately after the explosion. "W-What…what is this power!?"

Dimaria rose from the smoke, her appearance completely altered. Her hair flowed upwards and her body was completely black with yellow markings. There was an aura that flowed around her that was nearly foreign to all of them! "Takeover: God Soul."

"Holy shit…" Raven's eyes went wide. What kind of monster were they up against!?

"The power of a god…" Ultear's jaw dropped. This was more than what she was expecting.

"AAAAAAAAH!" Dimaria screamed and released a powerful surge of magic, one that dwarfed the previous one! This massive explosion threw the mages of Fiore backwards, only serving to injure them more! There was a gigantic crater after such an attack and it didn't cost Dimaria any magic. "Bow down, as I, Chronos, the God of Time descends on you." To make matters worse, the wounds she had on her body started to heal…no, they weren't healing. Time was reversing on them!

"You gotta be shitting me…!" Raven groaned while attempting to stand back up.

"Everyone okay?!" Alex asked.

"Been better…" Cynthia admitted. "You okay Wendy…?"

"I'll…be all right…" Wendy said.

"To think she had an ace like this up her sleeve…the power of Chronos, how did she even obtain that!?" Ultear asked while actually preparing to step into the fray. Magic be damned, things weren't looking great.

"An ancient god was revered in Mildian centuries ago. And now it has become one with my, a descendant of its vessel." Dimaria explained. In other words, she was a descendant of a god! That was a problem.

"Oh yeah!?" Chelia pumped a hand into a fist, displaying a grin despite her own injuries. "I've defeated a god before, and this time it won't be any different!"

"…That's right. So you are the one…" Dimaria tilted her head slowly. "The one who defeated the Ice God."

"Chelia, you can't!" Ultear said.

Dimaria then pointed her finger at Wendy. Nobody could actually see it, but they sensed it. Carla was the first one to notice and immediately shoved Wendy to the side. "WENDY!" At the same moment, a beam pierced through Carla's body. A fatal blow.

Everyone stared in horror as Carla's gaze turned dull and she was barely able to stand. "CARLA!"

" _I…I didn't even see her attack…"_ Ultear began sweating. Were they out of their league here!?

Carla's body trembled in place, the shock of the wound hitting her hard. "Even my…clairvoyance…couldn't…keep u…" She was unable to utter the last syllable. Her body collapsed onto the ground and she stopped moving.

Cynthia and Wendy immediately went to her body to see if she was okay. "Carla! Please, hang in there! CARLA!" The two girls started to cry. Carla couldn't die! Not like this!

"N-No…" Chelia's hands went to her mouth. This…this was horrible.

"All who defile my world…will pay for it in blood." Dimaria stated.

Alex started trembling in anger. With tears in her eyes, she turned to Dimaria and her hands morphed into sharp claws that she planned to use to tear her apart. "Y-You…you bitch! I'LL KILL YOU!" With an emotional battle cry, Alex rushed forward and began clawing at Dimaria wildly. "YOU MADE MY SISTER CRY, I'LL TEAR YOU APART!" Every fierce slashed she aimed was avoided, much to her annoyance.

"Does thou not understand?" Dimaria spoke calmly. Alex's slashes did cut off some of her hair, but it didn't mean much. There was a slash that did land against her chest, but she didn't flinch. Instead, Dimaria slammed her knee into Alex's gut, winding her with the sharp impact. The vessel of Chronos followed suit by swinging her leg into Alex's skull to send her flying away, where she followed up with another explosion of magic to severely injure the dragon slayer. "There is naught you can do against this power."

"Wait until I put an arrow through your skull!" Raven was rushing forward, multiple magic seals appearing in front of him. "Fury Burst!" Each arrow fired shattered a seal, which in turn shifted into a different element. Arrows of fire, wind, water, earth, light, and darkness all attempted to pierce Dimaria. Unfortunately for Raven, he still couldn't land a shot on her! "Damn it!" Dimaria appeared in front of him, her fist smashing into his temple. The blow knocked Raven off his feet, causing him to tumble along before coming to a halt. He could see that Dimaria was pointing at him and he instinctively rolled out of the way, just narrowly avoiding a fatal shot to the chest. "Tch! Tempest Arrow!" A quick shot, but one that turned a small arrow of wind into a massive cyclone that consumed Dimaria, but she stood in the center of the raging whirlwind just fine.

"Carla please, wake up…!" Wendy pleaded.

"She's still alive." Ultear said. "It's…just like on the Isle. I've suspended her time, which means you'll have to use as much healing magic as you can on her before time resumes. Her wound is grave…but she should survive just like last time. But you have to take her down as quickly as possible!"

"Okay…" Cynthia nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. Wind started to wrap around her body as she entered her Sky Flame mode, while Wendy entered Dragon Force. "Let's go, guys."

"Yes." Chelia gave a firm nod. She may not have been as strong as she used to be, but her powers to slay a god were key to this fight. Without even wasting a second, the girls all lunged forward to aid in the battle against Dimaria.

" _What do I do…? She's too strong for them like this."_ Ultear watched the girls fight with a grim expression. _"Chelia's their only key to victory, but there's no way she would be able to sustain that level of magic again if she tried. It could kill her, and I promised myself I wouldn't let any harm come to these girls. Think, Ultear…what do you do!?"_

Wendy's speed was still unmatched. She reared her leg back and threw it forward, hitting Dimaria right in the chest. "Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!" But despite this, Dimaria didn't even flinch at such a blow. Wendy was about to jump back, but Dimaria already had a fist coming her way. "Ah…!" And just before that fist could hit, Cynthia took the blow by bringing an arm up. "Cynthia…!"

"Flame…Palm!" Cynthia extended her free hand, gathering wind and flame within her palm only to shoot it forward in a concentrated burst. While it was hard to say Dimaria took damage, it did push Wendy and Cynthia back to gain much needed distance.

Chelia was up next, spreading her arms apart as several blades of wind formed around body. "Blade Dance of the Sky God!" These feathery blades were all sent forward. Though composed of stylized black feathers, the wind was incredibly sharp. Dimaria recognized this threat and began to dodge the blades, although a few of them grazed her. That was damage enough and she didn't like it. So she pointed at Chelia…but before the beam could come out, Alex whipped her claw arm forward to stab her.

"I don't think so!" Alex snarled.

"…" Dimaria didn't say a thing. She just snapped her fingers, causing multiple magic seals to form under Alex, Chelia, Cynthia, and Wendy. These seals took the appearances of a clock ticking down, and the moment a second passed, they exploded violently! They were all thrown about from the explosions and landed harshly on the ground. "Does thou understand? Theirs is nothing you can do."

'HAAAAH!" Chelia wasn't giving up! She rushed forward, sending her magic infused fist into Dimaria's chest. The effectiveness of her magic did cause the goddess to stagger back a step, but a step and nothing more. Dimaria opened her palm, releasing a potent beam of magic that consumed Chelia and sent her flying back near Raven. "Agh…ow…"

"You okay…?!" Raven asked while looking at Dimaria. This was bad. They weren't making any progress!

"She's…so strong…" Cynthia growled. "But we can't give up!"

"I've got it!" Raven grinned. "It's time for my special technique! Chelia, give me a boost!"

"You're gonna use that?" Chelia blinked, but considering their situation, it just might work! "Okay…!" Chelia nodded and cupped her hands together and crouched down. Raven took a step forward onto Chelia's hand and she launched him sky high.

"Here we go!" Raven yelled.

"…?" Dimaria watched Raven fly. Just what was he planning?

"TARGET: ON!" Raven aimed down. A large seal appeared under Dimaria, spanning several meters with her in the center of it. Multiple targets appeared above her, soon encasing her in what appeared to be a cylinder of magic.

"What is this? It's useless." Dimaria scoffed and attempted to move but…she couldn't'!? She, a god, couldn't move in some lowly mages seal!?

"Heh…" A slow smirk drew itself on Raven's lips as he pulled the bowstring back, a massive arrow of magic forming. This arrow had a black tint to it as it was laced with Sky God Slaying magic, courtesy of Chelia. "The moment you let that seal touch you, it was over! That seal binds the magic in your body and prevents movement! So with this in place, this time….I WON'T MISS! CRISIS RAIN!" Raven's ultimate technique! The arrow he released flew through the cylinder of magic and right onto the bullseye! The moment it made impact with Dimaria, the cylinder exploded into a massive rising pillar of magic. There was even a scream of pain that followed! All eyes were on Raven when he landed.

"…." You know that feeling when you watch your significant other pop off? That was Chelia right now. "Raven…!"

"Whoa…that was kinda cool…" Alex admitted.

"I didn't know he could do that. Did you…?" Cynthia turned to Wendy and she shook her head.

"Heh…" Raven smirked. "I know she felt that one."

Raven was right. Dimaria _did_ feel that hit. The smoke around the vessel of Chronos cleared and there was one unhappy god right there. "You will pay…in blood." Dimaria then pointed at not Raven, not even Cynthia, Wendy, or Alex…but Chelia. The one who was the biggest threat to her was the reason she took that much damage to begin with. Nobody could even see the beam that was fired and Chelia completely froze on the spot.

"…!" Chelia couldn't move, but for some reason, she felt herself being thrown to the side. Wait…no, she didn't move it was…Raven. At the last possible second, Raven shoved Chelia aside and took the hit in her stead. But it wasn't just one. Multiple beams pierced through his body, and one hit his heart directly. To Chelia, it all happened in slow motion and her eyes were wide in horror. "R-R….."

Raven was dead before he hit the ground. He didn't get a chance for last words or anything. He was a lifeless corpse. Dimaria lifted her hand up one more time and snapped her fingers. "…Anyone who dies within my time…will be removed immediately." Those ominous words didn't hang in the air for long. Raven's form started to fizzle out before he just…turned into dust and scattered away. There was nothing left of his body, only his bow that he had thrown on the ground at the last second. He was just…gone.

"W-Wh…" Cynthia couldn't even find the words.

"T-There's no way…" Alex covered her mouth.

"H-He's…gone…" Wendy said the words, but she couldn't believe what she was saying.

"H…He was erased…from time…?" Ultear…she…she didn't know such a thing was truly possible. And that only meant they could be next.

"R-RAVEN! RAAAAAAAAVEN!" Chelia screamed, the sound of her broken heart echoing through the emptiness of frozen time. The pain was audible in her voice and she started to break down. The crying turned into loud wailing that wasn't stopping anytime soon. _"Don't worry. I won't let anything bad happen to you. Because I love you."_ That's what she told him! That was a promise she was supposed to keep and yet…and yet…!

"Do you finally understand now?" Dimaria started to float up in the air, her divine majesty displaying itself once more. "Against the power of a god…there is nothing you can do. This is the end for you foolish humans. I will now render my divine punish…and you shall pay with your lives."

.

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Next Time: The Wrath of Heaven.


	52. Chapter 52: The Wrath of Heaven

Within the expanse of tranquil time, the only sound that echoed through the timeless void were Chelia's heartbroken cries. The battle against Dimaria took a sharp downward spiral as Raven was erased from time itself. Anyone who died while in Dimaria's 'world' ceased to exist. This was a harsh reality they learned the hard way. All Chelia could do was cry. The emotional shock and trauma paralyzed her. "Raven…!"

"He's gone…" Alex was trembling. She couldn't even fathom what it was she just witnessed…what it was they were up against. Not that she planned on backing down, but the shock stunned her. For a moment, she questioned how they were going to beat the deity that stood before them.

"I still do not understand…I told him I would kill him last. Yet he threw himself in harm's way. Why would he intentionally hasten his own death?" This still confused her. Not that she cared in the end, but it was a perplexing action she couldn't quite wrap her head around. But as soon as the question left her lips, Cynthia was in her face, her leg swinging violently at her cheek. A vicious torrent of fire and wind followed suit, actually managing to throw Dimaria backwards slightly.

"BECAUSE HE LOVED HER!" Cynthia snarled, the tears forming in the corner of her eyes. In the years she knew Chelia, she'd only seen her cry one time. That was after the culmination of everything that had happened prior finally hit her; she didn't cry before then, and after that, she never cried again.

"Y-You monster…!" Wendy barged her fangs. This was the first time in a really long time she felt legitimately angry. The sky dragon rushed forward at speeds faster than most could comprehend. A solid punch landed against Dimaria's chest, a tempest of wind and omega flames following suit. Dimaria was blown backwards and the dragon slayer duo of Fairy Tail began their assault, both of them relentlessly attacking Dimaria.

"…." Ultear could only watch. After what she just witnessed, she wasn't sure what to do. The battle against Zen on the Isle could have easily gone just as south without Chelia using the Third Origin. But they didn't have that option this time, and things looked extremely grim. _"What can I do…to protect these girls…? I…"_ All she could do was watch Cynthia and Wendy fight with all their might.

"Ultear…!" Alex shouted. "You can't…look like that!"

"H-Huh…?" Ultear snapped out of it, staring at Alex with a shaky expression. The situation left her at a loss.

"You're the adult here!" Alex said. "You're the one we have to depend on right now! If you look like that, then they might lose hope too! I-I know this situation is scary, but please…keep a brave face for them…! They're counting on you, too!"

"A brave face…" Ultear didn't even think about her position for a moment. It was…strange. She spent all this time attempting to atone for her sins. In the past, all her life was worth was a single minute. When did it evolve into this? Watching over these girls as they put their lives on the line for everyone else not only once, but twice? They were depending on her…so in a way, her life really did mean something here. If that was the case, she couldn't let these girls down, especially after the heartbreak Chelia was going through. She may as well be frozen in time too at this rate. She just…didn't know what to do!

Wendy and Cynthia were attacking away at Dimaria with their combination attacks. Wendy aimed a blazing roundhouse at Dimaria's skull, the natural wind around her body fueling the omega flames into the mix. Dimaria blocked the strike, firing back with a punch of her own that slammed against the sky dragon's midsection. While Dimaria was in the midst of attacking Wendy, Cynthia moved in with a rising claw strike. "…!" Dimaria moved her body to the side, easily evading the physical attack itself, but a rising stalagmite rose after Cynthia's attack, piercing the vessel of Chronos in the side. "Insolent mortals…!" Dimaria's patience was growing thin. Her leg swung, colliding against Cynthia's skull to send her flying backwards.

"Ngh…!" Cynthia dug her hands and fingers into the ground, forcibly slowing her momentum to a halt before wildly lunging forward once again while rearing her fist back. The red flames that ignited around her fist briefly flashed a vibrant blue color, one that was vaguely reminiscent from several years ago. "Omega Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

"Blue…?" Dimaria was curious, but ultimately going to fight back of course. Her own fist lit up in yellow magic and she swung it at Cynthia's. The two met in the middle, causing a fierce shockwave to echo out the moment their fists collided. "Your struggle is useless! You will all end up just like that pathetic human!"

Cynthia was struggling to hold her ground against Dimaria. The time goddess was exceptionally strong, but the way she talked down to them angered her. "His name…was Raven!" The omega dragon yelled.

"…!" Dimaria noticed it a bit too late. Wendy slipped past her with her arms out, a fierce trail of wind following suit that pierced into her already sliced side. This brief moment of pain allowed Cynthia to push forward, where an explosion of blue fire and time magic erupted on the both of them, causing them to slide backwards. The two dragon slayers then took the offensive, aiming two strong punches at Dimaria's face, but the Spriggan recovered in time to stop their tiny fists just short with her own hands. "You shall pay." The goddess uttered once more, her palms releasing a threatening amount of magic beginning to pour from her hands.

"Earth Dragon's Sharpened Horn!" Alex yelled, sharpened pieces of rock and earth forming around her skull, and she rammed herself into Dimaria's stomach. Even a goddess wasn't going to enjoy taking a blow like that, and she ended up releasing Cynthia and Wendy while taking a step back. "Sorry I'm lat…!" And before she could get another word out, Dimaria caused a powerful eruption of her magic once again, engulfing the three girls in its wake.

"Oof…" Cynthia wasn't looking too great. One eye was clenched and she was on a knee, panting heavily. "I'm not…gonna let her get the best of us…" She took one glance at Chelia, who was watching the battle, but at the same time she just wasn't there. Her expression was dull.

"Physical ability raise!" Wendy casted an enchantment on herself, Cynthia, and Alex to increase their physical strength for a short time. They were able to make a small push against Dimaria and she hoped this would give them the decisive edge they needed. With that done, Wendy pushed off once more, faster than the wind itself to close the gap between herself and Dimaria. "Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!" Her foot whipped along Dimaria's face, a vicious torrent of wind following suit after the direct hit. The enchantment proved useful since Dimaria was forced backwards despite how hard she tried to hold her ground. With this, Wendy tried to push again! She was so fast it was actually irritating the Spriggan! Wendy appeared at Dimaria's left, swinging another wind infused leg at the woman's chest, but this time she blocked it.

"You insect…" Dimaria spat before holding her hand out, a strange clock-like seal appearing on Wendy's body.

"H-Huh…?!" Wendy blinked before her body was wracked with immeasurable pain! For a brief moment, all of the pain she'd ever experienced came back to haunt her! Her eyes went wide and she couldn't move for a moment; in fact, all she could do was struggle to even stand. This left her open for a small, but potent blast that sent her tumbling away. In the midst of her tumble, Dimaria fired a beam that pierced right through her left thigh. Wendy did manage to catch herself, but she was now in a crouched position, hissing in pain. "M-My leg…"

Dimaria was going to fire off another beam, but her arm was deflected by Cynthia's own, thus causing the beam to fire off into the open sky. "HA!" The omega dragon yelled, parting her lips to release a point blank blast of fire and earth at Dimaria. It was a direct hit and Dimaria let out some noise of pain and annoyance, but unfortunately she wasn't going to let herself be pushed back anymore by these brats! The Spriggan forced her way through the fire and flames just to land a punch on Cynthia's face for more petty revenge, but it was strong enough to send the girl stumbling back. And just like with Wendy, a piercing beam followed and struck Cynthia's right arm! "Ow…!" She whined, now clutching her arm in agony. Why…why was it always the arm!? It wasn't a Cynthia fight unless her arm got injured somehow!

"Watch out!" Alex pushed Cynthia out of the way, her body covered in pitch black armor that came from her own skin. It was part of her Prototype magic, and it saved her hide as Dimaria aimed another beam for Cynthia, but Alex's intervention caused the beam to pierce through her side. Thanks to her armor, she wasn't as injured as she should have been.

"A-Alex…!" Cynthia stared up at her.

"I'm going to protect you and everything you care about." The armored Alex gave her younger sister a nod while turning to Dimaria, the ground beginning to quake around the Spriggan. Multiple stalagmites rose up, all of them super charged with magic and they all pointed directly at Dimaria. "Because that's what Gaia wanted me to do…and it's what I want to do too! Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Earth's End!" With the spirit of Gaia flashing at her side, Alex unleashed the secret art! The beams of magic from the stalagmites converged and exploded on Dimaria for an earth shaking explosion!

"…I remember that attack. It didn't feel good…" Cynthia recalled when Alex used that on her during their fight in the Games.

The smoke around Dimaria was thick and didn't clear anytime soon. That's why nobody could see the beams she fired, all at Alex. If it wasn't for her armor, they'd be fatal blows. The beams pierced through several spots of her armor and the red head collapsed on the spot. Alex was just gasping for air, her eyes slowly staring up at a very injured, but very angry Dimaria. "Ow…"

"I'm growing tired of this farce…" Dimaria said with a low tone. She was going to finish these girls off before they became too much more of a problem…and that's when the little detail that slipped her mind reminded her of its existence. Ultear's orb slammed into her gut. It didn't hurt that much, but it was an annoyance. "…?" But something was wrong. When she looked around, there were dozens of the same orb floating around her!

"Flash Forward." Ultear said. This command caused the orbs to bombard Dimaria relentlessly! She had to step in to prevent the girls from getting fatally injured or worse. It may have been an awful thing to say, but since she only had to use her magic on Chelia, Wendy, Cynthia, and Alex now, she could expend a little bit to fight.

After the bombardment ended, Dimaria slowly turned her head to Ultear, her yellow eyes fixating on the time mage. "You…the one that defiled my world…" Of course…in the heat of battle, she forgot that all she had to do was get rid of Ultear. The moment she did that, those girls would freeze and her world would be pure again! So without wasting another moment, Dimaria flew at Ultear with malicious intent.

"Ultear…!" The three girls fighting cried in worry.

" _Here she comes…!"_ Ultear didn't really have a plan at this point. It was just to do whatever she could now. As an instinctive reaction, her fist ended up sliding into her open palm, a chilling aura flowing from her body. "Ice Make: Rosen Krone!" When she threw her arms forward, frozen flowers emerged to bind and constrict Dimaria's movements. It didn't work and she was met with a fierce punch to her gut, one that caused her to fold over. The Spriggan followed up with another punch to the temple, nearly crushing Ultear into the ground as a result. "Ngk…!"

"I gotta move…" Wendy said while attempting to stand, but with her leg injury, that was a difficult task. Cynthia and Alex weren't exactly in moving shape either.

Dimaria leaned down, gripping Ultear by her hair to lift her up. "You defiled the world of a god. This is the worst sin you have committed, and you shall be sentenced to death."

"I've already died once…but I'm not going anywhere until they're safe!" Ultear brought one hand up, a magic sword materializing into existence. Dimaria wasn't expecting such a quick draw and Ultear managed to slash at her arm, allowing her to be released.

"Insolent!" This didn't last long as Ultear was met with a foot to her stomach, pushing her backwards. Several more beams were released in her direction, but her orb countered them by splitting off into separate futures! Dimaria continued to rapid fire pace, just waiting to see how long it took until Ultear broke. Ultear was slowly losing the exchange as the beams began to graze her body. Ultimately, she lost when a beam slipped through her defenses and struck her lower right side, causing her to hiss in pain. And that was Dimaria's opening. The time goddess was going to finish this farce once and for all…! Until a kick to her face stopped her. She stumbled back, now just pissed beyond belief at the interruption.

Luke landed on the ground, panting softly since he was barely able to make it. "It's kinda easy to tell where a fight is when everything's sto…WHOA! Is that Dimaria!? I didn't know she could do that!?"

"Luke-san…!" Wendy's face lit up with a smile.

"You again? You're defiling my world again…!?" Dimaria had it. This was going on for too long.

"What's with the grim…" Well, one look around and the copycat could put two and two together. The unresponsive Chelia and what was a discarded bow. Luke simply nodded and turned to face Dimaria. "I got this." His body immediately lit up in a black and white aura, shifting into his Chaos Unison state. "All right…time to put the grumpy god to bed." Without wasting any time, Luke and Dimaria pushed forward, their fists colliding with one another. The collision of god and pseudo god slayer caused another shockwave to boom out! Since Luke was sustaining himself on his own magic, Ultear didn't have to worry about anything.

"Agh…" Ultear fell to a knee, panting heavily. Keeping up with the girls and trying to fight took a toll on her now injured body. "I can't keep this up for much longer. We have to finish her off now!"

"Chelia, we need you!" Cynthia yelled…but there was no response. Chelia didn't say a word. She was just frozen. "Come on, Chelia please!"

At this point, Luke and Dimaria were locked in close combat. Luke did have an edge, but Dimaria was strong regardless. Her magic infused fist stuck the copycat in the jaw, leaving a mark, but he fired back with an explosion Black God's Bomb! The impact was surprising to Dimaria and she slid backwards with a sudden cry of pain. "So that is God Slaying Magic!?"

"That's right!" Luke said with a smug grin. Dimaria was pretty tough and even though she was still standing from the beating before, Luke had an edge that could put her down if he played his cards right. "It's almost kinda funny how bad this is for you!"

"DON'T YOU DARE MOCK ME! I AM A GOD!" Dimaria shrieked at the top of her lungs. She lifted her arm up, causing a sudden surge of magic to explode around Luke. A direct hit noted by his sudden shout of surprise.

"Gah…!" Luke flipped before placing his hands at his sides and immediately shot them forward. "Chaotic God's Unholy Ray!" Beams of black and white shot forth, all of them splitting off into different directions before converging onto Dimaria. The Time Goddess did shoot her own beams to destroy as many as she could, but in the end, several landed against her and exploded.

"GRAAAH!" Screaming, the time goddess flung forward, slamming her palm into Luke's face to grip it and drag him along the ground. That hurt a lot, but Luke fired back by slamming a White God's Fist into her kidney. That hurt more. Once he was released, he swung his leg around for a swift round house just as Dimaria did the same. The two were sent spinning away from one another and landed rather awkwardly on the ground.

"Damn…she's tough!" Luke admitted with a small smirk. This was kind of enjoyable, going up against a god. "But she's getting cornered…just need a little more…"

"Cornered?! Me?! Don't be stupid!" Dimaria shouted, yet as she said that, the Takeover around her head faded in and out. Was she…was she running out of magic!? No, this couldn't be! She had to end this. With all ten of her fingers pointed forward, potent beams shot forth, most of them flying towards Luke.

"Hah! Won't work!" Luke conjured a mirror in front of him. This mirror easily reflected the beams aimed at him back at Dimaria, but she avoided those. That was never her goal to begin with, she just needed to distract Luke….because the rest of the beams were aimed at Ultear and the other girls. "Oh shit..!" He didn't have time to cover them all! So, without thinking, he quickly sprinted forward and used his body as shield! Luke was durable and managed to sponge a few hits, but his reckless move left him pretty injured! The copycat landed on the ground with a few holes in him, but luckily nothing that was fatal. It just hurt a lot. "Damn it…that's what I get…for trying to be a hero." And there went his momentum…all because he did prioritize a few lives over victory, which honestly…was a Luke thing to do. He didn't want anyone else to die if he could stop it. That's the kind of mindset he gained after Heather, Zalen, and a few other's deaths in the past…

"You were all going to die regardless." Dimaria shrugged and fired off another set of beams at Ultear. Now that Luke was in a bit of shock, this made things so much easier. She could pick them off one by one now.

"Ultear!"

Ultear's eyes were wide as the beams came with the sole intent of killing her. Nobody could move in time to try and stop it. But, just before the beam struck Ultear, it was deflected away in a flash and destroyed a nearby building. A familiar sizzling sound echoed through the emptiness of time and everyone was shocked at they saw. It was Chelia, using the Third Origin once again. The look in her eyes was no longer dull, but those blue eyes were filled with unspeakable rage and pain. "…I'm taking this."

"Ah…" Luke blinked several times at Chelia. This was his first time seeing her in Third Origin after all. Neither heaven nor hell had no fury like a girl with a broken heart, and there was no way he was standing in the middle of that.

"Chelia wait! If you do this, you could…!" Ultear tried to warn, but Chelia shook her head.

"I have to…avenge him…" Chelia clenched her hand into a fist.

"Chelia no! Your magic…!" Wendy tried to object, but again, Chelia just wasn't listening.

"I'll kill you all!" Dimaria growled before deciding that Chelia was now her opponent, her entire body glowing in a vibrant yellow light. "I'll make sure you join your friend in hell!"

"The only one going to hell is you!" Chelia fired back while also rushing at Dimaria. The two of them met in the middle, their fists colliding against one another's cheeks. Both held their ground, only Dimaria was fast enough to follow up with a crushing blow to Chelia's skull with her elbow. "oof..!"

"Humans this…humans that…all you do is defile the world the gods left for you! You are all nothing but filthy sinners!" Dimaria's voice was still high as she landed another blow on Chelia. All the others could do was watch as the two women exchanged strikes, each one getting heavier than the last. "This is why Ishgar is a land abandoned by the gods!"

"I don't want any gods like you around!" Chelia yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks as she landed a wind infused punch into Dimaria's chest. "God's that take away and leave nothing but destruction! And you took Raven away from me…that's why I…that's why I'm going to kill you!" It was very rare for Chelia to exclaim such a thing, but the pain in her heart was too strong, and she was taking all out on the one responsible. The two head butted one another, only to stagger back after the self-inflicted injury. Chelia's body was releasing so much steam one could see her face contorting and twisting in agony.

"Chelia, please stop! You can't keep this up!" Cynthia pleaded.

"I can see her body falling apart…!" Alex whimpered.

Dimaria lifted her hand up, a gigantic magic seal forming. This was the biggest one yet, and from it, the fist of Chronos himself emerged, towering over everything in Port Hargeon. It wasn't just the fist, but the upper torso of Chronos was revealed, two hands and a head, all for them to bear. They were really up against the god of time itself now. "It seems you just don't understand yet! This is the power you're up against! This is the power of the Spriggan 12, power that none of you can hope to match! Chronos himself will now deliver judgment upon you mortal fools!" Dimaria had a bit of an insane grin going on now that she pulled out her true ace. The fist of Chronos lifted up and slammed directly down onto Chelia, causing an earthquake.

"CHELIA!"

"This is the price you pay for defiling my world!" And just like before Dimaria snapped her fingers…but nothing happened. She planned to erase Chelia just as she did Raven, but that only worked if they were dead. But that meant…

"I don't care about your world…" Chelia had both hands on the fist of Chronos, using that to barely keep herself from being crushed. Despite that, blood trickled down her forehead and the steam around her body intensified. She was burning up magic that didn't even exist now! "Y-You took him from me…and for that…I have to make you pay no matter what." Chelia's eyes narrowed and the black wind around her body picked up, turning obsidian while wisps of ice began to flow around her.

Ultear's eyes were wide. Was Chelia truly going all the way!? "Stop this! If you do an attack like that, you won't make it!"

Love did crazy things to people. Raven put his life on the line and lost it for Chelia. Now here she was, blinded by the same emotion along with a mix of others, doing the very same. Putting her life on the line to avenge her love and keep her friends safe. After all…they were the most important things to her. The sky began to howl, the clouds splitting apart even in this frozen time. A magic seal formed in the heavens above far from sight, and that's when Chelia lifted her gaze up to Dimaria, giving a frightening stare that not even Chrono's vessel could shake off. "A god like you doesn't deserve to go to heaven. God Slayer Secret Art: Heaven's Wrath!"

"What the…?" Cynthia looked up to the sky.

"Holy shit…!" Luke's eyes were wide. The power to slay a god…was this what it truly meant!? He could feel it all the way from the ground. It resonated with him in a strange way.

A gigantic beam dropped down from the heavens above, composed of the three elements Chelia could control: wind, ice, and darkness. This gargantuan beam had only one target in mind: Dimaria. With widened eyes, Dimaria pointed her hand up, commanding Chronos to bring up his free hand to stop this attack. It did clash with the god's hand, but it was rapidly beginning to deteriorate. "W-What is this!? I-I can't…!?"

"I told you already, didn't I? I slayed a god before you. You're nothing special!" Chelia let out a battle cry to push her own attack forward and finish the job. "A god like you doesn't deserve to exist! I won't let you hurt anymore people! THIS IS THE END FOR YOU, CHRONOS!" The power of love and the power to kill gods was always Chelia's strongest asset. Just as she said before, she slayed the god of Ice, Zen, with this same power and in the end, the two Gods were the same. With the entirety of the vast sky at her disposal, Lamia Scale's god slayer made sure to put it all to good use, not even thinking about the consequences. The only noise that could be heard over the intense rumbling was Dimaria's scream of pain. A bright flash of light enveloped the area, bringing nothing but silence to the area.

Dimaria was forced back into her normal form, ultimately defeated by Chelia's technique. Little but little, time began to resume. "My world…is crumbling down…" Dimaria collapsed to the ground, unconscious. In truth…Chelia's last technique was overkill. But that was the last magical technique she'd ever get to perform.

"Holy shit…" Luke could only stare in awe. Chelia was truly a God Slayer. He had no idea why this magic existed to begin with, but when he stared at this young woman, he could see why. To be entrusted with that sort of power and actually use it the way it was intended was…well, phenomenal.

Chelia's body reverted to normal, steam viciously flowing from around her. She was already in sensitive condition, but she really overdid it this time. She fell to her hands and knees, panting heavily as the strain started to make her body collapse. Black sparks danced around her and she contorted violently, screaming in pain. "A-AAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"C-Chelia…!" Wendy and Cynthia picked themselves up, forcing their way over to Chelia.

"Oh no…that was too much strain…!" Ultear's eyes went wide again and she tried to stand up. "She won't…!"

"Oh no…not like this…! Chelia!" Alex hurried over to Chelia as well.

"C-Carla…" Chelia whimpered, barely managing to get that word out.

"…!" She was right! Wendy had to turn back to Carla and went to heal her. "D-Don't worry Carla…! I'll fix you up r-right away!" There was too much going on. Just as time resumed too.

Carla coughed a few times, one eye open. She had no idea what happened after the beam pieced through her. "W-Wendy…? W-What's going on…?"

Chelia cried as she felt so much pain shooting through her body. Her eyes were growing heavy and she had her gaze focused on one thing: Raven's bow. She reached out to it slowly, but her fingertips were just shy of reaching it and her body collapsed on the spot, tears flowing from her eyes nonstop. "I'm so sorry…" Those words were meant for both Raven and the others. She failed them. With all the strength leaving her body, she closed her eyes.

"H-Hey! No! Wake up! Chelia! Chelia…!" Cynthia started to cry.

"Is she…" Alex brought her hands to her mouth, eyes wide.

"…" Ultear couldn't say a thing. Here she came to protect them, but she ultimately failed in doing so, and now Chelia was…

"Chelia…" Luke could only stare. The uproar of the battle drowned out anything else. They were lucky nobody had taken notice of the ruined landscape that occurred within a split second to them.

It was at this moment that Sherri made it onto the scene before Taya. The older Blendy eyes widened and she practically shoved everyone aside to cradle Chelia in her arms. "Chelia! Chelia, what happened! Speak to me please…! We have to get her to Aira or Ivixa, quickly...!"

There was no response. Chelia just lied limp in Sherri's arms. Her expression showed the heartbreak that words couldn't convey. Her failure to protect the one she loved after swearing to protect him. Dimaria was right about one thing…she was a sinner. To someone who cherished love so much, she committed the biggest sin of all.

.

.

Next Time: Stealth.


	53. Chapter 53: Stealth

The hours passed and Lucy and Happy did not leave Natsu's side. He was still conscious, but also stable. It was just a matter of when he'd wake up at this point. "Natsu…" Happy frowned. With all the time that passed, he still hadn't woken up. Although it honestly hadn't been very long either – a day at most, but both of them were still worried.

"I'm sure he'll wake up soon." Lucy said to reassure Happy. "He's never been the type to stay down for long, you know."

"Aye…" Happy could agree with that. Natsu never stayed down for long. But it was still hard not to worry, especially with what he heard. He had to think of another way for them to beat Zeref without getting Natsu killed as way. It just had to exist somewhere…

* * *

Just outside the infirmary, Warren was celebrating yet another one of the enemy's beacons vanishing! "Another one of the enemy beacons went down!" The telepathy mage reported excitedly.

"That means there's only 7 of them left!" Droy said while counting on his fingers.

"We can do this! We might even win!" Nab and Vijeeter high fived one another.

Makarov wasn't jumping for joy. In fact, he was somewhat upset at his children jumping to conclusion in this battle of life and death. It was far too early to remain complacent. "Such children…"

"…" Magnus was oddly silent, staring closer at the fading beacons in the south. "…I wouldn't celebrate just yet."

"Huh, why not?!" Warren asked. "Erza's team arrived they battle has shifted in their favor! Two Spriggan are down now!"

"Yes, that may be so…" Magnus pointed to what he was referring to. "But look at this area. With our broadened scope, I was able to put some beacons on our allies as well. I'm not sure what happened in this battle, but a few of our own have gone out roughly around the same time as the Spriggan. One light went out immediately as they Spriggan did, and one is flashing rapidly. That means they're on the verge of death."

"Wait, what?" Warren blinked a few times. "Then you're saying some people have lost?"

"Not just lost…but I do believe some have lost their lives." When Magnus said that, the reality of their situation set in again. Someone had to keep them grounded. The tense air returned, killing the high of victory they were riding.

"That's war…" Mii said with a heavy sigh. "It's pretty ugly. This is coming from someone who caused one, too. But hey, they knew what they were getting into when they agreed to fight."

"Indeed…" Zelos agreed while leaning back in a seat, sipping down a mug of beet he had to get for himself. He too missed Mira right now. "The only thing making this clash bearable is seeing all the lovely ladies give it their all."

"You two really just don't stop talking, do you…" Tia groaned.

Mavis continued to stare at the radar. Something didn't seem right as she stared at the East. "…East. They aren't moving at all. Is this because of Sidney?" The First master of Fairy Tail questioned aloud. She wasn't sure what it was, but there was a feeling of uneasiness in her chest. "But his beacon hasn't faded away either…what is this feeling?"

And suddenly, the guild doors opened slowly. An unexpected visitor dropped by: Jacob Lessio. The male strolled into the guild, his hands sliding into his coat pockets. "Hmm…this is a pretty neat guild. The sweet smell of liquor absorbed into the wooden walls of this place."

"…I didn't invite him." Mii lifted her hands up immediately to protect herself from any accusation.

"Ah crap…" Tia stood up from her seat.

"W-Who are you!?" Mest asked.

"One of the Spriggan 12, Jacob Lessio from the Alvarez Empire at your service." The male said, grinning slightly.

"WHAT!?" Warren's eyes widened and he began to look at the radar, then back at Jacob, unable ot believe this. Makarov even looked at the radar in shock.

"Oh wow. That is one ugly dude." Zelo said bluntly.

That only pissed Jacob off. There was a tick mark on his forehead, and it was anything but comical considering his rank. "You might wanna keep your friend quiet…before things get ugly."

"Things already got ugly…when you walked in…" Zelos said, only to be interrupted by Cana as she slapped his hand over his mouth to keep him quiet.

With that out of the way, Jacob was able to cool down and explain. "The markers have no meaning to them. You see, as you've probably heard, we got some mad wizard called August on our side and…well, that makes fooling your radars not hard at all."

"So you just walk into our guild alone?" Cana said, really struggling with keeping Zelos quiet. Whatever he was saying would likely only anger Jacob further. "And what happened to Sidney? Wasn't he over there with you?"

"You…" Magnus was starting to shake from anger. He was among the Spriggan that attacked Bosco after all.

"Oh yeah…I remember you. I'm surprised you made it out of that fight alive, good on you." Jacob acknowledged Magnus before answering Cana's question. "You mean that ghost guy? He was a problem for sure. God Serena fought him and they were really going at it…but then things got ugly."

"So…where is Sidney now?" Cana asked.

"I'm not really obligated to tell you that. You see, August kept him busy as I slipped away. He could be dead, he could be alive…he's a ghost, so he was a pest anyway. His skills were pretty sick, though. I'll give him that. The man walked to a nearby table and took a seat and crossed his legs, getting fairly comfortable. "But as I was saying, I don't have an army or subordinate. But that just makes me all the more versatile. The man I told you about, August, he'll be on his way here whenever he's done with that ghost guy. He really has mad skills, so I wouldn't mess with him. But by the way, have you heard of Respect for the Aged Day?"

That didn't sound familiar to anyone. "…Nope." Mii answered for everyone. They couldn't really get mad at her for it either.

"Oh, you don't have it here? We have it in Aracitacia though. It's a day where you respect the elderly and show your appreciation for them. It just so happens to be today. So there's no way I'm letting old man August do any work, thus my arrival here." His attention then turned to Kinana. "Give me some liquor, won't you? The stronger the better."

"Ah…" Kinana paused, and suddenly Zelos was in front of her.

"That's not how you ask a lady for anything. With your baby face, you should be asking more politely." Zelos said. Funnily enough, while his comment was phrased poorly, it did coincide with Makarov's thoughts as well.

"We're not giving you anything." Makarov stated firmly.

"Well, that's too bad." Jacob leaned forward in his seat. "I was about to toast to the life you've lived up til now, but.."

"That's nothing to toast to." Mii said quickly.

"Let me try something else. This war is pretty messy, right? I mean…you've lost some people; even we've lost some people. I didn't think my comrades would ever be the types to be put down, but here we are. So I've been thinking of a compromise so this entire battle can end swiftly for everyone involved. If you handover the Fairy Heart, I'll see if I can convince the Emperor to stop this. Doesn't sound like a bad deal, right?" The assassin attempted to approach things at a different angle. "We've got some far worse problems…and frankly, that thing could really help us out."

"As I said, we're not giving you anything. You won't get a drop of beer or Fairy Heart." Makarov's answer did not change. They were going to see this battle through to the end.

"I see. Let me tell you this though. Assassinations are my work." Jacob explained.

"Would you really announce that you're an assassin like that?" Max said, a little doubtful.

"That's a good point." Jacob brought to fingers to his eyes. "It does seem a little counterintuitive, doesn't it? But, assassination in its very foundation, is the art of hiding oneself in the darkness and hunting without noise. But I don't do that, you know why? That's because there's no need for me to hide." He then spaced his hands a few inches apart. "The only things I need to hide are witnesses and dead bodies. But by then, there's won't be anyone left."

"Dead bodies and witnesses?!" Cana had no idea what that meant, but it didn't sound good.

"…Oh this isn't going to end well." Mii said.

"Get down…!" Tia yelled, reaching in her pocket for something,

"YOU…!" Magnus suddenly exploded in rage. Even though Jacob wasn't responsible for what happened to Gaia, he was part of the reason Bosco was in ruins. The normally calm strategist of Cosmic Star lunged forward, rearing his arm back as a blade cloaked in flame materialized in his hands. "Fire Sword II!"

But it was too late. By the time Magnus reached Jacob, the assassin already clapped his hands. A strange void filled the Fairy Tail guild hall and it was…empty. Mavis was the only person in the hall and she had no idea what just happened. "N…No…Makarov! Macao! Cana! Mii! Tia! What happened!? Everyone, where are you!?"

"Oh." Jacob turned his head in Mavis' direction. "There's on more here…a ghost I see…"

Mavis turned her head back slowly. There were very few people could see Mavis outside of Fairy Tail: Sidney, Diamond, Mii, Zeref, and potentially Emmeraude. And out of those few, only Sidney and Diamond could hear her as well. But feel her? That was an entirely separate story. _"No…is he one of the people that can see me too…!? But he shouldn't be able to…"_ That train of thought ended immediately as Jacob moved his fingers, an unseen force striking Mavis in the side. She felt it. Pain.

"There you are…there you are. Ah ah…" Jacob whistled.

" _Why…I…I don't even have a body…"_ Mavis couldn't fathom what was happening. Jacob moved his hand against and Mavis felt more pain, collapsing onto the ground. "Heeeeeeeey. I'm pretty sure you could talk to me if you put some effort into it, no? I think I've got it thought. You're that Fairy Heart the Emperor has been talking about. So tell me…where is your 'body'?"

Mavis just groaned. She was trying to pick herself up, but another strike caused her to cry out and collapse onto the ground. "KYAAAAAAH!" And the more pain she received, her real body in the crystal below the guild began to suffer damage as well. The crystal cracked and she started to bleed from her forehead.

"I'll return your guild mates if you tell me." Jacob said, trying to strike a bargain.

"H-Huh?" Mavis looked over her shoulder, and Jacob was looming over her.

"They're currently in the boundaries between life and death, but technically still alive anyway. But if I let them go, then they will die." Jacob said.

Mavis' eyes widened. _"Everyone's still alive…?"_

"You're the only one that can save them." The assassin took a few steps closer.

" _If I choose my guild members, then it would mean giving up the entire world. But can I even trust this man? What do I do…?"_ Mavis was cornered. She couldn't fight back in a situation like this…

A heart shaped symbol opened up on the ceiling. Tia dropped down from the symbol with her scepter at the ready, slamming it into the back of Jacob's skull to crush him into the floorboards and send him flying away. "Take that!"

"Tia!" Mavis' eyes lit up. Even though Tia couldn't hear or see her…

"What the hell…?" Jacob stood up and rubbed his bald head. "My magic should have gotten you, too. You were standing right there."

"Heh…" Tia lifted up the 'space' card that Heartless had given her, though it dulled and faded into nothing after she used it. "You can thank Heartless for that. Now then, I'm going to tell you this once. Step away from the ghost." Of course, Tia didn't realize she was actually standing in front of Mavis.

"That's my line." Jacob said while adjusting his collar. "I don't want to have to make this ugly, but you're going to give me no choice."

"Things got ugly when you walked in." Tia stole Zelos' line, but again, she wasn't wrong. "You can bully Mavis all you want, but I'm not going to stand here and let you threaten my friends like that. Plus, are you really the type to let innocent bystanders get involved? Those two red heads aren't even a part of this war. They're just really annoying."

"…" Jacob lifted a brow. "Well, it sounds like you wouldn't miss them if they were gone."

"Not at all." Tia said with such honesty it made the assassin pause for a moment. "But, they're friends of my friends…so I can't exactly let you kill them either." A bright vibrate blue light wrapped around Tia's body as she donned her Queen's armor, adjusting the visor on her head accordingly. "Queen Tia reporting for battle!"

"Oh…so you're one of those mages of Seven Emmeraude was talking about. No wonder she suggested for us send a separate force to attack you guys too…you're annoying." Jacob sighed while placing his hand in his coat. "You should've stayed in the void. Your death would have been painless that way." And with great speed, he flicked a knife at her.

"And watch you bring pain to Mavis? Yeah, I don't think so!" Tia easily swatted the knife out of the air with her scepter. The weapon then began to shine blue and she pointed it at the ground. "Spread!" A magic seal formed under Jacob's feet, spanning a few feet. She was trying to be careful and took the foundation of the building into account, but that didn't stop the rising geyser of water from shooting up from the floor thus creating a hole in it. "Ooops."

"Oh dear…" Mavis had a slight sweat drop.

Unfortunately for Tia, Jacob was easily able to evade the rising geyser. As soon as he landed, however, Tia already fired off another spell. "Aqua Blade!" Several sharp blades of water travelled along the floor, slicing through the wooden floorboards with ease. The assassin didn't blink as he easily hopped between the blades, but acknowledged the threat they possessed with a quiet whistle as several chairs and tables were shredded. Tia had Jacob right where she wanted him, now lunging at the open Spriggan with her weapon. "Got you!"

"Do you?" Jacob questioned while spinning around Tia, completely evading her strike while sharply bringing his elbow to the back of her head. The blow caused Tia to roll, and when she caught herself, Jacob was gone!

"Huh!?" Tia's eyes went wide. "He was here just a second ago…"

Mavis looked around as well, unable see or even sense Jacob. "He's…gone?"

Tia's visor adjusted to attempt to get a lock on the vanishing act. Heat sensor, nothing; magic sensor, nothing! But she could see Mavis' form nearby. "Oh, that's where you were…sorry about the guild…" She said, still trying to lock on, but there was nothing. Nothing except for a sharp jab at her helmet. "Ow…! Did you just…punch me in the face? That's rude!" She scowled, swinging at the open air. Another blow to her side caused her to stagger. Now she was getting a little pissed off. "HA!" A barrier of scaling hot water formed around her body.

With a stroke of luck, it was at that moment Jacob tried to jab her again, only for his fist to meet the water. "Ah…!" That stung! Jacob pulled his hand back and his form reappeared.

"Aqua Laser!" No time was wasted. Tia jabbed her scepter into Jacob's chest and a powerful beam of water shot out, pushing the Spriggan into the bar. "Got you that time, prick."

Jacob stood up, his gaze narrowing into a glare. "You really are annoying." He stepped out of the bar calmly. "Your skills aren't bad…but there's a time and place. I'm changing my terms, ghost. She's protecting you, right? Then I'll just kill her. She's not a part of this guild, so it shouldn't matter, right?"

"I dare you." Tia challenged him.

And of course, before he could, Lucy dropped in suddenly in Taurus Star Dress, slamming the leg into the back of Jacob's skull! With her enhanced strength, Jacob flew through several tables before catching herself. "Take that! Are you okay First? Tia!?"

"Lucy! You're okay!" Mavis felt relieved.

"Happy too!" Lucy brought an arm up.

"Took you guys long enough. I thought I was about to have to deal with this guy myself." Tia crossed her arms. She wasn't going to admit that she had no idea anyone else was present. She was very lucky Lucy and Happy were here.

"Huh? Where is everyone else?" Happy asked while looking around.

"He's got them trapped somewhere! We have to take him down!" Mavis yelled!

"Oh, so he's the reason for that weird magic…" Lucy placed her hands on her hips as Tia walked to her side.

"Give everyone back!" Happy shouted.

"You too…?" Jacob started to stand back up from Lucy's kick. "How did you avoid my magic?"

Lucy leaned forward, her lips curving into a sly grin as she and Happy snickered together. "Hehehe…"

* * *

Several minutes prior in the infimary…

"Huh…what's going on out there…?" Lucy turned her head to the door.

"Let me go check it out…" Happy was ready to move, but then Jacob's magic took place. They too would have been whisked away into the void had it not been for Horologium! The clock spirit's emergency protection saved Lucy, Happy, and the still unconscious Natsu. But as a result, they were naked. And it was really cramped.

"In the nick of time, I must say, Lucy-sama." Said the spirit. "I had come here as I felt a distortion in space. And even if you were to ask me, why are we naked, well, that's just how the magic works. It's too small for three people you say? Ah…Lucy-sama, please stop making weird…"

The spirit released the three of them and Lucy immediately grabbed some blankets to cover herself. "But anyway, thanks for saving us!"

"The magic can't be used for quite some time now, so please be careful." The clock warned.

"Hey, Lucy look!" Happy pointed to the unconscious Natsu. Or rather…a specific part of Natsu that was now out in the open. "The Fire Dragon's…"

"STOP IT!" Lucy shrieked, turning around and hiding her face along with the massive blush that followed. She didn't need to see that! But then they heard the sounds of fighting outside. "Wait…is that the First…? And Tia?"

"Let's go…!" Happy said.

* * *

"We got the Celestial Spirit's protection." Lucy said smugly.

At first, the situation annoyed Jacob greatly. But now? Things actually shifted in his favor with Lucy's arrival. "Aha. If only you had disappeared with everyone else. Then you wouldn't have to go through something as scary as this. Hey spirit, my terms are changing again. This one is a part of your guild, right? I will now tear her to bits. So come on down if you feel like it…and if you don't then just enjoy the show. I know she's the one that Emmeraude realllllly wants dead by her own hand…so I'd think quickly if I were you, ghost." One could see the slight tense Lucy had at Emmeraude's name…but she shook it off.

"Pfffft!" Tia scoffed. "You really think you scare us?!" Tia turned to Lucy, a rare smirk displayed on her lips while lifting her hand up. "So, what do you say, Lucy? Wanna beat the crap out of this guy?"

Lucy gave Tia a nod. Lucy was Tia's first real friend, so the two of them actually working together like this was reassuring and exciting. "Let's do it!" Lucy lifted her hand up to high five Tia.

"Don't say I didn't warn you…" Jacob's aura shifted. Not a magical one, but his presence changed drastically. That murderous intent he was suppressing until now was out in the open. The kind of presence that caused fear to many; the fear of knowing that you were going to die somehow, somewhat, within at most a few moments.

"Requip! Queen Tia: Thunder Armor!" Tia's body let out another glow. The armor she donned this time was slim battle armor with a breast plate. It was almost similar to Erza's Lightning Empress Armor, and her scepter was electrically charged.

"You use lightning now too? But I thought…!" Lucy was in awe.

"Ace helped." Tia said before focusing her attention on Jacob. "Back me up!"

"Right!" Lucy nodded.

"Lightning Blast!" Tia pointed her scepter forward, releasing a blast of lightning that shot out in a fan shape. The further away it got, the more distance it covered and damage dealt!

"Hmph…" Jacob had little choice but to leap away from the incoming blast of lightning. It was at that moment Lucy wrapped her whip around his wrist. "…!?"

"You're not going anywhere!" Lucy tugged Jacob down with her superior strength, forcing him into the fading electrical current. It still stung quite a bit though! "Ack…!"

Lucy and Tia then reared their fists back. Tia's was coated in lightning, while Lucy had nothing but her raw strength following behind her. "Lucy Punch!"

"Lightning Knuckle!"

Both females succeeded in slugging Jacob across the face, sending him flying back before ultimately crashing through a support beam. "Nice!" Lucy grinned.

"Hm…" Jacob stood up, cracking his neck after the blow. "Thanks. I had a crick in my neck for the longest time, but I couldn't get it."

"He didn't feel it!?" Happy gasped.

"He's bluffing." Tia stated while pointing her scepter into the air. "Stealth Laser!" An invisible magic seal appeared above Jacob, too small ships flying through the seal. These ships released beams of lightning to strike the Spriggan, but with a simple flick of his wrist, the two ships were destroyed. "He saw that!?"

"You call that Stealth? I'm a little insulted." Jacob flicked his wrist once again, striking both woman at once! They cried out and staggered back.

"H-He hit us both…but how?!" Lucy asked. It felt like a whip hit her…and thanks to Emmeraude, that was a feeling she'd unfortunately never forget. "I didn't see anything!"

"Will you be able to figure it out? Or are you just gonna die that fast?" Jacob vanished once again.

"Where did he go!?" Lucy began looking around.

"He disappeared!" Happy began to panic.

"He's still here somewhere…" Tia tried to scope him out again.

Lucy felt a punch strike her side, causing her to yelp. "Ouch!" Another one to her stomach which made her fold over followed up by a fierce kick to her temple. To everyone else, it just looked like Lucy fell backwards! "Agh…" That hurt a lot for just physical blows.

"He's there!" Tia fired a bolt of lightning, but she missed. She couldn't even tell if she was close or not, which was really annoying! "Where the hell did he…" Her scepter was suddenly disarmed! Before she could gasp, a swift chop to her throat silenced her and piercing jab to her kidney left her reeling and coughing up some blood. "Ugh…you son of a…"

"Are you two okay!?" Happy said, worry in his tone.

"Fine…" Tia grumbled before lifting her fist into the air, lightning crackling all around it. "Happy, take Lucy! Mavis, find a chair!" Tia's demands didn't make sense, but the two of them followed. Happy took Lucy into the air and Mavis crawled onto a chair. Tia then slammed her fist into the floor, causing lightning to surge! What Jacob didn't notice from her water based attacks earlier was that the floor was still wet, and Tia's water was known to conduct electricity. As such, the sudden discharge caused the floor to light up and shocked the Spriggan back into visibility. "There you are!" Tia sprinted forward, her scepter returning to her hand and temporarily shifted into a blade similar to Ace's. "Thunderbolt Blade!" Two horizontal swipes, but of which were avoided, and the final vertical slash landed just near Jacob. The result was a towering explosion of lightning that destroyed some of the guild's ceiling in the process.

"T-The guild…!" Lucy cried out.

"She's destroying it…" Mavis said with a sweat drop.

"…I'm so sorry." Tia bowed several times. Had this been the Tia of old, she would have scoffed. Perhaps Fairy Tail was a little too much good influence for her. At the very least she did catch Jacob in the blast and now he was looking a little upset!

"You are pretty annoying after all. I gotta say…it's been a while since someone's come at me like that." Jacob rushed Tia and she was ready…or so she thought. She threw a punch with her free hand, but Jacob ducked behind her and twisted her arm behind her back, now forcing her to the floor. "I hate having to do this to a lady…but the Emperor's wishes are my command, you see."

"Nggh…" Tia grumbled. Her arm wasn't broken yet, but if he kept this up for even a little while longer, it was going to bend in a way it shouldn't have.

Lucy's whip wrapped around Jacob's leg and with a single tug, pulled him violently to the ground. "I don't think so!" With her strength she whipped Jacob around before tossing him into a nearby wall! Now she was destroying the guild too! "Ooops…"

Mavis could only stare. "The guild's not going to make it out of this fight, is it?"

"Probably not." Tia said as she and Lucy stood side by side again. "But if we keep this up, we can definitely beat him!" Were her words true?

"Hmph. You so sure about that?" Jacob simply pointed forward…and that's when it happened. Tia's eyes widened in pain as a crack appeared in her chest plate. "I was really trying to avoid making this messy, but you ladies haven't been giving me much of a choice."

"W-What…?" Tia looked down, noticing the blood leaking from her wound. It felt like…it felt like she'd been stabbed in the chest! The sharp pain took hold of her body and she took a single step back before collapsing onto her back. "T-That's impossible…I…I didn't see him throw anything…"

"TIA!" Lucy rushed over to her. "A-Are you okay!? What happened!?"

"Hm…I guess that chest plate saved her from an instant death. But if that's not taken care of soon, it'll reach her beating heart and finish her off." Jacob said.

"Tia…!" Mavis' eyes were wide in horror. Nobody saw anything, but there was Tia, already walking up to Death's doorstep.

"Hold on…!" Happy was going to try and pull whatever it was out of Tia, but Lucy halted him.

"D-Don't…!" The blonde said, sweating as she stared at Jacob. Now she could understand the fear his presence brought. "A-A knife acts as a plug…if you pull it out, she'll bleed out faster than we can save her. We don't have the time to patch her wound and…"

"I'm standing right here." Jacob pulled out yet another knife. Now that Lucy knew death could come at any moment, seeing an actual knife after watching Tia collapse did instill brief hesitation.

"I…I'm fine…I can…" Tia tried to move but it wasn't working. "Ngh…"

"You have between I throw this knife, and when it hits her to decide. But I've already decided…that I'll just leave that pretty head of hers all for you!" Jacob told Mavis while twirling the knife between his fingers once, then simply hurled it at Lucy.

"Lucy, watch out!" Mavis yelled.

Lucy wasn't able to muster up a defense in time. The knife was coming right at her and all she could do was cross her arms over her face and hope for the best! It was at that moment a figure jumped in front of the blonde. Everyone blinked once and nearly missed it. The knife thrown melted before it could even strike the savior's arm. "Even if it's just her head…it's still Lucy!" A fully recovered Natsu said. "But still…that's a pretty nasty thing to do to her. Plus…you did just try to kill one of our friends, too. So maybe I should burn you to ash instead." As he spoke, flames wavered around his body and the temperature in the guild skyrocketed!

"Natsu!" Mavis grinned.

"He's back…!" Happy had joyful tears running down his cheeks.

"You couldn't have…shown up like…20 seconds earlier…? Slow ass…" Tia scoffed, coughed, and laid against a nearby chair. Despite that, she did manage a slight smile at Natsu's timely arrival.

Lucy's expression softened at Natsu's arrival. She knew he'd wake up sooner or later. She just knew. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah!" Natsu spoke with a wide grin. Of course, his peaceful slumber wasn't the only reason he was so excited. How long had it been since he and Lucy fought together, especially after everything that happened? That alone was enough to keep his spirits high. "I'm all fired up!"

"…." Jacob didn't say a thing. Instead, he just tiled his head curiously at the foe before him.

Jacob Lessio vs. The duo of Natsu and Lucy. The flame of hope still burned bright!

.

.

Next Time: Vs Jacob; A Duo Revived!


	54. Chapter 54: Vs Jacob! A Duo Revived!

"LET'S DO THIS!" Natsu began sprinting towards Jacob. The fire dragon reared his leg back, orange flames blazing around the limb. He swung at Jacob's skull, but the assassin was able to block the hit at the cost of his sleeve burning away.

"Flames huh…? You must be that Dragneel…" Jacob spoke. Emmeraude really didn't spare any bit of information she had on them. "I'm all fired up."

"WH-!?" Natsu's eyes narrowed and he became extremely irritated. "That's my catchphrase, damn it!" And then Jacob slammed a fist into him with enough force to send him flying backwards. Natsu flipped, catching himself on a support beam before shooting forward once more, slamming his fist into Jacob's gut with all the momentum he had.

"Gnk…!" Jacob grunted from the hit before turning the tables. He grabbed Natsu's belt, wrapping his other arm around the Salamander's neck, and then slammed him into the floor!

"Gaaah!" What the hell!? Natsu had no idea what just happened, and to make matters worse, Jacob vanished! Natsu stood up and looked around. "Quick wrecking the guild hall! And…where the hell did he go!?"

"He vanished again…" Happy looked around.

"This again…" Tia groaned while sitting up. She really wasn't trying to sit there all helpless while they battled a Spriggan! It was hard to move much with a knife in her chest, so she had to pull it out and make sure she didn't bleed out at the same time. In other words, she was going to hate herself for what she had in mind.

"Can you hear the sound of his footsteps? Or his scent?" Lucy asked. She knew that Tia's visor didn't work, but there had to be some other way of tracking him.

"It's no use!" Natsu groaned. "I can't feel his presence at all."

Jacob then appeared behind Natsu, slamming his elbow into the back of the Salamander's skull. "Those ladies couldn't figure it out either. Try a little harder, won't you?" And then he was gone.

"He vanished again!? SON OF A-" Natsu was losing his patience with this.

"It's really…annoying…" Tia groaned while feeling out the knife in her chest. It was unfortunately still invisible so she had to be careful when touching it. "I couldn't even pick up his magic."

"You need to relax…" Lucy frowned at Tia's movements.

"I'll be fine…" Tia grumbled.

"Stealth…complete transparency camouflage!" Mavis figured it out, and as soon as she did, Jacob appeared on top of her, his shoe pressing into her skull. "Ahhh!"

"First…!" Natsu and Lucy exclaimed in unison.

"That's not all. I can also see that which cannot be seen." Jacob explained. "Like this ghost girl, for example."

"Get your shoe off her…" Tia went to aim her scepter since Jacob was really close, but he vanished again before she could move.

"I got it!" Lucy pulled out a golden key, switching from Star Dress Taurus to Leo. At the same time she summoned Loke to help her out. "He hasn't completely vanished! We just can't see him, but he definitely has a physical form! Loke, can you do it?"

"Count on me!" Loke grinned as he was summoned, crossing his arms as a brilliant flash of light emanated from his being. "Shining Lion!"

With such a brilliant flash, Jacob was rendered visible! "Ngh..!"

"Found you!" Loke lunged forward, slamming a light infused fist into Jacob's chest.

"Damn it…now this guy's a pain in my ass too!" The assassin swung his arm forward and something hit the spirit, throwing him back into a table.

"Loke…!" Lucy cried out in worry. It was almost the same as what happened with Tia!

"Wh…what the hell was that…?" Loke was dumbfounded. He didn't _see_ anything coming at him, but for some reason he was hit hard and now sitting against a table.

"Heh…" Jacob rotated his arms, and suddenly Lucy and Natsu were thrown backwards by some unseen physical force!

"Could this be…" Happy trailed off.

"Invisible weapons…" Mavis finished his sentence.

"Yeah…because this is definitely a knife…" Tia found the hilt of the knife and sighed heavily. She was _really_ going to hate herself for what she was planning to do.

"Erase, vanish, see and make unseen. That is the power of my magic." Jacob spoke with a grin while pointing at Natsu, who immediately went on the defensive. But the attack was actually aimed at Lucy!

"Ahhh!" Lucy cried out, feeling a familiar whipping sensation.

"Oh. Did you think it was aimed at you? It was actually a whip aimed at me." Jacob smirked.

" _So this is the power of the 12 shields protecting Zeref. As I suspected, they are powerful foes..!"_ Mavis wasn't sure what to do in this situation, but her gaze did wander to Tia, who looked like she was struggling.

"You're really pissing me off!" Natsu growled as Jacob started to vanish.

"I don't think so!" Lucy threw her whip forward just before Jacob could vanish. With the Regulas power she could use from Loke, the whip shone to keep Jacob in eye sight. "You're not going anywhere this time!"

"Nice!" With Jacob halted, Natsu lunged forward with his fist ablaze, already in the motion of swinging. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

"Predictable…" Jacob had a grin as he tugged on Lucy's whip with a surprising amount of strength, throwing her in Natsu's way.

"Waaaah…!" Lucy cried out as she was flung forward. Since Natsu was already in the motion of swinging, all he could do to avoid hitting Lucy was whiff intentionally, but it didn't help much as Lucy crashed into him and the two of them tumbled along the floor. "Ouch…"

"Bastard!" Natsu growled before standing back up. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…" Lucy stood up and rubbed the back of her head. "Loke!"

"Right!" The lion nodded and prepared to use his technique once again, but he felt his leg fall out from under him, and he was promptly slammed into a table shortly thereafter. That left him reeling. "Guuh…"

"Loke! Are you all right!?" Lucy rushed over to Loke, but she felt her leg give out and she was flipped over, hitting the wooden floor on her back. "Ack!"

"Over here…! Roar!" Tia pointed to herself. On that cue Natsu fired a roar, thinking that Jacob was in front of Tia. But that wasn't the case. Just as the roar came in, Tia flung the knife from her chest and her chest plate faded, allowing the roar to strike her exposed chest. "Tch…!" Oh yeah, that hurt, especially since she didn't put any defense to it.

"Tia?!" Lucy's eyes went wide. "Are you all right!?"

"I'm…good…" Tia groaned. There was some smoke coming from her chest and she slumped against the bar.

"Hey…!" Natsu took one step forward and suddenly Jacob was at his side, his hand digging into the salamander's scalp. "Agh…!"

"Natsu…!" Lucy tried to stand up, but her legs were a little shaky.

"Starting now, I'm going to make your live a living hell!" Jacob spoke with a malicious grin. The assassin pulled Natsu's arm back, restraining the other one with his leg, and kept a firm hold on Natsu's scalp. "Take a good look at the woman standing before your eyes." What was happening? Lucy's dress was starting to fade away, exposing her bra and panties!

"Oho~" Loke had hearts in his eyes.

"W-What…?" Tia blinked several times.

"Wait…cut it out!" Lucy covered herself as best she could. "NOOOOOO!"

"Now's this?!" Jacob spoke as he revealed his…his ace in the hole. "I rendered all of her clothing invisible!" But Natsu didn't respond, he just stared blankly at Lucy. Seeing Lucy half naked? Nothing new to him. This was pretty tame compared to what he had seen.

Lucy turned to Loke. "What are you doing standing around for!? Change my clothes back to normal!"

Loke coughed awkwardly, turning his attention to Jacob. "If it's not too much trouble…could you erase just a little bit more?"

"GATE CLOSE!" Lucy screamed, and Loke vanished back into the spirit world.

"…." Mavis' jaw dropped. She absolutely couldn't believe what it was she was looking at right here.

"I…I can't believe this…" Tia groaned while slowly sitting up, placing a hand over her chest. Yup. Still hurt like hell.

"Now _THIS_ is what I call a living hell!" Jacob said.

"YEAH, FOR ME!" Lucy waved her fist around.

Natsu held a deadpanned look. "Uhmmmm….what part of this is supposed to be hell?"

"YOU LITTLE…!" Jacob sighed. "There's a nubile member of the fairer sex in nothing but her undergarments right in front of you! You're flustered, aren't you!? Don't play coy with me, it's pure hell! So hellish that you want to…avert your eyes…!"

"Well…Y'know, Lucy is always wearing skimpy getups, so…" Natsu would shrug if he could. "Pretty sure Mii's wearing the skimpiest clothes she found in Lucy's closet. Then again, that's not really saying much…"

"H-HEY! WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!" Lucy waved her fist. She was embarrassed and mad that Natsu would say that!

"You brat…! How could you say something so shameless!?" Jacob growled.

Lucy blinked. This was the first time she actually saw Jacob's expression since this…nonsense started. "Better yet, why is your face all contorted like that!"

That's right. The entire time this went on, Jacob closed his eyes and scrunched his face up, looking away from Lucy. "Whaddya mean why?! That's…well, it would be indecent and improper if I looked. This technique was designed to inflict terrible suffering upon my opponent. But, at the same time, I run the risk of taking considerable damage as well. It's a double edged sword, one might say. But I am a gentleman, so I wouldn't dare look at a half dressed woman!"

"You know, just because you say that doesn't take away that you stabbed me, and I'm STILL pissed about that!" Tia growled. "Also, what kind of grown man can't look at a half-naked woman?! Do you know what kind of world we live in!?" One would think she'd respect this, but it was the opposite. She was confused and honestly a little offended. Not only was Jacob not handsome by conventional standards, but he also posed at the antithesis to a rather common issue.

"Yeah…" Natsu said, a lightbulb coming into his head. "If you really wanted to get a reaction, you should've stripped Tia. I've only seen her in a bikini once…"

"W-What…!?" Tia had a tick mark on her forehead. "D-Don't drag me into this!"

Natsu turned to Lucy. Since Jacob wasn't looking, he'd have no idea what was going on! ""Stop that now! Don't start stripping of your own free will! Uh oh! I can see her boobies!"

Happy leaned in to whisper. "Let's follow Natsu's lead…"

"Y-Yeah…I guess…" Lucy said.

"…." Mavis didn't say anything. Ironically, she and Tia glanced at one another despite the circumstances.

"Good grief! I didn't know you were some closet exhibitionist! Exposing your goods in front of all these people!?" There was steam coming from Jacob's head. Just imagining what was going on was too much for him!

"Whoooooa! She's completely in her birthday suit!" Happy chimed in.

"Wow, I didn't think you'd be so bold, Lucy!" Tia added, only to regret doing so after. She felt dirty just listening to this interaction.

"Now that things have come this far, screw it! I'm not scared anymore!" Lucy said.

"My eyes! My virgin eyes!" Jacob shook his head back and forth rapidly.

"Oh man…it's soooooo soft to the touch!" Natsu said.

"Mmm, Natsu! Stop that~" Lucy cried out in a feigned pleasured voice.

"… _This is…"_ Mavis thought.

"… _completely and utterly absurd…"_ Tia's train of thought was completely different. What was she even watching right now? At the very least, one would never guess they had a falling out watching…whatever this was. _"Thank god Mii isn't involved in this…"_

"ARRRGH! THIS PLAN FAILED!" Jacob lifted a hand up angrily…and he realized his mistake right then and there.

With the transparency gone, Lucy moved in with light wrapping around her heel. "Regulas…"

"Fire Dragon's…"

"LUCY KICK!"

"CLAW!"

Natsu and Lucy slammed their legs into Jacob's chest. The dual direct hit caused Jacob to cry out while flying backwards. Jacob did manage to steady himself after sliding along the floor. After a ploy like that, Lucy felt like they could easily do this! "We're just getting started!" Lucy said with a confident grin.

However, now that he had been played, Jacob was extremely irritated. The veins started to throb on his forehead. "You dirty brats…you got some damn nerve, provoking a dignified grown man!"

"Dignified? That is not the word I'd use." Tia now shakily brought herself up to her feet. It was a struggle, but she was rather adamant about not staying down.

" _I think I've finally found it! The means by which to defeat Zeref!"_ Mavis had an idea. But one could only wonder what watching that little farce spurred in her mind.

"Round 2! Let's go!" Natsu sprinted towards Jacob, but found himself on the defensive as the assassin's shoe hit his crossed arms.

Lucy used his opening to dash forward, light forming around her fist. She went to strike, but Jacob turned, swinging his other leg at Lucy's head. She couldn't dodge fast enough, so Jacob's foot crashed into her shoulder and forced her to the ground. "Wah…!" This was all before Natsu could even move from his defensive stance. Jacob turned and slugged the Salamander in the stomach, sending him tumbling along the floor. "He excels at hand to hand too!?" It made sense since he was an assassin, but outside of the one weakness he just revealed, it didn't seem likely they'd get the drop on him again.

Natsu was on a knee, smirking despite their situation. "Whew…not bad…"

Jacob vanished again. This time a myriad of blows aimed for the duo. They couldn't even see where it was coming from, but multiple strikes landed against their bodies and they cried out in pain. "Natsu! Lucy!" Happy's voice held nothing but worry.

"Aaaagh! What's happening!?" Lucy cried out as the multiple strikes just kept coming.

"Damn it!" Natsu roared out in frustration. "Where's he hiding!?" And just when he asked that, he felt something tighten around his throat. Jacob reappeared behind Natsu, preparing to choke him out with what one could assume to be an invisible whip. "Gnk…!"

"Damn half-wits! It's a cruel world we live in, you best not forget that!" Jacob snarled while tightening the whip around Natsu's throat.

"Natsu!" Lucy took a step forward but halted when Jacob held a free hand out. She wasn't sure what was coming, but she felt it slash against her side. "Ngh…!"

"First, I'll start with him…and then the rest of you can watch as the members of your guild die!" Jacob said. After being played, he wasn't going to mess around anymore. "I know Emmeraude wanted this place to fall by her own hand in some way, but she's out of luck now."

"HAAAA!" Tia lunged forward, managing to smash her scepter against Jacob's side. This caused him to release Natsu and stagger back.

"What?! How are you moving? Your injury was near fatal!" Jacob asked.

"Heh…" Tia stood up and revealed the large burn mark on her chest. "I don't appreciate being stabbed…and I doubt it was gonna let me live until you guys were done…so I took some drastic measures." In other words, she pulled the knife out and duped Natsu into striking her with his flames. This led to her wound be cauterized and the issue of her bleeding out was no more. Hurt like hell though, which is why she hated herself. "Sorry about tricking you, though…he wasn't gonna let you help me naturally."

"That's pretty hardcore…" Happy's jaw dropped.

"So I…agh…" Tia clutched her chest. It was still a near fatal wound after all, so trying to fight was ill advised.

"Don't worry Tia; we'll take care of it!" Natsu said with a firm nod while glancing at Lucy. "Thanks for the help, though. We owe you one."

"Yeah." Lucy clenched her hand into a fist. Both her and Natsu were pretty bruised and beaten up, but they weren't giving in now.

"I won't let him leave your sight…" Tia said while slumping against the bar again. "I'll do what I can to help, because I owe you guys that much."

"Enough chatter!" Jacob started to vanish again, but Natsu beat him to the punch, literally. Natsu's fist slammed against the Spriggan's cheek, causing him to stagger a step. Natsu went in for another blow, but Jacob blocked this one with a single arm.

"Take this!" Right as Natsu struck, Lucy came in on a dime, swinging her leg downward at the bald man's skull. Of course, he easily blocked this with his free hand, but…

"Got you!" Natsu extended his own free hand out, gripping Jacob by his tie and not letting go. "Fire Dragon's Gripping Strike!" A burst of flame erupted from his hand to send Jacob flying backwards.

"You brats!" Jacob slid on the ground, but Natsu was in hot pursuit. The moment Natsu threw a punch, Jacob easily flipped him over his shoulder to throw him into a support beam. But as he was in the motion of this, Lucy was coming down from above.

"HYAH!" Lucy grunted, her spinning heel kick colliding into Jacob's frame. With the light infused from the kick, this inflicted extra damage and pushed Jacob back a little bit. The blonde continued, now aiming a successful punch at the assassin's stomach. But at the same time, Lucy felt a sharp pain in her side. "…!" Jacob stabbed her with a knife. Unfortunately for him, he just missed a vital spot. So while it did hurt a lot, the wound itself was manageable. "Ah…" Lucy took a few steps back, a deep shade of crimson staining her dress.

"You call yourself dignified and you stab women!? I'm tired of you!" Tia was going to attack, but she ended up hissing in pain.

"This wouldn't have to be so messy if the ghost there handed over Fairy Heart." Jacob was still putting that offer on the table, and at this point it was the only thing that would even make him consider sparing any member of Fairy Tail.

"Are you okay?!" Natsu asked from across the guild hall.

"It stings…but I'm all right…" Lucy huffed. She brought a hand to her bleeding side, wincing in pain. "We're not handing over the First!" This fight was starting to turn and not in their favor. Jacob was getting serious and they were at a disadvantage; they couldn't go all out without running the risk of destroying the guild once again; there was also the unfortunate risk of Tia being caught up in any large attack, and in her condition that wouldn't have been great. Even Natsu must have realized this, which is why his attacks weren't on the larger scale for once.

"Then you've sealed your fate." Jacob vanished once again and this time, he was preparing to finish the job.

"He's gone again…!" Lucy wasn't going to let him stay gone for long. A bright light emitted from her body, now making use of Loke's Shining Lion for herself. It wasn't as strong since it was borrowed, but it did the job of revealing Jacob's location. Unfortunately for Lucy, Jacob was already in the midst of grabbing her throat with his hand. "…!"

"Lucy!" Natsu began to rush forward, but Jacob threw his hand back. Once again, an invisible whip struck Natsu and nearly threw him off his feet. "Gah!"

"Emmeraude is the one that wants you dead more than anything else. I'll never hear the end of it from her if I kill you, though…" Jacob sighed. He was still going to crush Fairy Tail right here and now, but he knew more than anyone else not to take someone else's mark. Whether it be an assassin's code or his own personality, he'd still abide by the woman's wishes. It was clearly the one thing she wanted.

"W-Where…is she…?" Lucy had to ask. She knew Emmeraude was involved in this war, but hadn't the slightest clue where.

"Marching with the Emperor in the west. She really can't wait to get her hands on you." Jacob answered. It was at that moment that a barrier of scalding hot water appeared around Lucy, once again forcing the assassin to withdraw his hand. "Tch!"

"Get your hands off her…" Tia was still struggling to stand.

Lucy shook off her pain and came at Jacob once more, swinging her leg down to strike against his temple, but as one would expect, he blocked it with his forehead. Natsu struck at the same time with a blazing kick, but again, it was blocked. Jacob's combat awareness was sharp. The duo both attempted to punch him with respective light and fire elements, but the assassin ducked under their punches and spun around, both his legs colliding against their backs to send them onto the floor. "Your 113 guild mates who I captured and whoever else was in here; starting now, I'm going to kill them personally one by one!"

Natsu lifted his body up, sprinting at Jacob again. "I DARE YA!" He aimed a blazing punch at Jacob, who dodged it, following up with a swift knee to Natsu's gut. While the Salamander hunched over and was winded from the blow, he forced himself to continue moving and swung his head upward, his hard skull colliding against Jacob's chin! The assassin staggered back, and Natsu used this chance to fire off another punch…but it didn't work in his favor. Jacob twisted around his body, gripping his arm to pull it back, and once again slammed Natsu's face into the floor. "Ouch..!"

Jacob didn't stay there for long. Lucy was already upon him, her fist striking against his face to force him to release Natsu. "Let him go!" The blonde exclaimed. She was prepared to follow up with another Regulas Lucy kick, but Jacob grabbed her heel, ducked low to sweep her other leg out from under her, then, as she fell, proceeded to hurl her into another table. They weren't going to have any tables left when this fight was finished. "Oof…"

The Spriggan vanished again, just to aim another myriad of invisible strikes at the Natsu and Lucy duo. The plethora of blows left the two of them on the ground, struggling to get up; they were bruised and a little bloodied, but they weren't going to stay down for very long if they could help it. Mavis and Happy couldn't do anything, and Tia was just an inconvenience that would drop dead soon when he was finished. "Now, where was I…?"

"Please no! You mustn't!" Mavis pleaded.

"We're far beyond the begging stage now! There's no taking back what you've done!" Jacob reappeared at the far side of the guild hall. Between the various blows taken from Natsu, Lucy, and Tia from earlier, he didn't look so great as well. But he held the advantage and now he was going to use it.

They had to stop him someone. Everyone that was in the guild was going to be killed. WAIT! Everyone. Everyone in the guild was taken into Jacob's Transport? When Lucy realized this she spoke up. "W-Wait…! One of your allies is in there too! Brandish is in there with them!"

"WHAT!?" Jacob thought she was bluffing, but just to be certain, he had to double check. The assassin brought his hand up, the Transport orb appearing within his palm. When he took a look, he realized that Lucy was telling the truth. "Brandish!? And that lack of her's too!? Shit…! If I get them mixed up in all this, I'll _never_ hear the end of it from Dimaria. Guess I got no choice." Jacob closed his hand, causing Brandish and a beat up Marin to reappear. "Damn! I botched the job."

"Bwah!" Marin landed an odd smile.

"Oof…!" And Brandish fell face first on the floor. When she looked up, she wasn't expecting to see one of her comrades. "Jacob?!"

Mrain wiggled about on the floor, still confined due to the magic sealing cuffs on his wrist. "Mr. Jacoooooob! You sure did save our hides!" And when he looked up there was…another him! Everyone just kind of stared awkwardly at the other Marin. "Oh my…there's another me!?"

"You pass~" The other Marin said. But the true identity of this other spirit was…

"Gemini!" Lucy changed from Star Dress Leo to Gemini while holding the respective key out.

"Whoa!" Natsu wasn't sure what Lucy was going for, but he trusted her judgement!

"This is way too creepy! Definitely a failing grade!" The real Marin whined.

"She couldn't turn Gemini into Brandish because she's too strong, but…" Mavis began.

"While that may be true, my real objective was…" Lucy had a smirk on her face as she put her plan into motion.

"Space Commandment, activate! Pikkiiri!" Gemini Marin exclaimed, making use of Marin's absolute control over space. But due to how the magic worked, Gemini was going to vanish as well. "Ah! Oh no! We're gonna vanish too!" The twin spirits said in unison.

Lucy's Star Dress started to fade, but she took this into account. "Along with my Star Dress. But that's all part of the plan!"

Jacob could see the forms of all the people coming back into view. "My Transport is…!"

"That's right!" Lucy yelled. "This will render all spatial magic ineffective! In other words…" She didn't have to spell it out for him, but she was going to relish in the moment anyway.

"GH…GOD DAMN IIIIIIIIT!" Jacob yelled out in frustration. Soon enough, everyone in the Fairy Tail guild hall that was trapped was back!

"I can bring everyone back to this dimension!" Lucy said.

"We finally got out!"

"You really saved our asses there!" Mest grinned.

"Now that's our Lucy!" Cana smirked.

"Not bad, Lucy…" Tia let out a soft chuckle and slumped against the bar again. She could actually relax now.

"Anyone wanna explain what in the hell just happened!?" Mii asked while flailing her arms about. "And why was I involved, I'm not even taking part in this!"

"That was trippy…" Zelos rubbed the back of his head.

Mavis was so proud! "Marvelous, Lucy! You did it! You got everyone back!"

Jacob was scowling, while Lucy had a grin of absolute confidence. Natsu's eyes were wide at Lucy's ploy. Something so elaborate never crossed his mind. "WHOA! Nice job Lucy!"

"GRR!" Jacob had enough of this! "It's just one pain in the ass after another with these fodder! All of you get the hell out of my sight! VANISH!" And just before he could close his hands to use Transport again, Happy found himself stuck between his hands, stopping the activation of the spell altogether. "A CAAAAAAT?!"

"Owie." Happy groaned. It was Mavis. She threw Happy at Jacob at the last second. The pleased expression on her face told the story.

"Damn it!" Jacob dropped Happy and began to disappear again. "This mission has been a failure!" There was no way he was going to stick around now that the cards weren't in his favor! He'd retreat and strike again another day!

"He's trying to run away!" Spark yelled.

Mii took a step forward and 'accidentally' lost her footing. This caused Purple Pot to fire prematurely, shooting Jacob in the foot. While the strike itself was harmless, it did sting enough to force Jacob back into view. "Oh no…I tripped…my bad…I couldn't see where I was shooting..." A few eyes went to Mii. Was that intentional?

"Ow! How did she hit me…!?" Jacob was now hopping on one leg. This wasn't his day.

Makarov stepped forward, eyes narrowing at the Spriggan before them. "You've got some nerve inflicting such pain on the First." As the old master spoke, his form began to enlarge and he reared a fist ack. "So today was Respect for the Aged Day, was it…?" The elderly Dreyar then threw his titan fist forward, catching Jacob with his knuckle while completely tearing down part of the building in the process and sent the Spriggan flying! "IN THAT CASE, THEN YOU OUGHTTA SHOW THE FIRST MORE RESPECT THAN ANYONE, PUNK!"

Oh. It seemed like they missed something important in Mavis' story that left her a little heartbroken. _"I…I'm actually only in my twenties, truth be told..."_ D….Did they all think she was super old!? Oh…oh the pain.

"GRAMPS! Stop wrecking the guild!" Natsu said, ironically. But then Makarov picked Natsu up with his free hand. "NOW IF THIS ISN'T A CASE OF THE POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK! AHHHHHHHHH…." Makarov chucked Natsu threw the gigantic hole in the guild.

"Wasn't that going a little overboard…?" Warren asked.

"If he went all out here, the guild wouldn't exist anymore." Max pointed out.

This…this was perfect. Now that Natsu was finally out of the guild and pursuing Jacob, he could go all out without having to worry about anything! As Natsu started to power up, the lake he flew over began to evaporate. Jacob realized he was being hounded, but now where wasn't anything he could do about it. "BLAZE DRAGON KING MODE!" Natsu yelled as intense flames exploded around his body. While the power of Igneel was a one-time use, the new mode itself wasn't. But without the power of the King of Fire Dragons to back it up, it wasn't nearly as strong as it was when he fought Zeref. It was strong enough to take Jacob down though.

In fact, it was so strong that the heat Natsu gave off started to melt Jacob's clothes! AH! HO…HOT! HOOOOOOOOOT!"

Natsu reared his arm back, gathering a large amount of flames within his fist. Jacob had th nerve to stroll into their guild and threaten everyone, so it was time he was given some good old Fairy Tail hospitality! "FLAME DRAGON KING'S DEMOLITION FIST!" A solid blow, one that sent Jacob flying even further while splitting the ground open in his flight path! There was absolutely nothing left of the lake water, and Jacob just laid there in his underwear, completely unconscious after that decisive hit. There were resounding cheers from the guild at the assassin's defeat, but Brandish and Mii were awestruck by Natsu's show of power. Once it was over, Natsu just wore a huge victorious grin on his face.

"…He had that kinda power this whole time…?" Mii silently questioned. Is that why he told her not to worry? Better question, is using that kind of power what got him that tumor to begin with? "Geez. What an idiot."

Lucy then rushed over to Natsu as fast as she could. "We did it, Natsu!"

"Hell yeah!" Natsu responded with a wide smile.

They had to celebrate their victory! Natsu met Lucy halfway and the two of them shared a high five at long last. They couldn't have done it without each other. Together they made quite the team, didn't they? One would never think they had a falling out to begin with after watching them during that fight. Just like that, things came full circle between Natsu and Lucy again.

.

.

Next Time: The Northern Gravestone.


	55. Chapter 55: The Northern Gravestone

Zeref stood before his army in the west. After waiting it was finally time to begin his march. Invel turned to Zeref and Emmeraude. "We shall now resume our march on Fairy Tail."

"Finally…" Emmeraude let out an extremely heavy sigh. Standing around doing nothing wasn't her style. "Waiting all of this time in these heels has been killer…"

"The fact remains that the other day, we suffered an attack from a single enemy soldier, a mere boy at that." Invel scowled as he recalled Natsu's attempt at the Emperor's life. "As such, it is unwise to make light of their power. Among the Spriggan 12, six members have already been eliminated."

"What!?"

"It can be!?"

"Is this a joke…!?"

The soldiers began to murmur amongst each other at this news. _"One of them was the work of Acnologia, but who's counting…"_ Zeref thought to himself.

"Six are down already…?" Emmeraude placed a hand on her cheek. "Oh my…it seems like they're putting up a better fight than I initially thought…" The woman hummed for a second. _"But knowing Fairy Tail, the only one they'd likely 'kill' is Wahl, and even then he can be rebuilt. If I had to guess, that leaves Invel obviously, August, Brandish, Neinhart, Rahkeid and Eileen…"_ Of course, this was all just guesswork.

As Emmeraude thought to herself, Invel's rally continued. "However, that is no reason to be anxious! So long as we have the power of immortality, His Majesty on our side! OUR ARMY SHALL NOT KNOW DEFEAT! NOW, ADVANCE! MARCH FORTH, CHDILREN OF ALVAREZ! DELIVER FAIRY HEART TO HIS MAJESTY!" That was enough to raise the morale of the troops, thus allowing the march to continue.

"My my…I didn't realize you were skilled in the ways of raising morale." Emmeraude told Invel.

"It is important to know how to motivate the soldiers." Invel responded while adjusting his glasses. "They need to understand the state of the battle."

"You could have used a better word than eliminated, though." Emmeraude added. "It makes it seem as though they've been killed. But that's just me…"

Emerald then stepped in, handing Emmeraude a bottle of water. "Here, Em. Also, I've noticed you've been sneezing quite a bit. You aren't catching a cold are you?"

"Oh, thank you Mother." Emmeraude smiled and downed the bottle of water. Her mother was always concerned about her ever since they were reunited. Not that Emmeraude blamed her. In fact, she welcomed the affection. "And no, I don't think so. I think people are just talking about me. This war is exhausting…I admit, I'm a little out of my element. I haven't had to march to battle like this in a while."

"I'm still surprised someone that detests war is taking part in one that will alter the course of humanity…" Invel trailed off.

"As I said…I yearned for nothing but a peaceful world. But as I learned one year ago, peace is impossible as long as Fairy Tail exists. If you're thinking I have second thoughts, I don't. I intend to follow this through to the end." Emmeraude stared forward. The thought of revenge on Fairy Tail was really the only thing keeping her going after her fall from grace.

"Very well. I believe you." Invel nodded. He could see the look in Emmeraude's eyes. "Just don't allow your lust for revenge to get the better of you. His Majesty has placed trust in you after all."

"Worry not, Invel. I am nothing if not a woman of my word." The former Queen spoke with absolute confidence. She then stared ahead, quirking a brow curiously. "Oh…? I think we have some guests waiting for us up ahead…"

Zeref listened to the two talk, but his mind was elsewhere. His attention was forward. On Fairy Tail. _"There is nothing that can stop me now. All my doubts have been cleared. Mavis...Natsu. I'll paint over your very existence with the darkest of black!"_

* * *

Miles away from Zeref's march, the other members of Dealer were camping out. Spade was keeping track of the army's movements with a radar of his own. "…Ah, guys. They're starting to move." The electric mage reported.

"Already?" Jack stood up and proceeded stretch. "About time! Too bad you made Sis stay behind though."

"I had to. Someone could have snuck into Fairy Tail while we all went out." Ace responded while staying seated. "And I know she could take a Spriggan on if she had to."

"So, what's the plan?" Diamond placed her hands on her hips.

"Why don't we ambush them!" Strong said while raising his club in the air. His idea was met with silence. "…What? Don't ambushes usually work?"

"Not in this instance." Heartless said while shuffling through her deck of cards. She was currently trying to decide which version of Daigo she wanted to make use of, but she also had a few other aces up her sleeve as well. "They'll sense us coming. I wouldn't like to take the chance of them seeing us coming."

"Oh…" Strong looked down, a dejected look on his face.

Diamond walked over to Strong, patting him on the shoulder with her ice cold touch. Didn't feel great actually. "It's okay, Strong. You're not an idea guy, you're more of a beat 'em up guy, and that's okay. Because we need one of those right now."

"She's not wrong." Jack nodded in agreement. Even though they were trying to make Strong feel better about his strengths, it only made him feel a little worse. He just wanted to be helpful with his brains in a guild filled with smart people.

Heartless flicked a card down; the one that contained Red Joker's lacrima. In a flash of light, the robotic soldier spawned to life and towered over everyone. He was aware of the circumstances and he just stared at everyone awkwardly. There was still a lot of tension between him and the other members of Dealer. "…Don't give him that look, he's on our side." Heartless said.

"You sure? He still gives us the evil eye. Makes me uncomfortable…" Diamond muttered.

Ace stood up, wrapping his arm around Joker's shoulder with a friendly smile. "Of course! We'll be best buddies again!" After all, Ace was among the three who suggested they bring Joker back to begin with.

Joker cocked his arm back, harshly bringing his fist to Ace's stomach. The blow was so sudden Ace gasped for air and fell to a knee. "We're not and never were friends."

"ACE!" Diamond and Strong rushed over to Ace. He was fine, just winded from the blow.

"All this time and you still couldn't program him to be less of a dick!?" Jack glared at Spade and Heartless.

Heartless twirled some of her pink hair around her index finger, sighing heavily at the situation unfolding just before their battle. "Unfortunately, his personality is so embedded into his data, we risk destroying his mainframe entirely. We also still don't have the technology to reverse engineer him…King truly did create quite the futuristic machine."

Diamond had a deadpanned stare. "So you're telling me that he literally can't function without being an asshole? Amazing."

"Where is Queen Tia?" Joker inquired while staring at the group.

"We left her to hold the fort at Fairy Tail." Jack said with some attitude. "I was gonna kick some ass for her, but it looks like I have to look at your ugly mug as well."

"I see." Joker then turned forward, his visor picking up multiple signatures. "There are close to 1 million soldiers marching this way. Led by Zeref, and two mages of extremely high caliber. They're out of your league." Whether he was serious or just making a jab was unknown.

"That's not really important." Ace spoke while standing back up, his tone serious. "We're not here to win. Fairy Tail's west flank is exposed and we're here to buy them time and cut down their numbers. We'll retreat if need be. We're quite a ways away from Fairy Tail and Magnolia itself, so we can regroup and strike."

"Surely even you can't oppose to a plan like this." Spade scoffed, also holding up a certain switch. "And don't forget, juuuuust in case you wanna try and go rogue on us…"

"My allegiance is with Dealer, even if I don't like you all." Joker stated plain as day. Despite his attitude, he was loyal to them.

* * *

"Into the dungeon you go…" Mii kicked the unconscious and naked Jacob into a cell. It was a pretty wise move to restrain and contain Jacob. Just like Brandish, they weren't going to kill or torture him, nothing of the sort. He'd just sit in a cell.

Lucy took a glance at Mii. The blonde had her injuries taken care of by Kinana, so there were a few bandages wrapped around her arm and more importantly her lower abdomen where she was cut and stabbed. The fresh wounds still stung a little bit, but she was fine. "Hey, Mii…you shot at him intentionally, didn't you?"

"Huh?" Mii closed the cell and turned to Lucy and Natsu, shrugging her shoulders. "I dunno. I was caught in some strange rift and was on high alert. I just tripped and accidentally shot, I had noooooo idea where he was. I couldn't see him." Was she lying? It was difficult to discern, especially since they didn't know just how perceptive the lacrima in her eye was. "Anyway, I'm going back upstairs." She waved and started to depart, but lingered as Natsu went to Brandish's cell.

Natsu pressed his face against the bars, giving Brandish a huge grin. "Hey! I heard you really saved my ass before! Thanks a bunch!"

"Even though there was no need for you to go back to your cell…" Lucy did frown a bit. Even though Brandish was still a prisoner, Lucy didn't see the problem with letting Brandish roam around for a bit.

"We're really thankful for everything you've done for us!" Happy gave Brandish his gratitude; he didn't have the chance before.

Brandish was sitting in the corner of her cell on the bed, arms around her knees. The woman turned away, facing the wall. "I never would have expected Jacob to get taken out. Now I've truly come to understand the Emperor's words when he said to not make light of this enemy. Even Emmeraude said the same thing, despite her power." Natsu still grinned, but Brandish wasn't amused. "But this is as far as you go. The Eight Month approaches."

"Eighth month…?" Lucy tilted her head curiously.

Happy started counting on his fingers, trying to remember when the quest for Fairy Tail began and the month it was now. They started in March just after the Games were foribily ended by Natsu's hand, and now it was… "But it's not even July yet…!"

"In Aracitacia, the month of August is known as 'Time of Gathering Calamities'. Her citizens, in order to overcome this perilous month, they pray and live with modesty and integrity. August is the month of fear. This legend has been passed down for generations…"

"The month of fear, huh…?" Mii muttered before making her way upstairs.

* * *

Back upstairs, there were already repair efforts going on for the guild. There was the gaping hole that was right where the front doors were caused by Makarov, and the somewhat pressing issue of the open ceiling thanks to Tia. "Why'd you have to destroy the guild, Master!?"

"I expected so much more from someone your age!

"Hey, pass me that plank over there!"

"I can fix that right up with my Wood Make magic!" Laki said.

Luckily for Tia, nobody present knew that she created the new skylight for the guild. Makarov thought he did and bowed to everyone. "I'm utterly ashamed…"

Max turned to Warren and Magnus, the both of them fiddling with the radar. "How are things looking out there on the battlefield, you two?"

"About that…" Warren trailed off. "It looks like the radar is busted, so…"

Jet and Droy cut their eyes at Makarov. "That…couldn't have been my fault, could it…?" The old master said with a sweat drop.

"No, you're fine." Magnus clarified. "This is some type of jamming magic. I don't know where the signal is coming from, but whoever it is has the power to completely shut down our network, so we're blind."

"I believe the ugly assassin said something about that." Zelos piped up. "I believe he said the man's name was…August? Yes, I remember seeing such a man back turning my time there. He was exceptionally powerful. He resided in the palace a lot, and you couldn't take a single step without feeling his presence there. Made me feel gross actually."

"I see…" Makarov's gaze turned sterner. "So he has set his sights upon us. The man called the King of Magic." That was enough to set a chill down everyone's spine.

"This is exactly when we need the Firsts' wisdom to…" When Max turned, Mavis was gone! "Huh…where'd she go!?"

"In order to tend to her wounds, she said she was returning to the basement for a bit…" Nab said.

"Out of curiosity, how does a thought projection body get injured?" Romeo asked. They all saw the wounds she bore for themselves, though.

"Your guess is as good as mine…" Macao said.

Tia groaned as Kinana wrapped bandages around her chest. She was still in a lot of pain, especially since she used Natsu's flames to cease her own bleeding. "Wow Tia, you look horrible, who did you fight? Oh, just some assassin who couldn't even glance at a half-naked woman for the life of him." The water mage carried a conversation with herself, lowering the pitch of her voice to mimic her brother's.

"You have a knife wound…and severe burns…what exactly happened to you?" The purple haired barmaid questioned with a nervous smile.

"That Spriggan threw a knife at me. I pulled it out and essentially burned myself to stop the wound from bleeding out." Tia explained. Her explanation was overheard and she got a lot of eyes on her. "…What? You guys are telling me you wouldn't do that when short on time?"

"That's not…the first thing I'd think to do when stabbed, I'll be honest." Wakaba said while scratching the back of his head.

"That's…really hardcore." Spark was at a loss for words. He didn't know that Tia could be such a fierce woman! No wonder Ace liked her so much!

"Queen is certainly a fitting title." Zelos quipped. Nobody was going to disagree but it did annoy Tia.

Mii came back upstairs and overheard this conversation as well. With that usual grin of hers, she stepped in and leaned closer to Tia. "Wow…that is pretty hardcore of you. I think I just learned a little something about you. But, I'd like to ask just to make sure."

Tia lifted a brow. There was skepticism written all over her face, but she bit. "Ask away."

"So, after pulling a stunt like that, I think I have you figured out." There was a tense pause in the guild. "You're a top, aren't you?"

Tia blinked once, twice, and a third time. She was trying to process what Mii had asked of her, and when she did, her face flared up and she nearly screamed. "W-WHAT!? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?"

"T-That seems a little personal…" Kinana coughed, feeling her face turned red just from the question.

"I agree! Come on, Mii-chan! You can't just ask someone if they're a top like that!" Zelos shook his head. Even he wouldn't ask such a question!

"L-LUCY! HURRY BACK UP HERE AND PUT YOUR FRIEND ON A LEASH!" Tia paused and looked at Mii's face. "…Never mind, she'd probably like it."

"So, power bottom?" Mii asked again, but Kinana had to forcefully tug her away. Mira wasn't here so the task fell to her.

"T-That's enough out of you…" The woman sighed. They really needed Mira and Lucy to keep her quiet.

After the shenanigans were over, Sidney finally returned to Fairy Tail since it was Fiore's current base of operations so to speak. He was a little beat up from his fight with God Serena and presumably August, but he was still kicking. "So you're all still here."

"Sidney, what happened?" Makarov asked immediately. "Did you encounter August?"

"Yes." Sidney responded. He was looking around for Mavis, but since she wasn't present he'd relay his information to Makarov. "I noticed the assassin making his way here, but I didn't bother trying to stop him."

"What?! Why not, asshole!?" Max glared at Sidney, who didn't even glance in his direction.

"Even if I wanted to, August prevented me from doing so." Sidney explained. "You can't expect me to do everything for you anyway." The ghost mage took a glance at the destroyed guild. He could assume that Jacob was indeed defeated and imprisoned. "The four Wizard Saints are safe. They were, however, defeated by God Serena in battle."

"Hold on…" Warren had a question. "So it was Jacob, God Serena, and August in the east, right? So if Jacob is here, and August is there, did you defeat God Serena?!"

"I was going to bring the battle to an end, but that is when an unexpected problem arose." Sidney said.

"An…unexpected problem?" Makarov had a bad feeling about this.

"Acnologia." As soon as Sidney said this, everyone's eyes widened. "I don't know if he's going to be participating in this war or not, but he's here in Fiore and he's going to be a very serious issue. God Serena didn't stand chance. If anyone sees a man with tan skin, blue markings, and a single arm, advise them to retreat. If God Serena is anything to go by…he wants to exterminate all of the dragon slayers."

"All of them!?" Laki gasped. "But all of the dragon slayers…"

"Are right here in Fiore." Sidney crossed his arms. "Between White Eclipse, Cosmic Star, Fairy Tail, Shaman's Haven, Black Phoenix, Quatro Cerberus, and Sabertooth…"

Now they were beginning to see the bigger picture. The Dragon Slayers were in danger. "Everyone's here…" As Macao said this, he realized that things were direr than they initially believed. Just when they thought this war couldn't get any more chaotic, Acnologia had to rear his ugly head and threaten dragon slayers as an enemy to Ishgar, Alvarez, and the entire world itself.

* * *

Mavis disappeared to the basement where her real body was, but she also brought Cana along with her. The brunette was pretty surprised to find a room like this sleeping under the guild. "Hmm…never thought there was a place like this under the guild."

"Come to think of it, I suppose this is your first time seeing it." Up ahead was Mavis' body. "What you're seeing. This is my body. That is Fairy Heart."

"And that's what Zeref's after, yeah?" Cana inquired.

"Yes." Mavis responded with a nod. "After witnessing Jacob's magic, and Natsu and Lucy's retaliation against him, I've finally devised it. A stratagem that will defeat Zeref once and for all!"

"Huh!?" Cana turned to look at the First. This was great news!

"I cannot divulge the details yet, but for the time being, we must remove my body from this lacrima." Mavis explained.

"Hold on a second!" Cana interjected. She recalled Mavis' story and… "Are you telling me that the body inside this lacrima…"

"If my calculations are correct, yes. It's alive, quite possibly thanks to Precht's resurrection magic."

"So…how are we supposed to get it out?" Cana quirked a brow. She didn't understand what Mavis' aim here was.

"Fairy Glitter." Mavis responded. "We will cast Fairy Glitter and use its power to erase this thought projection body." Cana's eyes only displayed her shock at this ploy. "Behold, as a result of my thought projection being attacked, it has been cracked. If I'm correct, exterminating this body will destroy the lacrima."

Cana couldn't accept this. "What…what the hell are you saying!? Are you telling me I have to attack you!?"

"As I said, this is merely a thought projection…an apparition. It's not as if you're truly inflicting harm on me." Mavis said to calm Cana's nerves, but it only had the opposite effect.

"I WON'T DO IT!" The card mage exclaimed. "IT'S TOO DANGEROUS! If by any chance your real body were to be….!"

"CANA!" Mavis raised her voice. She could understand Cana's hesitation. To attack a comrade intentionally like this did seem ludicrous, but she needed Cana to trust her. "We have no choice but to take this wager. Please, believe in me! It is for the greater good of defeating Zeref!"

Cana couldn't say a word. Did she really have to attack a friend like this? "…."

* * *

Northern Fiore. Gajeel's group was marching through the snow near the northern mountains. They were getting close to where Sabertooth and the other guilds were fighting. A few kilometers off they could see several explosions, but despite even this, the black carpet continued to march forward. Were they really that unbothered? Or did they simply have too large of numbers to care? "There they are…the enemy's main forces…" Pantherlily stated.

"I can see them fighting up ahead." Takeru leered forward. "I can also…hear the sounds of cheering…?"

"They're marching right at us, what should we do…?" Levy asked.

"Do I really have to say it? We charge in there and kick some ass!" Gajeel said.

"Their numbers are overwhelming…" Mira said with a sigh.

"We can do this. Saber and the other guilds should be nearby after all." Elfman stated.

"Wait…" Yakuza pointed to the sky. There were a few flying objects that were struggling to keep airborne. "What's going on up there?"

"Those are…" Selene lifted her gaze up. A closer look showed that the airborne objects were the Exceeds Frosch, Lector, and Nichiya! They were carrying someone too. "Is that…Frosch?"

"Oi, down here!" Royal waved to the Exceeds. The Exceeds landed and the person they were carrying was Vanya, who looked pretty beat up. Not only that, but the three Exceeds didn't look great either! Frosch and Lector were holding back tears and Nichiya was gasping for air.

"Vanya? What the…?" Takeru took a step forward. "Where's Micaiah and the others?"

Vanya was panting heavily, 'staring' up at everyone who arrived. Since she was blind, she couldn't tell who everyone was, but she could tell they were allies. "T…Takeru-san…i-it was…"

"Slow down. Tell us what happened." Mira gently placed a hand on Vanya's shoulder.

"The enemy…their ugliness reared its head far sooner than we could have expected. Men…" Nichiya stated.

"Sting-kun…Rogue…" Lector was nearly crying. "T-They…"

"What happened to them?" Gajeel asked. They still had a little time before the army reached their location and they needed the information fast.

Lector didn't hear him. He was too busy crying at the events that unfolded before him. "They even…got Orga…"

* * *

[Flashback.]

The battle up north continued to rage on. The soldiers were strong, but the combined efforts of Shaman's Haven, Qautro Cerberus, Blue Pegasus, Sabertooth, and White Eclipse were stronger. A single punch from Kanade caused a gust of wind so strong it blew away several soldiers with ease! Even though they continued to shoot her from afar with their weapons, she didn't budge. "W-What's going on!? She's not even flinching!"

"Pain is just weakness leaving the body. So I'm fine." The purple haired Eclipse mage smirked before slamming the ground with her palm. This prompted an earth shattering shockwave that also produced numerous glaciers. Needless to say that those that didn't escape in time got to cool down. "You're marching pretty close to my home, so I'll need you guys to stop in your tracks here."

"Ahahaha!" Orga laughed as Kanade went to work. "I'd love to have a fight with you sometime!" The lightning god then turned his attention to the group of soldiers before him. Obsidian volts crackled around his fingertips before he clenched his hand into a fist. This prompted a pitch black sphere of lightning to suddenly manifest around them and explode. "All too easy. If we keep this up…"

"Oh, don't say things like that. You'll jinx us, Orga-sama…!" Said Yukino, the bringer of bad luck as she continued to believe.

Another crowd of soldiers prepared to charge at Orga, but they halted. The troops opened up a path to one of the enemy commanders. A young man with white hair and dressed somewhat in priest garb stepped forward. There was a noticeable cross attached to his back. While his expression displayed a smile, his mere magic presence was extremely oppressive just like the fellow Spriggan before him. "So, you're the one who's causing trouble…"

" _What the hell…? His magic…this is unbelievable…!"_ Orga was in awe, but he shook it off to give a stern look. "Who the hell are you? Another one of the Spriggan I assume."

"You can call me Rahkeid Dragneel." The Spriggan said while clasping his hands together, a white aura flowing from his body.

"Dragneel…? Ain't that…" Orga caught onto this immediately.

"Yes. The last name shared between Natsu Dragneel, my uncle, and Emperor Spriggan, Zeref as you call him here." Rahkeid said. "After all, they are brothers, and I am Zeref's son."

"Wait…HUH!?" Orga's jaw dropped. This was not information he was prepared to hear.

"Did you not know? I suppose it's only natural for you to be surprised. But you shouldn't worry about it. For the trouble you've caused the army here today, allow me to guide your soul to heaven." After speaking Rahkeid conjured up several white tendrils that wrapped around Orga's broad frame.

" _What the…!? I…I feel pretty good…"_ What was going on?! Orga expected this to hurt like hell, but it was quite the opposite. He was feeling really good! Too good. No, this wasn't natural. The sudden surge of pleasure nearly ceased his thought process, but with his strength he broke free and black lightning exploded around him. "I don't know what the hell that was, but it was pretty fishy!" The lightning god of Sabertooth then sprinted forward, cocking his muscular arm back as lightning surged around it. "Lightning God's Iron Knuckle!" The large man swung his fist forward, a huge explosion of lightning occurring the moment he made contact…..with Rahkeid's fingers. While the area around them was completely destroyed, this mysterious Dragneel was capable of blocking a hit from Orga with only two fingers! But even against Orga's might the Spriggan was forced to slide back a few inches. "Huh!?" Orga had to jumped back to gain some distance.

"You do possess some power." Rahkeid admitted before swiping his hand forward, releasing blades of pleasure magic at Orga in a relentless assault. "But before the might of the Spriggan 12, it is futile. I do hope that you haven't grown overconfident because a few members of the 12 have been defeated. I want to meet my uncle as soon as possible, so I'll be making this battle swift." These blades, while harmless in appearance, actually cut through the ground with incredible force.

Orga made use of a Lightning Body spell, zipping through the blades of pleasure as best he could. Several of them did nick him, and while they did bring cuts to his body, there was only pleasure, not pain. "The hell is this guy? Doesn't matter, I'm taking him down!" Orga opened his mouth, a potent bolt of black lightning shooting forward right for Rahkeid. "Lightning God's Bellow!" A direct hit! Or so Orga thought. The bellow exploded against Rahkeid's cross, which the Spriggan used as a shield. "Damn it…!" Coming to a halt, Orga brought his hands together, gathering as much magic as he could. He couldn't let Rahkeid roam free with this weird magic. "All right…I'm gonna put you down in one shot. You'll see Sabertooth's power right here!"

"Is that so?" Rahkeid stood with his arms wide apart, as if he was welcoming the incoming strike. "If you attack me with all of your might, I promise that I will reward you with a blissful ascension to heaven."

"Stop talking that weird crap!" Orga yelled while the bolt of lightning within his hands grew exponentially before shrinking, condensing itself to be no larger than a book. "God Slayer Secret Art: SPARKING GIGAVOLT!" With all of his might, Orga tossed this bolt of lightning forward. It zipped across the air much faster than one could react to and exploded against Rahkeid. _That_ was a direct hit and the surrounding area exploded violently, catching many foes within the blast. Orga panted heavily, waiting for the thick cloud of smoke to clear.

"Wow! Nice job, Orga!" Lector said while pumping a fist into the air.

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch grinned.

Orga didn't acknowledge the praise just yet. He hit Rahkeid, but what did that get him? A few seconds passed and the Spriggan's cross flew through the smoke, striking Orga right in the chest and punctured his heart! It all happened so quickly all the forces of Fiore could do was stare in horror as Orga just stood there. The shock hit him before anything else and eventually he coughed some blood up and proceeded to tip over. "May your soul now ascend to heaven." Rahkeid said calmly as the smoke cleared. Even after taking a hit like that, he didn't look too hurt at all!

And right after Rahkeid said that, Prometheus's scythe pierced into Orga's chest. A strangle black light flowed from Orga into the Reaper's scythe. "Oh don't worry. I'll put it to gooooooood use, HYAHAHAHAHA!"

Was Rahkeid surprised? Not at all. Disappointed? Perhaps a little. "Oh, Prometheus. I promised him a peaceful, painless slumber. Did you have truly have to take his soul?"

"Of course. I _am_ the Grim Reaper after all! Not Bradman, just so we get that straight!" It seemed someone was a little too eager to prove their point and the true over of the 'Grim Reaper' alias. Nevertheless, Orga Nanagear was among the many causalities the war had wrought.

Sting's eyes were wide in horror as one of his own comrades was slain right before his eyes! "O-ORGAAAAAA!"

Minerva had no idea what it was she just witnessed, but it angered her to no end. "…They're all going to pay."

"That ain't wild at all…" Bacchus grit his teeth.

"…." Roy didn't even have any words. Considering how talkative he was…

"Holy shit…" Reiss felt his face go pale for just a moment.

"Oh my god…" Jenny's hands went to her mouth. She felt sick.

Bradman eerily crept forward ahead of Rahkeid. The other Grim Reaper had his focus on the enemies before them. "Thou hast done a fine job, Rahkeid. Now, allow mine curse to take care of the rest of them…" The Spriggan held his hand forward, black lines beginning to crawl along the ground.

"Two demons…!?" Micaiah's eyes widened as she stared at both Rahkeid and Bradman. They were demons, but there was something weird about them both that severely rubbed her the wrong way! "Ah!" She then turned to the Exceeds who were nearby. She had a very bad feeling of what was about to come. "You three, get out of here! Take Vanya too, please!"

"W-Wait, Micaiah-chan…?" Vanya didn't like where this was going.

"You have to tell them what's happening here before they get surprised!" Micaiah yelled before summoning her blade of light, Oathkeeper, and dashed forward into battle.

"B-But how can we just…" Lector didn't want to elave them!

"GO LECTOR!" Sting spoke with rage in his eyes. He had to tear into the enemy now, for Orga's sake.

[End flashback.]

* * *

"T-That's horrible…" Levy covered her mouth at the story told. At this point, the Alvarez soldiers were getting closer.

"S-Some of them are still fighting, b-but the others. Sting-kun…Rogue…" Lector looked down.

Pandora floated down on her scepter, startling the others with her timely appearance. "It is as the red cat says."

"Pandora!?" Gajeel was ready to fight, but the Goddess of Balance held her hand up to pause him. There was no animosity from her.

"I'm not here to fight you…yet." The woman pointed to the troops coming their way. "I just want you to see what it is you are up against. Look ahead, please."

They did as she said. The sight before them was…was horrifying. Multiple members of Sabertooth, Quatro Cerberus, White Eclipse, Shaman's Haven, and Blue Pegasus were strung up on crosses held up by troops. They were crucified for all to see! Not everyone fighting had been caught, which explained the sounds of fighting in the area behind them. But Sting, Rogue, Minerva, Yukino, Rufus, Rocker, Warcry, Melanie, Azur, Marlene, Tyson, Kanade, and every member of Blue Pegasus was caught. The soldiers were cheering at their assured victory as it was only a matter of time before those who were still fighting fell, too. One soldier pulled Jenny's dress aside to get a view of her ass. "Woo! Now that's what I call a nice ass!"

"This one too!" Another soldier said while doing the same to Marlene. The poor girls were unconscious so they couldn't say or do anything about this.

"What the hell…" Yakuza had no words.

"That's…" Selene gasped.

"A problem…" Royal narrowed his eyes. "A big one…"

"Jenny…and everyone else…!" Lisanna began to shake.

"Despicable…" Levy grit her teeth.

"They've…they've been wiped out…?" Gajeel asked. He was still attempting to digest the scene in front of him.

Pandora started to float away, leaving an ominous message. "As you can see…you have no hope of victory I advise you turn back, lest you want to end up like your comrades."

* * *

South Fiore, Port Hargeon. Even with Dimaria and Wahl defeated, the battle still raged on. Laxus and Leon were resting after the intense battle against Wahl, and those who fought Dimaria took refuge in a house. Wendy had her thigh injury wrapped up by Cynthia, and Wendy also took care of Cynthia's arm injury and wrapped it up. Carla fell unconscious but her injury was fine as well. Alex, Ultear and Luke were covered in bandages but ultimately fine, while Aira was tending to a semi-conscious Chelia. "How is she…?" Wendy asked Aira.

"She's stable, thankfully." Aira said. The news caused a huge sigh of relief. "But…her condition is still extremely dire. There is a lot of internal damage to her body that I can't heal right away. This is largely due to the Ethernano in her body overheating and completely evaporating. It's a miracle she's even breathing right now."

Sherri placed a hand to her mouth, feeling the tears well up in her eyes. "Oh…Chelia…"

"I feel so bad…Raven died before we could do anything…" Cynthia let out a heavy sigh. "I can't imagine how Chelia must feel right now."

"Not great." Ultear stood up. "I can hear her murmuring his name over and over…she looks conscious, but I doubt she's really here mentally right now. You girls stay here. I'm going back to fight."

"With those injuries…?" Luke scoffed.

"You're one to talk." Ultear cut her eyes at him. "But…thank you for the save."

"But…!" Cynthia wanted to object.

"No." Taya narrowed her eyes, having a sort of a mom tone with Cynthia. "Stay here and rest. We'll take care of them, do you understand? You're not to move with that arm injury."

"Okay…" Cynthia conceded.

"Good. I'll be questioning Dimaria myself, I have a few choice words for her." With that, Taya turned on her heel and made for the door.

Alex closed the door behind Ultear, Luke, and Taya as they departed. "We really should leave the rest up to them. I heard they cuffed Dimaria and locked her away in a house, so we won't have to worry about her getting away."

"…I'll stay and watch." Sherri took a seat. Her eyes never went off of Chelia. She never expected things to turn out like this and it broke her head. For some reason, she could also those broken pieces of her heart shatter some more. Was there something wrong with Ren too? She wouldn't be able to take it if the people she loved continued to suffer like this. Her eyes briefly wandered to Raven's bow, the only thing left of him. She knew how much Chelia loved him, too…

* * *

Erza, Kagura, Daryan, and Jellal stormed the docked ship where Nienhart awaited. They had no idea where he was, but they planned to defeat him. Before this, Kagura felt the need to address the elephant in the room. The mermaid turned her attention to Daryan before saying; "I have to say…you're doing pretty well despite being on a boat."

"…You know, she's right." Erza added. "Natsu would get sick just looking at it. This is wonderful, now we know you'll be helpful in the battle to come."

"What is your secret…?" Now Jellal was curious too. Did Wendy have something to do with this magic?

Daryan paused for a moment as everyone stared at him. "Oh? Well, you see…about that…" The dragon slayer's face grew pale and he slumped against Kagura immediately. "…I…actually didn't realize we went onto the boat…"

Deadpan. The idiot had no secret. He just forgot they were on a boat. Kagura felt like she was somewhat to blame since she brought it up, so instead of pushing Daryan off her immediately, she supported him for a little bit. "I regret asking."

Darkness. Darkness instantly covered the immediate area around the four. "What is this!?" Erza shouted. She tried to look around, but there was nothing she could see.

"Pitch black darkness…!?" Kagura gasped.

"…I…I can sense someone…" Daryan struggled to speak.

"Our vision's been completely voided. This magic…" Jellal knew this magic. He also received a pretty strong blow that knocked him off his feet, throwing him back. "GUAH!"

"JELLAL!" Erza shouted, but Jellal wasn't the only one who received a strong blow. Kagura, Erza, and Daryan were all knocked down by the mysterious assailant.

"Well, well, we've got ourselves quite the nostalgic reunion here…" The voice came from none other than Simon, Kagura's older brother. "Dark Instant. Brings you back, doesn't it?"

"Simon…!" Erza began to sweat. He died for her and she recalled that all too well…so why was he here now!?

"You're alive!?" Jellal asked. The last time he saw Simon was during the Tower of Heaven when he threw himself in the path of his attack. There wasn't a day that went by that he thought about that...and the anger it brought Kagura. But no, there was something extremely wrong with the picture before them. He had to stay grounded, _they_ had to stay grounded, however there was one person who was barely able to do that.

Kagura on the other hand felt the rush of emotions flow into her the longer she stared at Simon. She was about to cry. "Brother…"

"No…Kagura-chan, don't…" While the others stood up, Daryan was still down, suffering from motion sickness. Even so, he could sense that there was something very, very wrong about this.

"Br…" Kagura was going to take a step forward, but Jellal put his arm out to stop her.

"No, it's not! This isn't Simon! It's an imposter!" The sinner said.

But his words only infuriated Kagura, who started to wipe away the tears. "YOU FIEND! HOLD YOUR-!"

"Hmhm~" A voice came from above! Erza directed her gaze up and that's when she saw him; a purple haired man sitting comfortably on the ship's mast. "Fate connects all of us. Even if the thread is tiny and thin, that connection is still very much alive. What you're seeing is your 'Historia'. A tale of love, friendship, family, and death. What a beautiful, sordid Historia indeed…" This was the man they came to fight. The last remaining Spriggan 12 in Hargeon: Neinhart.

.

.

Next Time: Historia of the Dead.


	56. Chapter 56: Historia of the Dead

Erza, Kagura, Jellal, and Daryan were confronted by Simon, known to be long dead since the Tower of Heaven incident. Above them was Neinhart, sitting comfortably at the show about to unfold before him. "You all did well to notice in that short instant. Indeed, what you all are witnessing is your 'Historia'. The thread of fate that binds all of you together." His gaze went to Daryan, who was still on his stomach due to the motion sickness. "Excluding this outlier…what you are looking at is the Magician within your hearts."

"What…kinda bullshit…" Daryan attempted to stand, but it was no use.

"I can gaze into people's hearts. There are a myriad of emotions and sentiments to be found in the heart." Neinheart said while spreading his arms. "And with my magic, you see…I can materialize these emotions into reality." With a snap of his fingers, Simon started to fade.

"Kagura…you've gr…" Before Simon could say anything more, he was gone before Kagura could even reach him.

"BIG BROTHER!" Kagura screamed as she reached out for Simon, but he was never in reach to begin with. The tears started to build and actually fell from Kagura's eyes. To have her brother back, only for him to be ripped away from her within mere seconds; the emotional wounds truly did hit harder than the physical ones. She wasn't the only one who was hit by this; Jellal and Erza didn't enjoy what they witnessed.

"Kagura…" Daryan could see the single tear fall from her eye. That alone spurred something within him. An instinct he wasn't aware of. Too bad he was still suffering from motion sickness to make use of it.

"Calm yourself! That's merely an illusion created by that mage!" Jellal yelled, but Kagura wasn't having it. Her feet were already carrying her forward and she planned to cut Neinhart down right then and there.

"SILENCE!" The mermaid screamed, preparing to unleash her fury on Neinhart for toying with her heart like this.

"Tsk tsk…" Neinhart sounded genuinely offended by Jellal's words. "I'm _insulted._ Calling my creations a mere illusion…" His hand then rose, a sinister aura flowing around it. This prompted a gigantic blast of magic to drop from above, directly where Kagura was standing. "You witnessed it, did you not? Just now with Simon, and with the little girl Sophie who battles valiantly in the name of her mother. The life I create can even use magic; it has memories and a personality as well. And you have the _audacity_ to call it a mere illusion?"

Kagura's gaze went up and her eyes widened. She was admittedly unprepared for what was coming. Daryan would have jumped to her rescue, but he couldn't move. Her savior was instead Jellal. He grabbed Kagura and dove to the side, however he was unable to completely avoid the blast and it struck his back. Both Jellal and Kagura were blasted through the ship, falling through the newly created hole that led into the water. "GAAAH!" Jellal yelled, but the sound of his voice was drowned out by the explosion.

"KAGURA! JELLAL!" Erza yelled in worry.

"S-Shit…" Daryan placed his hands on the floor, attempting to push himself up. Unfortunately for him, the ship rocked a little and it just made him feel so sick. He truly wasn't going to be of any help here, which pained him because Kagura was in danger! Neinhart then snapped his fingers, now using his 'Historia' on Erza. Daryan sensed it before it happened and the least he could do was shout out to warn Titania. "B-Behind you…"

Erza noticed and turned, her blade suddenly clashing with Ikaruga of all people! It had been so long since Erza fought this woman. But to see her now, that only meant… "You're…"

"Did you go and forget about me already, Miss Erza?" Ikaruga's red painted lips curved into a subtle smile.

"Ikaruga, my beautiful Historia…" Neinhart was absolutely enjoying the show before him. His glance then glanced to Daryan, the poor guy could only really watch as Erza fought. "Don't worry. You can enjoy the show with me, you writhing little worm."

* * *

Kagura and Jellal fell to the water's floor. They were trapped under the chain of the anchor, and Kagura was extremely fast to worm her way out of Jellal's grasp. _"This man…unhand me at once! I must return to Erza and that idiot to offer my assistance!"_ The mermaid then swam away from Jellal before turning to stare at him. _"This scoundrel is responsible for murdering my brother…."_ There was…a thought that donned on her. He was trapped underwater and unconscious; it was only a matter of time before he drowned and he'd never know. She could just…leave him there. Ever since her eyes laid sight on him four years ago, she constantly thought about ending his life. She had a chance once, but she failed. But now? There was nothing stopping her…

* * *

Erza's battle was only just beginning. Ikaruga was hounding Erza with a myriad of slashes, all of which she was barely able to avoid. Normally this wouldn't be a problem for Erza, but she wasn't at 100% since her injuries from the battle with Ajeel were still healing. As a result, one could say she was about 60% at most concerning her physical condition. Even magic wise she wasn't at full strength, hence her use of the Clear Heart armor and a single blade. Because of this, Erza was a little slow on the parry and this resulted in Ikaruga landing a cut across her left shoulder, blood drawn as a result. "Kuh…!"

The pink haired swordswoman brought her sleeve to her mouth, snickering somewhat at Erza's disposition. "You are clearly not your usual self, Miss Erza. I feel none of the sharpness you had in the past."

Right at this moment, another familiar figure from Erza's past appeared behind her. "It's her injuries, no doubt. Erza at her best is far stronger than this." Azuma said as he materialized into existence. Another member of Grimoire Heart who was thought to be alive, yet they met their end as well.

Another snap of Neinhart's fingers brought a third person alive: Heather Viperoso. The blonde appeared to Erza's left, arms crossed with an unamused expression. "I can agree…her slashes are usually much sharper than this, along with her movements. I'm a little disappointed in you…"

"Wha…!?" Erza's eyes were wide. "Azuma!? Heather!?" But how!? Heather was alive one year ago as far as she knew! This couldn't…!

"Shit…" Daryan groaned.

Azuma reared his arm back, smirking while preparing to initiate what was about to be a 3 on 1 fight. "Now then, I would sure like to bear witness to it; that incomparable strength of yours!" Azuma brought his hand forward, causing vines to rise up from the floor in attempt to wrap around Erza. She was able to dodge this, but as soon as she did, Ikaruga was on her!

"Tch…!" No rest. Erza had no choice but to try and parry Ikaruga. As soon as she managed a single parry, she switched her blade to the Blue Crimson of the Ten Commandment spear, feeling that two weapons would be better than one here. More vines attempted to wrap around her, but she swiftly dodged them and swung the lance of flame to incinerate them to nothing, but as soon as she did this…

"Poison Dragon's Claw!" Heather lunged from Erza's right, her claw dripping in that venom she was known to be so dangerous for! Erza knew that if she let the poison dragon even graze her, she'd be done. That's why a desperate block was needed to avoid any toxins dripping into her system.

Erza jumped away from Heather right after the slash, but the moment her feet left the ground, Azuma had his sights set on her. "Bleve!"An explosion occurred on Erza's body, blowing her backwards and she let out a cry of pain.

"AAAGH!" She tumbled along the floor but had to get herself straightened quickly, for Ikaruga was already coming down with her blade to chop her head off! There was no time to block, she had to dodge and fast! Erza rolled to the size as the opposing swordswoman's slash cut deep through the ship. Titania couldn't even finish her roll as a vine wrapped around her ankle to fling her into the sky. "AAAAAH!" She had to act fast! She swung the ice lance down to freeze the vine as it threw her, causing its own momentum to be its downfall and shatter. This still kept Erza in the air, and just before she could counter…

The three of her opponents already had their sights set on her. "Poison Dragon's Roar!" Said the dragon slayer, releasing a potent blast of magenta toxins at her former friend.

"Ramus Sica!" Azuma yelled, releasing a bombardment of exploding twigs in Erza's direction.

Ikaruga drew her blade back before swinging it forward, a crescent slash of white light resembling the moon shooting towards Erza. "Mugetsu Ryu, Yasha Senku!"

All three attacks converged on Erza, sandwiching her between their might for a vicious explosion. Erza let out a scream of pain as she fell from the sky, landing on the floor while knocking over some barrels in her wake. Neinhart was absolutely enjoying this, however. "The Historia of one who overcame countless powerful foes. How magnificently beautiful! Behold! This is my magic, the power to conjure the very history of all your battles! The Historia of Corpses! Historia of the Dead!"

"Erza!" Daryan tried to stand up, but a talon pressed against his skull to keep him flat on the floor. "Ugh…!"

"Now now…why don't you just sit there and enjoy the show~? After all, Erza's an old friend to everyone here, it's only natural we want to be reacquainted." A reborn Kyoka asked while grinding Daryan's face into the wooden floorboards.

"So, you two are dead?" Azuma questioned Ikaruga and Heather.

"You're just terrible, Mister Azuma!" Ikaruga spoke with a quirked brow. It was rude to ask a lady such a question.

"Seems you can only get lucky once…" Heather shrugged her shoulders. "I was fine until _he_ caught me…."

"Kyouka!?" This wasn't good. All of Erza's toughest battles and even one of her friends was wrapped in this magic. But she couldn't stop here! With the Blue Crimson, she pointed both blades together and released a joint blast of fire and ice. "HAAAA!" The blast was large and admittedly caught the four revived people off guard. She took care to avoid catching Daryan in the blast, but did manage to blow Kyoka off of him in the process. However, she did notice one thing…Heather's poison hit her head on. She could already feel her body starting to go numb, so she had to do this really, really fast.

"There it is!" Azuma grinned after receiving some damage from the blow. "That's the Erza I remember, always putting up a fight no matter what!" Several more vines rose up from the ground, all of them shooting towards Erza.

" _Huff. Huff…"_ Erza was panting but switched from Blue Crimson Silfarion, using the speed boost it granted to move before anyone else could. She jumped onto the vines, performing a rolling slash to cut through them while keeping her momentum. It was at that moment she noticed Kyoka and Heather coming down for physical blows. A desperate leap into the air saved Erza's life and she pointed the spear down, changing to Gravity Core. The tip of the lance conjured a pitch black orb she fired down, which soon turned into a massive black hole that attempted to draw all four of them in, or at least stop their movement.

"She has so many new tricks! It's wonderful~" Ikaruga planted her blade into the ground to halt her movement. "This is the Erza I remember fighting."

"I wonder when she got this good…" Heather muttered while digging her claws into the ground to halt movement. Magenta scales started to form along her skin and she decided to kick things up a notch, shifting right into Dragon Force!

"This is lovely!" Kyoka grinned.

With all four of them temporary stopped, Erza violently dove down with the Explosion spear, stabbing it right into the black hole. "EXPLODE!" Titania yelled at the top of her lungs, and a violent explosion ensured. The boat rocked violently and the main deck was nearly destroyed. The ship itself was quite sturdy to still be afloat after an explosion of this magnitude. As soon as Erza landed, she needed a second to regain herself due to the physical strain on her body; however that was not a second she was granted. An armored leg slammed into her left temple, causing her to drop the spear and stagger backwards to the point where she nearly fell. "Ngh…"

"This is what's become of you now?" Erza Knightwalker said while reaching down to take back what was hers: the Ten Commandments spear. "You're usually so much tougher than this, I'm ashamed that I called you the better half…I'll also be taking this back, thank you."

"K-Knightwalker…?!" Now Erza was really starting to see how bad this situation was. Kyoka, Azuma, Ikaruga, Heather, and now Knightwalker. Just how many more could Neinhart summon!?

"…." Daryan could only groan. With shaky eyes, he stared up as Erza was surrounded on all sides. He wasn't sure if it was the battle or something else, but he could feel his heart pacing for some odd reason. If this kept up…

"These souls, which originally had never intersected with one another…my Historia is binding them together. The single thread that connects them all together is you, Erza Scarlet. This is the epitome of elegance and beauty!" Neinhart was truly feeling himself now. "NOW! EXTEND EVEN FUTHER! MY HISTORIA!"

* * *

[Flashback: Several Months ago.]

Neinhart was not a team player. He rather enjoyed time alone, as noted by his actions in the war that came months later. However, by chance, he did happen to encounter Emmeraude within the palace. After hearing of her exploits, how could he not push this chance a little bit? The purple haired man sauntered around the woman with an intrigued smile. "Well well…so you're the famed Emmeraude Verde I've heard so much about."

Emmeraude lifted a brow. She was still getting used to Alvarez as a country and how it was so vastly differently it was from Ishgar. "And you are…?"

"I am Neinhart, one of the Spriggan 12. Would you care of a demonstration of my magic?" The Spriggan asked, although it was clear by his tone of voice that he was going to do it whether she said yes or no.

"Whatever, do as you wish." Emmeraude conceded fairly quickly. She could tell that he was roping into this anyway.

"Behold…" Neinhart snapped his fingers. In a flash of light, Sophie, Ross, Marisa, and Drayden appeared before her. Even Emmeraude wasn't prepared for what she saw and her eyes widened; that was just the reaction Neinhart was hoping to see. He did enjoy relishing in people's expressions. "The magician within your heart."

"….." Emmeraude didn't say a word. Were they fake? Was he just trying to get a rise out of her?

"Lady Emmeraude…you're looking well…that's good…" Marisa said with a soft smile. "We're sorry we couldn't help you. But…I'm really glad you're okay…"

"Mom…" Sophie took a step forward. "Are you okay?"

"Wh…" Emmeraude felt her heart pound. They didn't feel like illusion. She could sense that they felt real in body and soul. "What is this?"

"Your Historia, my dear Emmeraude." Neinhart hummed.

"I see. You can peer into the hearts of people and bring out the people that were once close to them." Emmeraude understood. She leaned down, giving Sophie a gentle hug. There was no mistake about it, this was quite real. "I'm sorry I failed you all, after you did everything you could to support me. But I promise…I will avenge all of you, no matter what it takes."

"Mom…I still believe in you." Sophie said while returning the hug.

Neinhart was utterly pleased by the emotional show before him. "Even the strongest have some sort of weakness. Isn't it beautiful-!" Before he could finish, Emmeraude's hand wrapped around his throat tightly. She was calm, but the tight grip and crash magic emanating from her palm told a different story.

"Matters of the heart aren't to be taken so lightly. I can tell you enjoy playing the puppeteer with people's emotions…but you would be sure not to toy with the wrong one,. Least you want your heart removed." After saying this, she dropped Neinhart to the ground and started to walk off. At the very least, she was granted some closure from this experience. "Let my family rest peacefully. I don't wish to see them die a second time, nor do I want their lives being tied to someone else's."

"A fierce woman indeed…" Neinhart was unbothered by Emmeraude's actions. In fact it only confirmed what he thought to be true. Even the strongest of individuals had a weakness buried deep inside their heart. As one could expect, he didn't adhere to her demand months later.

[End Flashback.]

* * *

It was because of Neinhart that Sophie was here to begin with. Even though she didn't exactly like him…he did ask if she wanted to fight for her mother should the time call for it, to help her from beyond the grave. When he put it like that, she couldn't say no. But she felt the odd chill in the area and recognized what was going on. "Neinhart…!" Without thinking, she sped off, far away from the people she was fighting: Reve, Waiston, and Kuro.

"What the…!? We aren't done questioning you yet…!" Waiston yelled behind Sophie. "She must be going to the Spriggan, we gotta follow!" The frozen dragon took a step forward and crashed into a wall forged of wood and steel. "Huh…!?"

"You guys seem to be a rush. What's the matter?" Zalen Castle appeared, adjusting his glasses while staring at the three men he grew up with.

"What…!?" Kuro's eyes went wide. "Zalen!? But that…that's not…"

Zalen laughed as everyone stared at him. "What's the matter guys? You look like you've seen a ghost? I'm not my brother you know…"

"Where did you come from…?" Reve had to ask. Because he knew this wasn't right. He knew Zalen was dead, but he felt so alive right now.

"From Alvarez. It's pretty dirty over there, so I'm glad the stay wasn't long. I couldn't stand it." Zalen shrugged his shoulders. "But that's not important right now. How about we have a good sparring session?"

Waiston held his hands up. "W-wait, buddy. Now's not the time to…" And before he could say anymore, a solid punch embedded with steel struck Waiston across the face, successfully blowing him backwards. "Agh…!"

"Zalen!?" Kuro's eyes went wide. "What are you…!?" Zalen then fired off a series of wood and steel beams at Kuro. The fire devil slayer didn't wish to retaliate so violently and crossed his arms, sliding back as they all hit, and hit hard too. This definitely _was_ Zalen Castle, there was no doubt about that. "Ow, hey! Knock it off! Alvarez is the enemy, remember…!"

"Who cares about that? I'm just enjoying time with my guild mates." Zalen spoke with a strange smile. "After all…I failed in Alvarez back then, so the least I can do is keep you sharp." While he said that, it was clear that this was going far past just keeping them sharp.

"Zalen…" Reve narrowed his eyes. He hesitated for a moment before firing a bullet at Zalen's leg. The bullet entered a rift before it actually struck him, and came out from behind the building mage to strike the back of his knee. Zalen didn't budge and a steel wall formed behind him, blocking the bullet before it could reach him. "…"

"Come on, Reve…" Zalen said while shaking his head. "You didn't really think that would work, did you? I was your partner, I know you best of all." The building mage then snapped his fingers, prompting multiple steel walls to form around them, closing them of from everyone else. "Now…let's get this sparring session underway, yeah? I'm feeling pretty good today. I think I can even win."

* * *

Ultear joined Gray and Lyon in the battle. They wondered about her injuries and she explained as they tore through a faction of the enemy's troops. All of that fighting came to an end when a familiar chill crawled their down backs. "W-What's this chill…?" Lyon asked, but it was a question he already knew the answer to.

Ur appeared, freezing a good number of Fiore's southern army's troops. This was undoubtedly the same Ur from two years ago, as the Devil Slaying tattoo was along her arm. "Well well, how lovely it is to see my daughter and two favorite boys again. It's time I whip the three of you back into shape."

"U-Ur…!?" Gray had a cold sweat beading down his forehead. This…this wasn't possible! Ur's goodbye was her attempt to freeze Daityas in Iced Shell!

"M-Mother…? This can't be right…" Ultear's eyes were wide in shock. She never, ever expected to see Ur again. Especially not like this.

"I can't even get a hello? I thought I taught you better." Ur placed her fist into her palm, sliding into the maker's stance as a frigid aura expanded from her body, freezing everything within the immediate area around her. "Ice Make: Petal Dance!" A series of sharp, frozen petals flew from around Ur, striking all three of her opponents down while cutting into their bodies. Gray, Lyon, and Ultear all let out cries of pain as the attack struck them. It was especially painful for Ultear who sustained injuries in the fight with Dimaria.

"Shit…" Gray sat up, gritting his teeth at what they were dealing with.

* * *

Laxus let out a pained chuckle, an irritated smile crossing his lips as he stared at the foe behind him. "You gotta be fuckin' kidding me…is this some kind of bad joke?" The exhausted lightning dragon asked as he stared at…

Hades. The 2nd guild master of Fairy Tail and Master of Grimoire Heart. "So…it's you. You are the one who shares Yury's blood…"

"Just how many damn times are you gonna crawl back up from the dead, you decrepit fossil…" Laxus let out one more sigh before bringing himself to his feet. Injuries be damned, he was gonna fight, because it was clear that Hades didn't care.

* * *

As for Leon, his eyes were wide as Daityas stood right before him. "Y-You…"

"You miss me?" Daityas chuckled. But this wasn't part of Neinhart's Historia, because Daityas had been alive for quite some time and very few people were aware of this. This was the King of Hell making a rather timely return, his presence masked with the other dead people reappearing.

"But I killed you…!" Leon yelled.

"Who said that? You may have gotten the better of me, but I never said I died." The demon's lips curled into a grin. "You look a little beat up…but that's never been a problem for you, has it Leon? Are you eager for a round 2?"

* * *

Taya was on her way to question Dimaria, but things got a little complicated when she sensed a presence behind her. The moment she turned, she found that Tobias' sword nearly cut off some of her hair! Sliding back, the demoness narrowed her obsidian gaze at Tobias, honestly pretty shocked she was seeing him again considering his situation. "Tobias? Aren't you dead?"

"I thought so too, honestly…" Tobias said with a shrug. "But it looks like someone's pulling my strings again. But at the same time, I see this as a chance to get a little payback on you for how you treated me back in Tartarus…" Just because Tobias had aspirations to leave the demon guild didn't make him a good person still and he held grudges.

"Surely you wouldn't…" Taya slid into a stance. "This is a bad time, you know."

"Oh, I would." Tobias drew his blade back, lightning crackling around it. "Raijin Devil's…SLASH!" The man swung his back up, releasing a slash of demon slaying lightning at Taya.

Shit. That's right. He _did_ possess devil slaying right before he died! Realizing the situation, Taya quickly rolled to the side, but the slash of lightning caught her thigh and caused her to hiss in pain. She played it off and stood up straight, her vectors now emerging from her back since she knew this fight was unavoidable now. "This is why we always picked on you. You never knew when to take a hint."

* * *

Ironically, Luke found himself fighting alongside Diana. Even though he'd rather be somewhere else, things became a little tense with Blake; his father appeared, adjusting his tie. Luke grit his teeth. "Oh great, you too!? Is this a family reunion or something!?"

"Is there a problem with wanting to see my wife and child once again?" The white haired male asked as a slow grin crept onto his lips.

"Oooooh…" Diana brought a hand to her cheek, frowning at the situation before her. "This is awkward. I'm pretty sure the part where I murdered you qualifies for a divorce, don't you think…? Or did I really have to fill out those papers…"

"I wouldn't be so concerned about it." Blake's godly white aura flared around his body. "I'll be sure we can finish this conversation in hell." He clenched his fist, a suddenly explosion of White God Slaying overtaking Luke and Diana. For Luke, the attack stung more than it normally would due to his prior wounds. Diana felt the attack as well, but to a bit of a lesser extent.

Diana stood up, rubbing her head after a few bruises were left on her body. "You see, this is why I got rid of you. You were always dragging me down…"

"Couldn't you both off each other…?" Luke groaned. As much as he didn't want to, he'd be teaming up with his mother…to fight his father? This was some fucked up shit right here.

* * *

"Uh…" Milliana tugged Shadowlore's shirt and pointed in front of them, where old man Karma, the former master of Cosmic Star was standing. "Is that guy…?"

"Oh great…" Shadowlore stared ahead. "The old man…"

"No way…!" Hiruka gasped. "Didn't he die!? That's not right!"

Karma was using his cane for support, giving a friendly smile while waving at Shadowlore. "Ah, Lore! It's been quite some time…are ya winning, son?"

"Cut the shit old man." Shadowlore stepped forward, his piercing gaze on Karma's face. "We already know how you are."

Oh well. Karma stood up, his aura exploding around him. "Still sharp, I see…I never had the chance to repay you for the disrespect of failing the Games!"

"Bring it on…" Shadowlore said while making a 'come at me' gesture.

It was then that Beth started to tug on Melody's skirt. "M-Melody, look!"

"Huh?" Melody turned and her eyes widened. Veronica was standing before her, a face she hadn't seen in such a long time! "T-That can't be right…I killed you!"

"Ugh, I know…" Veronica pouted, but used her telekensis to hold Melody still. "After all the trouble I went through trying to restore your memory, you killed me?!" Her angered expression then turned into an eerie smile. With a flick of her wrist, she sent Melody crashing into a nearby building. "But as your _best friend_ I'm going to return the favor!" She lunged after Melody before Milliana. Beth, Arana, or Risley could even react!

* * *

Apollo Flame stood before Jaxon and Jin, arms crossed as the radiant aura of the sun emanated from his being. "The man who managed to defeat me in battle last time. I will assure you, such a thing won't happen again…"

"Big bro, who is this guy…?" Jin asked while sliding into a stance. The magic power he felt from Apollo Flame was incredible!

"A god who needed to be brought down to earth…" Jaxon stated while preparing to fight. "I didn't think I'd be seeing this one again to be honest." The new White Eclipse guild master clenched his hand into a fist. He didn't know what was going on here, but he knew that it couldn't be good for everyone.

* * *

"Yo~" Zancrow grinned at Meredy. By the way, this wasn't a dead Zancrow, this was the one who was still alive and hadn't been seen since Dealer. What was he doing in Port Hargeon? He saw a battle happening and it was pure coincidence his lust for carnage led him to Meredy.

Meredy, however, was really not pleased at what was happening! "Z-ZANCROW!?"

And before Meredy could say more, she was met with a fist full of black flames, causing her to cry out and stagger backwards. "WE HAD SOME UNFINISHED BUSINESS!" The flame god slayer yelled, crackling madly. "Nobody's gonna save you this time!"

Juvia had honestly forgotten and assumed Zancrow was dead, but she could feel a ton of familiar magic power coming out of the woodwork with no explanation. "What's going on?! Why are the dead…!?"

The water mage wasn't exempt from this. "Contrary to my Nercomancy, which manipulates the dead, this magic is somewhat different." Keith explained as he appeared behind Juvia, causing her to freeze on the spot. "How amusing indeed. From the hearts of those on the battlefield, the memories of powerful warriors are being conjured right before our very eyes."

* * *

Tristan, Hikaru, and Cygnus were beside themselves as a very familiar figure appeared before them. That of Ola, former master of Black Phoenix. "M-Master Ola!?" Tristan's eyes were wide. "But you…!"

" _Long time no see, guys. Getting strong?"_ The mute woman asked as apparitions of shadows appeared all around her.

"If this is a joke, it's not funny…" Cygnus sneered.

"I don't think it's a joke…" And Hikaru loved those. This however? This wasn't funny or enjoyable. Despite her attitude, she didn't want to fight Ola! Everyone loved her. This wasn't right!

* * *

The house the girls were residing it wasn't safe either. A cross slash cut it to pieces, causing Wendy and Cynthia to cry out. "W-What's going on!?" Alex yelled, lifting the unconscious Carla into her arms.

Ezel and Rose stood at the broken entrance. Ezel was grinning while Rose was scowling! "Miss me, runts?!" Ezel questioned, his sharp fangs bared for everyone to see.

"W-What the…!?" Alex's eyes were wide. "What is that thing!? Is that…another Cynthia!?"

" _I-I thought we got rid of that one…"_ Verona told Cynthia, but there was no answer.

Aira stepped forward, but a kick to her side pushed her out the window and she tumbled to a stop. "Huh?" When she looked up, who was would she see but her abusive father back from her childhood days. He was a man with blonde hair and green eyes just like her, and she wasn't ready to see him today. "W-What…?"

"YOU!" Rose pointed at Cynthia. "To you and that freak Verona inside you…I'm gonna get my revenge again!"

"ALEX! TAKE CARLA AND RUN!" Wendy exclaimed while immediately going into Dragon Force.

"Sherri, run with Chelia!" Cynthia said as she too entered Dragon Force. She was worried about Wendy's leg, just as Wendy was worried about her arm.

"B-But your injuries!" Alex objected, but it was too late. The two girls charged at their opponents to distract them. Alex feared the worst…Wendy's leg and Cynthia's arm could give out if they fought in their condition.

"Chelia…?" Sherri crouched down. She knew Chelia was awake at this point "Come on, Chelia, we have to go."

"…" Chelia didn't say a word, but she did slowly sit up. Her body was still recovering, but when she glanced behind her cousin, her eyes widened. "R-R…"

Raven. He was standing at the broken doorway, staring at Sherri and Chelia. "…" Raven did say a word. He just reached out, his bow shifting from Chelia's grasp into his own, and he pointed it forward, an arrow of wind aimed right at Chelia.

"W-Wait…Raven…W-What…?" Chelia wasn't in the right state of mind. She couldn't comprehend Raven being in front of her, but even less so when he was taking aim at her.

"CHELIA!" Sherri screamed and dove forward without a second thought, grabbing her younger cousin just as the arrow was sent flying. It pierced through Sherri's side and she squeezed her eyes shut, blood beginning to drip from the wound.

"….." Raven didn't say a single word, but his aim remained on the two Blendys.

* * *

Kagura decided against leaving Jellal in the depths of the ocean to drown and instead brought him to shore. With her magic he didn't weight much, but the swim back was still difficult regardless. The mermaid panted heavily while staring at the unconscious saint before her. She could leave him to die…but she had to stop looking bad on the past. The only thing she could do right now was look forward and strive towards a better future. So she put her blade down and leaned in, giving Jellal CPR! _"You must live on…!"_

* * *

Heather, Azuma, Ikaruga, Knightwalker, Kyoka, and now Sophie who joined the fray mere seconds ago; all six of them assaulted Erza with no remorse as Neinhart watched gleefully, and as Daryan watched worriedly. "Dimaria and Wahl are so pathetic indeed. Observe how I single handedly have cornered and suppressed these weaklings with my magic alone. A simple task for yours truly. Emmeraude called you a 'Miracle Worker' of sorts. But can you do it? Can you pull off a miracle right now?"

Erza was unable to answer as she tumbled along the ground, only just barely coming to a halt. She had little choice but to block Knightwalker and Heather's strikes with her swords, but her stance was becoming weaker. Every time Heather hit her, it just added onto the exhaustion that her body was already feeling. She was going to collapse at this rate! "Kuh…!"

"Come on, can't you provide us with something a little more entertaining than this?" Kyoka mused while extending her claws out to slash at Erza, just as Ikaruga came in. Erza did manage to block their attacks, but barely.

"Yes, you took the words right out of my mouth!" Nieinhart clapped his hands together. "Come; provide me with entertainment only Fairy Tail's Erza Scarlet can offer! Your reputation does precede you!"

Erza flipped away from Kyoka and kicked her in the back of the head to send her stumbling into Ikaruga. _"This is getting overwhelming…I can't fight them like this…!"_ But she _had_ to keep fighting! She didn't know the meaning of giving up. As soon as Erza landed, Sophie was in front of her. "Sophie…!"

"Demolition Drive!" Sophie swung her fist at Erza's stomach. Titania was able to block the hit, but she still slid back as a result.

"Why are…" There was no time for questions. Erza sensed Azuma above her and took to the skies, swinging her leg up to beat him to the punch! Her foot collided against his cheek, showing that the fight within her was far from done.

"THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!" Azuma grinned, flipping around to kick Erza in her chin.

"Ugh…!" Grunting, Erza used her momentum once more to spin around, her leg smashing into the back of Azuma's neck to send him into the ship. Titania then took a very big risk by entering her Wing Blade Armor, using magic she was trying to conserve to send her blades forward in a slashing whirlwind. "Blade Tempest!" The blades did cut into all six of her foes, taking them by surprise with how quick they were! But as soon as she did this, she switched back to her Clear Heart, needing to make use of every strike she could land against them.

"She's still so strong! This is wonderful!" Ikaruga smirked as her kimono and skin suffered damages.

"She never knew when to quit…" Heather admitted while watching Erza fall. She was going to strike, but Knightwalker beat everyone to the next reaction.

"Mel-Force!" A violent vortex of wind erupted from the spear, shooting Erza down into the deck once again. Knightwalker's glare never left her counterpart's damaged body.

"Ngh…!"As soon as Erza landed, Kyoka and Ikaruga were on her! Kyoka's claws cut into Erza's abdomen, blood gushing out immediately while Ikaruga's sword slashed into her side, also drawing blood. Before she could move, Azuma was behind her, creating another forceful explosion that sent her rocketing forward. "AAAAH!" And then there was Knightwalker once again, who had the Explosion Spear pointed right at her. This explosion was far greater than Azuma's Bleve and sent Titania soaring away.

Sophie and Heather took aim. The purple haired girl aimed her gauntlet at Erza, gathering a mass of photon magic within it. "Shotstaff Blast!"

As for Heather, a magenta magic seal formed in front of her, releasing a plethora of poison coated scales. "Poison Dragon's Scales." These two attacks caught Erza in the middle and exploded on her. Titania's near lifeless body rag dolled along the deck before she finally came to a halt on her knees. She couldn't stand and her Clear Heart was in tatters. At this point she was only covered by the bandages on her body. Even so…that spark in her eyes didn't fade.

"What a wonderful spark in your eyes. Now I see why Emmeraude was so wary of you." Neinhart said this, though his tone lacked any concern. "You will surely become someone's Historia in the near future. Yet another beautiful corpse. To think that this was the woman who gave Ajeel a hard time…"

"Tie her up." Kyoka commanded, and Azuma did just that. Vines wrapped around Erza's legs to spread them apart, while her wrists were tightly bound together. At this point, Erza admittedly couldn't even struggle anymore. Heather's poison rendered her body nearly numb and being restrained like this didn't help.

Kyoka stepped forward, grinning at Erza. "This really brings us back, doesn't it Erza? How I fondly remember our time together in that torture chamber…" She placed a claw on Erza's head, her smile turning into a tender, sadistic one. "Would you like me to give you some more tender love and care, hm? I'll multiply your sense of pain by ten!" A swift slash to Erza's side granted her an all too familiar sensation; one that felt like her entire body was ripped apart. Because of this she let out an agonizing scream.

"ERZA…!" Daryan yelled, slamming his fist weakly onto the deck. This entire time he couldn't move a damn muscle because of his motion sickness! He felt…he felt so fucking useless!

"Oh my…" Ikaruga pouted. "Miss Kyoka, what improper conduct for a lady such as yourself."

"I'd prefer it if we just killed her without this dawdling." Azuma proclaimed his distaste for Kyoka's torture.

"…Please." Sophie turned away. She was only here to fight to help Emmeraude. But she herself didn't wish to see Erza tortured in this way. After all…she knew that Erza was a good person.

"Is that all you can muster, Scarlet?" Knightwalker sounded extremely disappointed. "Maybe I was wrong after all…"

"…" Heather didn't say a word. She just crossed her arms at the situation unfolding before her.

Kyoka dug her claw into Erza's wound, grinding her sharp nails against it with a hum. "Hmmm…let's up your sense of pain even more, shall we?" But then she moved that bloody claw to grope Erza's breast, giving it a tender squeeze. "Or would you rather…I raise your sensitivity in a _different_ way?" Instead of pain, Erza was going to experience brief pleasure that hit like a truck, but in her state that didn't help her. All she could do was groan and stifle a small moan. "Isn't this a wonderful trip down memory lane, Erza?"

"…Yeah…" Erza admitted. "But I've had enough of this little reunion." Her words caused them all to freeze. "There was indeed a time where you all stood before me, blocking my path. You were all fiercely powerful foes. However…you all tasted defeat at my hands and lay prone before me!" That was…true for most of them. Erza did beat Kyoka, Azuma, Ikaruga, and Knightwalker.

Kyoka, however, wasn't having it. She swung multiple times, slashing at Erza's body violently. "SILENCE!" But this time…Erza didn't flinch.

"Begone, departed spirits. Unless you wish to taste my blade once more! And you, Sophie, Heather. This is not your battle, but I will cut you both down if you stand in my way." This was Erza Scarlet.

"….." Those eyes. There was just a stunned silence as everyone failed to say a word.

Even Neinhart was shaken. Erza wasn't even looking at him, but he could feel her gaze burning into his soul! _"N-No…t-this can't be…"_ But at that moment, he recalled Emmeraude's words.

" _When she's cornered, she's at her absolute strongest. If you can push past the cornered Fairy…you can win."_

To think he'd actually be taking her advice, but now he saw why she gave it to begin with. "She's bluffing! Look at her body, she cannot withstand much more! Finish her off, NOW!" Neinhart commanded. While he was enjoying the pace of the battle thus far, he needed to rush the ending of this act now before Erza pulled off something. Neinhart's sudden fear wasn't just because of Erza, but now that he got a closer look at that ferocity…it reminded him of someone he knew all too well.

"GLADLY!" Kyoka yelled while slashing at Erza again, upping her sense of pain even more! Erza screamed out again and blood dripped down her body. "I want to relish in every sound she makes until her last breath!" It just continued. The others only watched as Erza was attacked ruthlessly. Her voice was getting weaker and weaker with each passing blow…

" _DAMN IT!"_ Daryan cursed himself. Erza was going to die and here he was just lying there because of his motion sickness! _"How can I…be so useless…!?"_

" _ **This is an order from me as your guild master! PROTECT FAIRY TAIL WITH EVERYTHING YOU CAN! I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!"**_

Gaia's last wish. She ordered them to protect Fairy Tail with everything they could. "No…I can't…" Daryan placed his hands on the ground, fighting against his sickness with everything he could muster. These sudden movements did cause his poorly done sitches to begin coming apart, but he wasn't going to worry about that now. _"She told me to protect Fairy Tail…and if I can't do that…what kind of ally am I?!"_ With a roar akin to a dragon's, Daryan forced himself up and ripped his wound open in the process, blood gushing from it!

"What the…!?" Neinhart's attention was now on Daryan. It wasn't just his attention, but everyone he conjured had a look of surprise. "He can move!?"

"You're the bastard…that made Kagura shed a tear. And you thought I was gonna…stand here and let you get away with that!? Skeletal Dragon's…CRIMSON STRIKE!" The dragon slayer took a few steps forward, conjuring a sharp bone coated in flame. He swung this bone with all his might, the flaming creation spinning and slicing through Erza's binds. He couldn't even catch it, he just started to fall over, but this split second gave Erza the opening she needed. "Erza…go…"

"…Thank you…" Erza muttered as she brought forth her Demon Blade: Crimson Sakura. Now nice of all of them to be lined up in front of her! A scarlet aura flared around Erza's blade and she lunged forward, delivering a decisive slash to get rid of all the Historia before her. "SCARLET CATACLYSM!" The slashes she delivered held a particular red glow to them, all of them exploding violently shortly thereafter. A critical blow like this was all she needed to be rid of them at once, and they all started to fade.

"ERRRRZAAAAA!" Kyoka screamed out in agony as she started to fade away. Azuma and Ikaruga never got the chance to say anything; all they could do was marvel at Erza's willpower.

"Took you long enough…" Heather spoke with a smile. "Erza…watch out for…Acnolgo…." The dragon slayer faded before she could finish.

"Mom…" Sophie felt a wound overtake her and she started to fade away again. "I'm sorry…I couldn't help you more…" Did Erza feel guilty after that one? Most certainly.

"There…you go…" Knightwalker dropped her spear and faded away. But after this strike, Erza collapsed and lost conscious.

All of Neinhart's creations…gone in a single strike. _"…W-What is this woman…!? Erza…Scarlet hair, and this magic power. T-There's no…it cannot be…Lady Eileen's…?"_ He didn't even realize it, but he was trembling.

Jellal and Kagura arrived on the scene…and what a scene it was before them. Erza and Daryan, both of them unconscious, lying in pools of their own blood that grew larger with each passing second. "ERZA…! DARYAN!" Kagura rushed over to the both of them. Erza's injuries were more eye catching, but Daryan's were also severe. Kagura was beside herself and wasn't sure how to cope with the situation. "All this blood...stay with us! Erza! D-Daryan…"

Jellal looked at the scene before immediately turning to Neinhart, mustering a glare filled with nothing but hate as a golden aura flared around his body. For the last decade, Jellal sought nothing but atonement for his sins and did everything he could to repent. But when he gazed upon the harm that Neinhart brought to Erza…all of that flew out of the window. There was absolutely no way that Jellal could forgive Neinhart for this…this unforgivable sin. His blue hair created a shade over his eyes and the port began to tremble and the sky overhead began to darken, resembling a starry night sky. "Here and now…I shall commit just one more sin."

.

.

Next Time: The Seven Stars.


	57. Chapter 57: The Seven Stars

Erza and Daryan were out cold. Their injuries were extremely severe and both of them were in danger of bleeding out. Kagura was beside herself, extremely worried for the two of them. What on earth happened while she was underwater with Jellal!? "You have to stay with us, both of you…!"

Meanwhile, Neinhart was trying to figure out what was going on with the sky. It was nearly sunset, so why the hell was it suddenly night time! "W-What the hell is this magic!?"

Kagura looked up to the starry night sky. "The sky, it's…"

"NO!" Neinhart refused to let things go down like this! He was cornering the weaklings! "T-This isn't how things were supposed to pan out. I won't be defeated!" He was still shaken by Erza's presence, though. There was no doubt in his mind that this woman was Lady Eileen's…

Kagura gently set Erza down, standing up to glare at Neinhart. "You did this to them, didn't you?"

"I was going to turn them into beautiful Historias. Surely they'll appear before you in a few moments? It would be quite beautiful…" Neinhart then snapped his fingers, refusing to yield just yet. "Unfortunately for you, a subject needn't be conscious for me to pull from their Historia!" Once again, Simon appeared beside Neinhart, acting as a shield since he knew full well Jellal wouldn't strike Simon down a second time! It wasn't just Simon either; two more familiar faces appeared to assist him in this battle.

"HAHA! Looks like she wasn't ready…" Byron Blade dropped down from above with his Explosion Hammer, preparing to slam it down on Kagura and the two unconscious mages nearby. "FOR THE BIG BANG!"

"…!" Kagura grabbed Erza and Daryan, using her gravity to make them both lighter and hurriedly pulled them back just as the man's hammer smashed against the deck, resulting in an explosion. "Who…!?"

"Byron…?!" Jellal grit his teeth. He'd have already blasted Neinhart into hell, but unfortunately the Spriggan was correct about him not wishing to strike him down a second time.

"What familiar faces…" Byron laughed while hoisting the explosion weapon over his shoulder. His joyous expression soon turned into a frown. "But where the hell is that pink-haired bitch!? The one that killed me!?"

"That's rude." Marisa appeared beside Byron, tapping her fingers along her arm. "Are you saying all pink haired women are evil?"

"You're kidding me…" Kagura gently set Erza down and took a step forward, glaring at the mages before her. "That abomination is not my brother. Stand aside or be cut down."

"You say that, but I can see the look in your eyes!" Neinhart was regaining control of the situation thankfully. "You know it's your brother, you can feel it in your heart and soul. I can see all of your Historia! Neither of you can muster the will to strike him down, and that is your weakness no matter how strong you may be! But instead of focusing on the past, how about you deal with those before you? Byron is from Erza's Historia, and lovely Marisa is from your own!"

"Don't remind me." Kagura glared. She hated to admit it, but Neinhart was correct about her as well.

Marisa stepped forward, narrowing her eye at Kagura. "You're the one that stopped me from helping Lady Emmeraude when she needed it most. If I wasn't distracted by you, I could've helped her take over Fiore for good!" She snapped her fingers, creating a link between Kagura and the unconscious Daryan and Erza. "These two are important to you, right? Then how about you feel their pain!"

"…!" It all happened so quickly. Kagura felt her body nearly go into shock from the pain. She was experiencing the pain of the injuries both Erza and Daryan sustained. "Ngh…!"

"Hm, doesn't feel great does it? Now imagine that pain 100 times over. That's how Emmeraude felt after what happened!" Marisa could grin knowing how much pain Kagura was in just from their injuries. "Magulity Sense can be quite the awful magic, don't you think? I can feel how worried you are for the both of them~"

"LET'S HAVE SOME FUN!" Byron lunged forward, requipping his Power Gloves and Boots. The former mage began swinging powerful hooks and kicks at Kagura's body, but she was still able to parry his strikes with her blade. She wasn't exactly on the winning end since her body felt incredibly weighed down, but she wasn't going to give up either.

"Come on, come on!" Marisa pointed her hand forward, a series of pink blast rocketing towards Kagura. "The least you could do is make this interesting!"

"Yes, I agree! Make this so very fun to watch!" Neinhart said with that grin of his.

"I'm borrowing this, Erza…" She said, swiping the Demon Blade from Erza's grip to wield both that and Archenemy. With two blades in hand, she was able to deflect both Byron's strikes and Marisa's blast. The blasts either deflected to the ocean or destroyed parts of the ship. She kept this defense for a while but it was slow and several attacks grazed her body. This left her open to a vicious kick to her chest by Byron, which sent her skidding backwards. Even though she herself had little injuries, the fact she was picking up on Erza and Daryan's pain made what was normally a light kick feel like a heavy slam. "Tch…"

"Kagura!" Jellal shifted his attention to Byron and Marisa. He was prepared to attack, but Kagura extending her arm out before him ceased his action.

"I'm fine." Kagura stood up straight, panting heavily. "I will cut down these imposters…and as soon as I do, you will strike that man down. We cannot let him get away with this crime." She laid out the plan for him. Sure they had fought together in the past…but this was now a cooperative effort to bring down this Spriggan – the man who dared to desecrate the dead and make a show out of it. The man who harmed Erza…and Daryan, the man who dared to make use of her older brother like this. She intended to make him pay.

* * *

"Ice Make: Geyser!" Gray, Lyon, and Ultear all threw their hands down at once, creating an enlarged glacier of ice to rise up and strike Ur who appeared before them, but…

"Ice Volcano!" Even after all these years, Ur still had the three of them beat. The ground swelled before a powerful eruption of ice consumed the three ice mages. Before they could even get their bearings straight, she followed up with another ice make spell. "Ice Make: Rosen Krone!" A violent swirl of frozen vines appeared, tearing into the three of them once more.

"Guh!" Gray landed hard on his back, grimacing in pain after taking those two consecutive hits.

"Damn it…!" Lyon wiped away some blood from the corner of his mouth. "She's just as strong as she was back then…it doesn't feel like we've made any progress at all!"

"Even after all this time…she's still…" Ultear trailed off.

"That ain't Ur damn it!" Gray exclaimed, catching both Ultear and Lyon off guard. "That's just an enemy who looks like her! Her death…both of them were on my hands. So it's up to us that we make this right."

"Not me, huh?" Ur lifted a brow while tearing off her jacket. Just like in their battle with her two years ago, the devil slaying markings were running across her left arm and all the way up to the side of her face. "That's pretty rude, don't you think?"

"Tch…" Lyon scowled at Gray's words. They both had been working in their own way to surpass Ur from the moment she died. While they did manage to get the best of her once…the way it happened wasn't the way Lyon wished for it to. Not to mention… "Do you think it's all right for you to keep shouldering that type of blame on yourself? It's not just about you, idiot." The dynamic ice mage snapped at Gray. "She was my teacher too. Two years ago the three of us were barely able to fend her off…I don't claim that as surpassing her."

Gray and Lyon always talked about surpassing Ur, but that…that wasn't quite the same for Ultear. Her mother pulled her out of the darkness, and she managed to return the favor once. What difference was she able to make with the life her mother gave her? That question pooled in her mind for so long and resurfaced once again with Ur in front of her once more. "I just want to make the life she gave me a good one…" And because of that, her orb floated around her body. Ultear admittedly didn't have a whole lot of magic after the Dimaria fight, and the scale of Ur's attacks would take too much to erase. So she focused on offensive. "Go!" Her orb flew forward, splitting into multiple copies to overwhelm the elder ice maker.

"That trick won't work a second time." Ur swiped her hand, a chilling aura expelling from her body. This aura instantly froze Ultear's orb in place, causing it to drop to the ground, suspended in animation. Before Ultear could even display shock at this, a blast of ice was sent forward, speeding past Gray and Lyon to strike Ultear in the shoulder, and boy did that hurt. It hurt so much Ultear ended up collapsing.

"Ultear…!" Gray grit his teeth before crafting a bow and arrow composed of purple ice within his hands. "Ice Devil Zeroth's Destruction Bow!" Gray pulled the bowstring back and let the arrow fly!

"Ice Make: Snow Dragon!" Lyon immediately followed suit with a one handed motion to craft and summon a large dragon of snow. This elongated dragon shot forward alongside Gray's arrow, both attacks aiming to strike Ur where it hurt.

"Ice Make…Frenzy." Ur calmly threw her hands forward, causing large vines of ice to shoot up from the ground wildly, destroying the two incoming attacks. These whipping plants caught the two ice makers off guard and took them for a ride, violently slamming them into the ground. But in the process, Ur realized that there was a cut on her cheek. When did that happen?

"Damn it…she's still strong…" Lyon gasped for air. It was just like back then, too. But he didn't plan on giving up. He wasn't the same man he was all those years ago. He planned to surpass Ur one way or another…

"We did it once before…" Ultear held her injured arm, panting softly at the foe before them. "As much as I don't want to, we can do it again."

"We just have to take that first step…." Gray grabbed his shirt and threw it off.

"That first step towards a brighter future!" Lyon said, moving in tandem with Gray to throw his own shirt off. Ultear definitely wasn't going to do that, but her spirit was there nonetheless.

Ur quirked a brow at their enthusiasm. "Show me that future you want to head towards, then." The woman quickly drew her arm forward, crafting a longsword of devil slaying ice to slash at all of them from a distance. The blade was only stopped by a joint effort shield from all three of them, but that shield wasn't going to last another hit. "Ice Devil's…" Ur prepared to finish the three of them off right there, but she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. How did Gray get behind her so fast? "What…?"

It wasn't just Gray either. While Gray struck from the left, Lyon came in from the right, and the very injured Ultear struck from right in front of her. It was a triangle attack! "Cygnus Bladed Wings!" Lyon spread his arms apart, several glaciers of ice rapidly shooting from the ground to converge on Ur.

"Ice Devil Zeroth's Longsword!" Gray swung his arm forward, mirror Ur's prior attack to conjure a longsword of Devil Slaying magic. With the reach and quickness of his swing, it reached Ur in no time to cleave along her chest.

"Ice Make: Rosen Krone!" And lastly, Ultear. She attacked from the front, shooting forth an enlarged amount of frozen vines to strike Ur directly where it hurt! All three of these attacks landed true and their combined might was enough to fell the Historia of Ur that did nothing more than spit on her memory! Even so, the three of them expended a huge amount of magic after this and fell to their hands and knees. It was at this moment that the sky around them began to darken… "Jellal…?"

"W-What's going on now…?" Lyon panted while staring up at the night sky.

* * *

Laxus and Hades were going at it. The lightning dragon was putting up a tough fight considering he was still recuperating from the battle with Wahl. Multiple bolts of lightning collided against Hades' chains, resulting in numerous explosions. "What's with you Fairy Tail founders and not staying put in your graves?! SHIT!" Laxus was huffing and puffing, extremely annoyed that the founding members of Fairy Tail were relics who just didn't know how to stay dead.

"Grr…" Hades didn't respond, but he merely growled. A chain extended from his hand, clasping against Laxus' bare chest. This allowed the former Fairy Tail member to fling Laxus around, dragging him into a brick wall for a vicious impact. The chain shattered and Laxus let out a grunt of pain. At this point he really was pushing his limit and not in the good way.

Laxus regained himself, gathering electricity in a large orb over his head. This orb of lighting then shot forward violently, colliding with multiple bullets released from Hades' fingertips. With this opening, Laxus used his Lightning Body to speed forward, now literally head to head with Hades, both of them bearing their fangs at one another. "YOUR ERA IS LONG OVER, YOU DAMN RELIC!" Laxus roared at the top of his lungs just to get his point across. The people that they were fighting now…their time was over. There was no reason for them to be alive anymore and it was time they were put to rest once and for all. "It's about time you repent for what you did to the First, and go back to hell where you belong!"

Hades scowled at these words, pushing against Laxus with everything he could muster. "…Tch…"

Laxus brought a lightning infused fist to Hades' gut, forcing the ancient relic of a man to hunch over. After this hit, the lightning around Laxus' free hand surged to even greater heights! No red lightning, but a blow like this was practically just as mighty. "Secret Dragon Slaying Art: ROARING THUNDER!" A vicious blow was brought down on Hades' temple, crushing him into the concrete ground with a thunderous BOOM echoing out from the impact. That was the finishing blow he needed to bring Hades down, and not a moment too soon. He could feel himself starting to black out. "Just because you were a monster in your time…doesn't mean you hold up in this era. Now go the fuck to bed and stay in that dirt nap…" Those were the last words Laxus could utter before his body finally gave out from how hard he pushed it.

* * *

Wendy and Cynthia were having a hard time with Ezel and Rose alike. Wendy's leg injury made it difficult for her to move the way she wanted to, while Cynthia's arm injury limited some of her options. As such, they had to resort to Dragon Force as it was about as much as they could muster right now without overexerting themselves. "Wendy, can you move!?" Cynthia asked.

"Not as well as I want to…" Wendy admitted. "I-I don't know what they're doing here, though!"

"That doesn't matter! We have to beat them again!" Cynthia yelled while inflating her cheeks. "Omega Fire Dragon's…"

Wendy followed suit, her cheeks puffing up. "Sky Dragon's…"

"ROAR!" The two girls exhaled, their usual combination of wind and fire growing exponentially as it traveled towards the demon duo.

"HAHA!" Ezel crossed his arms, his curse allowing him to form blades that cut through anything. Their combination attack was no exception as an X-shaped slash cut through their dual roar, threatening to chop them in half! The best the two girls could do was roll to opposite sides to avoid being cut. "This time, I'm going to make sure I enjoy my meal!"

"Fuck your meal; _I'm_ killing the both of them!" Rose spat as she gunned for Cynthia, while Ezel went for Wendy.

Wendy winced as she came to a halt, placing a hand on her thigh. The injury she sustained from Dimaria still hurt a lot but she could let it slow her down. She bounced into the air for the advantage against Ezel. "Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" A whirlwind appeared within her hands and she swung them down, releasing two twisters of wind that converged on Ezel and tore into him.

"I remember annoying attack!" Ezel growled and entered his Slashing Form, chopping all the wind up before it could pose any more of a problem. While he did sustain damage, it wasn't enough to pause his bloodlust. Just as Wendy fell from the ground, a tentacle quickly rose up to slam her into a box! She let out a scream of pain and Ezel laughed at it.

Oh…but it was much worse than that. Something was very wrong. Wendy's hands went to her thigh and she whimpered. "M-My leg…I…I can't feel my leg!"

"WENDY!" As soon as Cynthia heard Wendy's cry of pain she went to assist immediately. However, her injured arm was fiercely gripped by Rose and she felt it. "Agh…!"

"Where do you think you're going? You and I have some unfinished business!" Rose brought up her free hand, similar devil slaying ice forming around her fist. "You two love sharing everything…so you can share the same injury as well!" The red eyed demon glared while slamming her fist into Cynthia's thigh. Since Cynthia was technically part demon, that hurt a lot.

"Ow…!" Cynthia yelped while glaring back at Rose. "Why do you keep popping up in my life!? I thought for sure you'd be dead when I-" She was interrupted Rose's fist slamming into that same spot. Cynthia cried out once more and she was certain she'd lose the feeling in her leg, and maybe the entire limb if this kept up.

"That monster in your head…I can't stand her! And you...even if I'm not here physically, I'm everything you try to hide!" What a cliché line, but still true nonetheless. Cynthia's uncontrollable animosity at certain times was essentially Rose.

"I don't care!" Cynthia growled while coating her free elbow in the same ice, sharply jabbing it into Rose's gut. This caused Rose to recoil, allowing Cynthia to get her arm free (though at this point it was just as useless as Wendy's leg), and retaliate with a kick to her counterpart's skull, causing her to stagger back. "The two of us are two sides of the same coin, but you don't have that hold on me anymore. As long as I have Wendy…as long as I have Fairy Tail, I won't be that person anymore!"

"You make me sick!" Rose snarled and shifted to Demon Drive, the heat emanating from her body causing the surrounding area to heat up and nearly melt. Cynthia had no choice but to do the same, pushing her body just as far as she normally would. "Omega Fire Demon's…RAGE!" Rose parted her lips, a darkened funnel of demonic red flames shooting at Cynthia violently. But it never hit her, for an unexpected figure stood between the two of them. "Huh!?"

Alex was in front of Cynthia, clad in her black armor. Her resistance to fire still carried to Rose, although with the heat of Demon Drive, she'd be lying if she said she didn't feel it. "A-Alex…!?" Cynthia gasped.

"Sorry…we just couldn't stand back and watch you two get hurt." Alex said.

Before Cynthia could even question the 'we' Carla came flying forward at full throttle. "WENDY!" It was the most desperate flight of Carla's life, snatching Wendy just before Ezel's blade could slam down on her.

"Carla…!?" Wendy's eyes were wide. Carla lifted Wendy safely into the air out of Ezel and Rose's reach.

"When you can't walk on your own, I'll be your legs! I'll be your wings! The two of us will always be together, forever!" God, that was such a close save, but Carla was glad she made it. Honestly, she was so caught up in Wendy and Cynthia having their moment before, she completely forget to let Wendy know how she felt as well. They would always be friends no matter what.

Wendy felt like she could cry. Carla's words touched her heart, but she couldn't cry yet. They had a battle to win. "Mhm."

"I haven't been the best big sister to you…" Alex turned her head to look back at Cynthia. "But you're the best sister anyone could ask for. So I promise…I'll protect everything you care about and do my best to be a better sister!"

"Alex…" Cynthia felt her eyes water. Honestly, Cynthia already thought Alex was doing her best. They lived in different countries after all, but it touched her knowing that even though they weren't related by blood, Alex still thought highly of the bond they shared when they were kids.

"YOU MAKE ME SICK!" Rose roared while slamming her fist into Alex's face. While the flames didn't do much damage, her raw power was enough to force Alex into a nearby building.

"Tch…!" Cynthia returned to reality and spread her dragon wings, taking to the sky next to Wendy and Carla. "Thank you, Alex." She then drew her good arm back, red flames beginning to take shape in a massive spiral behind her back. "Come on Wendy…let's end this once and for all!"

"Are you ready, Wendy!?" Carla asked.

"Yeah!" Wendy nodded, pulling her arm back as well, cyan wind forming behind her, instantly merging with Cynthia's flames. "We're making it out of this together! Every last one of us!"

"TWIN WAVE!" The two girls threw their arms forward, releasing a brilliant combination of fire and wind that took the appearance of a spiraling beam of red and blue light. This beam pierced through the sky, soaring towards Ezel and Rose at breakneck speeds.

"W-What the…!?" Rose was genuinely taken aback by this. "D-DAMN YOOOU BOTH…!"

"This again!?" Ezel planned to cut through it, but just like last time, he never had a chance. Both Ezel and Rose let out cries of pain as they were consumed by Wendy and Cynthia's full power combination, leaving nothing but a crevasse in the ground and embers in its wake. Their Historia had been soundly defeated.

* * *

Zancrow clapped his hands together, consuming Meredy in a sphere of pitch black fire and lightning, laughing the whole time. "This time, I'm gonna make sure you burn!" The flame god slayer cackled as Meredy cried out. The sphere then exploded violently, throwing Meredy against the ground. "Oh ho, I'm not done yet!"

Meredy was hurting, but she really couldn't stay down against someone like Zancrow. The woman threw her hand forward, releasing multiple pink beams that struck against the God Slayer's frame, pushing him back slightly. "Juvia, are you okay!?"

"Juvia is…" Juvia was currently defending herself from an onslaught of Keith's attacks. The mere sight of the Necromancer nearly had her scared stiff. After all, because she defeated him, Gray's father died as a result. Even though Gray thanked her for it, it was still something that weighed heavily on her mind. "Juvia is okay!"

"Ironic, isn't it?" Keith questioned as black mist assaulted Juvia. "How amusing that _I_ would become a puppet! Hahaha!"

"Desecrating the dead like this…it's despicable!" Juvia grit her teeth while swiping her hand diagonally, creating a crescent beam of water to slice through Keith's body. Although it didn't do much aside from create a brief hole in his body that fixed itself as soon as it formed.

"Soon you'll become one of the dead…" Keith said as several tendrils shot out from his body, wrapping around Juvia's arms and legs just like before to drag her inside his Magic Barrier Particle body, but he also didn't plan on falling for the same trick a second time.

"Juvia!" Meredy saw Juvia's struggle and attempted to rush to her aid, but Zancrow's fiery fist caught her side and caused her to slide back. "Ngh…!"

"Where do you think you're going!?" Zancrow spoke as his pitch black flames grew even stronger. "I'm not done with you yet!"

Meredy lifted her hand into the air, multiple magulity blades forming around her body. She then sent half the blades at Zancrow, who dodged because he remembered how her attacks worked, but the other half went to Keith. Since they didn't deal physical damage, they were able to pierce through his mist-like body and free Juvia. "Juvia, form a link with me!" Meredy said as a band appeared around her wrist.

"You think that's gonna help you!?" Zancrow smirked. "You're cornered!" He was right in a sense. Zancrow on one side and Keith on the other; it forced Juvia and Meredy to be back to back with one another. The two females weren't looking so great, but that was never a cause to give up.

"You wouldn't understand, since you've been alone all this time." Meredy narrowed her eyes at Zancrow, "If two people who believe in each other unwaveringly share a sensory link, their power will be amplified many times over! That's something you'd never understand Zancrow, because you've been alone all this time!" The mage exclaimed while lifting her arm into the air. "After that fight from two years ago…I realized we could take this one step further."

"I see…" Juvia smiled, bringing her arm back to link with Meredy. As soon as she did this, she could feel her power rising in tandem with Meredy's. She felt the confidence to blow these two away! "You've come up with quite the wonderful spell."

"That was the true purpose of this magic." Meredy explained. "Never to hurt people…but to strengthen the bonds between them and turn that into power."

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Zancrow lunged forward, the black flames around his hands roaring intensely.

"It's time for you to join the ranks of the dead!" Keith yelled while releasing a blast from his cane.

As soon as they did this, Juvia and Meredy lifted their hands into the air, working together to create yet another unison raid. A spiral of water and magulity sense exploded from around them, covering an exceptionally large distance around them. "MAGULITY WATER!" The two females exclaimed. The surge of power was so strong, both Zancrow and Keith were caught within its wake and sent soaring high into the sky above! Dead or alive, there was no way either of them were coming back from that.

* * *

Reve, Kuro, and Waiston all staggered backwards from Zalen's attacks. It wasn't that they were having a hard time with his abilities, but they didn't exactly want to fight Zalen in this way. Zalen, however, seemed a little peeved at all this and adjusted his glasses. "Come on guys, stop holding back. How can I feel good about this if you're all not fighting back the way I know you can?"

"That isn't the issue here…" Waiston coughed.

"How are you gonna beat Alvarez if you can't even beat me?" Zalen asked. The way he said that caused their eyes to widen. "You better hit me with everything you got, otherwise I'm going to end it here and take a nice hot shower after this."

"That's just like you…" Reve stood back up, wearing a slight smirk on his lips.

"Everything we've got huh…?" Kuro rotated his arm. It was Zalen's formal last request, and as much as it pained him to strike down a brother, he had to do it. They all had to do it. "All right then, Zalen. We'll do it. So you better put up your strongest wall, and we'll knock it right down!"

"That's more like it." Zalen pushed his glasses up once more before raising his hands, a gigantic wall of Eclipse magic forming right in front of him. "EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!"

"You don't have to say it again!" Waiston caught the gist. The wind started to pick up around him as he entered his Frozen Sky dual mode, his cheeks beginning to inflate. "Roar of the Frozen Sky Dragon!" Waiston parted his lips, releasing an unrelenting blizzard from his mouth right for Zalen's wall.

The red markings of Kuro's Devil Slaying crawled up his arm and he did the same thing: strike at Zalen with all his might. "Fire Make: Gold!" An intense wave of fire rushed out from his body, instantly covering the ground between him and Zalen.

As for Reve, the only thing he could do was go forth with his trusty magnum. The six chambered gun rotated once as he clicked the trigger, expending a quite a bit of magic for the spell to work. The bullet, along with Waiston and Kuro's attacks struck Zalen's wall and shattered it, throwing the building mage back violently. "There we go…" Zalen said as he started to fall, noticing Reve's pistol trained on him. "Give 'em hell…"

"We will." Reve gave a slight nod and fired the trigger. The bullet struck Zalen right between the eyes and the Historia faded away. "We'll make sure that rest of yours is peaceful, old friend…"

* * *

Melody threw Veronica out of the building, hunched over and panting heavily. "Man…I forgot how annoying you were!"

"I can say the same thing!" Veronica pointed accusingly at Melody. "What happened to the Melody I used to know! She was so cruel and evil, a little creepy at times but still! You are _not_ the woman I grew up with!"

"I know." Melody placed her hand over her heart. "But losing my memories back then was the best thing that ever happened to me. Because now I'm in a better place! Maybe I was a little too hasty back then…I could've brought you along too, Vero. Because you were my best friend."

"D-Don't talk to me like that! YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT!" Veronica screamed as she took hold of large debris and flung it at Melody. She tried to defend against most of it, and it still hurt. "YOU ABANDONED ME!"

Melody grit her teeth before leaping forward, brandishing a blade of silver with lightning surging through it. "As my final act as your best friend…it'll be making you less grumpy! Take a nap, Vero! Silver Make: Lightning Blade!" The mage hopped onto the flying pieces of rubble, propelling herself forward until finally reaching her friend for a finishing slash along her side. "And sleep tight."

"….Mel…." Veronica started to collapse backwards, but she faded away before she fell.

"Melody…!" Milliana, Beth, and Arana rushed over to the exhausted maker, catching her before she fell. "Are you okay!?"

Melody managed a weak smile at the people she called family. "Peachy. How's the idiot doing?" She was referring to Shadowlore.

"Pretty well." Arana pointed back.

Shadowlore was in his wolf form, darting along the ground while evading Karma's blasts. Shadowlore's claws shone brightly and he lunged forward like the predator he was, cleaving across Karma's chest with precision and ease. "Wolf Style: Full Moon Slash!"

"NGH!" Karma growled and turned around to blast at Shadowlore. It was a direct hit, but Lore only slid back a tiny bit. "You insolent…w-wait…what's happening!?" He was already fading away!? That couldn't be right.

"You were never really that strong to begin with, old man." Lore returned to his human form, looking over his shoulder.

"Yeah! You were just a bully!" Hiruka exclaimed, punching Karma in the nose with his little paw. "Daryan, Alex, Yazkuza, Lore, Magnus, and Gaia have outgrown you years ago! You're just an old relic at this point!"

"What the little guy said." Lore nodded and placed his hands into his pockets. "I made a promise to Gaia to fight with all I had for these chumps. You're way past your prime, not that it would help you against the likes of the mighty Shadowlore anyway. So why don't you go back into the hole you crawled from."

"YOUUUUUU!" Karma could only scream as he faded away.

"Not bad!" Risley said.

Arana took a glance around and realized something – the troops of Alvarez were extremely low! "The enemy forces are thinning! We just need one more push…!"

"FOR JUSTICE!" That voice…

"Wait…" Beth turned to the port's entrance, where a lone man stood. The bringer of Justice: Fullbright! "Is that…?"

Fullbright looked behind him, only to realize that he was alone. He was so eager to join the battle he went ahead of everyone else. "Oh, excuse me!" After a moment, an entire squadron of Councilmen began to flood into the port tone. "We will not allow Alvarez to do as they please in our country! We will strike back and ensure these villains get JUSTICE!" That's right, even though they were late; the Council was finally joining the fray!

* * *

"What's the matter? You two seem a little slow." Blake adjusted his tie before holding his hand out. "White God's Holy Ray." A plethora of white rays shot forth from his palm, intending to collide against his ex-spouse and child.

"Mirror shield!" Luke held his hand up, creating a mirror as he usually did. This mirror reflected the rays back at Blake, despite having no effect. "I'm tired of you already!" Luke yelled while entering his Pseudo-God Mode, mainly to conserve magic. "Bellow…"

What a wonderful idea. Diana did the same thing, entering her dual mode as well, mostly as a show of dominance to Blake. "I want a divorce." She said before puffing her cheeks out in time with Luke. "Bellow…"

"OF THE BLACK AND WHITE GOD!" An unintentional unison raid. Mother and son unleashed a powerful spiral of black and white god slaying that merged together into a large blast, easily consuming and destroying Blake in its wake. There was nothing he could do but scream as he was destroyed. After the attack faded, Diana clapped her hands together. "Oh, that was exciting!"

"No it wasn't!" Luke yelled. "Did you have to do the same thing I did!?" He also didn't like being copied, ironic for those who forgot.

"Oh, I just thought of it as bonding." Diana replied.

"You're impossible." Luke groaned.

* * *

Sherri was still kind of okay after taking that hit from Raven, but it hurt nonetheless. "Sherri…!" Chelia knelt down and instinctively tried to heal her cousin, but nothing happened. Plus it hurt to try and use magic she actually didn't have anymore. "W-What's going on…I don't…"

"They're illusions of some kind!" Said Aira, who just finished toppling the Historia of her father. "They're closely tied to the heart, but they can't be real…!"

"I see…" Sherri stood back up, putting her arm in front of Chelia while glaring at Raven. "I'm sorry for what I'm about to do, Chelia."

"Sherri, wait..!" Chelia pleaded. She knew where this was going and couldn't bear to see Raven die a second time. "I…I…!"

"This isn't Raven." Sherri told her cousin as her doll magic came into play. The surrounding rubble turned into a large rock monster with a heavy fist raised up over Raven's head. "Even though I specifically told him not to do anything that would hurt you, he put your life over his. He loved you and wouldn't do something like this. That's why…I'm going to crush this imposter."

"…!" Chelia couldn't watch and turned away.

Raven, however, didn't move. He only looked up as the large rock hand fell on top of him. "…You know me so well…" Raven uttered these last words before he was ultimately crushed. Sherri didn't want to do it honestly, but Chelia was hurting and meant so much to her. She promised to protect her no matter what. Those last words carried a lot of weight and their meaning wasn't missed by the two Blendys.

* * *

Daityas stood over the exhausted Leon, a little disappointed above all else. "That's a shame. You remember me being this strong? I'm not even that strong anymore…haha."

"Damn you…" Leon's emerald gaze glared up at Daityas. For Leon, going further than his body would ever allow was a norm for him, always pushing past limits time and time again. This was no exception and he forced himself to stand, but Daityas stopped him.

"I was just having some fun playing with you." A veil of hell flames wrapped around Daityas' body and his figure started to vanish. While it was the real him present, this presence was nothing more than a clone to toy with someone and cause havoc. "I just wanted to see your face when you realized that I hadn't gone anywhere yet. But don't worry; I'll see you again real soon. If you can make it out of this war that is…"

* * *

"I don't feel right striking her down…" Tristan stared at Ola and all the shadowy apparitions beside her. She was formally the Black Phoenix master until she…well, died. Tristan held her in high regard and fighting her now wasn't something he wished to do. "Whether you want to or don't doesn't matter right now." Cygnus stared right ahead. "The fact of the matter is that she's an enemy right in front of us. If we want to win this war, we have to do it!" With Rebellion at his side, Cygnus charged forward, cutting through the shadows Ola cast. Gravity enhanced his swings, allowing for powerful cuts.

"He's right…" Hikaru gave a nod. "I don't want to fight Ola either, but it's our only chance at victory." Ola stood there, not making a move. She just listened to them talk as anyone else would, despite having the prime chance to do so. Hikaru allowed ice to form along her limbs, striking down the creatures that came their way.

"…I know he's right. Ola wouldn't want to live on like this, used by the enemy…!" Tristan slammed his fist into his palm. "Steel Make: Lance!" The steel make mage threw his hands forward, steel lances shooting forward to strike through the shadows, creating the opening Cygnus needed to put an end to this once and force all.

With the opening needed, the gravity god took to the air, lifting his sword over his head while coming down at Ola. "This is for your own good, Ola!" The gravity intensified around the Eclipse mage, causing him to rocket to the ground like a meteor. With this momentum behind him, a fierce slash cut across Ola's chest to finish her off!

Ola started to fade, but there was a smile on her lips. _"…Ah…it was nice to see you all again. You've all gotten nice and strong…that's wonderful…"_ Her Historia was gone, but her parting words touched the heart, that was for sure.

* * *

Apollo Flame's Sun Barrier protected him from Jin's onslaught of astral arrows. "Haha! Your puny might means nothing to a god such as myself!"

Jin took a step back, giving Jaxon a side eye. "You were right, bro. This guy is really annoying."

"Right?" Jaxon sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose. "We don't have the time to play with you, though."

"I don't have to listen to you!" Apollo Flame lifted his hand into the air, generating heat and flame into a gigantic, large sphere overhead that resembled the sun itself. "I'm going to burn you and this entire port town to ashes. Fear the might of the Sun God: Apollo Flame! SUN BURST!" Apollo roared while swinging his hand down.

Jaxon's hair wavered in the wind as he decided to show that he wasn't just sitting on his ass as White Eclipse's new guild master. "Time to put that new spell to use…" A spell he read from the Book of Calium of course. Multiple 'moon orbs' of Eclipse magic and fire formed in front of Jaxon and Jin. The core of these moons pulsated violently before black orbs of flame shot from the center, contacting the 'sun' Apollo Flame made and stuck to it. "Eclipse Flames!" As he exclaimed these, each individual orb exploded violently, creating a rather hellish scene that caught even Apollo in its wake, destroying the Sun Burst he was so proud of.

"GAAAH!" Apollo cried out. "What?! How did you!?"

Jin followed suit, a golden light flaring around his body as the power of the stars gathered within his fist. He sped forward, using the opening Jaxon granted him to end this little charade once and for all. "You might be the sun, but this is my universe! Now you'll taste the true power of the stars! SUPERNOVA!" Jin thrusted his fist into Apollo Flame's chest, where a searing white light exploded from his palm, swallowing the Sun God whole. Apollo's last sound was a cry of pain that was drowned out by the sheer size of the explosion Jin caused. Apollo Flame was no more, once again.

* * *

"Luminous Demon's Rain!" Tobias lifted his hand into the air, a magic seal forming above him and Taya. There was a rain of light that made the demoness uncomfortable. Tobias' Demon Slaying was a problem, but she wasn't going to let him have the satisfaction of him knowing that. They could never let Tobias have anything after all. "Doesn't feel good, does it!?"

"No, the sound of your grating voice never feels good against me ears…" Taya lifted her hand up, a black seal forming under her. She used a similar technique, droplets of darkness rising up into the sky to counter Tobias' rain while also catching him within it as well.

"Gnk…!" Tobias crossed his arms as the darkness struck his body.

With this opening granted. Taya took a step forward while drawing her arm back, multiple seals appearing along her limb until a pitch black sphere formed within the palm of her hand. "If you want to take your anger out on someone, it should be Maggie or Kiora. Who knows where they are, though? But I know where you'll be going." Taya threw the sphere and it immediately collided against him, exploding violently and threw him back into a wall. "Back into the hell you came from."

"Ngk…" Tobias tried to pry himself from the wall, but by then, Taya's obsidian blade pierced into his chest. There was no blood…probably because he was never 'real' to begin with. "Damn it…"

"Sleep tight, and don't wake up again either." Taya said while drawing her blade back, the Historia of Tobias fading away.

* * *

Back on the ship, Kagura was having a hard time fending off Byron and Marisa's strikes. Her body felt slow and heavy from feeling Erza and Daryan's pain, allowing several attacks to graze her, but she wasn't down yet. Kagura's center of gravity was light to allow for quicker movements, while the blades she used had heavy gravity to increase their power. "Yeah, yeah! This is pretty good!" Byron yelled while swinging at Kagura, enjoying the fact that this was a losing battle for her.

"She won't survive much longer! Not while she's carrying their pain!" Marisa taunted from afar.

"If you think me carrying their pain is a burden…" Kagura slipped past a slash from Bryon's blade, landing a fierce cut along his side. "Then you aren't prepared for what I'm going to deliver to you."

"Ooooh, scary…." Marisa was taunting, but she could feel Kagura's glare burn into her soul. So she was a little scared.

"I'll cut you down…!" Kagura lunged at Marisa, but it was in that instant that everything with black. Dark Instant. "Simon…!?" And at that moment, she felt the sensation of a blade piercing through her chest. The woman's eyes widened for a moment because it was close to her heart, but not quite there. That wasn't the frightening part, however. She wasn't bleeding. Whatever stabbed into her didn't hit her…

The darkness faded and Byron ended up stabbing the unconscious Daryan in the chest. "Aw man…" Byron sighed. "I was just about to stab him when you made things all dark! Then again, I never really knew where the heart was anyway…" In other words, Daryan didn't die from that strike. If he had, Kagura would have dropped then and there.

Kagura's body nearly went into shock. One eye clenched shut and she fell to a knee, gasping for air. But when she saw what Byron had done to Daryan, her eyes widened before narrowing into a death glare. But Byron's words did catch her attention. Simon made it dark just before he stabbed Daryan, huh…? "You'll pay for that." Kagura's speed was never to be underestimated. Byron couldn't even blink before she cut him with both blades.

"W-What…? How…" Bryon stared as his body began to tip over. "That's not…right…"

"W-Wha…She got really scary…!" Marisa pointed her hand at Erza, planning to take her out. If she did that, then Kagura would follow naturally. A pink blast shot out, only to immediately be deflected by Kagura's Archenemy. "Ack…!"

"I told you that you'd pay." Before Marisa even had the chance to react, Kagura swung her blade down to violently cut across her midsection. "I don't want to deal with you ever again."

"Ngh…" Marisa began to fade as well from the direct hit, but she had tears in her eyes as she did so. "Lady Emmeraude…I'm sorry." As soon as she faded, the sensory link between Kagura, Erza, and Daryan was broken.

This…this was bad for Neinhart. Now the situation was slipping away from him again within a few mere moments! "Simon!" He commanded Simon to lunge forward, and he did so. "Will you do it!? Will you strike your brother down!? Will you be the reason for his second death!?"

Cut. The sound of a single blade cutting through a person's skin. Kagura didn't have to think twice on it; she was already in the air, having just finished slicing through Simon's body. "You can say what you will…but that isn't my brother. I will not be fooled by your magic!" Despite all of this, Simon could finally fade away with a smile. Oh, how his sister had grown…he was happy he could see the woman she became, even if it was only for a few moments… "DO IT, JELLAL!"

Now was his time. Jellal waited and trusted Kagura could hold out for this. In the night sky above, seven large lights began to appear, each one connected by a thin line. "The jury of the dead you've mocked…me, your executioner…"

"W-Wait….!" Neinhart was now desperately trying to find another Historia to distract them with, but it wasn't working! In fact, every Historia he brought forth had been destroyed. "W-What's going on!? Where are they!?"

"The light of the seven stars will be your judge! GRAND CHARIOT!" The seven stars above dropped down massive pillars of light upon Neinhart. These gigantic pillars utterly annihilated the ship they were on while also consuming the Spriggan within its powerful wake. In this court, there was absolutely no escaping for Neinhart. The unforgivable sins committed by this man today…were being returned 100 fold!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH…!" Neinhart screamed as the light consumed him. This was his repentance. When the light faded and the sky returned the normal, he was unconscious, bloodied, and fell into the water after that single strike. Neinhart of the Spriggan 12 was defeated…and with that, the Liberation of Port Hargeon was a victory for Fiore.

The sky returned to normal and the sun began set. The critically wounded Erza barely managed to open her eyes, getting a view of the sight before her. "…What a beautiful, scarlet sky…"

* * *

Fairy Tail. They managed to fix the hole in the wall, but the one in the roof was still an issue. That wasn't important right now. Natsu slammed his hands onto a table while making his proclamation. "I've made up my mind! I'm gonna go bring the pain to that bastard coming from the east?"

"That's a terrible idea." Sidney immediately said, but Natsu ignored him.

"I'm going too!" Lucy said.

"Don't forget me!" Happy added.

"Going after the strongest dude again? Didn't that not work for you last time?" Mii pointed out.

Makarov, however, was against this. "I cannot agree to this."

Natsu was immediately in his face, sneering at the opposition of this idea. "I can't just sit around! You expect me to wait here for the enemy to waltz in and go to town on us!?"

"We're talking about the most powerful member of the Spriggan 12 here!" Makarov fired back.

"You are mistaken." Brandish walked into the main hall. She still had her magic sealing cuffs on, but at this point she wasn't even going to try anything. "It would be more accurate to say that he is the strongest individual."

"How the HELL did you escape your cell!?" Macao asked.

"I let her out." Natsu replied.

"I helped." Zelos added.

"WHY!?" Macao shouted.

"I mean…she's not a bad person. Just look at Mii." Natsu shrugged. "So I figured what's the harm…"

"Stop using Mii as an example…!" Mii huffed.

"So…Strongest individual?" Lucy turned to Brandish. "What do you mean by that?"

Brandish started to sweat a little. "It appears that you've had a misconception about the 12 this entire time. While it's true August could be called the strongest among us, there is another who shares the same title."

"Wait…huh!?" Tia sat up. Her voice was unfortunately drowned out by the shocked gasps of what Brandish said. "You mean…!?"

Brandish was going to explain, and she could already tell that they weren't prepared for this information. "If August is the strongest man, then… _she_ is the strongest woman. Eileen Belserion. The one who carries the moniker "The Scarlet Despair"…"

.

.

Next Time: The Monstrous Six.


	58. Chapter 58: The Monstrous Six

The Liberation battle of Hargeon was a victory for the forces of Fiore. Wahl, Dimaria, and Neinhart were soundly defeated. Dimaria was the only one they managed to capture, Wahl was destroyed, and Neinhart's whereabouts were unknown after he fell into the ocean, but there was an active effort going on by the Council and a few guild people to try and track him down. The first thing Erza saw when she awoke was a smiling Kagura. "You've finally awoken."

"Kagu…" Erza tried to sit up, only to realize she was practically covered from head to toe in bandages, her body was extremely sore, and she felt extremely lightheaded. "Ugh…"

"Relax. You mustn't overexert yourself." Kagura said while trying to ease Erza back down onto her bed.

"Your wounds were terribly deep, so it'll take quite a bit of time for you to fully recover." Wendy said. "Aira, Ivxia-san, and I did what we could to help the wounded."

"But don't worry; there won't be any lasting damage." Carla reassured.

"It was pretty close though…" Cynthia rubbed the back of her head with her good arm. "You lost a lot blood, which is why you're probably so lightheaded."

"You three have seen better days though." Gray spoke with a smirk, teasing the three about their injuries.

Juvia gasped when she looked at Gray. "Gray-sama! What has come of your clothes?!" Said the water mage who also had no shirt on.

"You're one to talk." Risley pointed out.

"Er-chaaaaan!" Milliana hugged Erza gently as to not accidentally harm her.

"Everyone…" Erza stared before the realization hit her. "W-Wait! The war! What happened on the battlefield!?"

To that question, Gray had quite the answer and his big grin said it all. "We succeeded in taking back Hargeon! The port is back under our control! Jellal and the others are still chasing the residual troops, and the Council is cleaning up anything left in town. It's only a matter of time until they're completely wiped out at this point."

Ah. So Jellal was gone. "I see…" Erza lowered her head.

"For the time being, we're gonna go back to the guild." Gray said.

"We're worried about how everyone back at the guild is faring." Juvia added.

"So you can rest easy and leave the rest to Mermaid, Lamia, and Phoenix!" Risley grinned.

"Thank you." Wendy showed her appreciation with a nod.

"In that case…I too shall…" Erza actually tried to stand.

"Y…You can't!" Kagura objected to Erza's movements. "You still need time to rest!"

"I'm afraid I don't have the luxury." Erza said. "What became of Laxus…?"

"After fighting two consecutive battles against powerful foes, he's down for the count, as one would expect." Melody said.

"…Wait! What happened to Daryan?!" Erza couldn't believe she just remembered about him until now. Last she saw of him, he risked it all to save her at a moment she would have died. "Is he all right!?"

"He's…He's okay." Kagura placed a hand on her chest, gesturing to the bed next to Erza's. Daryan was still unconscious but he was surrounded by the other members of Cosmic Star present. "But he was injured very badly by the enemy. Just like you, his blood loss was frightening."

"Frightening, huh…?" Melody lifted a brow. She could tell that Kagura was trying to hide how relieved she sounded.

Speak of the devil. At this moment, Daryan woke up groaning. "Ugh…ow! Why does it feel like I got stabbed in the chest…!?"

"…You did." Kagura coughed awkwardly.

"DARYANNNN!" Hiruka hugged his partner gleefully, practically crying from how happy he was. "I was so worried! You were out cold and you never go down that easily!"

"Ahah…I'm alright. A little sore and lightheaded though." When he glanced down at his side, he realized that the terrible wound he received earlier had been stitched up, properly this time. "Huh…"

Alex leaned in to Daryan's ear to whisper a secret. "…I'm not supposed to tell you this, but Kagura was so worried about you she's the one who stitched your wound and bandaged you up. You should've seen her face….!"

"Wait…Kagura-chan…" Daryan started to turn his head, but Alex quickly snapped him back.

"No, ssssh! Don't look. She'll know I told you, and then she'll kill me…!" Clearly Kagura said something that struck fear into her.

"She liiiiiikes him…~" Hiruka snickered quickly. But Kagura could feel that someone nearby was talking about her and cut her gaze to the members of Cosmic Star, who all started whistling nonchalantly.

"Well, whatever the case is…I'm glad she decided to save me again. I really owe her now." Daryan laughed a bit, but it hurt to laugh. "Ow…"

"Aha, nice…" Shadowlore quietly high fived Daryan. "Anyway. We're gonna join them back at Fairy Tail. Even though he's an idiot, I still wonder how Magnus is holding up."

"I kinda wish Yakuza came with us too, but he's all the way across the country now." Alex sighed.

Erza lowered her head for a moment, recalling Heather's words. "…I just remembered. I encountered Heather from the enemy's magic. Even though I had to cut her down, I didn't realize she was among those who had died."

"From White Eclipse? That Heather?" Gray crossed his arms. "I thought she was alive…"

"So what did she say?" The voice belonged to Reve, who leaned against a wall with his arms crossed. Waiston, Kuro, Cygnus, Luke, Jaxon, and Jin were with him; Aira was still out healing people, while Taya went to do as she said before: question Dimaria.

"Ah…Reve…" Erza cleared her throat. "I'm sorry I…"

"It doesn't matter." Reve shook his head. For the first time he held no attitude, no condescending remark. After a battle like that and against Zalen, he could accept that people close to him had died. As long as he could eventually avenge them and let them sleep… "We're big boys, we can take it."

"…I believe she said to watch out for Acnologia." Erza said. That name did turn some heads. "From how it sounded, it seems as though she had an encounter within over the year, and one that she lost."

"That damn lizard again of all places…" Luke groaned. "I can't believe he got Heather…"

"You know…" Waiston stared. "I've had this feeling since the war started. I had a feeling he'd be rearing his ugly head again. He might be after us." By 'us' he meant the Dragon Slayers. It was only a wild guess, but when he glanced at Cynthia, Wendy, and Alex, he could tell they sort of felt the same way.

"Something tells me he doesn't exactly care which side stands in his way." Carla said. It was her clairvoyance speaking. "But we should keep our distance nonetheless." That was something they could all agree on.

Kagura thought back to when she actually gave Jellal mouth to mouth. Now that it dawned on her, the action was…something. Enough to make her blush. "Erza…" The tone of her voice lowered as though she were trying to imitate the sinner's. "I…erm…I'm not sure how to put this, but please forgive me." She bowed, catching everyone off guard.

"Where's this coming from…?" Erza asked, but in the next instant, Kagura put her hand on Erza's cheek, turning her head over to…to kiss her.

"…!" There was a stunned silence in the air as everyone just…watched this happen with widened eyes. There wasn't anything they could do but just look.

Kagura pulled back, trembling a little while averting her gaze. "Please…accept this as my apology."

Erza had absolutely no idea what in the hell just happened. She just stared blankly ahead and her body started to shrink comically. There was no processing this, there was no understanding this. There was just nothing but rampant confusion running wild in her head. "….eh?"

Daryan's jaw dropped before his body comically turned to stone and subsequently shattered into dust. Upon seeing this, Kagura started to wave her hands at him and to clear up the confusion in the air. She was getting a lot of stares after that. "N-No wait…! It's not what you think! I was just…passing on a message…this didn't mean…I mean…!"

"I would _love_ to hear the conversation that led to _this_ happening." Shadowlore blinked several times. The only one who the reasoning behind this was Kagura, and right now it didn't look like they were getting a straight answer from her with her flustered expression.

* * *

Chelia sat alone, arms wrapped around her knees while she just stared off into space. After the battle was over, she really didn't have anything to say. She didn't feel like doing a lot after the victory celebration. Lyon, Sherri, and Yuka, who was carrying a still frozen Toby, made their way over to her. "Chelia…are you okay…?" Sherri sat down next to her cousin, frowning at the expression Chelia wore.

"No." Chelia immediately replied. A closer look revealed that her eyes were red and puffy from crying. "I couldn't do a single thing, Sherri. I had to watch him die twice…it…it wasn't fair…"

"I'm so sorry…" The elder Blendy wrapped her arm around Chelia to bring her closer.

"Dimaria was right. I am a sinner…I couldn't even protect someone I love…" The former sky goddess looked down. "Now I really can't use magic anymore either…I really am just a klutz."

Now it was Lyon's turn. He sat down next to the saddened Chelia, looking up at the sky. "That's not true. "This is the second time you've saved us. You've secured your future and everyone else's…"

"Not his." Chelia immediately cut Lyon off. It happened so fast Lyon didn't even get a chance to say anything. She did keep Raven's bow at her side, but she didn't feel like she had the right to keep it either. Despite prattling on about love and finally experiencing it firsthand, Sherri didn't warn her about something like this. A broken heart.

"The first thing I told him was to protect you." Sherri sighed, thinking back to when she laid down the ground rules of Raven dating Chelia. "I also warned him not to do anything reckless…but still he sacrificed himself for you because he loved you. He put your life over his own without a second thought. I know it's hard…but keep moving forward, please? Keep living so his sacrifice wasn't in vain. Keep living because he loved you, because I love you, and because we all love you. I know love can hurt deeply, but as long as you can continue to love, you'll be all right. I'm not asking for you to feel better right away, because I know that's impossible. I just…"

"…" Chelia just gave a slow nod in response. She didn't have the will to say anything back. Time was the one that caused the wound and would likely not be the one to heal it either.

* * *

Asuka sat cross legged on the infirmary bed, covered in bandages. The rookie scratched the back of her head as the details of the battle. "So it's over already?"

"That's right." Tristan nodded. "The enemy commanders have been taken out and their troops are now in disarray. At this point it's just clean up."

"I see…" Alexander crossed his arms. "I'm sorry we weren't able to be of more use."

"We did want to be a little more helpful to everyone." Ethan sighed.

"Yeah, speaking of that." Hikaru narrowed her eyes at the four rookies. "You guys are definitely in a lot of trouble when we get back."

Uh oh. Considering Asuka was the one that came up with the idea to attack Wahl, she decided she'd be the one to bear the responsibility. "Don't blame them, it was my idea." The girl said.

"That was very rash of you." Leon said. Even though he was the guild master, it would be too ironic for him to chide someone for being just as rash as he could be. "But also brave at the same time. You all fought well, but don't endanger your lives next time, understand?"

"Yes, Master…" Team Asuka bowed. For now they were getting off easy, but that was only due to the fact they were still in the middle a war.

"Your injuries were severe," Ivixa stated. "You're on strict bed rest until then, understand?" The doctor of Black Phoenix spoke with a smile, but it was the type of smile that you didn't want to go against.

* * *

Dimaria was captured, bound to a chair with magic sealing cuffs and there was nothing she could do about it. How ironic it was…how she mocked Brandish for being taken prisoner only for the same thing to happen to her. Taya walked into the prison cell along with Fullbright, arms crossed as she looked the Spriggan over. "I think you've had enough time to yourself. Start talking." The demoness said.

"…" There was no response. Dimaria's gaze went to the ground and the tears started to fall. God, this was so pathetic and she knew it, but she couldn't help the overflow of emotion. Her teeth started to click together as usual, but without her magic it was nothing more than a bad habit. "Randi…"

"She's unresponsive…" Fullbright stroked his chin.

"She's…crying?" Taya lifted a brow. "Where were those tears when you were happily cutting down people earlier? Can't take it when the situation isn't favorable for you, is it? The least you can do now is retain your dignity…what little of it is left anyway."

"…." Still nothing. Dimaria just wasn't responding. This was without a doubt the lowest point of her entire life. The Valkyrie, the vessel of Chronos and member of the Spriggan 12 reduced to nothing more than a crying mess in enemy territory.

"We're not getting anything out of her. We'll try again in about an hour once everything has been cleaned up." Taya shrugged her shoulders before staring at Dimaria. She knew the woman could hear them talking. "When I come back, don't expect to get off so easily." Dimaria was a prisoner of war, and they were going to make sure she knew that.

* * *

"Eileen Belserion!?" Mii's jaw dropped. "Wooooow…"

"Do you know her…?" Kinana asked.

"I know _of_ her. Enough to know that you guys are fucked if you actually have to fight her." As usual, Mii's words didn't inspire a lot of confidence.

"So you've finally come around and are willing to share information with us." The way Makarov phrased it, it was almost as though he had a feeling Brandish would soften up a little.

"It's a one-time deal." Brandish said, making sure they understood her position. "I am a citizen of Alvarez first and foremost. I cannot simply betray my home country. And that is exactly why I refuse to become your ally in any capacity. That said I owe Lucy a debt, so I am willing to negotiate with August for you."

"Huh?" Lucy pointed at herself. She wasn't aware that Brandish felt this way.

"What exactly did you do, Lucy?" Happy asked.

"…I uh…" Lucy had an idea, but she wasn't sure if she should speak on it.

"You know…" Mii started. "I'm starting to think a lot more happened in that infirmary than either of you are letting on…" While Mii wasn't wrong, it was her perverse way of thinking that made it awkward.

"Please ignore her." Tia said. Brandish seemed to be a good mood and she didn't want Mii ruining that.

"Negotiate?" Natsu lifted a brow.

"Excluding Eileen, I doubt there is a mage in this country that could stand up to August. Of course, this includes myself…" Brandish muttered that last part.

"So you say." Sidney remarked, letting Brandish know that he wasn't to be underestimated. Of course he wasn't going to trust Brandish immediately, hence why his magic power was unveiled just a little bit for Brandish. He was silently letting her know that if she did try something funny, he'd end her right there.

"What about Emmeraude…?" Lucy had to ask. It always stuck with her that Makarov said the Spriggan 12 were just as strong as the former queen.

To that, Brandish shook her head. "I can't claim to know much about her strength, but I do know that the Emperor has said her power does rival most of the 12's, and I've seen so for myself firsthand."

"Mmm…" Lucy simply nodded. It wasn't quite the answer she wanted.

"In Alvarez, while August is referred to as the Calamity, Eileen bears the title of Despair. The two of them are peerless in skill." Brandish explained. "In Elieen's case, we share no personal relationship, and thus there is nothing I can do to stop her but…as for August, I've known him since I was very small. As a result, I may be able to persuade him to pull back, depending on how the negotiations will unfold."

"That would be extremely helpful." Magnus said.

"No kidding! You serious!?" Warren spoke with a wide grin.

"If this woman asked me to do anything, I'd say yes." Zelos nodded.

"…Isn't that how you ended up with her to begin with…?" Mii cut her eyes at Zelos. "But I mean..,you aren't wrong."

"That…is a great proposal. I am thankful for your help." Makarov gave Brandish a sincere nod."

And at this moment, Mest objected. "MASTER! You must not accept such fabrications so easily! This must be their plan! She'll use this opportunity to escape!"

"Wow wow wow!" Mii clapped her hands together. "Look at Mest, jumping the gun as usual! Everyone else is so trusting, why do you gotta ruin the fun?"

"Are you serious?" How ironic a statement like that came from Mii. "Would you trust her!?"

"That's a loaded question and you know it!" Mii laughed.

"Believe me or don't, it doesn't matter to me." Brandish crossed her arms while staring at Mest. Her expression didn't change the entire time.

"I believe in you!" Lucy exclaimed.

"LUCY!?" Mest grit his teeth. How could everyone be okay with this!? "If you haven't remembered, she's the enemy!"

"You worry too much." Mii waved her hand. "Besides, you'd have to be a complete idiot to try and ruin the trust established at his rate. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Why are you still here anyway!?" Mest now turned to Mii, her causal dismissal of his worry irritating him.

"Now now, Mest. That isn't how you talk to a lady." Zelos chided while shaking his head. It seemed that no matter what he said or did, he'd just be painted as the paranoid one.

"It's not the first time, Mest." Lucy wasn't backing down on this issue. "I've trusted Tia and Mii back when they weren't our allies. I'll trust Brandish, too. It's as simple as that."

"Stop trusting Mii…" The red head grumbled, adjusting her hat in the process. "But if Lucy's gonna go all the way, I can't see the problem."

"You're pretty soft, and trusting everyone you meet still isn't a good idea…." Tia huffed. It was that trust Lucy placed in her that allowed them to become friends, and she saw a little of herself in Brandish. "…But if Lucy can trust her, I can too." Brandish's expression didn't change. Kind of made it hard to be in her corner and Tia was starting to realize how difficult she was back in the days of her reformation.

"You can't be serious…" Mest grumbled. He was seriously outnumbered here. There was no way he was the only person who felt like this… "Sidney, you agree with me, don't you!?" Sidney was a rational man, so surely!

"…If they want to take the risk, that's on them." Sidney said, leaving himself out of this argument. He already decided what he was going to do in the event things started to turn south.

"Then it's decided!" Natsu slammed his fist into an open palm, grinning widely. "I'll be the one to beat the crap out of August!"

And immediately after he said that, Lucy swiftly chopped the all too eager Salamander in the back of the head. "ARE THOSE EARS OF YOURS JUST FOR SHOW!?"

* * *

North Fiore, Mt. Zonia. Elieen was casually strolling through the mountain turned white with snow. In truth, she was the only Spriggan in the north not taking part in the battle. Then again, that didn't really matter with most of Fiore's northern forces wiped out aside from a few stragglers. "Zonia, the sacred mountain. This land, at one time, was the site at which the black and white angels clashed. The white angel emerged victorious, and as a result, snow of the purest white has continued to fall on these mountains ever since. And so I hear an Eclipse has settled near the peak of the mountain. How quaint."

"Wow, Lady Eileen!" A white haired girl spoke with a huge grin. This was Juliet Sun of the Eileen Squad. "I'm surprised you're this well versed on the folk tales of this puny country!"

"Imbecile!" Spoke the white haired one's counterpart; a woman with long black hair: Hynhe Lunacy. "Have you forgotten!? Lady Eillen was originally a resident of Ishgar." And the moment she said that, Eileen's lips curved down very slightly and she gave her two subordinates a look.

"Oho?" Juliet turned to Hynhe with a knowing smile. You know, the 'ooooooh you're in trouble' type of smile. "I wonder, was it really the smartest idea bringing up that subject?"

Hynhe realized her mistake immediately and started to backpedal as fast as she could. "Ah…no…! I was just….simply…"

Eileen felt amused, her lips curving up into a small grin. "Hmmm~. The Black and White angels…I'm sure they were the spitting image of you girls."

"YAY! I wanna be the black one!" Juliet threw her arms into the air.

"YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY THE FREAKING WHITE ONE, DAMM IT!" Hynhe yelled, furious that such an obvious statement flew over her counterparts head.

"Which begs the question…if the two of you were to battle, who would be the one to come out victorious? Shall we find out?" Eileen's words caused the two girls to sweat. Now they were both positive this was the result of bringing up her background. The tension in the air rose until… "I'm joking, of course." A sigh of relief from Juliet and Hynhe. Elieen then placed a hand on her hip, tapping her staff onto the snowy ground. "Supposedly the two angels were disputing over which of them would claim a certain man. A wonderful story. But…as wonderful as it is, it's starting to feel a bit nippy, wouldn't you agree?" Of course, considering the scarlet witch's attire, it was no surprise she'd start to feel a little cold. The moment she tapped her staff on the ground, the environment began to change. The white snow was gone, replaced with the field of blooming flowers one would see in the beginning of the spring season.

"It's so warm…" Hynhe was always taken aback by Eileen's power.

"Wee! Nice one, Lady Elieen! Not that I'm surprised!" Juliet said with glee.

"It seems we have some party crashers." Eileen grinned to her two fellow Spriggan who weren't too far away. "Bradman…Rahkeid, are you ready to give our new guests a warm welcome? We should join Prometheus and Pandora before they steal away all the fun~"

* * *

"Ice God's BELLOW!" Yakuza roared, unleashing a mighty torrent of black ice and frost from his mouth. By inhaling some surrounding snow, he boosted his magic power for this strike. This funnel caught a number of Alvarez troops in its wake, instantly freezing them over. The ice god was merely buying time so Gajeel and the others could begin rescuing those who were captured. "Come on, pick up the pace…"

"RAAAGH!" Elfman roared, using his raw power to clothesline a number of soldiers down.

"Outta the way!" Royal stomped on the ground, causing it to tremble and crack. A sudden fissure split the earth in two, causing a large amount of Alvarez troops to fall into the depths of the earth.

"HAA!" Lisanna hopped forward in her bunny takeover, her leg strength unmatched, and the enemy troops were figuring this out as her kicks blew them all away.

Selene conjured up a large grey magic circle under an abundance of troops. Shards of diamond began to crawl up along their bodies successfully binding them within a matter of seconds. The diamonds covered their entire bodies and left no room for even the smallest atom of oxygen to slip into. They weren't getting out of this, and she wasn't here to play around. "Diamond Dragon's Radiant Prison!"

"Shadow Dragon's Rough Silk!" Takeru yelled, tearing through numerous enemies with thin beams of shadow dragon slaying. "Oi! How's it looking!?"

Levy was pulling Rogue with all her might. Mirajane was helping Yukino, Jenny, and Melanie, while Pantherlily carried away Ren and Hibiki, soon grabbing Reiss and Kanade after. They were slowly rescuing the people who were hung up on display. Between a few members of White Eclipse, Blue Pegasus, Shaman's Haven, Sabertooth, and Quatro Cerberus, they had their work cut out for them. "We're rescuing them now! They're going to make it! Everyone captured is injured but they'll be okay!"

Gajeel freed Sting, lying the master of Sabertooth down. "Sting! Pull yourself together man!"

"Sting-kun! Sting-kun!" Lector shook Sting with tears in his eyes.

Sting was semi-conscious, his eyes opening slowly at Gajeel and Lector's voices. "Ugh…Gajeel…? Lector…?"

"How is everyone else…?" He asked, but that wasn't an answer he'd be getting from Sting.

"I'm pathetic…!" Sting yelled at himself. "I'm so god damned pathetic!" After all that big talk earlier…this was what he had to show for it! He led everyone into a battle that they lost!

"You can leave the rest in our hands." Gajeel told Sting. "All that pain and frustration building up in you now. I'll be sure to return it in spades!"

"Gajeel….!" Levy yelled.

The shift in the atmosphere was very noticeable. "What's going on…?!" Mira asked.

"The snow's vanishing…!" Elfman pointed as the ground changed.

"Damn it…god damn it!" Sting began to cry. He was so mad at himself for being so pathetic.

"Watch out! They're monsters!" A few soldiers yelled. Recall how they got content about leaving those few people behind because it was a cleanup operation? They were learning that it was a huge mistake to do that.

"Monsters…?" Vanya tilted her head curiously, trying to deduce the cause of the ruckus not too far away.

Several bombs flew into the air, crash landing on multiple locations. This caused a multitude of explosions to occur, blowing away a large amount of troops. "Oi oi! Who said we were finished?!" Roy held a scowl under his mask. He was pretty pissed. Along with Roy was Bacchus, Blues, and Micaiah. The four of them were narrowly holding on.

"This was just starting to get WIIIIIILD!" Bacchus roared while leaping high into the air. The moment his feet touched the ground, a massive shockwave boomed out, caving in the earth itself.

"Blue Dragon's Tsunami!" Blues threw his hands forward, conjuring a tidal wave in front of him. With the aid of his Blue Drive, the power was increased and swept away the enemy troops!

"Go, my Knight!" Micaiah swiped her hand forward, a purple glow appearing on it. A knight clad in black armor materialized into the world, rushing forward with a jagged great sword in hand. Despite the heavy armor it worse, it was fast, cutting down soldiers before they knew what hit them.

"Micaiah-chan!" Vanya's expression lit up.

"So they've been holding on!" Gajeel could grin at this. The battle up north was far from over. "Looks like they got careless!"

"Of course they have…Bacchus wouldn't go down that easily…" Rocker coughed a few times.

"Perfect. We can clean up then." Takeru cracked his neck, a veil of darkness forming around his body. "Shadow Drive…"

"HYAHAHAHA!" Ah, that familiar laugh. Prometheus was floating up above in the sky along with Pandora, twirling his scythe around. "Or maybe we just let them live so they could see how futile their struggle was in the end!"

"It is the most effective way of bringing forth despair." Pandora added.

"You two are crazy, but we aren't giving in!" Lisanna yelled. "This battle is far from over!"

"You're more than welcome to try and fight!" Prometheus welcomed the challenge and invited all of them to strike.

"They've got five monsters on their side…" Rogue brought a hand to his face. They were defeated so swiftly…

"Only five?" Gajeel's lips curved into a smirk.

"What a coincidence! We've got a few monsters on our side too! Six of them in fact!" Considering the large group of people, Gajeel was not pulling any punches in stating their strength. The Strauss siblings entered various takeovers, while Selene wasted no time in coating her body in her diamonds. "Everyone here is a monster in their own right!"

"…Wait." Levy pointed to herself with a confused look. "Does that include me, too…?"

"Where do you see six, Sensei…?" Selene had to ask.

"Ain't it obvious…?" Gajeel's smirk widened. He wasn't referring to six people; he meant the six guilds that were now gathered in the mountains for this battle. The Monstrous Six: Fairy Tail, White Eclipse, Shaman's Haven, Sabertooth, Quatro Cerberus, and Blue Pegasus.

Takeru's ears twitched and he looked into the sky. "Mind if we add one more to our pack of monsters?" There was a grin on his face.

"One more…?" Yakuza rubbed the back of his head. "Who is it…?"

The sound of wings flapping hit everyone's ears. Before anyone could even try and guess who it was, the figure dropped down from above. Their impact caused a crater in the mountain, soldiers flying in every which direction. Arcturus lifted his head up, licking his lips as a fangy grin was given. "Heh…that was fun."

"Say hello to our reinforcements." Takeru spoke, his grin widening.

.

.

Next Time: A Feast For Five Days.


	59. Chapter 59: A Feast for Five Days

Mercurius, the royal palace. Hisui stood on a balcony, looking over the horizon, well aware that the war with Alvarez begun and was already in the midst of occurring. In a way, it pained her knowing that such a violent war was happening in Fiore and there was nothing she could do about it. But she wasn't alone. Behind her was Council Chairman Kemuri, smoking a cigar. "…I won't do it." Hisui said without turning around.

"I disagree with the notion, Princess." Kemuri stated, taking a long drag of his cigar. "But you are the only one who can disarm Emmeraude, thus leaving an opening long enough for someone to finish her off."

Those words dug deep into the jade princess' heart. She turned her emerald gaze to him. "I won't betray her trust like that. I was already told if I encountered her I may be able to dissuade her from fighting, but I refuse to take advantage of her trust like that. That plan isn't even guaranteed."

Kemuri was displeased with this and his expression showed, yet he kept himself as respectful as possible in the presence of the Princess. "So you'll allow a threat such as her to roam free? If she comes for the throne again."

"She won't." Hisui said. She remembered that look in Emmeraude's eyes. She could say for certain that Emmeraude wouldn't come for Fiore's throne a second time. "I don't know where she is right now, but I will do everything I can to ensure she won't fight."

"…So that's your answer?" Kemuri lifted a brow.

"I'm sorry if it's not what you wanted to hear, Chairman Kemuri." Hisui turned back around, staring into the night sky. "I know what you're thinking. That my feelings for her stem from those false memories, but that isn't the case. After she risked her life for me last year, I knew her feelings for me were true. She left me part of her will to make a peaceful world, and I intend to do just that."

"Tch…" Kemuri scoffed under his breath. In the end, he wasn't able to convince Hisui to stab Em in the back. "Very well. I'll respect your decision, Your Highness. My men – the Council – are doing everything they can to aid the war effort. If there were a mishap and she were killed, I suppose there's nothing either of us could do about that."

"…She won't go down that easily…" Hisui knew this for a fact.

"…" Kemuri didn't say a word. He just nodded and started to make his leave. Once his expression was out of view, he held a scowl. When he was alone, his persona faded a little bit to expose a glimpse of his true self. "…So damn stubborn. One of these days that attitude is gonna bite ya in the ass, and I'll be relishin' in every second. I'll make sure of that…"

* * *

Natsu, Lucy, Happy, and Brandish were travelling down the eastern road to make their way to August. They were joined by Tia, who bullied her way into convincing the others to let her go despite her injuries…and Mii. Mii wasn't bound to any orders Fairy Tail issued and decided that she wanted to see how things played out, even though they really did try to stop her, she was stronger than everyone combined. So Tia was also there to serve as Mii's proverbial leash since Mira was fighting up north. Natsu placed his arms behind his back, whistling while thinking about August. "August, eh? I wonder what kinda magic he uses!"

As soon as he said that, Lucy cut her eyes at him. It sounded like Natsu forgot what they were even going to August for in the first place. "You do understand that we're going there to negotiate right? Whatever do you, don't go picking a fight. I'm asking you nicely here."

"If you do end up starting a fight, you'll be obliterated that very moment. Consider yourself warned." Brandish said.

"Aye…" Happy was keeping this in mind.

"It's like his brain is just wired to fight…" Mii hummed.

"No kidding. He rushed me when we first met, but he was put down pretty fast…" Tia remarked.

"And you…" Lucy turned to Mii. "I really can't believe you barged your way with us." Her mind flashed back to everyone in the guild (excluding Sidney) literally dogpiling Mii in attempt to restrain her. It didn't last very long and she just threw them off her and laughed at a good time before making a perverse comment that made everyone not wanna do that again. "Whatever you do, _please_ _ **do not**_ speak a word to him. I'm asking you nicely with…Every. Fiber. Of. My. Being."

"I'm not gonna do anything." Mii waved a hand. "I just wanted to get a glimpse of the King of Magic. And plus, isn't he an old man? I mean…my standards may be low, but I still have standards. Old people can't really do much…"

"Don't worry; I've got duct tape ready." Tia held up a thick roll of duct tape. As soon as they reached August, she was slapping it on Mii's mouth. Maybe sooner, depending on what she said.

"You guys are worried for nothing. I can promise you that there is no way that _I_ am the worst thing that could happen to a negotiation. I would never be so stupid to endanger everyone." Mii coughed loudly, as if she was speaking to someone who wasn't there.

"…I don't understand you." Brandish sighed. "But anyway…August is actually a gentle person by nature. Among the 12, he is by far the easiest to talk things out with. However, the emperor…Zeref, was it? His loyalty towards the emperor burns fierce."

"If that's the case, how do you plan to negotiate with him…?" Lucy questioned.

"…Good question." Brandish said, and the flatness of her voice nearly caused everyone to fall over.

"…Oh, so we've been screwed from the beginning…" Tia pinched the bridge of her nose. But even so, she was placing her faith in Brandish just as Lucy was.

"See, she doesn't even have a plan. There's no way I can screw it up even worse." Mii said.

Natsu's brows furrowed for a moment and he let out a sigh, turning around to stare at a tree behind him. "C'mon, give it up Mest. You're standing out like a sore thumb over there."

"Huh?" Tia turned around, eyes wide at Mest's appearance. "No wonder I felt eyes digging into my back…!"

"Mest!?" Lucy gasped.

"I just can't believe that you all actually trust that woman." Mest scowled. "That one, too." He pointed at Mii, who smiled and waved.

"I told ya already, didn't I? She ain't all bad." Natsu was referring to Brandish. "And we already know Mii. She wouldn't be here if she didn't care."

"That's a lie." Mii immediately responded. "I wanna see this crash and burn now. Maybe if I'm lucky a mishap will happen and I'll get killed."

"Stop that!" Lucy scolded Mii.

"Even so, that's not enough reason to release her from her cuffs! She's supposed to be our prisoner of war, remember?!" Mest was the only one who seemed to remember, or rather, be concerned about it.

"Don't sweat the small stuff." Natsu shrugged, giving a small grin.

"ARRRGH! I'D REALLY LIKE TO KNOW WHAT'S FLOATING AROUND INSIDE THAT HEAD OF YOURS, BECAUSE IT'S CERTINLY NOT A FUNCTIONING BRAIN!" Mest yelled at the top of his lungs.

"I think I said the same thing once!" Mii raised a hand.

"Who hasn't…?" Tia groaned.

"More importantly…" Lucy shifted topics. "How are we going to get there? We can't walk the whole way."

"I AIN'T GETTING IN A CARRIAGE EITHER!" Natsu said really loudly to drive that point home.

"I can only carry one person at a time." Happy said.

"I don't want her touching me." Tia pointed at Mii, who was just about to point out she could fly.

Brandish glanced at Happy. The gears turned in her head. "I've got an…inspired idea." And with a snap of her fingers, Happy was suddenly 30 feet tall!

"WHOA HE'S GINORMOUS!" Lucy screamed.

"WHOOOOA! IT'S A COLOSAAL HAPPY!" Natsu was grinning.

"That is one big-"

And before Mii could finish, Tia slapped the duct tape onto her mouth. "You are not allowed to speak for the rest of this war."

At the sight of the giant Happy, Brandish's lips curved into a grin. "Now we can ride…on this big fluffy wuffy guy~" She hugged Happy's leg, her persona shifting to an incredibly girly one. Even this girl had a soft spot.

"Ah, she turned girly all of a sudden…!" Lucy gasped.

"Can you make me huge too!?" Natsu asked.

"MMMPH!" Mii was struggling to speak. Tia also covered her mouth so she couldn't tear the duct tape off that easily. Clearly Brandish's choice of words warranted a comment that nobody wanted to hear from the angel.

"…" Mest didn't say a word the entire time. In fact, watching Brandish at work only added to his initial worries.

Happy picked up Lucy with his paw, his huge face staring her down. With this height he felt so powerful! "I have a feeling…right now, I'm the coolest cat in the world!"

"Damn right! You're not just cool! You're ice cold!" Natsu shouted from below.

"YOU'RE FREAKING ME OUT!" Lucy flailed her arms about, then remembered she was in a skirt and quickly tried to tug it down. The familiar sensation of Mii staring at her was the reason for her doing so.

* * *

Fairy Tail's basement. Mavis stood in front of her crystallized body, heavily injured by Cana's efforts. Cana, on the other hand, was on the ground, sweating and panting heavily from her efforts to damage the first master. "Not good enough." Mavis told Cana. "You must use your abilities to the fullest. Channel all of your might and destroy me."

"I…I just can't do it…" Cana said. "You may be a thought projection, but you're still my friend. There's no way I can go all out on one of my friends!"

Mavis stared down at Cana. "Cana…you bear a striking resemblance to a dear, old friend of mine. …Well, your hair looks similar…sort of…"

"THAT'S NOT A STRIKING RESEMBLANCE!" Cana waved her fist around.

"She passed away at a very young age, but even after she was gone, she continued to support me. She gave me the power to press on despite all odds. If Zera had lived on, she may have grown up to be a woman like you. That's what I'd like to think."

"Zera…?" That was the first time Mavis mentioned that name.

Now Mavis was thinking about it; her dear old friend acting just like Cana. …Hugging a barrel of bear as though it were her only lover in the world, absolutely hammered in the process. "…Actually, forget everything I just said."

"You're pretty rude for a ghost, you know that?!" Cana screamed. How was this supposed to make her feel better?!

"Zera still lives on within my heart, even to this day. Not in this empty spirit body, but in my heart." Mavis brought her hands to her hearts. "There's only one person in the world who is capable of freeing Zera and I from this crystalline coffin, and that's you, Cana. You will cast this spell not to attack a comrade, but to save one."

"…" Cana had no words. Mavis was truly placing her faith in Cana. Although the words from earlier weren't exactly reassuring, she could see Mavis was trying to steel her resolve to follow through with this.

* * *

The battle up north continued to rage on. The numbers Alvarez had were still overwhelming even with the reinforcements. "Gajeel! There are still too many enemies, we're not getting anywhere!" Pantherlily exclaimed.

Groaning, Gajeel pounded his hands together. "Yeah yeah, I heard you the first time!" He then brought one hand up, allowing it to transform into a gigantic iron blade that held the capabilities to split the sky asunder. "Karma Demon: Iron God's Sword!" Gajeel swung this blade down, tearing the earth in two while knocking down a number of enemy troops.

Yakuza swiped his hands forward, a cold front moving in to freeze anyone he deemed an enemy within a surprisingly large radius. "Winter's Embrace!"

"I still can't believe he's here!" Levy pointed at Arcturus. "Are you sure he's not gonna try and eat someone?"

"It's fine." Takeru waved a hand.

"That's very reassuring…" Lisanna said with a sweat drop, using her legs to kick at another enemy.

"I understand how you feel, but I'm not here for any of you." Arcturus explained while taking several steps forward to the massive army before them. "I owe Takeru for saving me after Tartarus. This isn't for you."

"Well, that's reassuring…" Lisanna said again. But it was clear Arc was only present to help Takeru.

"Now…let's see how strong these guys really are." Arc grinned, his fangs bared as a black aura wavered around his body. "Darkness Demon's…RAGE!" Throwing his head forward, the demon of darkness released a pitch black funnel that tore through the ground, sweeping away a large group of soldiers in its wake. Even now, Arcturus' power was something to fear and take into consideration.

"He's still as strong as ever…" Selene remarked.

"They're all so cool…" Lector said.

"Fro thinks so too…" Frosch added.

Sting, on the other hand, was still beside himself with frustration. He was so upset with himself he was crying. A wounded Rogue limped over to him. "Sulking is not a good look for you…"

"I led everyone into the battle with the promise of victory…but I couldn't do a damn thing!" Sting wept. "And because of that, Orga got killed! I failed to protect my comrades and ran everyone into a losing battle! Some master I turned out to be…!" Maybe…maybe he wasn't fit for the role of Sabertooth's guild master after all. Not after that shitty performance.

Yukino grabbed Sting's wrist, lifted him to his feet, and then proceeded to swiftly bring her hand across his cheek for a slap. There were tears in her eyes, but she didn't allow them to fall. She practically glared at Sting while everyone else watched in shock. "You are the master, and that's exactly why…at times like these you have to encourage everyone! You've…you've always been our light in the darkest of times, Sting-sama. That's why I know…you have the power to do just that again. I'm sure Orga-sama wouldn't like to see you like this either…"

"Yukino…" Sting stared at his comrade before taking her hand with his both his own. "I'm sorry, that must have hurt."

"N…Not at all!" Yukino said. "I'm the one who hit you after all…I'm sorry if it stung a bit."

'Having to knock some sense into a pathetic master like me? There's no way it wouldn't hurt." After Sting said that, he brought his arm up to wipe away his tears.

Now that Yukino realized what she had done, she brought a hand to her cheek. "I…I have no idea what came over me. Please, excuse my actions."

Sting faced the Alvarez troops with a growing smile on his lips. With his confidence restored, he was ready to fight again. "Thanks, Yukino…for opening my eyes. We're going to continue to grow and surpass every challenge that comes our way. We aren't letting them get away with what they did to Orga either. LISTEN UP! IF YOU CAN MOVE, THEN STAND UP AND FOLLOW ME! WE TIGERS STILL HAVEN'T EATEN OUR FILL! WE'RE GONNA FEAST FOR FIVE DAYS, STARTING NOW!" Sting's rallying cry wasn't exclusive to just Sabertooth. It was for Shaman's Haven, Quatro Cerberus, White Eclipse, and Blue Pegasus too!

"That goes double for the Pegasi!" Hibiki exclaimed while bringing up an archive, bringing up support magic to strengthen Eve and Ren.

"Revenge for Ichiya-san! Your death won't be in vaaaaain!" Eve wept. Somehow the Trimen all got the misconception that the handsomest man they've ever known fell in battle.

"It's not like I care about you or anything, but…!" Said Ren, the tsundere. "Damn it, why did you have to go and die!?"

"You guys know he's alive right!?" Levy had to clear the air.

"Either way, these unhandsome brutes have messed with the wrong men!" Ren lifted his hand into the air along with Eve, a violent whirlwind of snow and air mixing together in the sky above them. "How embarrassing of me to be caught off guard like that, it was not my handsomest moment. But when I think to my lovely fiancée who is also fighting down south, I suddenly have the strength to fight against this entire army!"

"I will not allow you ugly brutes to trample on our soil any longer!" Eve yelled. The mixture of snow and air collected between him and Ren took the shape of a snowy Pegasus above them. "Now, taste the might of the Trimen!"

"PEGASUS MAGIC!" Hibiki, Ren, and Eve all yelled at the same time. The snowy mythical beast galloped down to a large mass of soldiers and crashed down onto them, resulting in a gigantic explosion of air and snow that turned into a violent twister, sweeping away any poor soul that was caught within. The aftermath of this attack was a large pile of snow everywhere, despite Eileen having rid the entire mountain range of it.

"Which one of you assholes were gawking at my panties!?" Jenny pressed her foot against a soldier's cheek angrily, however, because masochists were a commonality in this world, it was no surprise that they were grinning at being stepped on by a hot girl. "Was it you!?"

"They're black-" The soldier happily said.

"AND FOR THE RECORD, I USUALLY WEAR MUCH CUTER ONES!" Why was _that_ the part that had Jenny so riled up? One would think her priorities were backwards, but no, they were in the right place. "I'm gonna toast you all!" Jenny wasn't playing around anymore. A golden light formed around her body and she entered her Machias Soul: Dragon! Unlike last year, she had complete control over this raging machine. The gem on her chest turned blue to signify ice. The gem began to draw in all the snow Eve left behind, converting it into magic power. Once all the snow was inhaled, the gem turned red for fire, and Jenny let loose a gigantic wave of vibrate flame that incinerated everything in her path.

"HOT! HOT!" Several soldiers screamed as they were caught in the flames of Jenny's rage!

"I AIN'T DONE EITHER!" Kanade yelled while pounding her fist together. "Anyone else want some!? I got plenty to give!" And boy she did have some anger to vent out.

"Holy shit…it's the scary lady!" The soldiers remembered what a single punch of hers did. They thought she was restrained nice and tight!

Tyson and Reiss stood back to back; a rare sight, but the situation called for it. "I'm pretty pissed about that whole crucifying thing, honestly…" Tyson growled.

"Me too." Reiss glared at the soldiers around them. "Which is why I'm gonna work with you this time. They pissed me off more than you do."

"Likewise, rich boy…" Tyson said while sliding into the maker stance.

"Dune!" Reiss summoned forth his native spirit, Dune, and also equipped his Summoner's Cloth. Now with imbued with Dune's powers, Reiss and his spirit brought down some justice. A large pit of sand appeared underneath the soldiers around them, dragging them down rather quickly. "Sand Pit!"

"Fusion Make: Meteor!" Tyson crafted meteors of several elements and let them all fly! Each Meteor held powerful explosive properties and the troops of Alvarez were feeling it!

"Haaaa!" Melanie let out a battle cry as water and lightning surged around her body. "I was against hurting people too much, but after that…I can't forgive you!" She brought her arms forward, causing a geyser of water and lightning to erupt from under some troops' feet. They were caught off guard, soundly electrocuted by the devastating combination.

"That's the spirit! Have a blast, kick some ass!" Roy yelled. Now he could grin because the tide of battle was about to shift in their favor again.

Mason stood up, rubbing the back of his head. He was also pretty pissed about being humiliated like that. "…Do you assholes have any idea who I am? I'm MASON CALVOT!" He was pretty popular here after all. He drew back his slingshot, a magic seal forming in front of him. He released the pellet and once it passed through the seal it turned into a gigantic beam of raw magic that cut across the sky, consuming any and everyone who was within its range.

"We know who you are." Azur said, completely dismissing the annoyance's personality. But he released several lances of heated water vapor, piercing through a few troops with ease.

"That's right! We haven't eaten either yet!" Rocker yelled while rallying Quatro Cerberus. A drill-like whirlwind appeared on his arm and he threw it forward, piercing through the air while taking out soldiers in the process. "LET'S HEAR EVERYONE SCREAM IT! WILD…!"

"FOUR!" Everyone from Fiore exclaimed.

"Take this! Wild Vine!" Jager threw several seeds onto the ground and they immediately sprouted and wrapped around soldiers, squeezing them tightly.

Warcry was shedding tears, but for those who forgot, the more he cried, the stronger he got! "I'll bare the tears of all my allies fighting here today! They will make me stronger!" The enemy troops looked at this crying grown man like he was a weirdo. But that led them to underestimating him, and he swung his head violently, creating a tsunami of tears that caught a number of troops in its wake, dragging them down in the process. "Tsunami of Tears!"

"What the hell are these guys!? They were small fry a second ago!" A soldier yelled, only to feel the air around them distort. "Huh?"

It was Minerva. She caught so many troops within orbs of territory and swiped her hands down violently. "I Ragdi (Vanish!)!" The orbs of territory exploded violently with all of them inside!

"It seems Milady is back in action…" Rufus brought two fingers to his temples, a red magic seal forming behind him. "In memory of our fallen comrade…I will engrave this image into your soul. Memory Make: Lightning Sword of Judgement!" Rufus then took his free hand to draw out a blade of lightning and light and threw it forward. The blade released a discharge of black lightning to paralyze those who were within range, and then the blade erupted in a fierce explosion of brilliant light!

"These fools murdered one of our comrades and made our guild master cry. For those sins, they will receive no mercy." Minerva spoke with a scowl. This Tigress was here to eat.

Rogue swiftly slashed a soldier down with a Shadow Dragon's Slash, then turned to Sting with a slight grin. Despite Orga no longer being with them, they had to keep their spirits high. "Hear that, "Master Crybaby"?"

"You are never going to let me life that down, are you…?" Sting said with a scowl.

When Rogue turned, even Yukino was weeping! At what, nobody knew. "Come on, not you too…" But his senses were high and he found himself evading a slash that cleaved right through the ground. "What the?!" While Rogue dodged this, a few soldiers were caught, but clearly that was the intention.

"A feast for five days, huh?" Marshall Izumi asked while hoisting his blade over his shoulder, a wild grin on his face. "That's pretty greedy. I hope you've got enough to share…otherwise we'll just take the whole thing…" Marshall wasn't alone; with him were Hubert, Nina, and Dogan.

"E-Empyrean Dawn…!?" Yukino's eyes widened. Something told her that they weren't all on the same side.

"This is Alvarez, hm?" Hubert adjusted his glasses, completely unfazed. "Well, I suppose we'll just have to make fast work of everyone here." And by everyone, he meant _everyone_.

"Good! I've been hoping for some fun!" Dogan cracked his neck, grinning madly. He was an eccentric one, that was for sure.

"A big free for all like this and you expect us not to get involved!?" Nina snapped her fingers, activating her Random Select. "There we go!" Rainbow Flame magic! Nina threw her hand forward, releasing a blast of blue flame at Sting, Rogue, Yukino, and every Alvarez troop in the way! The three tigers were able to narrowly dodge, but that couldn't be said for the troops.

"Damn it, you guys now too!? The rest of you are nearby, aren't they!?" Sting grit his teeth. It didn't take a genius to answer that question.

* * *

Up above, Elieen and her squad watched the battle continue to rage on. "Oho~? Even the guys who got captured are full of pep all of a sudden!" Juliet remarked. "And where did those guys come from so suddenly!?"

"What do you suggest we do, Lady Elieen?" Hynhe asked. "The battlefield is starting to get a little crowded…"

"This is no problem at all." Elieen said. "With Promtheus, Pandora, Bradman, and Rahkeid on the battlefield, we only need watch."

* * *

"SKULL FLARE!" Prometheus hurled down a skull of flame directly at the three Strauss siblings. Mira sensed this and countered with an orb of darkness. The two attacks exploded against one another. "Aw, she blocked it…"

"It would have done better if you didn't scream before you attacked." Pandora simply stated.

"Prometheus…Pandora…" Mira stared down the pair.

"Long time no see!" Prometheus flashed a grin while twirling his scythe around. "You know, I'm still pretty pissed about what happened when we last fought! So this time I'll be sure to take your soul!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Lisanna said while standing beside Mira.

"You won't be taking us down that easily!" Elfman roared while in his Beast Soul.

"Animals, the lot of you." While Pandora was seemingly making an obvious statement about their takeovers, she was genuinely referring to the three as beasts. "You will regret standing before the might of Alvarez."

"Oh ho?" Mira licked her lips at Pandora's words. "I think you have that backwards. Because you're going to regret standing before us."

* * *

"Such foolish souls…" Rahkeid calmly walked forward. His presence caused a number of people to back away since they saw what he did to Orga. "Allow me to guide you to a better place." White tendrils formed from the ground, beginning to wrap around those he perceived to be an enemy. The pleasure coursed through their bodies and it would take no time to finish them off. However, Rahkeid didn't have the chance as the ground under him quaked. He jumped back just as pillars of earth rose up in attempt to impale him. "Oh?"

Royal stumbled onto the scene, cheeks flushed from the amount of drinking he'd been doing. "*Hic*. So…yer the Spriggan, ain't ya?"

Rahkeid was a little offended a drunken fool tried to stand up to him. "Is this what the enemy has to offer? An inebriated soul?" He could sense movement behind him and quickly jumped to the side as Bacchus came through with an attempted palm strike. He missed, but it was a close shave.

"Hahaha…not just one, but two!" Bacchus was also drunk at this point, but as always, it only made him stronger.

"I see…you poor misguided souls." Rahkeid was calm, a smile plastered on his face that hid his malevolent intentions. "The battlefield is no place for those who drown themselves in the devil's water. Allow me to be your guide into a better afterlife."

* * *

Micaiah dashed through a number of soldiers, ignoring them all as her attention was solely on Bradman. "There you are demon!" The maiden yelled while keeping her Oathkeeper blade drawn. She jumped down, aiming a slash at Bradman, who managed to avoid it. The woman followed up with another slash, landing a direct hit against his body. The hit landed, but at the same time his body didn't take any damage. "I knew it…!"

"… **Thou are also a demon**." Bradman stated while extending his hand forward. His eerie voice and method of speech did sound too odd for human. " **Exploding Helix**!" Before Micaiah could move a spiraling explosion caught her and blew her away.

"Aaaahhh!" She cried before landing roughly on her side. She was still pretty beat up from earlier, but she had to slay this demon! Things went downhill as several allies began to drop dead from Bradman's curse.

"Run!"

"It's the Grim Reaper!"

"He's gonna crucify us again!"

"I don't wanna go through something that humiliating ever again!"

The people began to flee from Bradman, but Micaiah was the only one brave enough to stay. The problem was that her body wasn't exactly moving the way she wanted it to. "Ngh…"

Just before Bradman could attack once more, several iron poles pierced through him, sticking him to a nearby tree. Gajeel finished it off by turning his arm into an iron blade, stabbing it right through his chest. _"All that pain and frustration building up in you…I'll make sure to return it in spades!"_ Gajeel recalled his words to sting, but his mind also went elsewhere. To the first bad memory he ever had: his crucifixion of Levy. "Do you have any idea how it feels to be crucified? For bringing back the worse memory of my life…you are going to feel my full wrath."

Bradman was only amused by this turn of events. **"Heh heh heh…what thou hast just touched…is death itself…"**

.

.

Next Time: The Fourth Guest.


	60. Chapter 60: The Fourth Guest

"Man! Being huge is really a blast!" Natsu roared in excitement. Brandish decided to indulge in Natsu's request and made his head huge compared to the rest of his body, and he was having the time of his life. Natsu, Lucy, Brandish, Mii, Tia, and Mest were sitting upon the enlarged Happy's back as he flew through the sky.

"AYE!" Happy said in agreement.

"TURN HIM BACK ALREADY!" Lucy screamed while pointing at Natsu.

"Seriously, this is freaky when it's so disproportionate like this…" Tia shuddered.

"Mmmmph…" Mii still had the duct tape on her mouth. Unfortunately for her it was magic duct tape, so it wasn't coming off that easily. She was actively working on it, though. But it was easy to tell what she was trying to say judging by her facial expression. Let's just say that her initial suspicions about Brandish's magic were confirmed.

"Fluffy wuffy…~" Brandish was too into nuzzling herself against Happy's fur to pay attention, while Mest was just awkwardly sitting away from everyone else.

"Brandish…!" Lucy said.

"What's the harm?" Brandish asked, keeping her face against Happy's back. "He wanted to be bigger so badly, I figured I'd indulge him."

"But only enlarging his head is giving me the creeps!" Lucy shouted.

"AHAHAHAHAHA!" Natsu twirled his arms around.

"Mmmm?" Mii turned to look at Lucy. Even though her mouth was shut, the suggestive motions of her eyebrows still converted her words.

"S-STOP THAT…!" Somehow, Lucy knew exactly what Mii was trying to say and it was extremely embarrassing, so much so it made her blush a bit. Thank goodness Mii actually couldn't talk right now.

"You're welcome." Tia smirked.

"I'd say he's rather enjoying himself, though." Brandish then got an…idea. "Hmhm~"

In the next instant, Lucy's chest shrunk until she was flat! "WHAAA?!" And after that, her breast inflated faster than balloons! "KYAAAH!?" Of course they returned to normal, but that experience had Lucy pretty shaken up. "Would you kindly not play with people's boobies at your leisure, please!?"

"I wonder why it is? I just feel the strongest urge to mess with you…" Brandish trailed off.

"I know, right?" Natsu grinned.

"It is pretty fun…" Tia admitted.

"Mhm." Mii nodded.

Oh. Great. No wonder Lucy always felt a target on her back; everyone just loved to mess with her! "…Geez, thanks." The blonde sighed.

"Would you guys cut it out?" Mest sighed in annoyance. "We didn't come here to play."

And at long last, Mii finally ripped off the duct tape from her mouth. It should have hurt like hell, which was the incentive for not pulling it off before the time limit was finished, but since Mii didn't feel pain that wasn't an issue. "Fwah! Finally! Geez, that was stuck tight."

"HOW!?" Tia gasped. "That's top of the line magic duct tape…! How did she get it off in 10 minutes!?"

"That thing did not want to come off, let Mii tell you." There was a big red mark on Mii's mouth as a result. Ignoring that, she turned to Mest. "Why so serious, Mest? You'll never get laid like that."

"You idiot! This is war, don't you realize that yet!" Mest yelled. "This is life and death; excuse me for feeling on edge as we go meet one of the strongest mages alive!"

"Careful…if you can't say calm, you'll cause problems…" Mii warned.

"Hm…" Brandish listened to the talking but then turned her head to Lucy. "…I have a question while it's on my mind. It's something that's been bothering me for a while now. Did you really kill Emmeraude's child?"

That was quite the question. Lucy tensed for a second and averted her gaze. "I…"

"You don't have to…" Natsu said, but Lucy shook her head.

"No. I did." Lucy answered. Everyone stared as Lucy gave this firm answer. "…It was my fault. She sacrificed herself because of me. And despite all of that, she apologized to me. What happened to Sophie is something I'll have to live with..."

Brandish took note of Lucy's somber tone. This only confirmed her thoughts about the blonde. "I see…while Emmeraude did explain the circumstance, I wondered if it was bias. But your words do confirm the truth. …I can tell that what happened pains you very much, just as it did her."

"…." Lucy simply nodded.

"But she said she had another daughter…" Brandish said.

"Well…during her time here when she ruled the throne, she and the Princess were very close. They were like mother and daughter." Lucy explained. "The Princess might be the only person who can convince Emmeraude not to fight, but that's still a risky bet at best."

"I see…" Brandish was starting to understand now.

"I'm sure you've seen it." Mii turned to Brandish. "Em's 'holier than thou' attitude. Although I don't know if it applies to her now since I haven't really held a long conversation with her. But she used to think that just because she has good intentions for the world and her mom that she's entitled to everything good. So if you slight her, she tends to hold a pretty nasty grudge. But in this case, well…"

"I'll duct tape you again…" Tia warned. She didn't want Mii saying anything to ruin Lucy's mood. "But you sound like you hate her."

"Eh…" Mii huffed. "I've known Em for basically all my life after my uh…incident. She was my favorite Commandant to work with, actually. Well…I don't think she likes Mii, but I'm not sure. But there is one thing I can say for certain; you guys are pretty lucky she decided to come from the west and not the east. If she were with August, there'd be no negotiating." Mii actually dropped a true fact for once. "It wouldn't be a stretch for Mii to say that she's in this war just for another shot at Lucy…she's really that petty, you know? Then again, she's really here for Fairy Tail's head too."

"Hmmm…" Brandish listened carefully. "The Em you're talking about and the Em I know now…it almost sounds like a different person."

"A part of me doesn't want to face her at all…I still don't think I can after what happened. But another part of me knows it's unavoidable. Sooner or later…" Lucy trailed off.

"Are you done talking about her?" Mest groaned. "She's not our problem right now."

"You're just grumpy because she kicked your ass." Mii winked.

"That's not…!" Mest was going to rebut, but suddenly a powerful presence cut him off. It wasn't just Mest, but everyone else felt it as well. "..?!"

"Ah…!?" Happy gasped.

"W…What on earth…!?" Lucy's eyes were wide.

"This magic power…!" Natsu started to sweat.

"What the-!? T-That's…not real, is it…?" Tia was shaken up.

"There's no mistaking it…" Brandish knew this feeling all too well.

Mii whistled. "Whew…okay, that guy is _definitely_ stronger than Em…" She was impressed, too. Once again, she spoke words that didn't inspire confidence… "That is an absolute unit of a mage right there…"

"You…You've got to be kidding me…!" Mest was nearly paralyzed in fear, and in reality they were nowhere near August yet. A few miles off honestly. August could see Happy coming in from above and simply stared up at the flying Exceed.

"August. The King of all magic." Brandish introduced the strongest Spriggan 12.

"Geez…" Tia had goosebumps.

"I'm gettin' fired up!" Natsu was ready. For what? Only god knew.

"Natsu, don't forget what we came here for." Lucy's tone was serious. She then turned to Mii. "And Mii, please don't say or do anything. We're already on thin ice just approaching him…" And he was stronger than Emmeraude? She could definitely feel it, too.

"…Yeah yeah, I got it…" Mii's tone also lowered. Going against someone stronger than Em didn't exactly sound like a fun time for her.

"This guy is bad news to the max…!" Mest said.

"Really, that's your go-to horrified line…?" Mii rolled her eyes.

* * *

Gjaeel stood with his iron sword impaling Bradman's chest. Micaiah and Selene stood off to the side, while Levy remained nearby just in case. While Gajeel was prepared to invoke his fury onto Bradman, the Spriggan had other plans. His form turned into mist, easily escaping the confinements Gajeel laid out before gripping his throat with his hand. **"What though hast just touched is 'death' itself. A 'death' which thou cannot possibly undo!"**

And in a surprising turn of events, Gajeel gripped Bradman's throat with his own hand, his glare still ever present. "That so? Well then, looks like we're both in luck!" With iron scales instantly covering his body and his head slammed into Bradman's skull to knock him away. "Cuz I've been looking for a good plot of land to call my final resting spot!" Despite the cool one liners, such a sentence didn't sit well with Levy.

"Sensei…!" Selene rushed to Gajeel's side, glaring at Bradman. "I'll help too."

"I wasn't done either…!" Micaiah placed a hand on her side, wincing from her injuries. But she wasn't going to pass up the chance to finish this demon.

"Giehe, this shouldn't be a problem! The other 12 were more impressive!" Gajeel spoke with a smirk. "His magic power is practically nothing." He then lunged forward, his fist colliding with Bradman's in a fierce stalemate.

"That's because he's not using magic!" Micaiah explained. "He's a demon!"

" **Dost thou have no concern for thine own life? These magic barrier particles emitted by mine body…and any and all mages who inhale them shall inevitably fall to their demise."** Bradman questioned.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but my lungs are made of metal!" Gajeel retorted.

" **So they are. And that is fine by me. I shall take this rare opportunity to fight to mine heart's content!"** Bradman's arm extended to reach out at Gajeel, but the iron dragon, but he performed a cartwheel to avoid it.

"Iron Dragon's Lance!" Gajeel extended his leg out, the iron pole shooting forward to Bradman's head, only to phase through it.

"Diamond Dragon's Sword!" Selene followed suit, extending her arm forward in the shape of blade to pierce Bradman's chest, but it failed to strike just like Gajeel's attack. "Huh!?"

"I wasn't done…!" Micaiah still had more to say about Bradman, but it looked like the others were going to find out the hard was.

" **Tis unfortunate for thou, but mine body is made entirely of magic barrier particles."** Said the Reaper, although he didn't get to make it too far as a blast of holy light struck his side, and this was rather effective. **"You again…"**

"He's pretty annoying if you ask me…" Micaiah was now joining the fray officially. A barrier of light formed around her body, serving as a wall for whatever magic barrier particles lingered in the air.

"So don't get close to him…got it." Selene kept this in mind while swiping her arm forward, a gray magic seal forming in front of her. "Diamond Dragon's Spear!" Several spears composed of diamond shot forward from the seal, attempting to pierce Bradman, but as one would expect, they just went right through his body with little consequence. "Damn it."

" **I am the Reaper. The guide to the Underworld. Now…multiply thy sense of pain times ten."** As Bradman spoke this, a horde of skeletons emerged; striking Gajeel, Micaiah, and Selene in the process, and damn did that hurt. Even with their defenses that didn't falter, the trio could feel their bodies wrack in pain. Even worse? Those nearby started to feel life draining effects from the magic barrier particles. **"Thou may struggle and endure my onslaught, but what of the surrounding humans?"**

"EVERYONE, GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HERE RIGHT NOW!" Gajeel demanded.

" **Let thine souls be consumed by corpses!"** Bradman yelled.

The skeletons began to grab at Gajeel, Selene, and Micaiah, attempting to drag them down into the netherworld. "You damn pile of bones!" Gajeel yelled out.

"I can't cast a spell!" Micaiah tried to move her hands, but it was no use.

"Let me go!" Selene growled, struggling to the best of her ability.

Their savior was none other than Levy. The bookworm dropped down in the middle of the chaos and scribbled the word 'shine' in the air. "Solid Script: Shine!" The words shone brightly, overtaking the skeletons that threatened the others.

" **More holy magic…"** This didn't please the Reaper at all.

"Levy…!?" Gajeel asked. "You've got to get out of here…!"

"I'm not going anywhere!" Levy said firmly. There was a mask on her face to prevent the inhalation of magic barrier particles.

"A mask...?" Gajeel barely noticed it.

"Thanks Levy…!" Selene nodded to Levy and rushed Bradman along with Micaiah again.

"Looking for a good plot of land? How could you say something like that!?" Levy chided.

Oh. She was mad about that. Gajeel began to sweat. "No, uh…I that was just, y'know…I was just uh…trying to come up with a good comeback…! I wasn't being serious! There's no need to get all pissed!"

"I…I don't want you to die. I want you to keep on living, Gajeel…" Levy's gaze averted down and her words struck something within Gajeel.

Micaiah brought Oathkeeper forward, landing another direct slash on Bradman's body. Holy light seemed to be the one thing that worked against his misty body, and he let out a grunt of pain. But before Micaiah could recoil, devil slaying ice formed with his fist and it hit Micaiah's side hard. "AAAAAHH!" Oh yeah, that hurt. This was her first time being hit with a Devil Slaying technique and the demon blood in her body didn't react to that. The impact of the fist sent her flying away, blood spurting from her mouth after.

Right after Bradman's punch connected, Selene gripped his wrist and smirked. "When you unleash a physical attack, your body becomes tangible for that second!" The diamond dragon then released a vicious punch of her own, knocking Bradman away with its might. "Like that!"

Bradman did slide backwards, but he calm to a halt and crossed his arms into an X. **"Mikazuchi!"** This caused an X like blade to appear, striking Selene directly. Her diamond defenses held strong, but she could still feel the piercing power of that blow. The diamond dragon tumbled backwards before catching herself.

"Ugh…" The diamond dragon groaned.

 **Standing before me is equivalent to embracing thine death, and thus, thine fates are now sealed. Thine wish shant be granted. I shall now allow thou to keep the 'life' which thou seek! I swear it on the name of the Reaper!"** The demon exclaimed, magic barrier particles oozing from around his body like a mist.

* * *

Elieen turned her back to her two adorable subordinates, beginning to walk off in a different direction. "Juliet, Hynhe, you two shall proceed to the front lines."

"Understood." Hynhe said without question.

"Eeeeeh!? Why do we have to gooooooo!?" Asked Juliet, questioning things unlike her counterpart. "They've got Bradman, Rahkeid, Prometheus, and Pandora down there. Sending us would be overkill, as if the forces down there aren't already."

"Show some respect, will you?!" Hynhe snapped. "We may not be under direct supervision, of Lord Bradman and Lord Rahkeid, but they are still our superiors you imbecile!"

"The third guests will make their appearance before long." Elieen said.

"The…third guests?" Hynhe was confused.

"Indeed" The scarlet witch began. "The Pegasi, Shaman, Cerberus, Eclipse, and Tigers were the first guests; the second were the Fairies and the Empyreans, and the third guests who are about to make their appearance may prove to be a tad troublesome. And the most troublesome of them all will be the forth guest, I'd wager."

"Someone else is coming tooooo? Grr, gimme a break!" Juliet huffed.

"This part is neither friend nor foe." Which made them all the more troublesome in Elieen's eyes. "I suppose I'll have no choice but to take care of them personally."

"I know not the identity of this fourth guest, but calling them foolish would be an understatement." Hynhe spoke with a sinister sneer.

"To think they'd dare make an enemy of Lady Elieen, the High Enchanter…teehee…" Juliet had a smirk of her own. The fun was really just beginning…

* * *

On a cliff side just miles off from the actual fighting itself was a familiar moving temple. "We've got a visual!" Angel said, taking the helm of the mobile Olympia temple once more. "The moving temple, Olympia has now arrived~!" People were slowly starting to trust Angel with machinery again, but they were still a little worried…

"It's about time we put the power of Crime Soriciere on full display." Midnight said confidently.

"Yes indeed!" Hoteye said.

"Hmm…?" Angel was more confused than anything else. "This is the mountain near White Eclipse, right? They always talk about how snowy it is…"

"If you knew that, then why'd you come in that skimpy getup?" Racer asked, pointing to the two piece Angel still wore.

"Who gives a shit!? Just gimme out of this thing already!" Cobra groaned. He was practically curled up in a corner, suffering from his motion sickness.

More importantly…Angel had a visual on Yukino fighting down below. Her sister… "…"

* * *

Sting and Rogue vs. Dogan and Marshall; Yukino and Minerva vs. Nina, and Hubert had gone off on his own. To think that Empyrean Dawn would arrive, and not as allies. They were a third party that planned on taking out everyone in the mountains! Dogan let out a laugh while pointing his hand forward, a ball of holy light forming at the tip of his index finger. "Sanctum Cylindrus!" The tip of his finger then released multiple bullets of light at Sting.

"Light huh!? That's not gonna work on me!" Sting grinned, moving his head rapidly to bite and consume the bullets sent at him. They did taste pretty funky though. "Eh…" Shaking his head, white light surrounded his fist and he lunged at Dogan, punching him square in the jaw. "Now get out of my way! I have a guild mate to avenge!"

Dogan pressed his palm against Sting's bare chest, a sinister smirk forming along his lips. "Sanctum Palamarium!" From his hand, an implosion of light occurred, sending the guild master of Sabertooth flying.

"Sting…!" Rogue glanced back for a moment while evading a swing of Marshall's sword. "Why are you guys doing this!? Don't you realize that we should be on the same side here!?"

"Same side? Don't be ridiculous!" Marshall laughed at the thought. "We don't want Alvarez here just as much as you do, but that doesn't mean we're gonna buddy up with you either! We'll just take everyone down!" And since Fiore and Alvarez's attention was mostly on each other, it did allow smaller third parties to come in.

"You can't be serious!" Rogue swung his hand up for a Shadow Dragon's Salsh, clashing with Marshall's blade. "Now isn't the time for this!"

"I'm just here fight." Nina pointed out, which really wasn't so surprising. The Z-class mage snapped her fingers, prompting a twister to form around Yukino and Minerva. Without warning, lightning also surged within the tornado to turn it into a lightning tempest! As impressive as it looked, Nina looked completely baffled for a moment. "Oh yeah. Gema. Forgot it did that."

Minerva conjured a sphere of territory around her and Yukino to protect them both from the twister until it faded. How annoying this was! Minerva scowled and swiped her hand, creating several explosions around Nina. "Nothing but a bunch of nuisances. This is war, not some child's game. Go home, or I'll make you go somewhere far, far away."

"I know you can give me a good fight!" Nina grinned, completely ignoring Minerva's threat.

As the fighting raged on, Yukino's gaze went elsewhere. She could feel…something incredibly familiar. "…Sister…?"

"Yukino, are you all right?" Minerva stood between Nina and Yukino. "If you don't think you can handle this, allow me to be rid of this garbage."

Yukino shook her head, focusing on the foe before them. "No, it's nothing. Please do not concern yourself about me. I'm focused on the battle, Minerva-sama."

* * *

Elfman charged forward in his Beast Soul, rearing arm back to take a swing at Prometheus. The Grim Reaper easily evade this punch by leaping into the air, swinging his scythe downward to unleash a crescent slash of flame down upon him. "Hellfire upon you!"

"What the!?" Elfman's eyes widened for a moment and he sprang to the left, narrowly avoiding the crescent slash. What was left in its wake was a charred scar in the earth that would never heal. "You're kidding me…"

"Elf!" Lisanna was dashing towards her older brother with a plan in mind.

"Right!" Elfman nodded and cupped his hands together. The moment Lisanna took a step onto his hand, he used his monstrous strength to hurl his sibling into the air at high speeds!

"Take this!" Lisanna flipped forward, aiming a high speed kick at Prometheus' skull, but unfortunately for her, the strike was blocked by the length of his scythe. "Ah!?"

"Too bad, so sad!" Prometheus then swung the blunt end of his scythe at Lisanna's stomach, sending her crashing into Elfman. Following up, his hand began to crackle with familiar black lightning. "100mm Black Lightning Cannon!" A powerful burst of lightning exploded from his hand and raced towards the Strauss siblings, where it exploded on Elfman's back. When the smoke from the attack cleared, it was revealed that Elfman used his Lizardman Takeover to mitigate the damage.

"That attack…" Elfman slowly turned around, recoiling slightly from the numbing electricity. "Wasn't that Orga's!?"

"Oh yes!" Prometheus cackled. "I took the liberty of liberating his soul from his corpse. I'm putting it to good use."

"How dare you…" Mira flew towards Prometheus, preparing to punch the demon of chaos. "Desecrating the dead for your own personal gain…" And just before Mira's punch landed, Pandora blocked the blow with her scepter.

"How ironic, coming from takeover mages…" Pandora muttered, beginning to swing her scepter around quickly and skillfully. The sharp end of the scepter could most definitely pierce through a body, and it was taking Mira quite a bit of effort to block rapid jabs aimed for her vitals. "Are you truly in the position to talk about using souls for your own personal gain? Do you not harbor living souls in your own bodies and make use of their powers? At some point, the creatures you've taken over were singular beings…Prometheus at least waits until their life has left their body. How convenient of you to frown upon such actions when it is against you…"

Mira swung her tail in attempt to catch Pandora off guard, but it failed since the goddess of balance evaded it. "You've got an answer for everything, don't you?" The demoness then extended her hands, unleashing a stream of darkness right for Pandora. The radius of the blast was extremely large, making evasion difficult as a result.

Pandora twirled her scepter around, the rapid motion turning the weapon into a makeshift defense against Mira's widespread attack. After blocking the attack, Pandora held her weapon above her head, her deadpanned stare never leaving Mira's own. "The hypocritical words and actions of humanity have never slipped past me. Thunder Snake." Several elongated masses of lightning shot from the top of the woman's scepter, now slithering through the air to track Mira. They were very difficult for her to avoid and took most of her attention. Unfortunately they did get the better of her and converged on her for a fierce explosion that brought her down to the ground.

"Ha!" Lisanna swooped in within her Harpie takeover, using her talons to rapidly jab at Pandora. Her aerial movement was pristine and Pandora realized this immediately. At the very least, she was now displaying her training with Ace.

"She's fast…" Pandora muttered. The movements were much faster than Mira's but the strikes weren't as powerful. Even so, the goddess of balance was having a hard time keeping up. Several talon strikes did graze her.

Lisanna looped around Pandora, her wings shining brightly. "Wing Blade!" Before Pandora could appropriately respond, Lisanna's wing slammed into her back and sent her flying back slightly. The little victory was short lived as her body froze against her will! It felt like it was being crushed. "Ngh!? What is this?!"

Gravity; courtesy of Prometheus, who robbed it from Correll's soul. The gravity held Lisanna in place as the mad demon dropped down with purple flames ablaze around his hand. "Here's a present for you, HYAHAHAHA!" With his heinous laugh filling the air, Prometheus brought his hand against Lisanna's side and a vicious explosion occurred, rocketing the youngest Strauss into the ground with a cry of pain. And right after he did that, he felt something grip onto his ankle tightly. "Eh?"

It was Elfman in his Beast soul once again. He didn't take kindly to Prometheus' actions against his sister, so he returned the favor by violently slamming Prometheus on the ground. "TAKE THIS!"

"GUH!" Prometheus let out a grunt of pain, but grinned all the same. "HYAHAHAHA!"

"Release him." Pandora traced her scepter along the air, releasing a dual blast of ice and lightning at Elfman's back. It was a direct hit and the beast stumbled back near his sisters. "Prometheus, are you unharmed?"

"Of course!" Prometheus laughed while twirling his scythe around, allowing it to rest over his shoulders. "This is a pretty good warm up, don't you think so, Pandora!?" At least someone was having a fun time.

"They're pretty tough…" Mira admitted. They were even stronger than they were two years ago, which was a problem.

"Taking the three of us on together like it's no big deal." Lisanna reverted back to her Bunny form, hopping around to prepare to sprint.

"We're Manlier than they are, so this won't be an issue!" Elfman roared.

"…Man?" Pandora blinked curiously. She didn't understand, but opted not to ask either. They were enemies after all.

* * *

Elieen went off further into the mountains. She tapped her scepter on the ground and a bright white light began to spread out in a circle around her. "Before the arrival of the fourth guest, I'll have to be sure to make thorough preparations. His Majesty's little war game will have to be put to an end as well. Not that it matters really. Even if we had continued to battle normally, our side would have still emerged victorious. Although it may be more accurate to say that the game board has been broken, I suppose – due to someone who is above the rules making an appearance. Acnologia, the Black Winged One." It was at this moment Elieen's lips curled upwards just slightly, an icy smile forming on that oh so pretty face. "Upon this land which the white angel reigned supreme, a black dragon now descends. It's as if the malice of the black angel had been made manifest. But the one who will be laughing when all is said and done is I, the Scarlet Angel. Ah…as I recall, society had taken to referring to me as the 'Scarlet Despair', hadn't they? Couldn't they have thought of something a tad cuter? Hmm…."

* * *

Western Fiore. Zeref's march continued and he noticed something amiss. The army had taken a brief pause and in this moment, Zeref placed his hand on the ground. "….?"

"Is something amiss, Your Majesty?" Invel asked.

"You seem rather distraught…" Emmeraude crossed her arms.

"The quality of the magic flowing through the land…has changed? Elieen…just what are you planning on doing?" Whatever Elieen had in mind…it exceeded even Zeref's expectations…!

"INCOMING…!" A few soldiers shouted.

"What?" Invel turned and that's when it happened.

"WING BLADE!" A number of soldiers were sent flying through the air by some means, crying out in pain. Ace was barreling through them in a straight line, mowing everyone in his path down. He then rose up, staying airborne while giving Zeref and his followers a smirk. "Acid Ace: reporting for battle!" While in the air, his base Acid Ace armor gained a brighter white sheen. "White Ace!" His arm was then pointed down, light gathering within the palm of his hand. "Meteor Light!" Several spheres of light released from his hand, wildly dropping down in various locations. The result? Sporadic explosions everywhere.

"Dread Laser!" Red Joker pointed his hands forward, a red stream of magic cutting through the earth while consuming every soldier in its wake. There was no regard for the human life in front of him, and thus he had no issues stomping every insect in his path.

Club Strong then dropped down, twirling his weapon around with a wide grin. He was a beat em up kind of guy, so this kind of fight was his specialty. "STRONG SWING!" And strong it was. The beefy plant mage slammed his club onto the ground, the impact causing shockwaves to race along the ground, resulting in everything to cave in under soldier's feet. The fissure in the earth was one to be wary of.

"With a single swing!? No way!" The soldiers panicked.

"Oh my…is this another ambush!?" Emerald gasped.

"Mother, stay back." Emmeraude said while holding her arm out before her. "I knew they were coming sooner or later…but I didn't think they were brash enough for a frontal assault like this with their injuries…"

"Everyone, to battle!" Invel commanded.

The soldiers were about to respond, but a ton of them were instantly frozen over by Diamond Ice. The spirit snickered as Invel's command ultimately fell short. "Oh, I don't think so. You're going to have to chill out a little bit."

Jack Corvus flew down from above, slashing through the enemy ranks with his talons. "Wicked Slash!" Each slash he left on a soldier ended up exploding in an array of Wicked Flame. The purple embers burned brightly in the night sky. "Haha, eat shit, dickheads!"

"Missile Barrage!" Spade Magus yelled while released red-blue missiles from above. The missiles landed and exploded in various locations, each one causing a powerful electrical discharge in the process. Zeref's faction still had close to a million soldiers, but Dealer was here to cut down those numbers and stall their advance!

Last but not least, Heartless appeared with Daigo by her side, but he opted not to show off yet. Instead, he let his lady do the work. "Taurus Fire, I summon thee." A card was slapped onto the ground with the Taurus sign engulfed by flame. It was then that Taurus Fire emerged from the card, but it wasn't the real Taurus like before. This was a copy of the entity that Heartless was able to replicate. "Charge." The flame cow mooed violently and stampeded forward, barreling through the enemy ranks faster than one could blink!

"How wonderful, my lady!" Daigo bowed.

"I see…" Zeref stood back up. "So the forces of Dealer survived after all."

"Truly unfortunate." Emmeraude had her chain whip sword at the ready, taking a few steps forward. The whip began to move on its own, twitching like the tail of an excited cat that was preparing to pounce. It mirrored the woman's own emotions. "I thought Prometheus and Pandora could get the job done, but it seems that this group is far more slippery than I gave them credit for."

Invel also stepped forward, arms still crossed behind his back. "They mean to halt our advance, Your Majesty. And I refuse another enemy attack to slow us down."

"Do what you must." Zeref said with a slow nod.

Ace landed just a little ways off from Zeref and his cronies, getting into a battle ready position along with the others. "This is about as far as you go, Zeref."

.

.

Next Time: The Third Seal.


	61. Chapter 61: The Third Seal

"Ah! It looks like Ace's team has finally clashed with Zeref's army!" The radar was working again, so Warren was able to make his report on the update of the battle.

"So they're fighting now…" Makarov lowered his gaze to the floor. "I can only hope for their safety…" Going against Zeref himself was a very dangerous task.

"And the marker with Natsu and company has ceased movement. I believe this means they've met up with August…" Magnus reported. This caused another layer of tension.

"I hope everything works out for them…" Zelos said. "Although, Mii-chan did accompany them, so it should be all right."

"I feel like she's the one we have to be worried about…" Max pointed out. "She has a bad habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time…intentionally."

"Ah, I wouldn't worry about that." Zelos waved a hand nonchalantly. "Have you forgotten? Mii-chan can be incredibly serious when the situation calls for it. Usually when she actually cares about the outcome of a scenario. She says she doesn't care, but she stuck around this long for a reason. She won't endanger anyone intentionally."

"I feel like she'd get mad at you if she heard you say that…" Kinana said.

"Oh, she'd definitely clobber me into next week." Zelos laughed. "But she's not here, so I can freely talk! Though…I can't help but feel like Mii-chan isn't the worst thing that could happen to the negotiation. Did anyone see Mest slink out of here like he was stealthy?"

"…" Sidney didn't say anything, but he noticed. Nobody else did until just now, though.

"Wait, where did he go!?" Nab started to look around along with everyone else. But Mest was already long gone.

* * *

Natsu, Lucy, Brandish, Mii, Mest, and Tia stood before August, the King of Magic. Happy was in the back just towering over everyone, although his presence wasn't exactly a threat. Naturally, August was curious as to what was happening at this moment. "What exactly are you playing at, Brandish?"

"I've come to negotiate with you." Brandish responded.

"Has Jacob been killed?" August asked.

"He was defeated at the hands of these three." Brandish gestured to Natsu, Lucy, and Tia. He isn't dead, he's been taken prisoner. What of God Serena? He should have been with you."

August placed a hand against his chest, right above where his heart was beating. "He is here."

"Sounds like Acnologia got him after all…" Mii muttered quietly.

Lucy turned to Natsu, whispering to him. "Brandish's magic power is absurdly high…and so is Emmeraude's, but August's…"

"Yeah…" Natsu gave a slow nod, gritting his teeth. "It's a bit more…"

"I feel it too…" Tia added.

Mest, on the other hand, couldn't believe that the three of them were reacting so dully to this monster in front of them! _"Have the senses of these three gone dull!? This guy is in a completely different dimension…!"_ And when he looked at Mii, he saw a rare serious face on her. She was having the same thoughts as the others. How was he the only one who felt this intimidated!?

August took a look at Lucy, quirking a brow somewhat. "…And isn't this the woman Emmeraude claimed to have killed her child?"

The way August said that…it sent a chill down Lucy's spine. It sounded like whatever answer was given would affect the negotiation before it even began! "…I…"

Brandish extended a hand to stop Lucy from talking. "…This is the woman Emmeraude harbors that grudge for, yes. But I heard this woman's side of the story myself, and I can say that it is a very complicated matter on both ends. But I can assure you that it was not a heartless action. It is an issue that she and Emmeraude must confront."

"…." August was pondering this.

"Yeah." Mii spoke and everyone tensed up. She walked behind Lucy, taking two fingers to force her stern face up into a smile. "Does this look like the face of someone who'd intentionally kill someone's kid?"

"You're _not helping._ " Lucy spoke with an irritated tone of voice.

"I think I'm helping." Mii winked.

"…." August stared at Mii very curiously. "The soldier from Pergrande as well? Hm. And what of _that_ one?" August gestured to Mest, causing the mage to freeze up on the spot. "This is the one Emmeraude warned of us, if I recall correctly. The man who performed a rather vile act."

Brandish blinked once and turned to Mest. Now that she thought about it…Emmeraude gave a particular warning about Mest. "…In all the excitement, that slipped my mind."

"M...Me…?" Mest started to sweat. Did Emmeraude tell them about what he tried to do before!? Oh shit.

"…The heck did you do to her!?" Mii turned. "Em is petty, but she doesn't hold a lifelong grudge without a reason."

"Wait…" Natsu remembered something. He did recall Mest saying something about wounding Emmeraude, but in their haste they never questioned it. Not to mention that said wound never really came into play. "…How did you wound her before?"

"…." This was a question Mest was not keen on answering. They barely got past the first roadblock in even talking to August, and now they reached an even bigger hurdle.

* * *

[Flashback.]

During the initial war meeting for Alvarez, Emmeraude was giving the Spriggan 12 who were present all that knew about their enemies in Fiore. She presented a picture of Mest, scowling at this man. "And this one…he has a bit of a special circumstance you should be wary of."

"Wasn't this one of the guys that was running from us!?" Ajeel laughed. "You're scared of that twig?!"

"Absolutely not." Emmeraude shook her head. "Strength wise, he is absolutely nothing to fear, and he would never come at us of his own accord. You saw the expression on his face after all. But he has a vile sort of magic. He used it to manipulate my daughter into attempted murder when my back was turned."

"Oh?" Dimaria quirked a brow. "Using someone else as a means to try and take you down? I didn't think mages in Fiore had the gall."

"Neither did I. It was a vile tactic that I admit flung me into a blind rage for a few moments." Emmeraude was calm, though. "I just thought I should extend this warning to everyone. I wouldn't be surprised if he attempted the same tactic twice."

[End flashback.]

* * *

"Leave it to Em to not spare a single detail." Mii turned to Mest. "I can't believe you! You're talking about not trusting other people when you're the wildcard here!"

"I…" Mest grit his teeth. "I made a mistake…that I won't repeat again."

"You're an idiot." Tia scowled. "How's he gonna talk to us with you standing right here!? He probably thinks we're here to…"

CRASH! Mii swiftly chopped Mest in the back of the neck, her absurd strength crushing him into the ground. The action was so sudden everyone didn't even realize it until Mest was already face first in the dirt. "He just lied, but now he won't be doing any talking for a little bit. I told you I wasn't the worst thing that could happen."

"Mii…!" Lucy couldn't believe Mii!

"What? Were you gonna take his word? Because he lied to your face." Commandant Mii was speaking now. The shift in tone caught Lucy off guard. "Right now we're looking like a bunch of uncoordinated idiots in front of someone who can sneeze us off the map. Besides, he's fine. I think…" She knew her own strength, but she didn't know when to tone it down. So Mest was either unconscious or just lying in pain.

"….." Tense silence. They were already treading on thin ice upon arrival, and that ice had several cracks in it already. Nobody knew what would set August off and they really hoped that wasn't it.

"…I see." August turned to Brandish. "Now then, do you mind clarifying exactly what you meant by negotiate?"

"Holy shit…" Tia whispered. She can't believe Mii might have just actually saved their hides.

"I would like you to halt your advance." Brandish said.

August took a moment to respond to this. "Hrm…from what I can gather, it doesn't appear you've been tortured. Am I to interpret this as betrayal?"

To that notion, Brandish shook her head. "That couldn't be further from the truth. I am and will always be a loyal citizen of Alvarez, through and through. It's just…I cannot find any meaning in this war."

And suddenly, the presence August had shifted. "Those very words are in direct betrayal of His Majesy's will. Need I remind you, we Spriggan 12 have dedicated our minds, bodies, and souls to His Majesty. If, in spite of all that, you still cannot comprehend why you must fight for his cause…then you are nothing more than an enemy who must be eliminated." This was a rocky start, and at this rate, it may have been as far as they got with him. They were now starting to understand Brandish's words from earlier and seeing it for themselves – August's loyalty to Zeref. All it took was a single sentence for him to become deadly serious.

* * *

The battle in Western Fiore had only just started, yet it was probably the most intense yet. Dealer vs. Zeref's section of the army. A squad of 7 vs an army of roughly 1 million. Explosions were occurring all over the place in the open field. Ace zipped past a large cluster of soldiers, slashing at them as he went by. This continued several more times until his pathway formed a star, which shortly exploded after. "Star Strike!" Immediately after this he leapt into the air, deftly evading the blasts aimed at him, and those that came close were quickly parried away with his sword. His left arm briefly turned into a Gatling Gun and he released a requiem of bullets down upon his foes. "Vulcan!"

"Look out!" A soldier exclaimed. Before they knew it, they started to scatter in different directions to avoid getting gunned down. With Ace's precision, not many of them were going to escape.

"What's going on!? He's even more of a monster than the guy from before?!" A soldier yelled, and the moment he turned around, Ace was already in his face. "WHA!?"

"Hey. You're intruding on my friend's turf. I think it's time you ran out of here." Ace's blade was already sky high, taking the shape of a bolt of lightning with that very element surging from it. "Thunderbolt Blade!" Ace brought his sword down, splitting the heavens in the process. The blade of lightning dropped down on not just that single soldier, but dozens of them in the process, tearing the ground asunder as lightning flashed through the earth violently. He wasn't done yet!" Water, fire, lightning, and various other elements at his disposal started to swirl around his body and he began to spin in a clockwise circle. "Elemental Cyclone!" The proverbial ace of Dealer then sped forward, a vicious tornado of elements tearing through Zeref's forces until he finally came to a halt in a crouched position, a smirk stretching on his lips. "1, 500 down and counting. I still got it."

"Holy shit…" Jack's jaw dropped.

"With Ace popping off like, it's almost like we don't even have to do anything else." Daigo mentioned, swinging up a card to his left to form a reflect barrier. This barrier bounced back magical blasts aimed at him and Jack. "But we all know he can't keep that up for very long, lest his illness kicks in once again…"

"I'm not gonna lose to him!" Jack said so suddenly, purple flames flaring from around his body. Without a word he flew forward, spinning around with violet embers focusing around his skull. "Wicked Impact!" He collided with one soldier and the flames violently exploded everywhere! Purple embers rained from the sky and when they made contact with the soldiers, it began to drain their energy. "Haha, how's that?!"

"Not bad, Jack!" Ace gave a thumbs up. At that moment he sensed literal death coming at him and he swung his blade while spinning to the left, cutting through a sphere of death magic. When he finished his turn, he spotted Zeref himself with an extended hand. "Oh…?"

"A friend of Fairy Tail's…" Zeref lifted a brow, his red eyes glaring right into Ace's soul. The soliders were shocked that once again, Emperor Spriggan was going to take to the battlefield on his own accord. "I have no interest in anyone that attempts to stand in my way…however, I would like to send Fairy Tail a message. And since you've so kindly decided to step forward, I'll be using you as the messenger."

"Oh yeah?" Ace faced Zeref with a slight smirk. "I'd like to see you try. I'll warn you in advance, though. This isn't the first time I've danced with death. I'm pretty lucky, you know…"

"Emperor, we can handle him and his lackeys! We have bigger numbers!" A soldier said, although they were cut off by several missiles exploding onto them, courtesy of Red Joker. "AAAAH!"

"Insects, the lot of you." Joker was standing beside Ace, arms crossed while staring at Zeref. "You say we weren't here for victory, yet here you are standing against the King, and you a mere Knight."

"What can I say?" Ace shrugged. "My charismatic personality brings all the baddies to me."

Elsewhere nearby, Heartless and Emmeraude were really going at it. Emmeraude brought her chain whip sword forward, clashing against Heartless' Lifesword card advance skill. The two clashing caused a crater to form immediately. Those around the two of them were immediately blown away. For the first time in a while, Emmeraude could force a smirk while clashing against this formidable foe. "My my, Clarissa, so much animosity for someone who doesn't have a heart!"

"….You're a very irritating human. I don't like you." Heartless calmly responded before leaping back to gain distance. The pink haired woman then lifted her hand up, forming a gigantic pink heart above Emmeraude, then swiftly brought her arm down, causing said heart to plummet down on top of the woman. "Heart Stamp."

"Oh, you wound me..!" Emmeraude held her hand up, her palm stopping the heart just short. It was fairly powerful, but all crumbled within her grip. "You break my…heart." Upon uttering the word heart, a surge of crash magic shattered the attack into millions of pieces. Right after this she held that same hand forward, releasing a beam of darkness magic right at Heartless.

"Do you enjoy listening to yourself talk?" Heartless asked while lifting her palm up, a heart shield forming in front of her. This shield was strong enough to withstand the incoming attack before shattering. After that, however, chains rose up from the ground to bind around Heartless' arms and legs. "…"

"I just thought we could have a lovely conversation, mother to mother, you know?" The former Queen then pouted. "But if you won't humor me with even small talk, then I'll just kill you right here. That'll prevent you from seeing Midi's ruler after all…" As Emmeraude said this, she started to sprint forward, darkness amplifying the edge of her chain whip sword.

That last sentence, however, made Heartless narrow her eyes. Despite being an emotionless being, a button was pressed. She nudged her head and in came Taurus Fire, mooing furiously as it barreled through multiple soldiers in attempt to ram Emmeraude. The woman foresaw this and flipped over the charging bull, but this bought Heartless enough time to break free of the chains and form another card spell; Poison Knuckle. The moment Heartless was close; she swung with all her might at Emmeraude's face. Though Emmeraude was able to block, this, her sleeve was torn in the process and a bruise appeared on her arm.

"Oh…I felt that one. It's a little tingly." She admitted. "But tricks like poison won't work on me, I'm afraid. My Queenly Majesty is more than just a tool to rule the country, as I learned during my year in Alvarez."

"…That so?" Heartless questioned.

"Indeed. It's funny how I never realized it sooner…" Emmeraude's lips curved up into a subtle grin. "If you're not going to be dealing direct damage to me, consider your efforts voided."

"I was right. You're very annoying." Heartless rolled her eyes and swiped her hand forward, going for the direct approach once more. Several seals appeared beside her and rapid fired pink beams of raw curse power at Emmeraude.

"Not everyone can appreciate being in the presence of a queen…" Former, but that was beside the point. The emerald haired woman stuck her hand out, a sphere of darkness forming in front of her. This sphere consumed the incoming blasts of curse, using their power to amplify its own. Emmeraude then unleashed this sphere and smirked as it hurdled through the air at breakneck speeds at Heartless.

Heartless pointed her hand down; a holy seal appeared under her body just as the sphere collided. There was an explosion, but when the smoke cleared, she didn't look nearly as damaged as she should've been. "That's called a Holy Panel. It reduces the damage I sustain so long as I stand on it. You're not the only person who can be an inconvenience."

Emmeraude wrinkled her nose for a moment before pointing a hand down. "Perhaps not. But I can inconvenience your inconvenience." The ground under Heartless shone white before crash magic erupted from underneath her, catching her in the explosion and destroying her defense mechanism in the process.

But as that cleared, Heartless still looked unfazed. Despite not having a heart, she did muster up a slight smirk as she managed to annoy Emmeraude. "Its effects last for a bit even after it breaks."

Spade and Strong watched Emmeraude and Heartless fight from afar. "Wow, uh…I've never seen Heartless fight someone with such uh…vigor…?" Strong said as he casually tossed a soldier into a larger group of them.

"Well…Emmeraude was the one who suggested Alvarez attack us. I'm mad for her." Spade said with a shrug. "But we shouldn't stand here and marvel…"

"Yeah, put your backs into this!" Diamond snapped.

"Yes ma'am…!" Strong saluted, only to then be thrown backwards by a fierce blast of ice. He and Spade were caught within a sudden whirlwind and nearly frozen solid on the spot from that one attack. "W-w-w-w-w-w-what th-the heck was t-t-that!?" Strong asked, barely able to move a muscle as his teeth chattered together.

"S-So cold…" Spade barely managed to speak. His lips were practically frozen shut.

"It seems I missed one…" Invel stepped forward while letting out a heavy sigh.

"Missed one?" Diamond faced Invel with a brow lifted. "No, that hit me. I just didn't feel it. Who are you, anyway?"

"Invel Yura of the Spriggan 12. You've all made a horrible mistake attempting to impede the progress of His Highness' march. I use the purest form of ice…therefore I can freeze you all within the blink of an eye. Once I take care of this, I'll do that with the more troublesome pests."

"Ha!" Diamond scoffed at Invel's words. "The purest form of ice? Don't get me started. I _am_ the purest form of ice. You won't be able to get past me, because you can't hurt me." Diamond was ready to test Invel, that was for sure.

"….." Invel didn't say a word. Diamond was willing to test this theory; however Invel wasn't in the mood for games.

* * *

North Fiore.

Bacchus sprinted towards Rahkeid. Despite prior circumstances, the Drunken Falcon was completely inebriated at this point. Rahkeid was appalled, watching this drunken man haphazardly coming at him. "How absurd…I'm insulted that those who consume the devil's water think they have a chance at me…" But truthfully, Bacchus' speed was surprising! The White Dragneel's eyes widened for a moment as a swift palm was flying towards his face, but he used two fingers to swiftly deflect the incoming hand. "As I thought-" But his sentence went unfinished as another palm strike was wildly coming at him! Though he was able to parry this strike with his own hand, he was starting to become a little confused. "What is…"

"What's the matter!?" Bacchus questioned while hiccupping. "I'm just gettin' started!" The S-class of Quatro Cerberus exclaimed, rushing the Spriggan with another flurry of palm strikes. Each one was faster than the last, but that wasn't the problem for Rahkeid. The issue was that each strike had no specific target; Bacchus was just swinging at him with reckless abandon, yet each incoming strike held clear, precise aim.

"What is this…brute?" Rahkeid questioned, finding it difficult to figure out where Bacchus was going to strike next. "You should be incapable of walking straight, let alone swing!"

"I'm drunk as all hell, but it only makes me stronger!" Bacchus yelled with a wide grin. With his movements, he found an opening with a fake out, then proceeded to smack Rahkeid across the face for a direct hit!

"Guh!" Rahkeid let out a grunt of pain, staggering a single step backwards. He was actually hit? By this stumbling drunk?! "What a bothersome opponent…" The white Dragneel then swiped his hand forward, several blades of pleasure magic shooting through the air to slice through his opponent. Just before they could strike Bacchus, the earth moved to form a sizeable wall before the Falcon. The blades did cut through the wall, but it did leave Bacchus unharmed as a result.

"Hic." Royal smirked as his gaze rolled back and he just…collapsed from being drunk.

"What…?" Rahkeid was confused for a moment, but then remembered he was fighting against two drunks who could barely stand. No matter. His hand reared back to strike Bacchus, but a presence behind him caught his attention. The moment he turned, he found himself blocking a strike from Takeru who emerged from his shadow. "Another one? Like moths to a flame." Coating his arm in pleasure magic, Rahkeid swung a brutal strike at Takeru's chest. The shadow dragon blocked it, but instead of pain, it felt good.

"…?" Takeru lifted a brow. There was a bruise on his arm from the attack and he slid back quite the distance. "What the hell? That should of hurt!" But it didn't which raised many red flags. He was no genius in the pleasure department, but when it came to fighting, he was above the rest. So the fact he didn't feel pain from that hit meant that Rahkeid was a truly dangerous individual.

"You can fight against pain as many others do…but what can you do about pleasure?" Rahkeid held a calm smile. Watching people's reactions to his magic was always enjoyable to him in a way. Endurance against pain meant nothing against the euphoria his magic brought upon people. Nobody noticed it at this moment, but as Jack Royal lie in the depths of unconsciousness from drunkenness…an aura of Eclipse Magic slowly started to waver around his body…

* * *

Gajeel, Levy, Micaiah, and Selene stood before Bradman within the pile of bones all around them. Micaiah wasn't looking that great, Gajeel had seen better days, Selene was all right, but the main worry was Levy. "Are you seriously gonna be okay in all this? Even with all these magic barrier particles?" Gajeel asked. He just…had to make sure that Levy would be all right in this battle, or rather, the circumstances the battle created.

"No need to worry! Solid Script: Mask is completely flawless!" Levy reassured Gajeel.

"So we can get back to beating this guy up now, right?" Selene stared ahead, her violent gaze piercing into Bradman.

"He's the culmination of the Nine Demon Gates from Tartarus." Micaiah stated. "It won't be easy, but…"

Bradman extended an arm, holding up his index finger. **"With the first seal, thine magic is stolen by means of the magic barrier particles."** His middle finger followed suit, now holding two fingers up in the air. **"With the second seal, the door to the underworld is opened amongst an endless field of corpses."** And then rose the ring finger – three in total. Once he did this, his physical body started to turn into a black mist with his form barely noticeable within it all; a sinister grin on his lips. **"And with the third seal, the Reaper brings hell's judgement upon thine lives! Beyond three, there is no hope of return to the living realm thou value so much!"**

"Watch out, here he comes!" Micaiah yelled.

Bradman extended a single hand forward. **"EXPLODING HELIX!"** That simple motion caused a spiral explosion to consume for the four mages directly, blowing them all backwards with its sheer might. Micaiah and Levy cried out as they tumbled back the furthers, while Gajeel and Selene attempted to regain their balance, but Bradman wasn't giving them that chance. Another arm was draw back. **"Tenga Goken! ONIMARU!"** Swiping his hand forward, a vicious slash was sent forward that perfectly cleaved the surrounding area in two!

"Tch…!" Gajeel's iron scales were cracking after a strike like that. He felt it for sure.

"Ngh…!" Selene's diamonds held on, but she could feel the cutting edge of that attack! It was like her diamonds weren't even there to begin with. "What is this…!?"

" **Tenchi Kaimei!"** Bradman was just continuing his offensive momentum. A sea of pitch black water flooded the area, submerging the four mages within its depths.

"This attack…! This is what Blues uses!" Gajeel recalled this attack when he and Natsu faced off against Blues. Micaiah was right; this guy really was just the Nine Demon Gates of Tartarus put into one!

"I'm not falling prey to this attack!" Levy swiped her hand down, writing the word "HOLE" on the ground. The gigantic o served as a drain for all the water to funnel into.

As soon as the water level dropped, Gajeel began to sprint forward. "Nice one, Levy!" With this opening created, Gajeel began to gather magic within his mouth, causing his cheeks to inflate in the process.

"We got him now!" Selene rushed forward as her cheeks began to inflate. "Diamond Dragon's…!"

Bradman followed suit, his own cheeks inflating as purple ice swirled around his mouth. **"Ice Devil's…"**

"ROAR!"

"RAGE!"

Two funnels of iron shrapnel and diamond shards shot forth from the master and student duo, colliding against the gigantic funnel of ice Bradman unleashed. The three attacks exploded after a few second stalemate, a thick cloud of smoke lingering in the area after. Before the smoke cleared, Micaiah sprinted forward with her two blades, slashing at Bradman's side as she ran past him. The demon felt this, but Micaiah followed suit with another slash at his back for a direct hit. Her cheeks were already inflated and she parted her lips, letting a holy blast of white light fly forward. "Light Demon's Rage!" This landed, pushing Bradman forward.

Levy followed suit, swiping her hand in the air once more to follow up with the holy magic assault. "Solid Script: Shine!" The word 'shine' appeared once more, its holy radiance giving something Bradman to struggle against in terms of visibility. But for some reason, Levy's movements were a lot slower than usual.

Gajeel slammed his fists together, his dominate arm once again turning into a gigantic iron blade. "Karma Demon: Iron God's Sword!" Without thinking twice on it, Gajeel's blade split the sky in two as he brought it down, tearing the ground asunder as the sword fell on top of Bradman. They couldn't get too close to him because of the magic barrier particles, but luckily for them, they had powerful long range attacks!

" **It is interesting to see thou fight for thine own life so fiercely…but it matters not in the end!"** Bradman was very confident in this statement. Why? Because purple tendrils began to rise up from the ground, beginning to wrap around the four combatants' limbs to restrain them. **"Now, behold curse power which surpasses the nine! To the underworld, to the underworld…the dead walk eternally!"** The skeletons then began to rise from the pile of bones ever so slowly.

"I can't move…!" Micaiah yelled.

"Neither can I! What is this?!" Selene growled.

"Shit…this isn't good!" Gajeel stated the obvious, but only because they were seriously in trouble here.

" **THIRD SEAL, RELEASE! OVERSKELTER!"** As Bradman yelled this, the skeletons attacked, piercing tendrils of curse stabbing right into all four of them. If things couldn't get any words, the surrounding skeletons began to move about in a whirlpool! If they stayed in there too long, it was going to sap the very life from them!

"…Ah…" Micaiah's eyes widened after the direct hit. She coughed up some blood before her body with limb. She hit her limit.

"Micaiah…!" Selene grit her teeth, forcing herself forward to grab her guild mate and dive out of the whirlpool to keep her alive and safe.

"LEVY!" Gajeel did the same thing, swimming through the sea of skeletons to reach out to Levy and forcibly pull them out of the whirlpool.

Bradman's jaw dropped at what he considered to be a feat. **"They escaped…from the life stealing whirlpool?!"** Escaped, yes. But they weren't looking very good either.

"I…" Micaiah coughed. "…I couldn't do anything…"

"Ngh…" Selene started to cough too. The magic barrier particles were starting to get to her…

Levy on the other hand had the worst of it. "Levy! Your mask came off…!" Gajeel exclaimed.

"Forgive me…" Levy coughed, slowly pushing herself up. "The truth is….from the very beginning, it had no effect at all. Magic barrier particles can be absorbed through the skin, you know. I…I'm pathetically weak, aren't I?" From the very start…Levy had no protection. She was the only one fighting who was truly exposed to the particles.

"THEN WHY THE HELL DID YOU COME HERE?!" Gajeel barked. He couldn't believe that Levy would do something so stupid…!

"I just…wanted to save you…" Levy admitted before she fell onto her side.

"..." Those words. Gajeel glanced at Selene to tell her to stay right there. Someone had to keep Levy and Micaiah safe from further harm, and she was the only one who could do it without risk. Kurogane then sprinted at Bradman. "I'LL BE BACK IN A JIFFY! RIGHT AFTER I RIP THIS MORON A NEW ONE! HANG TIGHT!"

"Sensei…!" Selene cried out in worry. Was he really going to do this on his own!?

Gajeel thrusted his arm forward, the iron pole doing nothing more but phasing through Bradman's body. **"How utterly futile…"** The Reaper scoffed at Gajeel's efforts, smirking all the while. With a flick of a finger, a sharp bone stabbed through Gajeel's side.

Levy lifted her gaze up to Gajeel. "Gajeel…"

Gajeel violently swung at Bradman once more, but it just wasn't working. None of his attacks were connecting. **"Physical attacks have no effect on this splendid form of mine!"**

"OH YEAH!?" Gajeel then pointed his arm forward, shadows beginning to form around his body. That arm of his changed into a rail gun locked and loaded with all the magic power he needed. "THEN HOW ABOUT THIS?! IRON SHADOW DRAGON'S RAILGUN!" They were so close he didn't even need to charge. Before Bradman could even act, Gajeel fired and a massive explosion of iron and shadows occurred, blowing the both of them backwards from the raw power of it. "GUH!"

" **GAAAAH!"** Bradman felt that one and he tumbled before catching himself.

Gajeel rarely used that attack because it came at the cost of his arm, which now dangled uselessly. But he still had another one! "I AIN'T DONE YET!" The iron dragon yelled, rushing forward with iron and shadows swirling around his fist. "Iron Shadow Dragon's…!" Yet, before he could finish the attack, several more bones pierced into him from several locations, nearly skewering him on the spot!

"GAJEEL!" Levy tried to push herself up…but it was no use. Her body felt too heavy…her eyes felt to heavy…

"SENSEI!" Selene immediately got up and started running to assist him. Shadows began to wrap around her body and she wasted no time entering Diamond Shadow to save her teacher.

"Stop." Gajeel coughed up some blood. The authority behind that single word caused Selene to halt in her tracks. Why, he was in danger!? _"As far back as I can remember, I was always the one falling behind. It was beyond frustrating, and so damn pathetic that it made me want to run away in shame."_ First, he was the only one without an Exceed…then, Natsu exceeded him by gaining Lightning Flame mode, while Sting and Rogue could enter Dragon Force. Even Wendy got a dual mode and Dragon Force before he could, and soon after, Cynthia could achieve it as well! How could he even call himself Selene's teacher when she had Dragon Force too? All the other dragon slayers…they surpassed him and he knew this. It always seemed like no matter what he did; no matter how hard he fought…he just…fell behind everyone else. Despite his achievements in the past, Gajeel truly felt like he wasn't as strong as the others. _"But you know…I don't give a shit about any of that anymore. As long as I can keep the woman I fell for safe, nothin' else matters!"_ In the fires of this hellish battlefield, his iron will was forged into an unbreakable steel resolve. Gajeel didn't need the strength to compete with everyone else. He just needed the strength to protect Levy – that was all he cared about. So what did he do? He grit his teeth and started to inhale.

Levy's eyes widened at Gajeel's actions. "You can't…!" The bookworm cried out.

"What is he doing!?" Selene gasped.

Bradman's expression turned into a surprised one. What was this human doing!? **"Preposterous!? He's willingly ingesting the magic barrier particles!? Thou art a fool! Magic barrier particles completely and utterly destroy Ethernano! Thou canst possible absorb them!"** And yet, as he said this, Gajeel's form completely changed. His entire body was…jet black. _**"Just…what is this…jet black Iron!?"**_

"You can't do that, Gajeel! If you do, there's no coming back from this…!" Levy cried.

"Gajeel…" Selene's eyes were wide in awe at her teacher's actions.

" _ **This cannot be…by metabolizing the miniscule amount of iron present in the particles, he was able to digest the poison!?"**_ This was…unbelievable! Before anyone could blink, Gajeel was already upon Bradman, assaulting him with a flurry of relentless blows! The horrifying part to the Spriggan? He was getting hit. **"Mine body is being damaged by physical attacks!? This cannot be! It's inconceivable! In order to arrest me, for that sole reason, he risked his life to change the properties of his magic to mage my curse?!"**

"It doesn't matter what you are! Dragon, demon, god, or human! No matter the risk to me, I'M TAKIN' LEVY BACK TO THE GUILD SAFE AND SOUND!" As Gajeel yelled his resolve, one final blow was aimed at Bradman's body to send him flying back, now recuperating from the strike.

" **I…I refuse! I shan't let accept this farce! Against this lowly human, I…!"** Bradman rejected this outcome, and would continue to reject it for as long as possible! But Gajeel was the one who held the ultimate say in this matter.

Despite one arm being useless a moment ago, he forced it through the pain and turned his limbs into jet black swords and dashed forward. Each time he passed Bradman, he slashed, and every time he slashed him, his movements becoming faster and faster until he was nothing more than an obsidian blur to even the most precise eyes! "Stained blades of jet black steel; rip through the infinite darkness, and crush my enemies to nothing! JET BLACK DRAGON'S NIGHT FURY!" A final cross slash finished the job, slicing through Bradman's body entirely, while the demon could only let out one last scream of pain. That finishing blow caused his body to disappear. What timing too, as Gajeel's body started to revert back to normal.

"Wow…" Selene had a wide grin on her face. It was moments like this that made her glad she asked Gajeel to help her.

"…" Levy couldn't say a word, but the smile on her face said it all.

"Levy…" Gajeel started…and then it happened. Tendrils began to wrap around Gajeel's body, tugging him into a void behind him. "Ah!? Gnk…!"

"WHAT!?" Levy's eyes were wide.

"Sensei…!" Selene started to run forward, though the brief moment of peace allowed the adrenaline to flow out of her body. That was when she realized she was more injured than she initially thought and her legs nearly gave out.

It was Bradman. Though he was soundly defeated, this was his last ditch effort to ensure that he wasn't going to be defeated without taking one of them with him. And who better than the man who risked his mind, body, and soul to bring him down? It sounded like perfect compensation to him. **"I SHAN'T DIE WITHOUT A PRICE! THOU SHALT ACCOMPANY ME FOR ALL ETERNITYYYYYYY!"**

* * *

Next Time: The Two of Us, Forever and Always.


	62. Chapter 62: The 2 of Us Forever & Always

There was only a brief moment of victory after Gajeel defeated Bradman. They were unable to celebrate for long as the fallen Spriggan attempted to drag Gajeel into the depths of hell. Due the exhaustion of the battle, and his body never having the chance to even try recovering from Jet Black, Gajeel was unable to fight back as he was pulled into the portal. "Guah! What the hell is this?! My body is getting sucked in!"

"Gajeeeeeel!" Levy cried out.

"Sensei…!" Selene's legs were quivered like jelly and she attempted to stand as fast as she could.

"Ngh…" Micaiah placed her hands on the ground. Vanya ran onto the scene to help Micaiah stand up now that the area was clear.

" **The door to the underworld…thou shalt never return…never…again…nev…"** Bradman's voice slowly faded away. Though Gajeel's efforts did slay him, he had absolutely no intentions of dying alone…

* * *

Prometheus and Pandora continued to hold their own against the Strauss Siblings. Even in a two vs three scenario, the demon of chaos and goddess of balance were putting up an exceptional fight. Pandora held off Mirajane while Prometheus had fun with Elfman and Lisanna. The fun and games came to an abrupt end for Prometheus when he sensed something, backing away from the brother and sister duo while staring out in a particular direction. "…Pandora. You can handle these three, right? There are two souls ripe for the taking not too far away, and I can't let them escape."

"Yes." Pandora nodded, standing in front of Prometheus. "Collect the souls before it's too late. I can defeat these three on my own."

"I knew I could count on you!" Prometheus cackled before flying off. Now it was just Pandora against the Strauss siblings.

"You had better odds when it was the both of you. Do you really think you can hold us off? And where is he going?" Mira questioned.

"As you know, Prometheus is the Demon of Chaos, although he prefers the mantle; Grim Reaper." Pandora explained as a white aura began to flare around her body. "As the demon of chaos, he grows stronger in chaotic environments, and when he harvests a large amount of souls. Two souls of interest on this battlefield are about to perish and escape his grasp, and he cannot allow that to happen. I will not allow you to interfere with his harvest."

"You're awfully close to him…" Mira pointed her hands forward, releasing a potent blast of darkness magic right at Pandora.

Pandora swiftly brought her scepter up, a gigantic blast of lightning colliding with Mira's attack. "We are bound to one another. He is chaos, I am order." The two attacks exploded shortly after clashing, but Pandora wasn't given any rest. Lisanna and Elfman appeared at her left and right, both of them swinging their claws down in attempt to strike her. Just before they could strike, Pandora formed a barrier around her body which sent the two of them flying back upon contact. "And as such, we must remain balanced."

"What the heck was that…?" Lisanna questioned while pulling herself up from the ground.

"Is she…getting stronger?!" Elfman asked while keeping his guard up.

"As Prometheus grows, so too do I." Pandora said while floating up in the sky. "For we must remain balanced."

"You said that already…" Mira narrowed her eyes. Although Pandora repeated herself, the weight of her words carried the second time around.

"Now you will face the might of the Goddess of Balance." With a swipe of her scepter, several magic seals formed behind her, each one releasing gigantic beams of lightning and ice down onto the Strauss siblings. While they were able to avoid the beams, there were gigantic holes left in the mountain side. The hole struck with ice was completely frozen over, while those struck with lightning were dangerous high voltage minefields.

"Whoa…what was that!?" Lisanna's eyes were wide at Pandora's sudden increase in power. "Has she been holding back on us this whole time?"

"With Prometheus by my side, there was no need for me to unleash my full power. But now that he must attend to an important task, I have no choice but to ensure the highest probability of victory." Pandora stated calmly, looking down on her opponents from above. "My words from before still ring true. I warned you all that you would taste defeat sooner or later."

* * *

The second pair of third guests made their arrival onto the battlefield as swiftly as they could. Crime Soriciere landed into battle outside of their mobile temple and immediately got to work. Cobra extended a palm forward, using his sound magic to gather all of the infernal noise into one place. "Sound Palm." As one would expect, with all the noise a battlefield produced, the ensuring explosion of sound took out a huge number of soldiers. "Now quiet down."

"More company!?" Marshall grinned while taking his attention off Rogue for a moment. "Things just keep getting better! I can't wait to see how many mangled bodies I'll have created at the end of this!"

"I knew you lot were around here. Your voices are insufferable." Cobra spat, the venom he carried in his magic spewing out with his words.

"Jellal's group, hm? I was wondering when you'd show up." Minerva said while blocking a rather powerful punch from Nina. "As you can see, we have our hands tied up at the moment…"

"Ah, allow us to lessen your load!" Hoteye lifted a hand up, the ground started to liquefy under the feet of those from Empyrean Dawn. "It's the least we can do!"

"Whoa, hey! I didn't sign up for this now!" Nina said while trying to trudge her way out of the wet earth that slowly started to drag her under.

"Now this is getting interesting!" Dogan yelled while licking his lips.

"As much as I want to nap…I suppose we'll have to take care of this trash." Midnight yawned while gathering some Reflect magic within his hand.

Marshall's eyes went over to Midnight, grinning widely as his eyes shifted to a familiar green hue. "Spiral Pain." Without wasting a moment, the reflect magic Midnight was about to use was copied by Marshall. A spiral of magic and earth expanded from Marshall, catching the few members of Crime Soriciere present in its wake.

"Tsk!" Midnight grit his teeth. "Annoying…!"

Nina slammed her fists together, grinning now that she was free. "This'll be fun now!"

"…These guys are more trouble than they're worth. Are you sure you'll be okay?" Sting asked.

"Perfectly so. We don't need your concern." Cobra said.

Yukino took a quick glance at Racer. "U-Uh…have you seen my sis…er, Sorano around here? She should be here, yes?"

"Oh yeah." Racer nodded while taking a runner's stance. While Cobra, Midnight, and Hoteye dealt with the members of Empyrean Dawn, he was going to run through the Alvarez troops present. "She uh…decided to stay as far away from you in particular as possible. I wouldn't take it personally; she's been really weird about you lately." Shrugging, Racer took off in a near invisible sprint, knocking down numerous soldiers with his pure speed. Nobody could even try keeping up with him, so it was a breeze!

"Oh…I see…" Yukino nodded. That was…a little disheartening to hear honestly. But even those types of feelings didn't belong on a battlefield; she couldn't help but feel concerned for her older sister.

* * *

"GUAAAAH!" Gajeel roared as he desperately attempted to struggle against Bradman's attempt to pull him into the depths of the underworld, but it was no use. His body was too exhausted to put up any kind of a fight right now.

Levy forced herself to a knee. There was absolutely no way she would sit there and watch Gajeel be pulled away from her again! "Bllgh!" That was the sound Levy coughing up blood, but that didn't slow her down. She picked herself up and began sprinting towards Gajeel.

"STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" Gajeel barked the instant he saw Levy moving. "It…it's too late for me! My…my body…has already become nothing but a mass of magic barrier particles. If you touch me, then you'll also…"

Levy's eyes widened at this information, but ultimately it failed to cease her advance. "I don't care about any of that!"

"Levy…!" Selene grit her teeth and also stood up.

"You're coming back with me Gajeel no matter what!" Levy screamed. It was at that moment Gajeel forced a single arm forward, creating iron cuffs on Levy's wrist that then pulled her back to a nearby rock with magnetic force. "What do you think you are doing, Gajeel!?"

"You left me no other choice…" Gajeel grumbled, only to feel a tug on his wrist. "What…?"

It was a chain of light. Micaiah was holding her ground, tugging at this chain as Vanya helped pull her back. "Don't be…such an idiot…you're not fooling anyone with that act. Nobody would give up that easily if they had a choice."

"Your voice says one thing, but your heart says another…" Vanya muttered, trying to pull Micaiah backwards. The two of them didn't have the strength to come close to pulling Gajeel out of the rift – at best they could only stall for a number of seconds.

"I'll have you know I'm not the damsel in distress I was when you first met me!" Levy silently thanked Micaiah for her interference. Her legs then moved swiftly, creating the word 'sword' in midair. In this instance, the pen was mightier than the sword as the letters sliced through the rock, allowing Levy to sprint forward once more.

"I'M BEGGING YOU TO STOP! ALL OF YOU!" Gajeel yelled.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Levy cried out, only to feel her movements all come to a halt. When she looked down, she saw that diamonds were gluing her feet to the ground. "W-Wha…Selene!? What are you!?"

Selene's hair created a shade over her eyes, but one could see the somber expression on her face. "…Please Levy. Micaiah, Vanya, that's enough too. If you keep going, then…"

"I can't stop!" They were running out of time! If she didn't do something right now, Gajeel was going to die! She couldn't let that happen! Fueled by desperation, Levy began to write some more words in the air, but in that moment, Patherlily appeared to halt her, grabbing her arms from behind while also pulling her into an embrace. Levy froze, while Gajeel managed the tiniest of grins. "Unhand me, Lily!" Levy screamed, trashing against Lily's hold, but with her feet held in place, it was difficult.

"I must refuse your request, lest you get dragged in too." Lily had his eyes closed, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall.

"I DON'T CARE! LET ME GO! AT THIS RATE, GAJEEL WILL BE!" Why…why was everyone trying to stop her? Levy didn't understand.

If there was one thing Gajeel was thankful for in this moment, it was that he was briefly being stalled by Eclipse mages of all people. It allowed him to give Levy one last message before he was forced away. "Levy…back then, I really was nothing but a degenerate scumbag. But then I met you…and you were able to bring out all the best parts of me. What little there was of it, anyway…parts of me that I didn't even know existed. You taught me what it means to love, and for that, I will eternally be grateful."

"Ga…Jeel…" Levy's voice lowered to a whimper.

"With you by my side, for the first time, I was able to discover and think about things that had never occurred to me before. The future, a family, happiness." Thinking about all this now…it brought a smile to Gajeel's face, and for the first time, he began to shed tears of happiness. "I can't help but laugh. Who would've thought that the great, badass Gajeel…would actually consider acting like a respectable, competent adult? I really did want to walk with you…side by side…forever. After everything I've faced, having a future with you snatched away from me…is definitely the most terrifying thing I've ever had to endure…" At this point, only Gajeel's head and arm were out of the portal, which was rapidly swirling to a close.

"Gajeel..!" Levy was crying now.

"I entrust my future to you…"

"NO!" Levy screamed once again. "YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO ME GAJEEL!"

Despite her begging and pleading, Gajeel kept talking. He knew this wasn't what she wanted to hear right now…but he was putting it all on the line for her. "You've gotta live to the fullest now, for your sake and mine."

Levy reached an arm out. She was so close…yet so far. Too far. "I WON'T LET YOU GO! I WON'T LET YOU LEAVE ME! SELENE, DO SOMETHING!"

"…" Selene clenched her hands into fists. Her body was trembling and the tears ran down her cheeks. But at this point, she let the diamonds around Levy's feet disperse. There was nothing anyone could do now.

"I…I can't hold on anymore…!" Micaiah grunted and her grip was released. She and Vanya fell to the ground and the chain shattered…

"Lily, you be sure you get Levy back to the guild safe and sound. Swear it…on your life." Gajeel gave his partner one final request.

"I…I SWEAR IT!" Pantherlily nodded with a tearful expression.

"Thanks…Selene. Give 'em hell for me, okay? Tell Rogue…Raios, the same thing…" Gajeel offered his protégée a smile. With that, the portal to the underworld closed, swallowing Gajeel with it.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Levy's wailing was louder than that of the sounds of the battlefield. "GAJEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL!" Nobody said a word as Levy cried; wailed, screamed, kicked…there was nothing anyone could do as the man she fell for was pulled away from her.

"Tsk tsk…" Prometheus strolled onto the scene, his malicious presence not aimed at the others, but the empty space where Bradman and Gajeel once were. "Such a sore loser, Bradman. Unbefitting of a Reaper. But I can't allow you to take such a ripe soul away from me…and while I'm at it, I'll take yours as well!" The true Grim Reaper then swung his scythe in the air, stabbing the tip of the weapon into the air where the portal once was. This caused the rift to reopen just lightly. Prometheus crackled, using his bare hands to grip at the distortion in space and he began to rip it open, now peering into the portal with his usual heinous grin. "Ah, there you two are! Not too far down, I should be able to snatch both of your souls in record time!"

* * *

Somewhere up north, Acnologia was keeping track of the amount of Dragon Slayers remaining. "…And now, only a few more remain until all dragon slayers are completely annihilated. Once they are eliminated, that isle will follow suit…"

"Oho? So that's your true objective, is it?" Elieen spoke while floating above Acnologia. The woman started down at Acnologia with a smile, but the dragon didn't seem so amused.

"Get out of my sight." Acnologia demanded.

Elieen did just the opposite, touching down on the ground a few feet away from him. "Yours is a terrifying, intense strength indeed."

"You intend to block my path, knowing full well who I am?" Acnologia questioned.

"But of course, O great Acnologia." Elieen mused.

This woman had guts…and yet, he could sense her strength at the same time. It was just enough for him to bite, and so he'd humor her, but how long would she last against his might? "I wonder…will you be able to provide me with even a moment's entertainment?"

Elieen responded to that with a sinister smile. "Oh, don't worry. I know a thing or two about entertaining men…"

* * *

"Please, August, listen to me." Brandish pleaded. "What His Majesty is attempting to accomplish is absolute genocide, and nothing less. The Dragon King Festival, Raganrok, call it whatever you'd like, but in the end, it amounts to nothing but a one-sided massacre." Brandish was truly trying to convince August not to fight. "This war is nothing but murder. It's not a clash of noble ideas between or two countries; sure you can tell that much."

"…" August said not a word.

"I know that among the 12, none are wiser than you. That is why you must realize that at the end of this fight, there will be no future. All that awaits us…is an empty abyss…"

"Where we are headed at the conclusion of this battle is to be decided by His Majes-"

"THINK FOR YOURSELF!" Brandish yelled, cutting August off. It was always 'His Majesty' this, and 'His Majesty' that with August. But for once, she wanted him to think about what _he_ wanted to do! Not blindly follow Zeref down a path of inevitable destruction!

"M…Maybe you shouldn't be coming on too strongly…j-just a thought…" Lucy quipped while hiding behind Natsu, who was silent and staring at August the whole time.

"I think it's hot." Mii added, but was soon smacked in the back of the head by Tia.

"Not helping…!" The water mage harshly whispered.

"That is what I have decided to do." Brandish then turned to those who accompanied her. "I have reached the conclusion that these people are not evil. Far from it." A quick glance at Mii. "Although the jury is still out on that one."

"T-Thanks…" Lucy said with a halfhearted smile.

Natsu and August were now staring at one another. It didn't take the King of Magic long to realize who he was looking at now. _"This child…"_ He knew him. Or to be more precise…August knew what Natsu was in relation to him.

"Natsu! Stop burning a hole through his body! Please…?" Lucy pleaded.

"..." Natsu couldn't help it. His lips curled into a scowl. Why…why did he feel like he knew this man? They had never met before, but there was this strange feeling Natsu just couldn't shake off. Who was August?

"August, I beg of you…at least try talking to them." Brandish asked.

"…Hmph." August let out a defeated sigh. He couldn't refuse Brandish. "Well, I suppose I would sooner listen to what they have to say than make a fool out of you, Brandish…"

"You're the best, Grandpa!" Brandish's serious expression immediately melted into a beaming smile.

"I have no recollection of you being my granddaughter." August said.

"But to me, you've always been my Grandpa~" Brandish mused.

"Aha…" Lucy let out a nervous laugh. To think Brandish actually managed to do it! It was no guarantee that August would stop altogether, but now they've finally pushed past all the hurdles for a peaceful negotiation.

"See, it all worked out in the end." Mii's usual persona returned.

"I can't believe that actually worked out…" Tia placed a hand against her chest. "It felt like my heart was going to explode…"

"Grand…" Brandish's bright smile soon turned into a dull expression. "Pa…"

"Hm…?" August lifted a curious brow. In the next instant, Brandish…brandished a knife from her jacket and stabbed August in the chest, using her magic to enlarge the weapon at the point of impact. "GUAAAAAH!"

"KYAAAA?!" Lucy screamed.

"WHAT THE FU-" Natsu had no idea what just happened!

There was…an evil smile on Brandish's lips. "The one I must kill…stands before me now. And then…myself…" It didn't stop there. Brandish turned the knife around, stabbing herself in the stomach.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!" Tia yelled in horror.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Even Mii was caught off guard. "Where the hell did that knife come from!? I frisked her before we left!"

"….." The shock of the self-inflicted wound snapped Brandish out of her hypnotic state and she fell to the ground, a pool of blood starting to form around her. "Grand…."

Mest lifted himself from the ground, that same evil smile from before present on his lips. It worked. "….It worked…"

Natsu immediately picked Mest up from the ground, gripping him by the collar. "MEST?! WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE!?"

"I thought I knocked you out!? I knew I should've hit you harder!" Mii was kicking herself now. She didn't think Mest so durable to stay conscious after that blow she delivered. She was too soft on him…

"I altered her memories of course, during the ride on Happy's back. Implanted the sentiment of 'I must kill August, no matter what the cost, and then I'll end my own life', within her mind. I even planted that knife on her too."

"YOU SON OF A…!" Natsu couldn't believe this!

"I DID IT TO PROTECT THE GUILD!" Mest yelled, that reason alone far more than sufficient to carry out such a vile act once again. This time, he didn't plan on leaving any survivors. He learned from Emmeraude how to clean up efficiently.

"YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT!" Tia snapped. "He was going to talk things out!"

"And his guard was down!" Mest fired back.

"Why was that your immediate go to!?" Mii clenched her hand into a fist. "You're a fucking dumbass, you know that!? Were you really so afraid that you had to resort to using such a cowardly tactic? I hate shit like that!" Commandant Mii returned…and she was very, very angry – an emotion that was rarely displayed from the woman. A black aura started to waver around her body as her green eyes burned into Mest's very soul. "I could understand if he said no, but he didn't! So you thought it was a good idea to go and blow your load early and not think of the consequences!? You know what, this one is on me, I should've just blown your head off the minute you lied!" An ironic statement coming from the liar. She just _knew_ that Mest's concern was going to screw things up somehow, but she didn't imagine it to go like this! "And now you've gone and pissed him off!"

"You weren't any help! You're one of the strongest people here and you didn't even try anything!" Mest yelled.

"I know when to not fuck things up!" Mii shot back, now pointing Purple Pot directly at Mest's skull. "Nothing but a liability…"

"Brandish…!" Lucy started to run to Brandish, but she stopped. Everyone stopped, because there was something far more concerning before them than Mest's own action.

"So…Emmeraude was right about you all after all." August's tone lowered. His skin took on a completely different tone and there were several markings along his skin. Despite being stabbed very close to his heart, he was standing tall and the aura radiating from his being was frightening. Despite giving Fairy Tail the benefit of the doubt and going with Brandish's word, they still had the gall, the audacity to pull out such tactic. There was no forgiveness. "This…this is their way of resolving things!"

Now…one of the mightiest magics in the world…was about to be invoked.

.

.

Next Time: Universe One.


	63. Chapter 63: Universe One

"Yeah, see, now you've pissed him off…" Mii turned to August, who was glaring at the group of mages before him. Things were going surprisingly well until Mest interfered, causing Brandish to stab both August and herself.

"He's really mad…" Tia gulped.

Lucy's concern was on Brandish, who had a pool of blood seeping onto the ground from the stab would on her stomach. "Brandish…!" She needed to know if Brandish was okay after that! But right as she moved, August's eyes widened.

There was no time. Everyone could sense the danger they were in, but Natsu was the first one to act, grabbing Lucy and diving off to the side. "LUCY!"

"YOU DID THIS!" Mii pointed at Mest accusingly. "Out of every conceivable way I could die, I didn't wanna go out like this!"

"Shut up and block…!" Tia shouted as a golden light started to form around her body, but would she be fast enough!?

"Oh shit...!" Mest gasped.

A malicious grin formed on August's lips. One bad apple ruined the bunch. August was willing to talk things out, but because of Mest, he was now going to ensure that they all suffered. **_"Dissolve into oblivion."_** The instant he said that, a searing blast of heat exploded upon them all, towering miles into the sky. There was nothing no one could do except cry out in surprise as August's attack consumed everyone and everything within a several kilometer radius.

* * *

August's might could been seen all the way in Magnolia. All they could see from the guild was a giant pillar of light rising up into the sky from the distance. "What is this…this searing light!?" Makarov asked.

"That's coming from the east!" Warren stared at the radar. "This amount of magic…it's out of this world!"

"…Their gambit failed." Sidney reported.

"Either August didn't want to hear what they had to say, or somebody screwed it up. Considering Mest was the most paranoid out of everyone…" Magnus trailed off.

"Nggh…!" Zelos gripped his chest, wincing in what appeared to be agony. "Whew…that…did not feel great…"

"Zelos? Are you okay?" Kinana rushed over to Zelos. It was strange for him to have such a reaction.

"Ahaha, your concern for me makes me feel like I can take on the world, Kinana-chan!" Zelos flashed a smile, but despite his words, it was clear that something was the matter. "But…I'd be more concerned for Mii-chan and the others. A blast like that…"

"Natsu, Lucy…!" Alzack grit his teeth.

"Happy…Tia…" Bisca didn't have a good feeling about this either. Whatever happened in the east…it was pretty bad to say the least.

* * *

After Mavis told her that she was the only one to was capable of freeing her and Zera, Cana mustered up the willpower to attack her with everything she could muster. Cana once again pointed her arm forward, casting Fairy Glitter upon Mavis' astral body. "FAIRY GLITTER!"

The pillar of light dropped down on Mavis, consuming her body. "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Mavis could only let out a powerful cry of pain as the light consumed her. Cana's expression faltered as Mavis' voice and body began to fade away within the pillar of light until…she was no more.

"First!? FIRST!" Cana yelled in a bit of a panic, but then she noticed the crystal before her crack and shatter. Mavis' true body was free and she started to collapse to the ground, but Cana caught her long before impact. "First!? Are you alright!? Talk to me, First!"

Mavis' eyes opened very slowly and with a bit of a groan. "It…It seems I'm suffering from muscular atrophy. I'm barely able to move my body…" That was kind of to be expected after being confined within a crystal for over 100 years…but she was all right, and that was enough for Cana to let out a relieved smile.

* * *

Eileen and Acnologia stood before one another. The Scarlet Despair held a small smile on her lips as her hair wavered in a slight breeze. "Well then, shall we begin?" Acnologia didn't respond, but Elieen took this as a 'ladies first' sort of gesture. The woman's scepter started to glow as she finally displayed her magic for him.

The moment the woman's scepter shone, Acnologia sensed it. "An atmospheric compression enchantment…" The very air itself turned into a gigantic sphere of magic roughly the size of the Sema spell that assaulted him from the right. This was…almost surprising. Acnologia dug his feet into the ground while holding off the atmospheric compression magic. Elieen then caused it to explode and the raw force of it sent the mighty Acnologia sliding back along the ground with such force there was a crevasse in his path. " The ability to bestow and affix her magic onto all things…" That previously bored expression of his was replaced with an intrigued grin. She had his attention now. "A high enchanter, eh? HAHAHAHA!" With a vindictive cackle, Acnologia lifted his single arm into the air.

There was a surge of magic building underneath Elieen and a few meters around her. "Ah…!" The surrounding area exploded in the eruption of magic, but the High Enchantress managed to escape in the nick of time with an elegant backflip. "Whew~" That was a close one. There was only a giant crater in its wake, an endless abyss waiting for anyone who happened to fall through.

"Considering your magic is learned from the Black Wizard, it's fairly impressive. You've caught my interest." Acnologia stated,

"Why, thank you. You're making me blush." Elieen responded.

But Acnologia wanted to have just a little bit more fun. Without wasting a second to inhale, the apocalypse dragon released a roar of pure destruction that covered an insane radius. It took the form of a beam that rapidly cut through the sky while racing towards Elieen. "Come now, what else can you do!?"

"You certainly don't know when to give a woman a break, do you?" Elieen responded while swinging her scepter forward once more, this time unleashing a beam of raw magic to collide with Acnologia's roar. The collision of these two superpowers caused a massive explosion that could be felt for miles on end.

The cloud of smoke created from this didn't linger for long, as a simple swipe from Acnologia caused it to disperse. Once he did so, he realized that Elieen was still in the same spot as before, but he sensed something above him. When he looked up, he could see a large chunk of enchanted earth coming down at him in the form of a meteor. The Enchantress was having a little fun and used the ground in a unique way to attack…but just like before, Acnologia was capable of stopping such a massive attack with his lone arm, using his pure strength to crush it into nothing. "Come on, what else are you capable of, High Enchanter?! I can sense more from you!" In fact…there was something more to this woman. There was a reason he didn't once refer to her as a human.

"My my, how impatient…you can't humor me for a moment?" Elieen questioned, although her eyes widened for a split second as Acnologia was already before her, swinging his hand at her midsection. He was attempting to strike her down just as he did God Serena, but the two of them were on different levels, so she managed to strike his arm away with her scepter, but barely at that. "Ah ah, no touching. We haven't gotten that far yet."

"HAHAHA!" Acnologia stomped on the ground. Irene was expecting another explosion, but this was far different. A cube of magic formed around her to conceal her, appearing almost like glass in texture. There was then a vicious torrent of magic swirling within to deal damage to the woman who dared to stand in his way. There was so much more to this woman and he _knew_ it, now it was just a matter of pulling out her secret one way or another! He would do this, because he was…actually starting to have a little fun for once.

"So you do have some tricks up your sleeve…" Elieen responded as the vortex of magic appeared. She wasn't going to allow him to have his way with her so easily. "Enchant the cube. Explode!" Acnologia's own magic was enchanted; enhanced to the point where it couldn't contain itself and exploded, freeing Elieen before any harm could come to her body. "But I'm afraid it won't be that easy. This isn't the first time I've dealt with a man being a little rough. But it only means I have to play rough in return. I do hope you can withstand it." With another swing of her scepter, she performed the same attack she used to start off with, only this time instead of one sphere, there were eight, coming from all directions to converge on Acnologia. "I know men enjoy when I'm a little rough with them~"

"….."Acnologia was not surprised in the slightest that Elieen was capable of mustering an attack of this magnitude. There was very little time for him to do anything and so, all eight spheres collided against him violently for a massive explosion that shook the earth for miles. That explosion didn't last long as the sound of inhalation filled the area.

"…?" Now it was Elieen's turn to be surprised. Acnologia's element and abilities were still unknown; all anyone knew was that he was a powerful dragon. Truth be told, she still hadn't a clue what sort of element he was using against her. "Are you enjoying your meal? I didn't think you'd be able to feast upon that."

"Absolutely fantastic!" Acnologia cackled after having his fill. "I have no element! I am nothing but pure destruction!" The dragon said while lifting his hand into the air, using the magic he just consumed to his advantage. There was a bright blue sphere forming within the palm of his hand, roughly the size of all eight spheres Elieen sent at him put together. "Come on, show me _**MORE**_!" Without wasting a moment, he brought this sphere down, the air itself beginning to roar from just the velocity of it crashing down onto the earth.

"Oh dear." Elieen lifted her scepter up once more, this time casting a defensive enchantment on herself. Trying to compete with this level of power…while not impossible for her, it was more trouble than it was worth. She couldn't afford to get too carried away in this enthralling battle either, since she did have a plan in mind. This duel with Acnologia…was just a way for her to pass some time before her plan came to fruition. With nothing to stop the incoming mass of magic, it struck the ground and erupted in a cataclysmic explosion, utterly annihilating anything and everything within a several mile radius. There was nothing but barren landscape around the two of them. Elieen's defensive enchantment did hold up…but she did notice something was off about her fair skin. There was a bruise. "Oh. Your power is magnificent as well. The rumors don't even do it justice. I've certainly come to understand why His Majesty fears you so. However…if, and when Fairy Heart falls into His Majesty's hands and he wields that power against you…I do indeed wonder what would happen.

There was a hint of a smirk on Acnologia's lips at Elieen's words. "Are you implying that the Black Wizard would become an existence that would surpass even _**me**_?"

"I'm merely acknowledging that possibility." Elieen hummed.

"If you're about to tell me to leave the humans to their devices without laying a finger on you until then, save your breath." The dragon spat. "I have no intention of listening."

"Oh my…I've heard through the grapevine that you were once a human as well." Elieen responded. "That being the case, your choice of words is rather strange. However, it's just as you say. The last thing I want is for you to get in our way." The Scarlet Despair lifted her scepter again…then had it gently touch the ground. "Meanwhile, His Majesty is off somewhere enjoying all of this as if it were a game. I suppose then I'll have to be the one to get his act together. So that we may bring this war to a swift conclusion." This woman…she was dangerous. She was a wild card. As soon as she finished speaking, a pure, bright white light started to spread out from under her, encompassing not just the immediate area around them, but also….

"What is this!?" Acnologia questioned. He…he had no idea what was happening! "A magic unbeknownst to even me!?"

"Indeed…" Elieen was finding some enjoyment in Acnologia's bewildered expression. How she savored one upping him in this moment. "The spell you're about to witness did not exist 400 years ago. If you were to travel back farther in the annals of time, there would still be no record of it. Why, you ask? This is magic of the new era." That white light continued to spread out far beyond just the two of them.

"The earth itself…do you mean to tell me you're enhancing the entirety of the earth?" The light was so bright; Acnologia could only see the woman in front of him now.

"You are correct. All of the land of the Kingdom of Fiore to be precise." Elieen responded. A single spell…encompassing an entire country.

"Just who exactly…are you…?" Acnologia asked. His view of Elieen was becoming obscured by the blinding light.

A taunting smile appeared on the Spriggan's lips. This had been fun indeed. "I am called Elieen. I do hope we'll meet again someday…O great Acnologia."

* * *

Prometheus lowered his hand into the rift to the Underworld, smirking as he grabbed a hold of something. "Oh, there we go! Your soul would be ripe in my collection! I can't let you go just yet!" The Grim Reaper was about to yank it out of the portal, but at that moment, Selene slammed a fist into the side of his skull, causing him to slide backwards and the portal to close as a result. "Eh!?"

"I won't let you…" Selene clenched her hands tightly, purple eyes glaring into Prometheus' body.

"Ah, here I thought you'd be too demoralized to do anything. Oh well…I got a few minutes." Prometheus held his scythe at the ready…but that's when the bright light started to shroud the northern mountains as well. "W-Whoa, whoa! What the hell is this!? It's too bright!"

"This light…?" Micaiah lifted her head up. As a demon of light…she could tell that this wasn't natural. "Where…did it come from…?"

* * *

The Strauss Siblings and Pandora halted their battle the moment the light started coming into view. "Hey, what is this!?" Lisanna asked, staring at Pandora as if she knew the answer.

"I…I'm afraid I cannot say." Even Pandora didn't know. "But I can tell you that it does not bode well for you mages of Fiore."

* * *

Bacchus started to look around as nothing but pure white like surrounding them. "Huh!? I've heard of blackout drunk, but this…?"

"It's too damn bright!" Takeru shielded his eyes.

Rahkeid only stared at the light. There was only one person he knew of who was capable of such a thing. "I see…this must be Elieen's work. She always did want to get things over with as quickly as possible…"

* * *

Angel awkwardly stared at Arcturus on the battlefield. "You sure he's on our side…?"

"That's what Takeru said." Reiss nodded. "I know he seems like a scary dude, but we can trust Takeru."

"…I hope he doesn't bite my shoulder again. Actually, keep him as far away from me as possibl…" And cue the light. "Whoa, what the hell is this?!"

"Where the hell did it come come?!" Kanade asked.

"Who did this!?" Tyson tried to look around, but what was once a mountain range started to become nothing but a bright flash.

"…This is intriguing…" Hubert admitted while adjusting his glasses. There was hardly any time for him to join the fray, but he could sense that whoever did this didn't want to leave any time for anything.

* * *

"Anyone know what's going on?!" Nina asked. "I didn't do this!"

"Of course you didn't, it wasn't me either!" Dogan hissed.

"It's magnificent light, yes!" Hoteye yelled.

"Don't praise it you idiot!" Midnight barked.

"I can barely keep my eyes open…!" Yukino shouted.

* * *

Even the south of Port Hargeon was effected by this. All they could see was the sky shining overhead. "T-The sky!?" Gray gasped. He was also carrying an unconscious Erza on his back.

"Oi, what the hell is this!?" Luke asked as if anyone even knew the answer.

"It's shining…!?" That was the best answer Juvia could give. The entirety of Fiore was in mass confusion over what was happening.

In the solitude of her cell, Dimaria was just clicking her teeth. She had not a clue what was going on, or what her fate was going to be from this point on.

* * *

"It's…so bright…" Mavis muttered as the light poured into the Fairy Tail guild hall…

* * *

Invel swiped his hand, creating an instant blast of ice to strike Diamond. While the force behind the attack did send the spirit sliding back, the elemental damage itself was completely void. "Well, that had some kick to it, but that's all you can offer?" Diamond lifted a brow. In terms of magic, she was outclassed and she knew, but the elemental advantage she held over Invel was her ace in the hole.

"If I freeze you solid and shatter you, you'll still feel it." Invel, however, was unconcerned about this. In the end he could bring a swift victory. The only issue was that he couldn't instantly freeze Diamond over like he had done to Spade and Strong.

"Same to you, buddy! But unlike you, I'm not restricted to just ice!" Diamond crafted a blade of her namesake and sprinted forward slashing at Invel. The Winter Mage was quick on his feet, leaning to the side to avoid the slash. This occurred several more times before he caught the blade within his hand, instantly freezing it over. "These little toys will have no effect on me." And then he crushed the ice within the palm of his hand.

All according to Diamond's plan. The shards of broken ice were then turned into arrows by use of her ice manipulation, now shooting at Invel from a close range. The Spriggan deftly stepped to the side, but the arrows did graze him. "Ha, easy!" The woman then leapt back, placing her hands on the frozen Strong and Spade to thaw them out. "Cold or not, go!"

"R-R-R-Right…!" Strong shivered but shrugged it off, swinging his club down at the ground for a violent shockwave to strike Invel, but as predicted, he evaded it by completely freezing the ground over instead. "Spade!"

"Right!" Spade nodded, slapping a blue magic seal on Strong's club, while a red one formed on Invel's chest. "Opposites attract! Magnetism!"

"Hm..?" Invel spotted the seal on his chest; however, before he could decipher its meaning, he was suddenly pulled towards Strong's club at an alarming rate. "This is…"

"STRONG UPPER!" Strong yelled, swinging his club up at Invel with all his might the moment he was within reach. It was a direct hit, and Invel was sent soaring backwards after the direct hit. Even that Spriggan was unable to withhold the grunt of pain as he was thrown back. However, he did manage to land on his feet despite the blow. "He took that!?"

"He took a hit from Strong and is still standing!? No way…!" Diamond grit her teeth. "He's gotta be bruised though, no doubt about that! He felt it!"

"We're only just beginning!" Spade fired off multiple electrically charged missiles from a magic seal, but Invel froze them in the air before they made it very far. "This level of ice…it's surpasses Diamond's own."

"You don't have to say it out loud!" Diamond snapped! She didn't want to hear about how Invel's magic was stronger than her own! That's why she was hardly able to manipulate any larger scale attacks of his.

"I've no interest in the former Queen of Iceburg. You're nothing more than a forgotten memory." Invel stated while swiping two fingers forward, causing another blast of ice to come at the three Dealer mages. But after he attacked, he ended up spitting out some blood in his mouth. Strong's attack actually hurt a lot, but Invel's usual expression was enough to make them think it wasn't as effective as it actually was.

"Ngh…!" Diamond created a shield of diamond to protect herself and her two companions, but in the end, her wall froze over and shattered, leaving the three of them vulnerable to the brunt force of the attack which nearly sent them flying. This was ridiculous! "I'm not gonna let this popsicle think he's cooler than me!"

"I think she's motivated for all of the wrong reasons…" Strong muttered. But it was at that moment that a bright light started to envelop them. "W-Whoa, who turned on the lights?!"

"This is…!?" Spade looked around. "Where is it coming from!?"

"Hey, what now?!" Diamond groaned.

"…!" Invel's eyes widened. "…Elieen…don't tell me you actually…"

* * *

Emmeraude and Heartless' palms collided. The overflow of magic and curse caused an explosion that forced the two of them backwards. Emmeraude dug her heels into the ground to forcibly bring her momentum to a halt, a taunting smirk plastered on her purple painted lips. "I have to admit, Clarissa, you're quite a bit stronger than I initially gave you credit for. So you've impressed me with your show of strength. It's still a far cry lower than my own, though."

"I'm not here for an ego contest, you've already won that. I can only imagine the amount of hot air in your head." Heartless narrowed her eyes before bringing up a single card. "Red Meteor." A red magic seal formed in the skies above, dropping down small meteors of flame down upon Emmeraude.

"You're simply no fun." Emmeraude huffed before swinging her chain whip sword up into the sky, dispersing the meteors before they had the chain to come anywhere near her. After that she stepped on the ground, sending a wave of crash magic through the area to dishevel the surrounding area and practically level it. The ground trembled with Heartless struggling to keep her balance. With an elegant front flip, Emmeraude closed the distance between them and swung her heel at Heartless' cheek. While Heartless did manage to block the hit, her lack of footing caused her to fly back.

With a few flips, the woman was able to regain her footing. A disgruntled groan escaped her at the bruise to the side of her arm. All things considered, Em hit pretty hard. Despite this, Heartless pushed forward once again, already having another attack prepared. "Air Cannon." Heartless pushed her hand forward, pressing it against Emmeraude's chest, and a massive burst of air exploded upon her, throwing her into the sky.

"Whoa…!" Emmeraude let out a small grunt of pain, flipping to regain her posture while still airborne, only to see Heartless pursing her.

"Freeze Cannon." Heartless pointed a hand forward, releasing a powerful burst of ice from the card she held.

"Heartless is really a fitting name for you. How cruel not to give a woman even a moment of reprieve after you leave them breathless~" Emmeraude spread her arms apart, crafting a shield of darkness magic in front of her. It held strong against the icy attack, and once it faded, she whipped a chain forward to wrap around Heartless' waist, suddenly tugging her close to the point where their faces were inches apart. "If you're going to try and take my breath away, allow me to return the favor." A sphere of darkness magic was pressed against Heartless' stomach and was shot forward. The sphere carried the demon down to the ground where it exploded violently with Heartless in the middle of it.

"My Lady…!" Daigo immediately began to rush over to Heartless.

"Shit! Are you okay!" Jack questioned while standing in front of Emmeraude now, preparing to take her on in Heartless' stead.

"…I'm all right." Heartless stood back up, bruised from Emmeraude's attack. She stood before Jack, tilting her head at Emmeraude. "Your…concern is appreciated. But she doesn't have me outmatched."

"I beg to differ…" Emmeraude trailed off, only to realize that there was a blade of light coming right at her! The distance was astounding, so she had to act fast and quickly shifted her body to the side. As a result, her outfit and skin were both cut, blood drawn from the wound. That did hurt a little bit, but it wasn't pain she hadn't dealt with before. "Ah…you're a sneaky one. I almost didn't see that coming."

"From all the way over here!?" Jack was pretty impressed. Perhaps he shouldn't have been so quick to jump the gun with Heartless.

"You know, that machine you've brought with you is quite the piece of work. I wouldn't mind tearing him apart to see what makes him tick." Emmeraude said while referring to Joker. The scientist in her loved a good machine after all.

"This battle is far from over." Heartless said, but right as she did, that bright light started to shine. "Huh…?"

"Wait, what's this?" Daigo looked around.

"Uh, anyone wanna tell me what's happening!?" Jack yelled.

Emmeraude quirked a brow. "…Is that Elieen? Just when I was starting to have a bit of fun after so long…! I didn't think she'd actually use this, though…"

* * *

"Are you going to fight him?" Joker asked Ace. "Even though he is an immortal and cannot be killed no matter what you try?"

"Absolutely." Ace responded immediately.

"You're an idiot." Joker scoffed.

"And you're still gonna help me. It's gonna be easy. All we have to do is survive…like this!" Ace spread his wings out and started to charge forward, splitting the ground as he flew. "Wing Blade!"

"…" Zeref didn't say a word. Ace's movements were fast, just as quick as Natsu's, but he was able to see through such a straightforward charge and simply hopped to the side. As a result, Ace ended up taking down soldiers instead. The moment Zeref turned, Joker ended up throwing a punch at him, one that he managed to block in the nick of time. "Oh yes…I remember you. King's creation…"

"Nice!" Ace turned around, leapt into the air, and pointed a hand down at Zeref. "Breaker Cannon!" A beam of magic shot down from Ace's palm down towards Zeref. The Black Wizard released his hold on Joker and jumped back, watching as the beam utterly destroyed the ground it touched. After this, Ace pursued Emperor Spriggan, aiming a spinning roundhouse towards his skull, but this was also blocked, and countered by a surprisingly strong punch from Zeref. "Guh…!" Ace staggered back, but he didn't stay down for long as flames erupted around his fist. "Heat Upper!" A fiery uppercut was aimed for Zeref's chin, and it landed, causing the man to take a step back.

"Gah…" A surprisingly powerful blow. Though those flames weren't nearly as strong as Natsu's from earlier, Zeref could at least acknowledge Ace's power. He then returned fire by kicking Ace in the chest, following up with a round house of his own to knock Ace away. One wouldn't think it, but Zeref was adept at hand to hand combat himself. Once Ace was knocked away, a sphere of death magic formed within his palm and he prepared to fire it. "You've escaped death, you say? Well, let's see how you fare when death is staring you right in the face."

"DREAD LAZER!" Joker threw his hands forward, a mass of red magic cutting through the ground while racing towards both Ace and Zeref. The two of them were narrowly able to escape the radius of the attack, but troops of Alvarez weren't so lucky.

"Hey, watch your fire! You trying to kill me too!?" Ace yelled.

"It's not my fault if you can't avoid it." Joker said. His reply was making Ace wonder why rebuilding him ever a good idea in the first place. Spoiler alert; it probably wasn't, but it was too late to regret. Despite their little spat, the two of them together began to assault Zeref with physical attacks in tandem. It was a rare sight seeing Ace and Joker working together like this, but they were piling on the pressure on Zeref; he did manage to block and evade some of their blows, but their surprising synchronization. Their final attack was a dual punch that caused Zeref to slide back across the ground.

"Emperor Spriggan…!" The soldiers were concerned for a moment.

"…Hm." Zeref wasn't fazed by their attacks and instead formed an orb of death magic once again, pointing at Ace…and then changed his target to Joker.

Joker wasn't 100% machine, he was somewhat composed of Ace's DNA and a little human, therefore he was technically a living being. "…!" Joker's eyes widened under his glasses and sparks started to dance around his body after the sphere hit. "Critical error…critical error…shutting down…!"

"…Poop." Ace did not consider that for even a moment. "Can we fix that later!?" That wasn't good.

"So it did work. Fascinating." Zeref then turned his attention to Ace. "Now, let's see how quickly you drop…"

"…!" Ace was about to brace for this, but then…light. Pure white light. "Huh!?"

Oh no. Zeref immediately recognized this light and this sensation. This was why the magic flowing through the earth felt different! "Elieen! Don't tell me…you actually used that magic!?" His eyes were actually wide from the events ensuing. Elieen's actions surpassed even Zeref's expectations. She was a dangerous wild card indeed…

* * *

As Fiore was swathed in light, there was only one phrase that Elieen could utter – the name of the spell that was capable of flowing through an entire country within a few minute time span. **"World Reconstruction Magic: Universe One!"**

.

.

Next Time: Fairy Tail Zero.


	64. Chapter 64: Fairy Tail Zero

"Please, don't go, Zera! You can't…! Don't…don't leave me alone!" Mavis cried in front of Zera. The thought of being alone frightened her more than anything else.

"But…you're not alone now, aren't you?" Zera asked.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Mavis screamed, the tears streaming down her face. The dam inside her broke and the tears flowed endlessly. "I just want to be together with you forever, Zeraaaaaa!"

Zera wrapped her arms around Mavis for an embrace, resting her chin on her shoulder. "Mavis…do you know where Fairies live?"

"…" Mavis took a long time to respond. She knew the answer, but she didn't want to say it. "Within…my heart…" The girl eventually muttered out.

"Then, what about me?" Zera responded with a hint of a smile. "This isn't goodbye…."

* * *

And suddenly, Mavis awoke. She was still in Fairy Tail's basement and the last thing she remembered was that shining light. But…how odd. Cana wasn't with her. "Cana? Cana, where are you!?" She stood up and…it was a rough experience. "Ugh…my body still won't move how I want it to. Cannnnnaaaa!" She called out, but still nothing. Actually, more importantly, she was still naked and had to do something about this. With a snap of her fingers, a dress formed on her body – still no shoes, but she never needed them. "Alright, at least I'm able to use magic. Although these clothes are merely an illusion…" At least she wouldn't be naked. Now Mavis slowly made her way up the stairs and to the main hall, where there was not a soul. "No one's here. The guild is completely empty. The whole area was enveloped in a brilliant light just now. What exactly was that…?" And then she turned her head only to see…him. Zeref, sitting crossed legged in a seat with his head resting against his fist. Upon seeing him, Mavis' eyes widened. "Z-Zeref!?" How was this possible!?

"Mavis…" Zeref trailed off.

"What happened to everyone! You couldn't have…!" Mavis assumed the worst.

"No, this wasn't my doing." Zeref clarified. "To be honest with you, this entire situation has me rather perplexed as well."

"What business do you have here!?" Mavis demanded to know.

"What business do you have being alive?" Zeref instantly replied.

* * *

Elsewhere…Natsu sprang up, head on a swivel as he attempted to figure out what in the hell just happened. "WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED!? BETTER YET, WHERE THE HELL ARE WE!?"

"You're…right on top of me actually…" Lucy was under Natsu, and his hands were on her chest. Lucy's arm was squishing Happy and all he could do was groan.

"LUCY! HAPPY!" Boy, was Natsu glad to see them!

"Last thing I remember, we were all struck by August's magic…" Lucy sighed. "…Feel free to stop groping me!"

Natsu did. But he was still on top of her. "Ah, that big explosion? Yeah, I negated it…! To an extent…good thing it was heat type magic!" In other words, they were extremely lucky that August's shortsighted anger resulted in him releasing an attack that Natsu could deal with…but again, he did say to an extent. Natsu, Lucy, and Happy did have some type of burn marks on them.

"Oh, so you negated it, huh?" Lucy said while staring up at Natsu. "Feel free to stop mounting me…!"

"Who's mounting who and where am I?" That voice belonged to Luke. He stumbled out from a bush while rubbing his head.

"AH, DUKE!" Natsu pointed at Luke accusingly. "Of course you would show up here! What the hell are you doing here?! Weren't you in Hargeon!"

"Huh!?" Luke took a step back, feeling rather offended by Natsu's point. "What does that even mean!? I don't even know where _here_ is! Last thing I remembered the sky lit up and suddenly I'm in the…forest?"

"There was a bright light?" Happy tilted his head.

"Duh, you'd have to be blind…er, well, dumb to not see it!" Luke quickly corrected himself. "How did you miss it?"

"Uh…" Lucy rubbed the back of her head. Before she answered that, she just realized that a few people were missing. "Oh my god, where are Tia and Mii!?"

"Right here." Mii lifted a hand up. She wasn't too far away. Mii was sitting against a tree, covered in burn marks. "I was just watching Natsu mount Lucy and wondered if it was gonna go somewhere."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING…!?" Lucy felt extremely embarrassed about that!

"Uh…" Luke…wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that one.

"Whoa, you survived that attack!?" Natsu was impressed.

"…Somehow." Mii sighed. "Kinda glad I did. Honestly, I did not wanna die like that. I want my death to at least be somewhat dramatic."

"Please stop that." Lucy sighed. "I want you to live, Mii…we all do."

"Meh." Mii turned her head.

Natsu looked around, furrowing his brows. "I can't get Tia or Mest's scent. I can't even sense August's presence…"

"August? Why the hell were you near him!?" Luke yelled.

"Oh, right…you wouldn't know." Lucy used this time to inform Luke of what happened since everyone departed.

Luke took in the information very slowly. It was a lot to digest and he grumbled. "I see…so you made friends with Brandish, the Spriggan you fought naked…"

"Stop bringing that up…!" Lucy yelled.

"Yup, her lackey tried to kill her, we stopped him, Lucy and Brandish did _something_ in the infirmary away from prying eyes that they won't talk about, and suddenly she's nice to her." Mii said, though while she explained the situation, her perverse way of speaking and thinking gave Luke a worse impression.

"A-Anyway…! After we fought Jacob, Brandish said she was willing to try and talk August into standing down…" Lucy began to look around once again for Tia, Mest, or Brandish. "And it almost worked, but then…"

"She screwed it up, didn't she." Luke pointed at Mii.

"To tell you a shocking truth, I was a good girl." Mii waved her hand. "It was Mest that fucked it up! Tell Mii, if one of the biggest threats you faced agreed to talk things out, would you stab him while his guard is down, or would you, I dunno, talk to him?"

"Talk, obviously? What brain dead idiot would try and kill him?" Luke scoffed.

"Hey…!" Natsu growled. Just because Mest did a stupid thing didn't give them the right to talk bad about him.

"He nearly got us all killed." Mii spat. She still had a lot of resentment for his tactic anyway. "I know I'm bad, but at least I tried to help smooth things along. No point in getting miffed over it now, what's done is done."

"We were engulfed by heat magic…and I guess whatever that light you saw was happened right at that time." Lucy shrugged her shoulders. "I really hope Tia is okay, though. She still has the wound…"

"She doesn't seem like the time to die easy. Just like Mii." Mii stood up and stretched her shoulders.

"So, the Lucy Effect is what got Brandish to help you guys out…" Luke muttered.

"The what?" Lucy blinked.

"Your strange way of being able to befriend people, or at least get on their good side." Luke added while pointing at Mii. "Like that one."

"Yeah, weird how she's friends with you." Natsu scoffed.

"Wh…!?" Luke turned to Natsu. "You tryna start something!?"

"LET'S GO RIGHT NOW!" Natsu was ready to get in Luke's face, but Lucy stood between them.

"Now isn't the time for this…!" Lucy groaned.

"Oh, hey!" Happy turned to Luke. "How did the battle in Hargeon go?"

"We won." Luke stated smugly. "It was no issue. We even managed to capture Dimaria, vessel of Chronos or whatever. Though moments before the light shone, I think I could hear someone screaming about how they lost her."

"You lose a woman when you don't cherish her properly." Mii lifted a finger. Everyone got a strange sense of déjà vu since they swore this topic was familiar before….

* * *

Gray, Juvia, Reve, and Erza were completely isolated from the others. Juvia had gone ahead to search for Wendy, Cynthia, and Carla, since they were separated the instant the light shone up in the sky. "Wennnnnndy! Cynthiaaaaa! Carlaaaaa!" Juvia called out for all three of them, only to not receive a response. "Nothing…"

Gray was crouched near the still unconscious Erza, muttering over the events that took place. One minute they were in Hargeon, and in the next they were somewhere completely different! "Right as I saw the whole sky lighting up, just like that, the landscape completely changed…?" It didn't make any sense. "Or could it be…we were teleported elsewhere?"

"Gray-samaaa!" Juvia called out to Gray, frowning at the lack of results from her search. "Juvia was unable to find either of them…"

"I see…" Gray sighed. Everything happened so quickly and there was no way to figure out the cause of recent events. "All right. I'll try looking for them this time. Stay here and watch Erza with Reve."

"I'm not her babysitter." Reve spat, staring off into the distance with his Target Eyes. "…This doesn't make any sense…"

"Did you figure something out…?" Juvia questioned.

"I don't know what the hell's going on, but the landscape of Fiore is nowhere near what it used to be a few seconds ago." The gunslinger scowled. "It's obvious that the enemy did this. A magic that affects an entire country? Hm…" It was surreal to say the least, but Reve didn't even think of complimenting the enemy's prowess. What was more important was figuring out what to do next. "Why'd I have to get stuck with a bunch of Fairies of all people…"

Juvia pouted at his words. Clearly Reve said it loud enough for her to hear. "Juvia doesn't think you're pleasant company either…"

* * *

Wendy, Cynthia, and Carla had been completely separated from the others. It was just the three of them calling out into the distance for anyone who may have been nearby. "Grraaaay! Juviaaaaa!" Wendy called out.

"Erzaaaaaa!" Carla stood atop a rock, hoping her voice would carry elsewhere.

"Aleeeeex! Looooore! Hiruka! Daryan….!" Cynthia tried to call out to the members of Cosmic Star, but it was useless. Nobody was around.

After a few minutes of shouting, Wendy turned to Carla and Cynthia with a frown. "What should we do…? It seems we've been separated."

"What about their scents?" Carla looked at the two dragon slayers, but they both shook their heads.

"I can't smell anything." Cynthia rotated her injured arm. It didn't feel as bad now, but it was still a little sore to move. "What even happened? I just remember a flash of light and then everything changed…"

"I wish I knew. Carla crossed her arms. "Did someone on the enemy side do this?"

" _Magic that affects an entire country? I can't say I've ever heard of something so powerful…"_ Veronia remarked. Again, it was difficult to remember she was there since unlike Rose, she minded her own business…even though her business was technically Cynthia's. _"I think it would be prudent to regroup with everyone else as soon as possible…wherever they are."_

Cynthia blinked, still not used to Verona using her mouth to speak. But she did agree with what the woman said. "Yeah, what she said! We have to find everyone. I hope they're all okay."

* * *

"Oooh…" Diamond lifted her head up. "Wait…what happened!?" When she looked around, only Spade, Strong, and the currently offline Joker were present. "Where are we!? What year is it!? What happened to Joker!?"

"Uhhhhhhhh…" Strong scratched his head. "We were fighting that cold guy…and then it got really bright…" When he took a look at their surroundings, he saw that they were in a forested area of some kind. Strong placed his hand against a tree. Despite his gruff appearance, he was still a plant mage, and attempted to get a connection with the greenery to get an understanding of where they were. "Hmmmmmm…"

"Anything?" Spade asked.

"I don't know what happened, but this forest is not where it should be. This tree belongs to the Waas forest, but the other trees nearby come from the south and east…" Strong explained.

"So the geography of the entire country has changed?" Spade grumbled. "That doesn't make sense." He then began to examine Joker, scowling. "No external damage…but it seems he's taken severe internal damage."

"I almost feel bad." Diamond looked Joker over. "Can you fix him?"

"It'll take a while…" Spade admitted. "But I can fix the damages. Luckily he's more machine than human, and there's no machine I can't fix."

"Nice." Diamond nodded. "In the meantime, Strong and I will stake out and see if we can find anything. I hope Ace, Jack, Heartless, and Tia are doing all right…"

* * *

Pandora wandered along aimlessly within Fiore's new landscape. There was…a bit of a frown on her lips. She was alone. A strange feeling since she and Prometheus were essentially attached by the hip. "…I can't seem to find Prometheus anywhere. This is…troubling…" Her best option for now was to try and find at least one of her allies. Being alone…was not something she was used to.

* * *

As for those who were in the Fairy Tail guild hall…they were suddenly on the coastline!? Makarov folded his arms together while surveying the area. "Where exactly are we…?"

"Outside!?" Jet turned. "How did we end up outdoors all of a sudden!?"

"More importantly, where the hell is this?!" Droy asked.

"What's going on! A lot of our guild mates aren't here!" Wakaba was right. They were missing a lot of people.

"What about the First!? Has anyone seen her!?" Cana asked.

Warren and Magnus were huddled around the radar, the two of them desperately trying to figure out what happened. "What the hell…this can't be right!?"

"What on earthland happened…?" Mangus narrowed his eyes.

Max leaned over, staring at the radar as well. "Whatever, just work your magic and calculate our current location!"

Mira and Lisanna were…suddenly there as well. Mira blinked once while trying to ascertain her whereabouts. "Eh…?"

"Why are all of you here…?" Lisanna asked.

"MIRA-CHAN!" Zelos yelled happily. They were still stuck with him. "I missed you so much! The guild hall was so empty without your smile! Although…didn't you lovely ladies go up north?"

"The sky started shining and all of a sudden…" Lisanna trailed off, not entirely sure how to follow up on that.

"You too…?" Alex stepped forward with Lore, Spark, and Yakuza. "I was wondering why Yakuza was here…and I'm wondering why I'm here too…"

"I don't get any of it!" Cygnus shouted comically. "How in the hell did we end up….here!?"

"Shouting about it won't fix anything…" Yakuza muttered. "Hiruka and Daryan aren't present, though…"

"He's right…" Taya was unfortunate to be stuck around Fairy Tail as well. But there was no use complaining about it.

Lore sat down on a rock, staring into nowhere. "I don't get it either. They say don't walk into the light, but they didn't say anything about what to do when the light shoving itself in your face..."

"What are we going to do then?" Droy looked at everyone else.

Before anyone could come up with a plan, Alzack, who was scoping the area ahead while perched on a rock, spotted the enemy through a telescope. "It's the enemy! There's a huge army right nearby! They're headed straight for us!"

"Really?" Zelos sighed while brandishing his Last Fencer. It seemed it was finally time for him to get involved since there was clearly no way for him to avoid conflict. "I guess the enemy isn't confused by this sudden change."

"Master!" Mira turned to Makarov.

"Prepare for battle." Those were Makarov's only words.

While the others prepared to charge into battle, Warren and Magnus finally figured out what happened…and it was not a pretty sight. "How in the…" Magnus gasped.

"Fiore's geography has completely changed?!" Warren practically trembled from this new information.

* * *

Elsewhere, August and Brandish were recovering from Mest's surprise tactic. Brandish was able to shrink her stomach wound along with August's chest wound down to nothing, but the pain still lingered nonetheless. "You'll be alright now, August. I've shrunk your wound down to a negligible size."

"…And your own?" August asked.

"…It's fine. I was able to stop the blood loss before it became too severe." Brandish nodded. "But…what did you do, August?" She was referring to the sudden change in geography.

"This was not my doing." Said the king of magic. "It's Elieen's compression magic."

"Compression magic…?" Brandish was unaware that Elieen had such magic at her disposal.

"Indeed." August started to stand up. "She enchanted the entire nation with her magic and changed its very shape."

"I can't believe it…" Brandish trailed off. "What could she stand to gain by…"

"As a result of this, the people of Fiore were rearranged atop this newly modified geography, randomly, at that. These were the side effects of her effort to 'rearrange' a particular person to a particular place. In all likelihood, her aim was to send His Majesty as close to Fairy Heart as possible, and Acnologia somewhere far in the distance."

Brandish understood now. Elieen was attempting to bring this war to an end before it even started. "In other words, her aim is to bring this war to an abrupt end."

* * *

Mavis was before Zeref, a little nervous now that he was right in front of her. This was a possibility she couldn't have possibly foreseen, but it was important for her to adapt as quickly as she could. A plan was still possible…she always had a plan… "So you're saying that all of the people in within the Kingdom of Fiore were split up and sent randomly to various places?"

"Of course. The same goes for my allies as well." Zeref then stood up, taking a few steps towards Mavis. "And that's not all. The overall landscape of Fiore has grown smaller. I'd estimate amount 1/20 of its former size, perhaps less."

Mavis' eyes went wide. "For the sake of increasing the encounter rate between Fiore's forces and the Alvarez army?"

"Correct. I'd water that's her aim. In her own way, Elieen is trying to end this war while it's still in the early stages." Now Zeref was staring down at Mavis, a smirk drawn on his lips. "And thanks to her efforts, here I stand, and that which I seek, Fairy Heart…is right before my very eyes…"

* * *

Where exactly did Elieen end up? Ironically, none other than Mercurius Palace, sitting atop the throne. A small exhale escaped her, but she was overall pleased with the results of Universe One. "It may have been my first attempt at using this magic, but it appears the end results were quite favorable. Hmmm~" She then crossed her legs slowly. "At the very least, His Majesty is now on Fairy Tail's doorstep, and Acnologia is probably floating around in the ocean somewhere right about now. Now then, in truth…not even I know where I ended up, but this is quite the place you have. Having said all that, where exactly is this?"

The palace guards, Toma, Hisui, and Arcardios could only stare at Elieen in shocked confusion. "Wha…just who are you!?" Arcadios asked. It was a feat he managed to speak, because Elieen's presence had everyone stunned into silence. They were afraid to speak a word…afraid to even breathe noticeably…

* * *

"Look at this…!" Happy pointed forward. Kardia Cathedral and Mercurius, two buildings that were miles apart were suddenly next door neighbors.

"What's going on here…!?" Lucy brought her hand to her mouth.

"Were they always this close together?" Natsu tilted his head.

"No, you dumbass…" Luke pinched his nose. "You'd think the incident last year would be clear indication of that."

"But…" Mii stared at the two buildings. "I still don't know how buildings in two completely different places are now right next to each other."

"We really should try and get a closer look." Lucy suggested. "Maybe we'll find the others, too."

"That's wishful thinking, but it's better than wandering around aimlessly." Luke nodded.

"…Wait." Natsu held his arm out, his expression shifting to something more serious. "…I can smell her."

"Her? You mean Tia?" Lucy asked hopefully.

"No…it's…" Natsu trailed off.

Emmeraude wandered out from a few bushes, letting out a disgruntled sigh. "Well, this is quite the predicament…" The woman dusted herself off and took a look at her surroundings. "I've been separated from Zeref's section of the army. Fiore's entire landscape must've been changed. Kudos to you, Elieen…I was getting tired of marching all the way there anyway." She then turned in the direction of Mercurius and had a thought…

"Em…" Lucy's eyes went wide.

"Just our luck…" Mii rolled her eyes.

"…" Emmeraude turned to Natsu and the others, simply staring at them. Natsu, Lucy, and Luke were ready for a fight…but Emmeraude waved her hand dismissively and turned around, her destination clear: Mercurius. "I don't have time for you yet." The key word 'yet'.

"S-She's heading towards the palace…!" Happy began to panic. "S-Shouldn't we try and stop her!?"

"Do you really fight her again with less numbers than last time?" Mii lifted a brow. "But she did just say she doesn't want to fight yet…and I don't think she's desperate enough to take control of a country that's…not even a country at this point. Then again, I don't know what that woman's thinking. I think she just wants to see Hisui again, though."

"We're still going." Natsu said. They had to investigate the buildings, and they didn't have much of a choice but to leave Em to her devices for now.

"…." Lucy didn't say a word. Instead she was thinking about what happened, and what was going to happen in the future. That look in Emmeraude's eyes...it was still the same as back when they encountered her in Alvarez. Various people and buildings were scattered about across the land. It was as they'd lost their way in a completely different world. Just what awaited them in this strange land? Hope…or despair…?

* * *

He washed up on shore, coughing and hacking profusely. "Urgh…." Groaning, Gajeel slowly lifted himself up. Everything was a haze and his chest was in pain…almost like something was nearly ripped out of it, but he still felt…whole? Alive? Or was he dead? "Where the hell am I…? Last I checked I was…dea…" That's when he noticed it. A misty form a few feet ahead. Was his fight not over? "So what are you supposed to be? A fellow resident of hell?"

"….."

It…it tried to talk to him? "Huh?" Even more intruiging…it was starting to take shape! The mist took the form of…a human girl? "Who the hell are you…?"

She materialized into existence, presenting Gajeel with a very soft smile. "I am Zera. One of the Fairies of Origin."

.

.

Next Time: Mother and Child.


	65. Chapter 65: Mother and Child

"I am Zera. One of the Fairies of Origin." Zera said, staring at Gajeel, who just stared right back at her. The longer they stared at each other, the more nervous Zera became. So nervous, in fact, that she ended up hiding behind a tree. "I just can't do it! Oh, I'm so nervous! I'm not good at meeting new poepleeeeee!"

"…The hell is her deal…?" Gajeel had no idea what was going on. Was this heaven…or was it really hell? "So, are we I heaven or hell? Spit it out already."

Zera slowly peered out from behind the tree. "Neither. On the contrary…you're actually still alive."

"…." Gajeel didn't believe that for a second.

"From what I can assume…you were on your way to being dragged into the underworld, yes? It also seems like a reaper attempted to reach out for your soul, delaying your trip in the process. At the same time, by complete happenstance, someone activated a powerful magic that distorted the world, resulting in the people being transported to random locations." Zera explained the situation. It seemed that Prometheus' attempt to harvest Gajeel's soul was the main reason he ended up surviving.

"…" Gajeel could not believe how lucky he was. Screw the pain in his chest; he just realized that everything he said to Levy was true. "Holy crap." And when he realized the truth of his own words, he became extremely flustered. "Wh…where the hell are we anyway!?"

"Tenrou Island. It's fused to the continent by land now, but this is Fairy Tail's holy ground." Zera was still hiding behind the tree, by the way.

"And who're y-"

"I told you, I'm Zera."

"That name means nothing to me! Just tell me who you are!"

Oof. That made things a little more difficult. "Ugh…That Mavis…I guess she's never talked about me to any of the guild members, huh…" Zera sighed before trying to explain. "This is also just another coincidence, but Mavis, who had been in a long state of stasis, finally woke up at that exact moment when the world reconstruction was casted. And as a reaction to her awakening, I was born…or rather, it would be more appropriate to say that I was revived. A lot of things happened at the same time…" Gajeel just stared at Zera. He had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. "Basically, for a brief moment, Mavis' magic power and thought process were reset. Due to that, my existence was temporarily, subconsciously restored."

"Yeah, you lost me a while ago. But I guess what you're saying is you were born from some effect of the First waking up?" Gajeel didn't have a grip on the situation at all, but he was trying.

"Well in layman's term, yes, I guess that's accurate. But just to be clear, this is only temporary. The very instant remembers everything regarding me, in all likelihood, I'll vanish."

"…" Gajeel could say nothing.

"Well it may only be for a short time, but since I've finally been revived and all, I guess I'll have to pull my weight while I'm here, huh?" Wait. Zera just realized something. She rushed out from behind the tree. "Wait a minute, you can…you can hear my voice right! And you can see me, right!?"

"….Uhh, yeah…" Gajeel blinked slowly. They were having a conversation after all…

"Mavis' magic has gotten a lot stronger!" Zera was so proud!

"I hate to break it to ya, but I ain't got the time to be playing around in a place like this." Gajeel stared at Zera, who held a determined expression.

"Of course!" The girl said. "I'm on your side after all! Let's go! We'll protect Fairy Tail together!"

* * *

Natsu and the others finally got up close to Kardia Cathedral and Mercurius. It was hard to believe that these two buildings were really so close together! "What the hell's goin' on? Are ya telling me that Magnolia and Crocus have fused together?" Natsu grumbled.

"But the guild's not here!" Happy shouted from above. He and Mii were scoping the area out from above.

"He's right, there's not a Fairy Tail in sight." Mii reported. "Not to mention…the other buildings of the town aren't here either."

"Seriously!?" Luke rubbed his temples. "Are you for real…"

"This has got to be a joke…" Lucy sighed.

"Wait…" Natus said once more. "Someone's coming…this smell…"

And from around the corner, Gray, Juvia, and Reve spotted them. Gray was still carrying the unconscious Erza. "…!"

"Gray! Juvia!" Natsu grinned.

"Reve, you're here too?" Luke could finally be around someone who didn't annoy him so much!

"Unfortunately." Reve admitted.

"Natsu." Gray didn't exactly seem so happy.

"Lucy and Happy too!" Juvia beamed. "And Mii-san?"

"Is that Erza with you!?" Lucy pointed at the bandaged Erza.

"Yeah, she's really beat up, though." Gray said.

"Couldn't handle a few fights." Reve quipped in his usual smug manner. "If it were me, I'd still be conscious at the very least."

"Now's not the time to be a smartass, smartass…" Gray narrowed his eyes at Reve. "More importantly…I think we saw Emmeraude running into the palace. Should we do something about that?"

"Nah, it's fine. She's not gonna do anything." Mii waved a hand. "I mean, she saw us earlier and didn't do anything, so…"

"You keep saying that, but it doesn't make me feel any better…" Lucy admitted. "We were on our way back to the guild…"

"Being back at the guild sounds really good right about now." Juvia let out a sigh.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm worried about Carla!" Happy said, but that was basically ignored.

"Yeah, no one cares." Reve dismissed Happy's worry.

"We don't even know where the guild went…" Lucy stared at the palace.

"This is gonna be a pain in our asses…" Gray groaned.

* * *

Elieen completely crushed the royal guard. Arcadios included. The head knight was just on the ground, unable to believe what just happened. It happened so quickly… "W…What monstrous strength…it…it defies logic…"

Elieen then turned her gaze to Toma and Hisui, the two of them shaking from Elieen's presence. "I…I beg of you! Do with me what you will, but please spare my daughter!" Toma begged, doing everything he could do protect his child.

Elieen completely ignored him, pointed her hand at Hisui, and a strange light surrounded the Jade Princess. "Aaahhhhhhh!"

"HISUI!" Toma cried out.

"P-Princes….!" Acradios stuttered.

After the flash of light, Hisui…..was turned into a mouse. "WHa…WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" Toma asked.

"Kyuuuh…" Hisui was sweeping. She…she wasn't sure what was happening!

"She transformed the princess into a mouse?!" Acardios couldn't believe what he was seeing!

"Do you still have love for her, even in that pathetic form? Can you truly look her in the eyes and say you love her?" Elieen was enjoying herself. A malicious grin spread on her lips as she questioned Toma's love for his daughter.

"OF COURSE I CAN YOU FIEND!" Toma took the mouse that was Hisui into his hands, tears falling from his eyes. "No matter how she looks, she'll always be my daughter! Worry not, Hisui! I'll shall return you to your original form, even if it kills me!"

And it just might. Elieen's smile faded instantly and her staff lit up. "What a bore." The Scarlet Despair was preparing to attack, but that was when…

"A moment please, Elieen." Emmeraude made her way into the throne room, shocking Toma and Arcadios. "You can do what you'd like with the King, but as for the Princess…I ask that you return her to her original form."

"Oh?" Elieen lifted a brow at Emmeraude's arrival. "So this is where you ended up. Ironic that you'd return to the sight of your crushed dreams. Now that I know that…" She plucked Hisui from Toma's grip, holding the mouse within her hand. That grin from before appeared. "You're not a Spriggan in rank…not that I would listen to any of them in this moment either. Your request may be denied, and thus I may crush this little mouse within my grip. Do you still consider this pathetic little mouse your daughter?"

Emmeraude's expression didn't change at Elieen's words. In fact, she expected such a response. "I do." She simply replied.

"Is that so?" Elieen's grip on Hisui began to tighten. "So…what would you do if I crushed the life out of her?"

"What any mother would." Emmeraude said. Arcadios and Toma were shivering from the presence of these two women. They were…so similar in power, it didn't make any sense! Not only that, but the aura they gave off…it made the throne room shake. Were these two about to fight!?

"Oh ho…?" Now Elieen was starting to have a bit of fun. She could always count on Emmeraude to give her an entertaining reaction. "I'd love to have a dance with you, you know. Your power has always intrigued me."

"…." Emmeraude didn't say a word to that, but she did have something else in mind. "I know we haven't spoken much during my time in Alvarez…but you'd like to know about your own daughter as well, wouldn't you?"

"…I never told you anything about that." Elieen was intrigued to say the least. She only told a select few about her child.

"So I was right." Emmeraude held a slight smirk. "Truth be told, I didn't know either. That was until I first laid eyes on you. You reminded me so much of her, that I just had to be certain, and once I laid my eyes on her once again, it clicked. That uncanny resemblance…it could only belong to a mother and a daughter. Erza Scarlet."

"Scarlet? Is that the name she chose for herself?" Elieen decided to throw Emmeraude this bone and hurled Hisui at Emmeraude. To think she discerned all that from looking at them. "So she lives after all."

"Indeed." Emmeraude caught Hisui gently, staring down at her with a hint of a smile. "In this very throne room…it's where it all happened." The former queen then set Hisui down on the floor, glancing around the throne room. She vividly recalled the final clash in this room; every blow, every second, and of course, Sophie's sacrifice. The memories all came rushing to her. "Your daughter stood among those who challenged me and my dream. She's oft referred to as a miracle worker of some kind. When cornered, she's at her strongest. The look she gets in her eyes in that moment resembles your usual glance. I would have told you all this sooner, but your lack of appearance in the kingdom did make it difficult to give the information."

"So this was your throne?" Elieen questioned. "It's quite comfortable if I do say so myself." The fact these two monsters were having a casual conversation in their presence really frightened Toma and Arcadios. With a snap of her fingers, she returned Hisui back to normal. One would think she was happy to be back to her human self, but the fact Elieen and Emmeraude were talking frightened her into silence.

"This used to be my country." The former queen said while taking slow steps towards the throne. "I wanted nothing more than to bring this country into a brighter future, and soon the world. But then that guild decided to stand in my way for such a small reason. As a result, those who followed me and my own daughter were taken from me, and my dream was crushed." Now she stood before the throne, staring at it. "I joined forces with Alvarez simply to get revenge on that guild. They're a troublesome lot. I didn't this His Majesty would take such a long time marching towards the building."

"His Majesty wanted to treat this like a game." Elieen shrugged her shoulders. "I. however, believe that the best course of action is often the swiftest one. Which is why he's near Fairy Heart as we speak. Now then…are you going to stand there and remiss, or shall we get going? I haven't had that much fun yet, and I want to get there before our forces wipe them all out."

"…I require a moment." Emmeraude said.

"No, not the throne…!" Toma gasped. Was she going to steal his kingdom away again!?

Emmeraude sat upon the throne and everyone braced for it…but nothing happened. Emmeraude crossed her legs and closed her eyes, taking in everyone that happened one year ago. Sophie's death, the loss of Drayden, Marisa, Ross, and Knightwalker; everything that happened while she was on the throne…and that's when it hit her. She remembered that those who followed believed in her until the very end. Sophie believed that she had the power to reach her dream one way or another. They probably still believed her even after the end, so why was she here doubting herself? Acting like it was all over…? When she realized this, a slight grin crept onto her lips. "…What a fool I've been. It was in front of me this whole time…"

"Hm?" Elieen lifted a brow. "Talking to yourself isn't a good thing, you know?"

"I was so caught up in what I had lost; I didn't realize I was blaming others for my own weakness. I was overconfident and never realized the faults in my plan. I'd forgotten my own mantra because of my pain." Emmeraude's eyes were closed, but her emerald aura started to appear around her body. "A fall does not mark the end of a dream…it is the steps that follow that are the most important."

"Go on." Elieen was fairly interested now. She had only seen the somewhat mopey Emmeraude here and there, but she was a fan of this shift in aura.

"Her Majesty fights for the people. She cries for the people. She angers for the people. Justice will be death, and all the wrongs shall be righted. That was my oath as Queen." When Emmeraude opened her eyes, that old fire from before was present. "That is my oath as Queen. It was my wish to make a better world…and I still intend to do just that." Emmeraude was back. There was a powerful pulse of magic the instant she finished speaking. It wasn't Queenly Majesty activating, but it was to let everyone nearby know that she had returned to her former self.

"Do you now? And how exactly do you intend to do that, 'Her Majesty'?" Elieen questioned. She didn't want Emmeraude getting too carried away, but at the same time she really wanted to see how this was going to turn out.

"The people are still in danger, and I intend to fight for them." The Queen now stood up from her seat, a familiar grin on her face. "In order to bring peace to the world, Fairy Tail must be destroyed. I will continue to fight with Alvarez and see this battle through until the end. I owe Alvarez for giving me a second chance, after all."

"Splendid." Elieen turned her back. "Now I would absolutely enjoy spending some time with you. You have so much energy compared to one year ago."

Emmeraude stood up from the throne and took a few steps forward. Each step commanded presence and held authority. The steps that a Queen took when approaching her subjects. "I hate to admit it, but your power is above mine. Nevertheless, I would be able to put up quite the show in the end. That's what makes it all the more entertaining, yes?"

"You're much more fun when you're like this." Elieen held a tiny smirk. The two of them were actually getting along to an extent. But at that moment, Elieen felt…something. "…This presence…!" Without wasting a moment she rushed outside to the balcony and activated her eye magic. A giant eye appeared overhead, peering down at the mages just outside. That's when she caught a glimpse of scarlet hair. "…"

* * *

Meanwhile, down below…

"Is that an eye!?" Lucy's eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"IT'S FRIGGIN HUGE!" Gray wasn't sure what they were looking at…and what was looking at them.

"Is it getting my good side?" Mii posed a few times.

"Does it have anything to do with that weird pulse earlier? Was that Emmeraude…?" Juvia asked.

"I dunno, do you feel like swearing your undying loyalty to her?" Mii asked.

* * *

"Scarlet hair…" Elieen mumbled.

"That's her." Emmeraude said. "I caught sight of them on my way in. What will you do if you have to face her."

Elieen turned around, beginning to walk off. "You won't like my answer. She is an enemy of the Alvarez Empire, and I am its strongest woman. I will do what I must, and kill her. I have no use for her anymore."

"…." Elieen was right. Emmeraude didn't like that answer. A mother killing her own child? A moral confliction for the Queen, but at the same time, Erza was a woman who stood in her way before. Anyone who stood in her way did deserve to die. "I see." Emmeraude then crouched down, gently taking Hisui's chin within two fingers. "You've done a wonderful job with this country. I'm so very proud of you."

"…E…Em…" Hisui wanted to speak. She wanted to tell Emmeraude not to fight in this war, but…Elieen was still there. After being turned into a mouse, she was rightfully afraid of Elieen. She was too afraid to speak.

"I will leave this country in your hands." After saying that, Emmeraude stood up and finally started to depart, but not before taking a glance at Toma. A scowl immediately formed on her lips. "As for you…you're a pathetic excuse for a ruler." On her way out, she swung her leg effortlessly, slamming Toma into the opposite wall. As far as Emmeraude was concerned, Hisui was her daughter and Toma was just a nuisance. And finally, Emmeraude and Elieen began to make their way out of the throne room.

"W-Wait..! Emmeraude…!" Hisui had to scurry up to her feet. It took all her courage to muster that one word, but as soon as she did, chains emerged from the wall and pulled her to it, binding her in place."Ngh…! Wait…!" These chains…they didn't hurt like before. But she wasn't going to be getting out of them anytime soon. Was this Em's way of telling her not to follow…?

* * *

Fairy Tail's battle against the faction of the Alvarez army raged on. Makarov increased his size to mostly tower over everyone else, slamming his gigantic fist down to create a shockwave. "Little whelps! There's no end to them!"

Laki swung her arms forward, releasing pellets of wood to knock down enemy troops. "Get out of my way!"

"They're certainly a stubborn bunch…" Taya's vectors were taking down the opposing troops with ease. They were nothing compared to her, although they did have the advantage in numbers.

"Quantity over quality? They'll never beat us that way!" Cygnus threw his fist forward, an implosion of gravity knocking away numerous soldiers, but right after he did that, he was under fire by an even large group! He had to defend himself and groaned while do so. "…Okay, so I'm starting to see the appeal of quantity."

"No point in trying to avoid the fight…" Magnus pushed forward as a blade of lightning formed within his hand. "Thunder Sword II!" With a downward swing, the blade of lightning dropped down, a discharge of electricity exploding upon contact.

"Check this out!" Zelos lifted his hand into the air, a brown magic seal forming in the sky. "Rock Avalanche!" The magic swordsman caused a rockslide to drop down on a group of soldiers, crushing them under their weight.

"Whoa, that's kinda brutal…" Lisanna blinked. "I didn't know you could fight."

"Anything to keep my precious hunnies safe!" Zelos winked.

Meanwhile, Jet was blazing through the soldiers who couldn't even come close to keeping up with him! "Bet'cha can't keep up with my super speed!" And just as he said that…his foot caught on something sticky? By the time he realized it, he ended up falling over.

"Jet!" Droy yelled, only for his body to be covered in something…sticky as well? "What is this stuff? It's making me all…" And before he could finish, Juliet flew in and kicked him away.

"Evil cute girl on deck!" Lore exclaimed, only for ribbons to appear around bind his limbs and promptly hurled him away. "OH GOD THERE'S TWO OF THEEEM!" The animal mage yelled as he was thrown into the distance.

Juliet held her hands together, a sticky, gooey substance covering them. "What's with these losers? Sooooooooo weeeeeeeeeak!"

"Elieen Squad has joined the fray!" Hynhe exclaimed. The arrival of these two boosted the moral of the Alvarez soldiers.

Juliet turned to her partner, grinning as she already had a target in mind. "Wanna take out Makarov~?"

"You fool!" Hynhe snapped. "What kind of uncivilized cretin goes straight for the main dish without enjoying their appetizers?!"

"Hmmm…" Juliet grumbled before two people caught her attention.

"…Oh? It seems the two of them have formidable power…" Hynhe said. Their gazes went to Mira and Taya fighting against Alvarez troops while barely expending any effort. This caused malicious grins to appear on Hynhe and Juilet's cute faces.

"Ohoooooo~? They're such cutiepies~" Juliet mused.

"How about we have a friendly little wager? Let's see who can kill them first?" Hynhe suggested.

Cana threw a series of cards at a poor soul before turning to Warren. It was up to him to figure out where the guild was. "We need to get back to the guild immediately! The First is…!"

"But…I don't know where it is!" Warren yelled.

" _The guild is this way."_ Zera's voice was transmitting into the minds of the Fairy Tail mages.

"Whose voice is that?" Mira turned. It wasn't familiar in the slightest.

"It's being transmitted directly into my head…" Makarov said.

"Who are you!?" Lisanna asked.

"What the hell is wrong with them…?" Cygnus looked at the Fairy Tail mages. They were talking about a voice and held the same expression as a deer in headlights.

"I think the stress has caught up to them…I don't hear anything." Zelos sighed.

" _Make for the guild! Everyone, you must gather at once! You've all been separated due to the enemy's magic, but now is the time to act as one!"_

* * *

Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Happy, and Juvia stood facing the north where the voice was telling them to go." So the guild's over that way, huh?" Natsu held his hands at his sides.

"I guess we have no choice but to go." Lucy said.

"Aye." Happy nodded.

"Let's be real though…is this voice trustworthy?" Gray asked.

"Could it be another love rival…?" Juvia grumbled.

Luke and Reve looked at each other. They didn't hear a voice and assumed that Fairy Tail was going mental at this point. "….I think they've finally lost it…" Luke muttered.

"They never had it." Reve replied.

"I, for one…have no idea what they're talking about." Mii pointed out, truthfully. How ironic.

 _Mavis is in a lot of trouble! She is like a mother-figure to all of you! Head towards the guild and make haste! Return to the child, to Mavis' side, and protect her!"_

They had no choice. Natsu was already sprinting forward. Though they were unaware of who the voice belonged to, they spoke the truth. A truth that Natsu would fight for without a second thought. "DAMN STRAIGHT!"

.

.

Next Time: Elder Sister and Younger Sister


	66. Chapter 66:Elder Sister & Younger Sister

There was mass confusion as Zera's message to Fairy Tail told them all to head to the guild. They never heard her voice before, but it also seemed like they were the only ones who could hear it! "The voice is guiding us in the direction of the guild…" Vijeeter said.

"SO THEN IT'S THAT WAY!" Warren pointed.

* * *

"But…" Lucy's voice trailed off as she tugged Natsu by his scarf to keep him from running too far.

"Just who…" Juvia had the same question.

"What the hell…who's voice was that anyway?" Gray asked.

"Beats me. Let's get going!" Natsu held a wide grin. Now that they had a destination, it was time to get moving!

"You are far too hasty…" Mii shook her head. "I mean, who trusts a random voice that only a certain group of people can hear? Seems sketchy to me."

"She's not wrong." Luke said. "Surprisingly."

* * *

After delivering that message, Zera was standing there, incredibly flustered. She managed to deliver it just fine, but now she was completely regretting it. "…"

"…You don't do this much, do you?" Gajeel asked. "You're far too high handed. Next time, you might wanna try injecting a bit of charm and delicacy along with your message." He wasn't really sure why he said 'next time', but Zera really looked like she needed some advice for a proper rally. "I'm starting to wonder if you're really friends with the First..."

* * *

Levy's eyes went wide at the second voice. Pantherlily stared up, unable to believe it. "This voice…there's no mistaking it…" Lily said.

The tears continued to run down Levy's cheeks, but this time…they were happy tears. "Gajeel…"

* * *

"It's Gajeel!"

"Oooooh!"

"That means the voice from before's gotta be an ally!" Cana surmirsed.

"To the north!" Laki yelled.

"Make for the north, you lot!" Makarov ordered.

"…." Cygnus, Alex, Taya, Spark, and Magnus all just stared at each other. "Did any of you get any of that?" Alex asked while scratching her head.

"I'm afraid not." Spark shook his head. "But…they all seem to be heading north…?"

"That must be where the guild is then." Magnus scratched his cheek. "But I don't know what has then all rallied up like this."

"We just have to follow them!" Alex slammed a fist into her palm. "Fairy Tail isn't in this alone!"

"She's not incorrect, but we're not helping because we're friends." Taya reminded Alex. "We have a stake in this war as well…"

"As long as I can bust some heads in, I don't care where we're going!" Cygnus grinned. "I haven't gotten a real fight yet!"

* * *

"ALRIGHT!" Natsu pumped a fist into the air while beginning his sprint once again. "Time to head home to our guild! We can't keep the First waitin!"

Lucy began to follow, but she turned to Mii, Luke, and Reve. "Are you guys coming…?"

"You have fun." Reve turned in the opposite direction and started to walk off. "I'm gonna do something more important. Like looking for White Eclipse."

"Yeah, same." Luke waved them off. "Don't worry; we'll hard carry you guys when we reunite with everyone."

"Always with the remarks…" Gray grumbled. "Don't be too long, or you'll miss the good stuff."

"I'm tagging along because I wanna see how this turns out." Mii followed behind the Fairy Tail mages. "I'm still not gonna fight though, so don't get your hopes up."

"Juvia isn't surprised…" The woman rolled her eyes. But they had a destination now. To the guild!

* * *

"Hey, Lisanna, have you seen Elfman?" Mira turned to her youngest sister.

"Nope…he's nowhere to be found." Lisanna frowned while reporting this.

"Looks like that light really did separate us then…" Now Mira was worried. As if they didn't have enough to worry about.

"Stop worrying and keep moving your feet." Taya said while walking past the Strauss siblings.

"You're harsh as ever, aren't you?" Lisanna pouted.

"Harsh? Hardly. There's still a battle to be fought. Worrying about others is well and good, but we're not in the clear yet." Taya said.

"Oh, I get it…" Mira turned to Taya. "You're just looking out for us…in your own way."

"Don't read so much into it." The demoness shook her head and kept walking.

"I'm sure Elf-nii will be fine." Lisanna nodded. "If the voice reached him too, then we'll see him in no time!"

"HIYAAAAAAAA!" Juilet screamed while coming down from above, attempting to crush Mira and Taya under her boots! While telegraphed impact was easily evaded, the sticky substance she used washed over Mira, Taya, and Lisanna.

"What is this stuff…!?" Mira questioned. It was difficult to move about.

"It's all sticky…!" Lisanna got some on her too. It didn't feel great.

"I feel disgusted…" Taya growled.

"Don't worry, it's just mucus!" Juliet smiled, as if that was a better alternative to whatever everyone else was thinking. Before she could follow up, however, Hynhe swooped in, ribbons extending from her hands to wrap around Taya and Mira, promptly slamming them into the ground.

"You're mine!" The black haired girl exclaimed.

"Mira-nee! Tayakata…!" Lisanna shouted in worry.

"Hey, no fair! You stole them from me!" Juliet pouted.

That surprise attack only got the two demons miffed if anything else. Mira broke free from the binds by entering her Satan Soul, while Taya's vectors tore through them easily before gripping the necks of the two girls. Mira followed up by pointing her hands forward, releasing a blast of magic that turned into a widespread dome explosion. Juliet and Hynhe cried out from the blast, and after that, Mira landed and turned to her younger sister. "Lisanna, regroup with the others and keep heading north."

"But…" Lisanna objected.

"I alone am more than enough to handle these two. Just leave it to your big sis!" Mira said.

"You alone?" Taya lifted a brow. "Like they didn't just catch you by surprise and throw you around like a rag doll."

"You were there too." Mira turned. "Now's not the time to be worrying, is what you said, right? Stop dragging your feet."

Oh. Mira was really feisty when she was in Satan Soul. "…Fine then. Suit yourself." Shrugging, Taya started to walk off. If Mira said she could handle this on her own, who was Taya to stop her? "Come on now."

"…" Lisanna remained silent. She didn't want to leave Mira alone like that, but she had no choice. There was just a gut feeling she had…

"Staring down Hynhe and Juliet of the Elieen squad…you alone are enough you say? Impudent fool." Hynhe scoffed at Mira's words.

"The correct order is Juliet and Hynhe, by the way." Juliet corrected. Despite a blast like that, the two of them were unfazed in the slightest.

* * *

Elfman, Yukino, Frosch, Lector, and Jack Corvus were all grouped up after Universe One. Elfman was leading the way since he was the only one who heard Zera's voice. "It seems we'll make it to Fairy Tail if we continue this way."

"I see…so that's what Voice-Sama told you just now…" Yukino said.

"Voice-sama…?" Lector blinked.

"Fro thinks so too!" The adorable Exceed chimed in.

"Does anyone else not see something wrong with this?" Jack questioned while staring at the others. "This big muscle head was the only person who could hear that voice out of all five of us? That seems a little suspicious."

"Fro didn't hear it!" Frosch said.

"If that's the case…then it must have been a voice that only Fairy Tail members could hear." Elfman deduced.

"It didn't reach my ears either…will things truly be all right if we head to the guild?" Yukino had some doubts. It was strange they were all following a voice that only one person heard.

"Fro wants to see Rogue…" Frosch whined.

"Assuming Sting and the others ended up together with someone from Fairy Tail, I'm sure they're making for the guild right about now too! Yep!" Lector said to cheer his companion up.

"Rogue too?" Frosch was hopeful now.

"I hope Sis is all right…" Jack muttered. He hadn't seen her since they departed to stall Zeref's army.

"At any rate, our only option right now is to trust the voice and continue on our way." Elfman said.

"Yes…let's go…" Yukino nodded.

"Oh geez…where am I…" Angel muttered while wandering out of a few trees. The instant she did, however, her gaze landed on Yukino. Awkward since she had been avoiding Yukino ever since they 'reunited' a few years ago. "….Yukino…."

"Sister…?" Yukino uttered…and for those who were unaware, one could imagine the shock on Jack, Elfman, Lector, and Frosch's faces.

"HUUUUUUUH!?" Everyone gasped.

"HOLD ON!" Jack pointed at the two sisters. "You two are _related_!?"

"WHAT'S THIS ALL ABOUT!?" Elfman yelled.

"I HAVE NO CLUE, YES!" Lector shouted.

"FRO TOO!"

Awkward silence followed. Angel crossed her arms and pouted while turning her head to the side. "How many times to I have to tell you, I'm not your sister. You must be mistaking me for someone else."

God damn it. How many times was Angel going to keep pushing her away!? Yukino was tired of this. She couldn't take it anymore. "No, I haven't! You are Sorano, my big sister! Ever since I caught sight of you that day three years ago, I knew it was you!" This side of Yukino was completely different. Before she was attempting to stay calm in her efforts to get Sting's motivation back, but here she was, raising her voice for the first time in who knows how long. "You, my one and only sister…for the sole purpose of taking you back, I even went so far as to attempt to turn back time! And you keep rejecting me! Why…? I…I love you more than anything, because you always protected me…if it weren't for you, I…"

Angel was having a hard time dealing with this. Just her luck that she'd be forced to deal with this issue that she's been trying to avoid for years now. "Like I said, you've got the wrong person. There's no way you could be my sister." She turned away after saying that.

"Why do you keep saying such cruel things?!" Yukino just wanted to know. All this time…

"You don't have an evil felon for a sister." Angel said. "My little sister has been living her life as a proper, decent human being! She can't get mixed up with an elder sister who committed so many unforgivable crimes! A sister who's killed people in cold blood…a sister who almost killed her own sibling just to selfishly achieve a foolish dream! You deserve a better older sister than that, damn it!"

"…" Yukino's jaw dropped.

Angel started to cry, but because her back was turned, no one could see it, but with the way her voice quivered it was easy to tell. "That's why…that's why; someday…if all my sins are ever atoned for; I'll come back and give my little sister the biggest hug in the world!"

"That day will definitely come if she waits patiently, right…?" Yukino asked.

"I'm fighting to make sure it does!" Angel responded. "That's why…she wouldn't be able to forgive me as I am now…"

"Just knowing she's out there; alive…is good enough for me." Yukino forced a smile and wiped away a tear before it could fall. At least she knew why Angel was avoiding her, but even so…

"Cut the bullshit…" Jack said. His remark caused all eyes to turn to him.

"J-Jack-sama…?" Yukino gasped.

"H-Huh…!? What do you mean!?" Angel turned around, offended by Jack's remark. "Can't you see that I…her sister is working really hard!?"

"You're being selfish." Jack scoffed. "Pushing your sister away like that."

"How rude! How could you possibly know how I feel!?" Angel snarled at Jack.

"Because I have an older sister too." Jack responded, staring Angel right in the face. "She and I have both done some pretty bad stuff in the past, but nobody cares about that now. Tia's always been watching out for me, and I used to think that because she was strong that she didn't even need me by her side all the time. But…an idiot opened my eyes to something a few years ago. It doesn't matter if she's strong or not; she's my sister, and I have to be there for her. You're an older sister too…and you haven't even realized how much your actions have been hurting her. She says she's okay with it, but I can tell otherwise. She's forcing her feelings down to make you happy, because _your_ happiness means more to her than her own. I don't know what's happened between you two, but it sounds like you've been separated for years, and anyone with a sibling shouldn't have to go that long without theirs."

"Jack-sama…" Yukino's gaze softened. He read her like a book.

"…." Elfman stared at Jack with a hint of a smile. Now he was certain that his words to the young boy two years ago really did stick.

"I…Is that true…?" Angel looked at Yukino, who silently nodded.

Jack didn't stop there. "So, you need to get your shit together. Who cares what you did in the past? If you're trying to atone, then that means you're walking in the right direction. So how about you ditch that code name or whatever and start facing yourself too? Just because you can't forgive yourself doesn't mean she won't forgive you. Geez. I knew Sis said women were complicated, but the solution is literally right there."

"….." Angel stared at the ground. It had been a little selfish of her to neglect Yukino for so long. Ever since her memory came back after the angel incident, all she could think about was Yukino's safety.

"I just want what's best for you, Sorano…" Yukino mumbled. "You are my sister. The things you've done…they don't matter to me, because you've been trying to walk a better path."

"I…" Angel…No, Sorano let out a very heavy sigh. She walked up to Yukino and gave her a hug. "…I'm sorry."

Yukino returned the hug without a second thought, clinging to her sister. "…It's all right, Sorano…"

"Wow…harsh, but it worked…" Lector stared at Jack.

"Sis told me that women are weird and can't talk to each other properly. The best way to communicate is to not beat around the bush or somethin'…" Jack shrugged. "Besides, I couldn't stand to watch that pity party any longer."

"Sisterly love is beautiful, isn't it!?" Lector had happy tears flowing down his cheeks.

"But….didn't she say she had the wrong person…?" Frosch questioned.

"Ah…that's okay. You don't have to read so much between the lines…" Lector responded.

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch lifted a paw up.

Elfman was silent. All this talk about sisters made him think about his own and how they were doing. "Lisanna…Big Sis…be safe…"

* * *

Meanwhile, Mira was having a surprisingly tough time against Juliet and Hyhne. Juliet was in the air, firing off pellets of her mucus rapidly. There was no explosive effect, but the mucus itself was a huge hindrance. "Take some of this! And some of that! I'm gonna make you all sticky, ahahahaha!"

"This mucus…it's burning my skin…" Mira hissed in pain. It was then that Hynhe's electrically charged ribbons wrapped around her body, exploding violently. This caused Mira to let out a scream of pain, and before she even had the chance to recover, Juliet flew down with a kick to her face.

"WHEEE!" The white haired girl shouted in joy.

"Gaaaah…!" Mira was sent tumbling backwards, only to be caught by Hynhe's ribbons once again. Just as they sent another electrical pulse through her, she was slammed into the ground, then tossed through a nearby boulder. "Ngah! These two…they're stronger than I thought…!"

"Yeah we are!" Juliet was already on Mira, swinging her fist at the demoness' face. Mira did avoid this and gripped Juliet's arm, pressing a sphere of dark magic to her stomach to send her flying back. "Oh noooo…!"

Hynhe released another set of ribbons towards Mira, only this time she allowed one to wrap around her wrist and used this to tug the black haired girl forward. Once close. Mira swung her leg violently to crash into the girl's temple, crushing her into the ground in the process. "Ugh…!"

"Be that as it may…I'm simply stronger than the two of you." Mira stated confidently. "I would never lose to the likes of you."

"Oh yeah!?" Juliet simply grinned at Mira's words before pushing her hands forward. This caused the mucus she used to take the form of a wave that intended to crash down on Mira. Something that was easy to avoid on its own, but when Hynhe's ribbons binding her once more, the wave of burning mucus crashed down on Mira and made her body sticky to the point where movement was a task on its own. "How's that!?"

"Now I can't move…the way I want to…" Mira tried moving her arms, but it wasn't working.

"Easy prey!" Hynhe moved forward to finish the job, but at that moment Lisanna sprang into action and kicked the black haired woman away. "What?!"

"I won't let you touch my sister!" Lisanna said with a determined expression.

"Lisanna!?" Mira was surprised. "I told you I could handle this, it's okay!"

"I know, but…" Lisanna shook her head. "I had a bad feeling and I couldn't ignore it. You can rely on me too, you know? I'm your younger sister…"

"Awww, that one isn't nearly as strong…" Juliet pouted. "Oh well, more fun for us!" Once again, the rapid fire mucus returned, but to her surprise, Lisanna was much faster than she initially thought. "Whoa, hey, she's super quick…!"

The animal mage flipped over Juliet and brought her claw down to rake across her chest for a direct hit. Lisanna then followed up with a powerful kick to Juliet's chest, pushing her back in the process. "I may not be as strong as my sister, but I can handle my own just the same!"

Just as Juliet was sent flying back, Mira gripped the back of the girl's skull and forcefully slammed her into the ground face first. "She's my sister after all. I would appreciate if you didn't bad mouth her in front of me. It doesn't make me happy to hear those kinds of things."

"Impudent fools! Just because you've bolstered your numbers doesn't mean you stand a chance against us!" Hynhe exclaimed while wrapping her bindings around Lisanna from behind, the poor girl's tail included. With the electrical shock running through her, Lisanna could only let out a cry of pain as her body briefly fell out of her control. Using this to her advantage, she flung Lisanna into Mira violently.

"Lisanna…!" Mira caught Lisanna, and that was when Juliet rebounded for a strike.

"Take this!" The girl yelled, unleashing a potent blast of mucus right at the two girls. This time the mucus exploded and the sticky substance began to burn the two Strauss siblings.

"This mucus burns…" Lisanna hissed before looking at her sister. "Mira-nee!" The youngest Strauss hopped into the air, curling into a ball as she entered her Armadillo takeover.

"Of course!" Mira nodded and held Lisanna in her hand before hurling her at Juilet. Lisanna crashed into Juliet and bounced back, where Mira then kicked her towards Hynhe! The forceful impact sent the black haired girl flying into her counterpart, the two of them now sprawled on the ground in pain.

"I'll show you what I can do!" Once in the air, Lisanna's quick takeover occurred once more, now entering her Harpie state. A fierce, fiery blue aura cloaked her body and she crash landed onto the two of them, an explosion of raw power occurring after. The youngest Strauss flew back, some sparks dancing around her body from the recoil, but that did more damage to them than it did her. "Did we get them?"

Nope. Far from it. The ribbons emerged from the ground this time, wrapping around the two female's limbs to forcefully tug them against the ground. The shocking explosion occurred once again, only this time it was in tandem with Juliet's mucus assault. "Take this! And that! And those! And these!" Each glob of mucus exploded violently against the two women, resulting in cries of pain since they were still bound by Hynhe. After a few more moments of this, the ribbons released the two women as they lied on the ground, struggling to stand after. "Ah, so weeeeaaaaak~" Juliet hummed.

"It looks like they played all their cards right from the start. What imbecilic fools." Hynhe said.

"You can say that again~" Juliet said with a growing smile.

Mira stood up slowly, glancing at Lisanna. Her sister tried so hard to fight alongside her. Now she couldn't forgive the women who dared to lay a hand on her. "Heh…I can't argue with that. You've got to save the ace up your sleeve for the critical moment…and when you do use it, you need to make it count, isn't that right?" Her aura started to flare and a malicious grin crept onto her lips. Her transformation was swift, making use of her Alegria Takeover that she mastered one year ago during the Emmeraude incident. "So, how about we try this?"

Mira's raw power struck fear into the two girls. "Wha…?" Hynhe couldn't fathom what they were looking at!

"Wha…what is that!?" Juliet gasped.

"The result of consuming all the souls within Tartarus, hehe…~" Mira dragged her tongue along her lower lip. Her magic power was so intense the nearby sea water was drying up.

"This woman is seriously bad news! Her magic power is drying up the sea water…!" Juliet panicked. It was only now that they realized just what exactly they got themselves into. They picked the wrong opponent.

"You…you monster!" Hynhe gasped, attempting to slow Mira down by unleashing more ribbons.

"Indeed I am." Mira said calmly as she flew forward, easily evading the ribbons with little effort. "I've been called that, and far worse, for as long as I can remember. It really doesn't faze me anymore."

"AHHH SHE'S GETTING CLOSER!" Juliet panicked; firing glob after glob of mucus to try and slow Mira's charge, but it wasn't working.

"Plus…you brought harm to my precious younger sister. I absolutely cannot forgive something like that." Mira cupped her hands together and threw them forward. A massive blast was unleashed from the palms of her hands, completely dwarfing the one she used at the beginning of their encounter. This one collided with the two girls and exploded, sending them high into the air with cries of pain. The demoness pursued them into the sky and took a hold of both their skulls, now diving back towards the ground at a breakneck pace. "And having said all that, that's no way to address a lady!" There was only the sound of trembling earth when Mira crushed the two girls into the ground so harshly their heads were stuck! They let out screams of pain, but it was ignored. There was just a massive crater at the point of impact that Mira slowly walked out of.

"Mira-nee…" Wow. Lisanna had forgotten how scary Mira could get. Maybe she really could have handled this on her own after that display, but this still didn't get rid of the bad feeling she had in her stomach.

"It still takes a massive amount of my magic power…" Mira mumbled while returning to normal and falling to her knees. Even after a year of training, she couldn't help but burn through magic so fast while in that form. "I'm asking politely here, so please…do me a favor and don't stand back up." The Strauss said while turning her head back to the two downed girls.

"Mira-nee, are you okay!?" Lisanna rushed over to her sister.

At that moment, Hynhe and Juliet…turned into swords. The two of them were nothing more than black and white swords that were embedded in the ground. "White and black swords…!?"

"What?!" Lisanna didn't understand. "But…they were people, right!?"

"It…it must have been an enchantment technique…" But then… "Do you mean to tell me that a personality was enchanted onto those swords!?" Mira's eyes were wide at this realization. But who could possibly…?

"That can't be…to think there would be such a fearsome mage among the enemy's ranks…" Elieen said while touching down right behind Mira…and she wasn't alone either.

"I never had the chance to tell you about this one…but she is quite the demon indeed." Emmeraude was there as well, both of them looking down on Mira with amused grins.

"…." Mira didn't dare turn around. The insane pressure she felt from the two of them…it frightened her. It…it didn't make any sense.

"I…" Lisanna had it worse. Since she wasn't as strong as Mira, Elieen's presence paralyzed her. On top of that, Emmeraude was here too!? This…this was the bad feeling that plagued her all along…

.

.

Next Time: The Hill Extending To Tomorrow

The next chapter is the cumulative 600th chapter of the entire series! Thank you all for you continued reading and support over the years! I honestly never expected this to become such a lengthy project, but we aren't done yet! The Alvarez Arc is about to reignite once more!


	67. Chapter 67: Hill Extending To Tomorrow

Emmeraude and Elieen were standing right behind Mira and Lisanna. The two Strauss siblings were already aware of Emmeraude's aura and that alone was scary enough, but what they never could have foreseen was an aura even stronger than hers. Two monsters standing side by side and their prey was right before them. "It seems you've showed my 'children' quite a bit of affection. How nice of you." Elieen mused.

"As I told you on the way here they have a…unique way of dealing with children." Emmeraude crossed her arms. Mira could see the familiar look of confidence in the Queen's eyes and that was never a good thing for them.

" _Wha…what is this magic power!? I…It's beyond terrifying…"_ Mira couldn't think as she turned around. She could only stare at the two of them. _"Emmeraude…and this woman…together, they're…!"_ Oh no. Lisanna. She was in danger. But before Mira could even move, Elieen swiped her hand, causing the sword that was formerly Hynhe to release ribbons around Mira's wrists, neck, and ankles, binding her to a nearby rock helplessly. It really didn't help that she was exhausted from the battle. "Augh…!"

"Mira-nee…!" Lisanna cried out. All thought processes ceased and it became instinct to help her sister regardless of who stood before her. But the moment Lisanna took a step; Emmeraude swiped her hand forward, chains shooting out from a rock a few feet away. These chains wrapped around her limbs in a similar fashion and bound her to the object. "Nggh!"

"I'm glad Ross followed his beliefs to the end and protected the weak…but I'm ultimately disgusted that you'd waste his sacrifice this way." Emmeraude spat towards Lisanna.

"What a pair we've encountered." Elieen said while lifting her hand once again. The mucus covered sword that was formerly Juliet splashed the sticky substance onto Mira's body…and it burned. Mira let out a cry of pain as the mucus burned her skin and her clothing, very quickly exposing her chest. "I will not let you die an easy death."

"Ah…ah…" All Mira could do was pant heavily. It felt like she was being burned alive, it hurt so much and she couldn't do a thing to free herself.

"Stop it! Leave her al-" Before Lisanna could finish, Emmeraude's chain whip sword cracked against her skin. "AAAAH!"

"I would be silent if I were you. I'm being generous and allowing you to watch." Emmeraude had her gaze on Mira, though her voice was directed to Lisanna.

"First things first…I'll take that beautiful white, silky skin…and make it so unsightly, you'll look more disgusting than a worn out dust rag." Elieen's sadistic smile formed once again. The freedom to do as she pleased was always a euphoric one. "By the tiem I'm done with you, you'll be no more than a lump of rotting meet that would make everyone avert their eyes." And at that moment, the mucus still on Mira's body started to burn even more!

"AAAAAAAH!" Mira screamed out helplessly.

"MIRA-NEE!" Lisanna attempted to struggle against the chains, but it was no use. She wasn't strong enough. The tears started to form in her eyes as she watched her beloved older sister be tortured to death slowly. "PLEASE, STOP THI-, AAAAAH!" Another crack of the whip made her scream.

"Hush, unless you're so eager to join her so quickly." Emmeraude sighed. By her wording it was clear that Lisanna was going to be next. While she wasn't exactly one for such torture, Mira was among those who stood before her and that alone was a crime. The crime punishable by death.

"Take me instead, please! Just stop it!" Lisanna begged and pleaded. Mira's screams were slowly starting to die down to heavy, desperate pants. The eldest Strauss hung over helplessly…

"Elieen. Emmeraude." August's voice caught their attention. Brandish was with him as well, though her stomach injury did leave her with a bit of a stagger. The injury was gone, but the damage was still very present. "Those habits of yours are uncouth to say the least."

Elieen glanced over her shoulder. "Oh my~. It's so nice to see you again, Lord August. And Brandish is with you as well? You've grown so big, I hardly recognize you."

"Hello." Brandish said.

Emmeraude's eyes narrowed to August's chest and Brandish's stomach. "You're walking with a stagger, Brandish. Did something happen?"

"…." Brandish averted her gaze. "You were…correct about that man."

"I did warn you…" Emmeraude sighed. She knew Mest would try that foul tactic, but how glad she was to see it failed again.

"You went and used Universe One without His Majesty's permission, I see." August said, and with the way he sounded, he disapproved of her actions.

"Indeed." Elieen admitted. "With Acnologia starting me in the face, I'm afraid even I had little choice but to take drastic measures. That said, I not only successfully drove him away for the time being, but I managed to send His Majesty straight to Fairy Heart while I was at it. You have no grounds on which to criticize or reprimand me, wouldn't you say?"

Elieen had a point. Despite August not being the biggest fan of Elieen's actions, it did expedite the process of getting Zeref to Fairy Heart. "For now, the 12 shall gather and convene at his Majesty's side."

"Well, I don't want to!" Elieen immediately objected. "I'll move as I like, and that's that!"

"This is _my_ decision as the general of the Spriggan 12. There will be no compromises." August's tone grew lower. He and Elieen were at odds; she stared at him with an expression of defiance and a hint of disgust for trying to rush her, while August gave a firm, unwavering glare.

The tension was so thick; Brandish couldn't help but gulp silently. She feared the two of them would start fighting. As for Emmeraude, she glanced between the two of them with her hands on her hips. She was rather intrigued on seeing how this little encounter would end up. "…."

Mira was in complete and utter fear. Not just for herself, but for Lisanna as well. _"Th…the magic power of those two…it completely defies common sense!"_ She was so distraught her stumbled even in her thoughts. She had to get Lisanna out of here…somehow…

" _T-These four…I…I can't even…"_ Lisanna couldn't even begin to fathom what she was in the presence of. August, Elieen, Emmeraude, and Brandish…how could mages of this caliber exist and group together!?

Ultimately, Elieen conceded. "Very well. So be it. I'll let you save face on this occasion. That being said, I'm going to finish this little girl who dared raise her hands against my beloved children." She turned her head back to Mira. She wasn't finished with her yet. "I won't compromise on th…"

August pointed his finger forward, releasing a beam of magic to strike Mira's heart. It all happened so quickly and forcefully that nobody saw it coming. The rock shattered and Mira fell lifelessly to the ground. "I pierced her heart. I assume that will suffice."

While it happened fast for everyone else, every millisecond of that instant played in slow motion for Lisanna. She was utterly useless as she watched her sister suffer a mortal blow. "M-MIRA-NEEEEEEE!" She shrieked as her animal instincts took over, running rampant as she tried to free herself desperately to break free of the chains that bound her. "NO! NOOOOO!"

"I suppose that was for the best…" Emmeraude did not even bat an eye. One hand was extended towards Lisanna and a sudden eruption of Crash Magic occurred on the spot, utterly destroying the poor girl who had no defense for it. Lisanna screamed for a moment before her broken body fell onto the ground. "We can't afford to play around here for much longer."

"I am moved by your kindness, Lord August. How unbefitting of the one called The Calamity." Elieen teased, but now had no reason to not follow August.

"…." Brandish looked back at Mira and Lisanna. They were friends of Lucy's…and she still honestly believed this war held no purpose other than Zeref's wish for mass genocide. So if she could do something to ensure that the death count was lowered, then maybe, before it was too late, she could….

* * *

Thanks to Universe One, Dimaria was free from her prison cell. She was still bound and being chased by a few members of Lamia Scale and the Council, but this was do or die. Remember how earlier she believed her lowest point in life was being captured and tied up in enemy territory after being defeated? Here she was, making a break for it by crawling along a bridge, pushing her feet forward to move her body while clicking her teeth together. Every single action was a spectacle fueled by pure desperation. This was more humiliating and disgraceful than anything else. _**This**_ was her rock bottom. "Haaah…haaha…" _"I have to get away…they're closing in…I have to escape! I have to…apologize to Randi…!"_

"There she is!" A councilman said.

"We won't let you get away, wench!" A Lamia member yelled.

" _Oh no…already!?"_ Dimaria panted while moving her feet even faster, worming along as quickly as her body allowed it. It wasn't fast enough. Someone grabbed her ankle and that was the end of her escape attempt. "Augh!"

"You're an indispensable prisoner! If you got away, we'd never hear the end of it from Ooba!" The Lamia member said.

Chelia was up above the cliff, pursing Dimaria. Her physical injuries recovered to the point where she could move, and she had Raven's bow on her back. She wasn't sure what happened to the land, but when she heard Dimaria escaped and was nearby, she absolutely did not plan on letting her get away. There was a silver lining to not having any magic; her presence was undetectable. She didn't have to 'hide' her magic aura since she didn't have any. She had Dimaria in her sights just moments before she was actually caught, and that's when a thought occurred to her. "…She killed Raven…" The girl muttered, drawing the bowstring back as the bow itself slowly created an arrow of wind. This war had her mentally broken, and right now, all she could see was the woman who took Raven away from her…and for the first time in her life, Chelia considered letting a fatal arrow fly. But she didn't. Not because her conscious was screaming her not to, but because she sensed something horrifying in the wind and opted to keep her actual presence hidden within a few bushes. "…?"

The two men who caught Dimaria were suddenly overcome with waves of pleasure! "What…is this…aaaah…?"

"I…It feels so good…!" The two men moaned. The pleasure they experienced was so intense their souls quite literally ascended from their bodies and to heaven.

It was none other than Rahkeid. "Let the pure while souls ascend to heaven and be free…"

"…!?" With widened eyes, Chelia quickly placed her hands over her mouth to silence the shocked gasp she let out. _"W-What the…what the heck was that?! They…they just…!"_ Now she was glad she didn't let her impulse take over. She would have been spotted for certain…

"I've come for you, Dimaria." Rahkeid said with a smile. He lowered himself, beginning to undo the magic sealing cuffs that bound his comrade.

"Rahkeid…" A sight for sore eyes. The moment she was freed, Dimaria stood up and rubbed her wrists. "…Thank you. They were going to capture me again…" After her defeat and capture, she had some…mixed feelings about a lot of things. That situation opened her eyes.

"We are comrades; it's only natural that we help one another out. Are you all right?" The white Dragneel questioned.

"I'm fine. Pissed off too." The vessel of Chrono admitted. "What happened? Was that Elieen?"

"I assume so." Rahkeid turned and began walking, gesturing for Dimaria to follow. "The 12 are going to hurry to His Majesty's side. I believe he has been moved to Fairy Heart. So our first objective has been completed."

Dimaria followed alongside Rahkeid. "The 12 are gathering? Wonderful…"

Chelia could only watch as these two monsters departed. "W-What…what just…happened…?"

* * *

Zelos slowly wandered back to the scene of Mira's encounter with Juliet and Hynhe. "Mira-chan! Lisanna-chan! Are you two around? Surely it didn't take you that long to clean up those two…" And that's when he saw it. Their downed bodies. Without wasting a moment he hurried to Mira first since there was a small pool of blood leaking around her. "Oh no…Mira-chan? Are you all right!?"

"…" No response.

"…Mira-chan…?" Zelos' gaze narrowed and he felt his heart drop until….

Mira began coughing. She coughed up a huge amount of blood, but her eyes did open slowly. "…? Zelos…? W-Where's Lisanna…? W-What happened…?" She sat up, lifting her breast up at the hole in her chest. She was 100% certain that she should have died right then and there, but her wound was extremely small! "When did..? Lisanna!" She scrambled to her feet, hissing in pain while rushing to her sister, who was in far worse condition. Unlike her single injury, Lisanna had injuries all over from Emmeraude's attack. "Lisanna! Hold on…!"

Zelos lifted a hand up, a green magic seal forming under Lisanna's body. A gentle emerald mist swirled up around the youngest Strauss. "Healing Stream. Don't worry, Mira-chan. Her injuries are pretty bad, but I can fix this." He was pretty serious about this too. No flirtatious quip or remark.

"Thank you…" Mira gave Zelos a nod of gratitude. But then she remembered something horrible. "…Ah! We…we have to hurry back to the guild!"

"To rescue Mavis, right?" Zelos asked.

"No, not just that…" Mira shook her head as Lisanna began to come to. "The 12! They're gathering…!"

* * *

"It's been just about 100 years since we last met like this." Zeref said, remising on the memories of their time together. Albeit short, he did cherish that time.

"95 years, to be more precise." Mavis corrected.

"I could still feel your voice, even your every being that entire time…" The Black Wizard retorted.

Mavis was admittedly cornered with no way out. But she did have a way to potentially come out on top of this… _"In order to defeat Zeref once and for all, I have one final plan in pace. The first condition for that plan was my body. I needed my true body no matter what. And the other condition, although plausible in theory, will prove to be rather difficult…"_ Her thoughts were interrupted as a sudden chill filled the room. "Wha…ah…!" And before she knew it, her body was frozen solid. "My body is…ah…."

Zeref let out a quiet sigh before turning to Invel. "Cease this at once, Invel."

"Your Majesty, although I do sympathize your relationship with that girl, she is the embodiment of Fairy Heart itself. If, by chance, she were to turn that magic power against us…" As Zeref's closest confidant, Invel refused to allow Mavis any chance to strike. Also, Emerald was accompanying him. She understood the gravity of the situation and just took a seat somewhere else.

"Mavis understands better than anyone that Fairy Heart is a spell which absolutely mustn't be used under any circumstances. Even if it was for the sake of killing me, she wouldn't dare activate it." Zeref responded.

"But your Majesty…" Invel tried to object.

"Mavis was trapped inside a crystal for eternity…unable to move a single muscle in her body. Stealing her freedom, once again, after she had finally been freed…it pains my heart." Emperor Spriggan admitted. Invel was silent. "Invel…"

"It shall be done." The Winter Mage conceded and freed Mavis from the icy prison.

"Ah…haaa…" Wow, that was…really cold. But Mavis had no time to even think about her next action as an icy collar appeared on her neck. "W-What is this?!"

"I shall refrain from binding your body, thus I have taken the liberty of binding your mind instead." Invel explained. This was a rather nasty spell of his; Ice Lock.

The very instant Ice Lock was put into effect; Mavis was struggling to stay composed. Her body wasn't listening to her and her thoughts were being pulled away from her mind. _"What's happening? My very thoughts are being snatched away! No…! I must regain composure…aah…I can't…form one rational thought…just what sort…of magic is this…?"_

"I suppose I must settle for this. You always have been overly prone to worrying, haven't you Invel?" Zeref questioned.

"Given my position as emissary of Alvarez, I see it as a completely rational decision." The winter mage responded.

"Mavis, could you please follow me?" Zeref politely asked while making his way outside.

"Uhhh…." Mavis didn't form a coherent response, but she started to follow anyway. _"My body is moving on its own…"_

The Fairy Tail guild hall was perched on a massive hill, where one million soldiers awaited. It was a black carpet that stretched out for miles. "Behold. Your comrades are currently making their way here, in order to take back you and the guild. I do wonder…will they be able to break through our defenses? I cannot wait to find out."

" _This…can't be…"_ So many soldiers. Even after everyone's efforts, it was almost as though they failed to punch a hole in Alvarez's ranks. They really did have the advantage in numbers.

"NOT A CHANCE IN HELL!" Ajeel Lamur, the King of the Desert exclaimed. He was finally back to 100% after his failed vanguard assault.

"That so, big shot?" Jacob Lessio, the Assassin questioned. "I seem to recall you losing quite pathetically…"

"LOOK WHO'S TALKING, ASSHOLE!" Ajeel held a grin on his face, but the veins in his forehead were throbbing from the rage of his defeat. "That _fluke_ ain't gonna happen again!"

"Naturally." Jacob agreed.

"I'm so glad that the two of you are feeling better. I hope you understand why I told you not to take these opponent's so lightly." Emmeraude, former Commadant and Queen, remarked while leaning against the guild doors. She had taken the liberty of fixing the guild's broken roof and added a…bit more of a 'her' touch to it, since it was their base of operations.

"Shut it, old lady!" Ajeel barked. "They just got lucky! I'm not gonna make the same mistakes twice!"

"Mhm~" Emmeraude hummed while glancing at Invel, and then Mavis. "Ah…so that's what she looks like. I can see why His Majesty was so taken with her; she's quite cute, all things considered."

" _E-Emmeraude…"_ Mavis was shocked at the woman's expression. She looked the exact same as she did a year ago, confidence brimming off of her.

"But of course…" Yellow eyes narrowed, staring into Mavis' soul. "She is the one who led the charge against me a year ago, which is absolutely something I cannot forgive. So what you have coming to you, Mavis…you deserve it."

"…!" Mavis' eyes were wide at the threat.

"But Invel, did you really have to put a collar on her like some sort of dog?" Emmeraude questioned.

"It was the best option available." Invel Yura, the Winter Mage, responded coolly.

"You know…you remind me of someone I used to know." Emmeraude smirked. "You're far too pragmatic for your own good. Do you know what this is?" She pointed to his chest.

"…Your finger." Invel said.

"The heart." Emmeraude quipped. "Your actions are very logical, but they lack passion. Do not underestimate the heart, Invel. Even His Majesty suffers from the weakness of the heart in some way. The heart may be a person's weaknesses, but it is also a person's strength. Failing to acknowledge that against this foe may lead to your downfall. After all, it was the heart of that cat that stopped that boy from potentially ending the war earlier."

"The only heart we should be concerned with is Fairy Heart, which is now within our grasp. The only thing we need do now is crush the enemy's final stand before it begins. Though they have made a valiant push, this is where it ends for them." That was Invel's response.

Dimaria Yesta turned to Brandish, immediately walking over to her once she was in sight. "Randi…I heard you were captured by the enemy. They didn't do anything horrible to you, did they?"

"No…" Brandish said. Although she still wasn't a fan of Mest's action, that didn't happen while she was in captivity. That was just a misjudgment on her part. Unfortunately because of that, she still felt that stinging pain. "Mari…" Brandish Myu turned to Dimaria, eyes going wide as she was suddenly brought in for an embrace. An unexpected action since she and Dimaria never really got along.

"I won't say any of those awful and cruel things to you ever again! I'm gonna pay those fields back for laying their hands on you!" The irony struck hard. Dimaria's words were honest, though. So honest, that Brandish was unprepared for it.

"Friendship is one of the world's greatest beauties, wouldn't you say?" Rahkeid, the mysterious White Dragneel said to August.

August didn't say a damn word. He just gave Rahkeid a rather intense, malicious stare. "…"

"Lord August is quite fond of giving me such dirty looks." Rahkeid brushed it off.

"Can you blame him? You always fail to attend our meetings, so it shouldn't come as a big shock." Invel mentioned.

"I've attended more meetings than you have…" Emmeraude snickered.

Mavis took one look at Rahkeid and she just…she honestly didn't know what she was looking at. _"That is the man called the strongest of them all…August. But…that person's magic…what on Earthland…just what is the nature of his magic!?"_

Zeref could answer that question for her rather easily. "Rahkeid is my proverbial secret weapon, you see. He has the potential to defeat even Acnologia given his vast capabilities."

"KYAHAHAHA!" That laughter belonged to none other than Prometheus, the Demon of Chaos and also the Grim Reaper. "How ironic it is…that the Reaper's soul is now in my possession! Be reborn, spirits of the dead!" With a snap of his fingers, two souls of the departed floated into existence and turned into their original forms: Bradman, the other Reaper and demon, and God Serena, the former First Wizard Saint of Ishgar and the man of eight dragons.

Once reborn, God Serena started to do some stretching and posing. "Mmm! Ho! Ho! Ho!" Finally, he posed with his hands held in a landscape position around his face. "God Serena of the Eight Dragons has been resurrected!"

" **I see…so I hath returned from the depths of the underworld…"** Bradman muttered.

"And all back to full strength. What do you think of that, Neinhart! Much more effective than your Historia, don't you think?!" Prometheus bragged.

"You say that…yet I do not see Wahl here." Neinhart, the Magician of the Heart, told the Reaper.

"Well…that freak never had a soul to begin with, so it doesn't count!" Prometheus scoffed. "Besides, the only downside of me bringing souls back into battle means I can't use their abilities…not that I need to!"

"Whatever the case, I must thank you for lessening my load. If I had to bring back three fallen Spriggan, even I would feel the toll. I don't think they would be quite a full strength either." Neinhart snapped his fingers and brought Wahl Icht back into the world of the living.

The Machias needed a moment to remember everything that led to his downfall, but once he did he was grinning like a madman. "Well well! Would you look at this…the 12 have finally all gathered together, AYAHAHAHAHA!"

"I'd like to remind you, Wahl, that you're already long dead. I'd advise you to protect me diligently, lest you disappear from the living realm permanently…" Neinhart added.

"And I trust you were able to bring _him_ back as well?" Zeref glanced at Neinhart and Prometheus. At least one of them should have been able to.

"All taken care of…" Prometheus said with a bow.

"Ho ho ho…." That laugh…there was only one man in the world who laughed like that. Jigan King. The reborn former head of Dealer walked forward with his arms behind his back, glancing around at the foes around him. "Well…I must say this is quite the sight. I never expected to be brought back from the depths of hell after a humiliating defeat…but this is a chance to repay those Fairy Tail cretins for standing up to me, yes? I'll even get to see my children again. How I've longed to give them a proper goodbye…"

"You're the infamous King?" Emmeraude scoffed. "Your methods would have brought the world to ruin."

"And who are you to speak to me in such a manner, you lowly wench?" King gave Emmeraude quite the glare.

"A Queen in title, not just in name." Emmeraude shot back. "Someone who truly knows how to rule the world before them…" These two could go back and forth all day…

"Prometheus…!" Pandora, the Goddess of Balance, floated up to the top of the hill. She finally made her way back to regroup with everyone. "There you are…"

"Pandora! Finally!" Prometheus sure was glad to see his partner, or metaphorical leash, whichever you wanted to call her, again. "It was getting exciting, I'd hate for you to miss all the fun!"

Elieen Beleserion, The Scarlet Despair, approached Zeref and Mavis. "Over one million soldiers, the 12 have all reunited, and look at all the extra forces we have in tow with us. Truly a magnificent sight to behold!"

"Ah, Elieen." Zeref was happy she showed up when she did.

As for Mavis, she had no idea what she was feeling with Elieen. She was surrounded by all of these absurdly powerful wizards, and former foes…what was Fairy Tail going to do about this!? _"What…this obscene magic power…"_

"As for the matter of your activation of Universe One, I won't pry. In fact, you've done very well, you have my praise." Emperor Spriggan said.

"Oh my…and here I was prepared for at least a light spanking or something along those lines. I'm a little disappointed." Elieen admitted.

"What I would have you do for me now is an isolation enchantment." Zeref gave Elieen her orders.

"Your wish is my command. So I simply have to remove Fairy Heart from inside that cute little girl, is that right?" Elieen wished to confirm. The way she phrased it sounded second nature to her, but as for Mavis…this was an extremely huge problem. This was a wrench that completely derailed the entire foundation of the plan she had been working so carefully on setting up.

" _What…? She…she cannot possibly do such a…"_ Mavis refused to believe this. If that was true then…Fairy Tail had already lost…

"As luck would have it, Elieen is prodigious when it comes to attaching and removing magic from objects." Zeref told Mavis.

" _No…no way….this cannot be!"_ Mavis' plan…it was all falling apart because of this woman!

"This will likely take some time, but…yes, you can leave the task in my capable hands." Elieen gave Zeref her word. Fairy Heart was coming out of Mavis one way or another.

Zeref began to take several steps forward, now standing in the middle of the forces he gathered for the penultimate battle of this war: One million soldiers, The Spriggan 12, The Demon of Chaos and Goddess of Balance duo, Jigan King, the man who attempted to use Acnologia's power to rule the world with an iron fist, and Emmeraude Verde, the former Queen of Fiore and previously Fairy Tail's biggest threat. All of these forces stood in front of the Fairy Tail guild hall, prepared for the battle to begin. This war was now entering its third and final phase. "I have now assembled a perfect, impenetrable battle formation. Do you still dare come, Fairy Tail? For I shall not let you see tomorrow."

* * *

Erza scoped the area out, frowning at the sight before them. The others were asleep and she didn't wish to disturb them. "Our guild, once surrounded by a warm, lively town…is now warped beyond belief. It looks so cold and isolated. Sleep well for now, dear friends. This may be the last dawn we ever see…" It was almost dawn…

"Peh…" Mii was leaning against a nearby tree, arms crossed. "Last dawn? What happened to that confidence you always had? You know the one where you charge into a situation headfirst without even thinking about the possibility of losing? Don't tell Mii you lost that with all the blood."

"…" Erza didn't say a word.

"Of course, you're just being rational." Mii scoped out the area as well, whistling at all the soldiers. "That's a lot of dudes…"

"…You won't fight with us?" Erza asked.

"Not lifting a finger." Mii immediately replied. "This is your fight, and you've already made it this far. You don't need Mii. I'm just here to see if you'll end up breaking your promise or not. If any of you die before I do…hah."

"That won't happen." Erza turned to Mii.

"You say that, but you can't control what happens in war, no matter how much you want to. This is your do or die battle. So you better do." The angel shrugged her shoulders.

Natsu sat up, scoffing at those words. "Last dawn? Not if I have anything to say about it! We're gonna bust in there and take our guild back!" Slowly, the others started to awake. Gray, Lucy, Juvia and Happy. They were all prepared for the battle ahead.

"I'm ready..." Lucy said with a determined expression. "I've been thinking long and hard about what I want to do from this moment on...and I'm going to face it all with everything I've got!" The blonde's gaze said it all. She wasn't going to back down from anyone or anything.

"Yeah, you said it." Gray nodded in agreement. "Whatever they throw at us, I'll be sure to take it down."

"Juvia will be right beside Gray-sama!" That was all she needed. For Fairy Tail and Gray, Juvia was putting her life on the line just like everyone else. The words from everyone made Erza smile. She was glad they weren't thinking of the worst like she found herself doing.

"You're right. I'm not going to back down either." Titania spoke as her hair wavered in the slight breeze. "This is our moment and we must seize it."

That was the spirit! Natsu stood up from his spot and stared ahead, completely unfazed by the enemy's numbers. From this point on, there was no turning back. But that wasn't like Fairy Tail anyway. No matter what stood in their way, they faced it head on. They weren't just fighting for the guild, they were fighting for a tomorrow where they could all laugh and smile just like old times. A new tomorrow. A better tomorrow.

"We'll see a new tomorrow…NO MATTER WHAT!"

.

.

Next Time: Forward! I'm Hungry As Hell!


	68. Chapter 68: Forward! I'm Hungry As Hell!

They weren't afraid and they weren't going to back down. Because beyond that hill, tomorrow awaited! But even so…there were a lot of enemies. It was practically a sea of darkness between them and Fairy Tail off in the distance. "Are these all our enemies?!"

"It's a lot of dudes…" Mii said once again. "Their formation is extremely tight. They really have no intention of letting you pass through. I gotta hand it to Zeref…this formation is pretty good, and who knows how many of the 12 are sprinkled throughout that. You guys might be screwed."

Why was it the only time Mii was truthful was when she didn't inspire confidence. Lucy sighed at the angel's words. "Mii…"

"I can see our home over there, but…" Natsu trailed off. Mii did have a point all things considered. They were vastly outnumbered.

"We just gotta do this." Gray said.

"Juvia is ready." Juvia stated, her eyes not prying off the sea of soldiers for even a moment.

"Me too." Happy said.

"What are you gonna do?" Mii stared down at Happy. "You can't fight."

"Mii!" Lucy chided. "At least he's going to fight with us!"

"Or get in your way." Mii shrugged.

Erza shook her head at Mii's words. Mii didn't understand that everyone's efforts were valued and appreciated here, regardless of combat strength. "Rushing headlong without a plan into this would be foolhardy…having said that, I know everyone'll come with me! And nothing could be more reassuring! Until the rest of them get here, we'll push back their front line. Every step is a step back towards our guild."

"The First is surely waiting for us back at the guild." Lucy mentioned.

"Zeref's probably with her." Juvia added. "Juvia won't be surprised if Emmeraude is nearby as well…"

"Neither will I…" Lucy took a breath at the mention of Emmeraude's name. She couldn't afford to be held back by her prior feelings this late into the battle. Everything from this moment on was for the sake of getting back to their guild. Their home.

"Which one of us will take down Zeref first? You in, Natsu?" Gray asked while slamming a fist into an open palm. The ice maker was starting to feel pretty pumped.

"Hell yeah! I'm getting all fired up!" Natsu's stomach them rumbled. It had been a while since he actually ate something. "…Uh…"

"..As always, your timing is impeccable." Gray scowled.

" _If you kill me, Natsu will die as well."_

Zeref's words plagued Happy even now. But the Exceed shook his head. _"There's gotta be a way! I'm not gonna let Natsu die! Never!"_

Mii stared at Happy. She could tell there was something heavy weighing on his mind. "You're only gonna hold 'em back…" She shrugged while leaning against the tree.

"LET'S DO THIS!" Natsu roared, leading their final charge down the hill against Alvarez. "BACK TO OUR GUILD!"

"YEAH!"

"…Good luck." Mii muttered as Fairy Tail dashed off to their final battle against Alvarez!

* * *

Just as Natsu's group began rushing towards the Alvarez troops, the troops began running forward as well! Who better than Natsu to make the first move in the beginning of the end of this final brawl? Fire and lightning ignited around his fist as he prepared to throw it forward. "Lightning Flame Dragon King's Demolition Fist!" Once he threw his hand forward, a powerful explosion of fire and electricity erupted, throwing away a huge number of soldiers in his path. "Get outta the way! We're coming through whether you like it or not!"

Lucy was up next, shifting to Star Dress: Taurus while summoning the spirit at the same time. "Taurus!" As soon as she did this, she brought her whip forward and cracked it along the ground. An earth splitting shockwave was sent forth, causing the ground to cave in and break apart while also knocking down multiple troops. "Move it or lose it!"

"Tension Max!" Taurus mooed, swinging his axe with such force a fissure formed in the earth and a few unfortunate souls were unlucky enough to fall into the fissure.

Juvia swiped her hand forward, releasing a crescent slash of water to cut through the enemy before her. "Water Slicer!"

"Ice Make: Freeze Lancer!" Gray threw his hands forward, unleashing multiple frozen spears that pierced through a number of enemy troops.

"Heaven's Wheel…" A golden light shrouded Erza's body and she entered her Heaven's Wheel armor, numerous blades at her disposal within mere seconds. "BLUMENBLATT!" Titania cut through the enemy's line with all her might, not leaving a single soldier standing in her wake.

"These guys…did they willingly attack us head-on!?" Fairy Tail's reckless nature had some soldiers shaken up.

"They're freakin' insane!"

"We can overwhelm them with our sheer numbers! Stand your ground! Attack!" Another soldier yelled, and they had a great point. It was five mages against one million soldiers; sooner or later they'd get exhausted. In this case, quantity held the advantage over quality.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

"Omega Flame Dragon's Roar!"

Wendy (with Carla as her wings) flew in from above, releasing a potent gust of wind while moving her head in a sweeping motion. Cynthia followed suit, only to move her head in the opposite direction. The two roars ended up creating an X and in the center was a large explosion of wind and flame to knock away the enemy. There was nothing the enemy could do since the two of them were attacking from above!

"Wendy! Cynthia!" Natsu grinned. They were a sight for sore eyes!

"Carla!" Happy threw his hands into the air happily.

"Sorry about our late arrival!" Wendy apologized.

"Traffic was crazy." Cynthia grinned.

"Beast Soul: APE!" Elfman charged forward in a new beast soul, trampling over the soldiers that were in his way. "Need a hand!?"

Jack Corvus flew down, violet spheres of flame shooting down from his hand. It was a rain of fire from above. "Don't worry; I'll clean up this mess you idiots made!" The spheres of flame exploded, catching fire to enemy troops. Embers splashed onto soldiers and then erupted into full blazes on their own.

"Fairy Tail! We'll lend a hand! Gate of the Twin Fish, I open thee! Pisces!" Yukino shouted while opening the gate of the Twin Fish. For crowd control purposes, Yukino allowed Pisces to run while! The Black and White fish swam forward, tearing through enemy ranks.

"FISH!?" The soldiers all yelled, trying to dive out of the way before it was too late, but they had no chance of getting away.

"Count me in." Sorano threw a few coins into the air. This prompted a large angel to come from the heavens, wielding a large hammer in its grip. The angel swung this mallet down, flattening troops right before it. "But this isn't for you, just so you know!"

"Elfman…! …I think?" Gray had a slight sweat drop at Elfman's new Takeover.

"Even Yukino…!" Juvia grinned.

"Angel too…" Lucy laughed a bit.

"There's Jack!" Happy pointed. Although Jack's somewhat maniacal laughter as he set fire to Alvarez from above was a little concerning…

Erza couldn't help but smile at their appearance. Despite all of their feuds and conflict over the years, they really did make some great allies. There was no time better than now to come together and push back this threat. "We must move forward!"

"PUSH THEM BACK!" Makarov yelled and the big group finally arrived on the scene.

"Gramps! Cana! Everyone!" Now it was Natsu's turn to smile. This was going great, everyone was gathering at just the right time! "Let's push them back!"

"Oh good, there's plenty for me!" Cygnus jumped forward with his cheeks inflating. "Bend to the god of gravity!" Exhaling, a potent golden wave of gravity shot forward, imploding on itself midway through to force a section of the troops to bow due to heavy gravity.

"FLAME DRAGON KING'S…!" Natsu also inhaled, his cheeks inflating to inhumane levels before he let it all loose. "ROAR!" From his mouth, an explosion of intense fire erupted out, blowing dozens of troops away in the process. But just at the moment of the explosion, the flames were…broken apart!? "Huh!?"

"The flames…died down?" Lector tilted his head. "But how!?"

The ground started to tremble. The earth itself began to bend to her very will. Emmeraude took a few steps forward, arms crossed while staring at the enemy before her. "I think you're getting a little too excited, don't you think?"

"Emmeraude!" Natsu clenched a hand into a fist…and then he saw it. The look in her eyes was far different from before. It was the exact same as when they fought one year ago. "You better get out of the way! We're going back to Fairy Tail and you aren't gonna stop us!"

"Emmeraude…" Lucy stared right at Emmeraude. The look in her eyes…her fire returned, and that wasn't a good thing.

"On the contrary…" Emmeraude hummed while letting her arms drop. "I wouldn't be leading the vanguard if I didn't think I had the power to stop all of you right here and now. I have a certain debt to repay you after all…and what was it you told me one year ago? Ah, that's right. This is your last stop." She then stepped on the ground carefully, but an intense wave of Crash Magic shot through the ground, causing it to tremble, fall apart, and split open! A fissure was forming between them and her!

"Ahhhh!" Lucy started to stagger around with everyone else.

"Gah…! It's like she only got stronger…!" Gray groaned.

"A little motivation is all one needs to get a little pep back in her step." Emmeraude flicked her wrist up, a series of chains shooting down from the sky to embed themselves in the ground. "Now die." With a snap of her fingers, the chains all unleashed a surge of crash and darkness magic to explode upon everyone, violently throwing them all back.

"Gaaaaaah!"

"What's her deal!?" Sorano questioned while attempting to hold her ground.

Before they could recover, Emmeraude continued her assault by forming a magic seal in front of her. This seal unleashed a true wave of darkness that took the form of a tsunami, sweeping Fiore's forces within its grip. "Drown in darkness! Ah, so cliché, but fitting…"

"BURRRRN!" Natsu roared as his flames did nothing more but light up the darkness. The wave around him was burning, but nowhere near as fast as he was hoping for. "What the…!?"

"Do something about this!" Jack yelled in a very annoyed fashion.

"I can't even see!" Cana yelled.

"My eyes…!" Alex couldn't see anything!

It was time for the coup de grace! Emmeraude lifted a finger into the air, a sphere of darkness and crash magic forming above her. The idea was to send it into the wave of darkness to finish them off. "Goodbye. I'd say it was nice knowing you…but it's been absolutely terrible." And she then threw the sphere down, watching as it collided with the tidal wave of darkness. There was a smile on her lips as it exploded…no, wait…it didn't explode. It…broke apart? "…Hm? That's curious…"

"Now what?!" Natsu asked. They were free from the wave of darkness, but what the hell just happened!?

There were several cracks in the ground. The cracks Emmeraude created were clean and finely defined. These cracks were wild and all over the place, leaving deep scars in the earth. "My magic was broken? That's never happened before…" Emmeraude was pondering who the cause of this was, and her eyes then turned to a cloud of smoke nearby.

Everyone stared at the silhouette in the smoke. That smoke settled and there was a single man standing there. The Ace of Fairy Tail: Gildarts Clive. "Yo."

"GILDARTS!" Natsu yelled a wide smile on his face. Gildarts' arrival brought joy to everyone at Fairy Tail!

"Is that Gildarts?!" Max asked, unable to believe his eyes.

"AHAHA! YOU GUYS ARE SO SCREWED NOW!" Warren exclaimed at the top of his lungs.

"WE GOT THIS NOW!"

"YEAH!"

"Took you long enough…" Cana said with a smile. Gildarts' timing was impeccable as usual.

"So he finally came back! That old geezer is as reliable as ever, eh?" Gray grinned.

"You can say that again…" Erza replied with a smile of her own.

"Ooooh…Gildarts!" Makarov was more than elated to see their Ace back!

"What sketchy back alley were you lurking around in this time, you shit for brains dad?" Cana asked.

"Cana…" Gildarts then hugged Cana tightly, giving her an unnecessary amount of affection!

"HEY! GIVE IT A REST ALREADY!" Cana yelped while pointing at Emmeraude. "Don't forget there's an enemy staring you right in the face! Kick her ass already!"

Emmeraude lifted a brow at the man before her. "Oh…so you must be the infamous Gildarts Clive…"

"Oh, come to think of it, you're right." Gildarts turned his attention back to Emmeraude. "Heh…I didn't know the enemy had such pretty women among their ranks. If you wouldn't mind stepping aside…I'm hungry as hell, and I'm going back to the guild. Unless you'd care to join me for dinner?" Gildarts took a few steps forward, his white aura flaring.

Emmeraude started to walk forward as well, her emerald aura showing itself for the first time in a long time. The steps these two took were slow and methodical. "I'm flattered by the offer…" Emmeraude spoke with a mocking smile on her lips. "But I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline; my mother always told me to stay away from strange men like yourself. Besides, I have a principle not to dine with anyone involved with those who harmed my comrades…"

"Wait a minute…are they flirting…" Mii watched the scene before her and blinked.

"Oh really? How convenient…" Gildarts added with a smirk. "Because I could say the same thing!" Gildarts threw a punch and so did Emmeraude. The exact moment their fists collided, a shockwave boomed out, throwing everyone within a few meter radius backwards if they hadn't braced for it.

"HOLD ON!" Lucy yelled while clinging to the ground.

"As much as I hate to break this to you, you aren't my target anyways…!" Emmeraude spun around, aiming a swift kick with her heel at Gildart's face, but he used his bandaged arm to block the strike. Even so, the raw pressure between the two of them caused yet another shockwave. The magic power between the two of them was utterly insane! Gildarts fired back with a punch from his prosthetic arm, but Emmeraude ducked low to avoid it and grabbed it, using her own momentum and Gildarts' against him for a swift throw. "And don't you know it's impolite to touch a lady without her permission! But I wouldn't expect a brute such as yourself to know the first thing about treating a woman nicely. Or your own daughter." She spat.

Okay, even though Cana brushed Gildarts off a lot, it pissed her off to hear Emmeraude shit talking her father. "Hey! Shut the hell up about him! You don't know anything!" That was just another reason to add Em to Cana's shit list.

"Whoa! She's tough!" Gildarts grinned while spinning around to catch himself in a crouched position. "So this is the power of Fiore's usurper. Strong women are a fancy of mine, but unfortunately for you, I could never level with a woman who attacked my family!" The ace of Fairy Tail then brought his fist down, sending a violent wave of crash magic through the ground.

"My standards are far too high. You're lucky I'm even glancing in your direction when you smell like you haven't showered in ages." Ememraude calmly brought her foot down, sending an equally destructive wave of crash magic forward. The two clashed in the middle and a violent surge of magic erupted. While these two monsters were standing perfectly fine, the others behind them had to back away to avoid being caught in the crossfire. At this point they had an entire section of the vast plain to themselves for this battle of behemoths.

"What the hell is up with these two!? They're on completely different worlds!" Jack yelled.

"This magic power is so obscene!" Carla exclaimed.

"Waaaaah!" Wendy was nearly blown away, but Cynthia kept her grounded.

"Are they even!?" Max asked, hoping the answer he got was positive.

"Hardly." Emmeraude overheard Max and scoffed at the idea of being 'even' with this brute.

"It's not often you run into an opponent at this level of power. This just means I don't have to hold back!" Gildarts admitted before shooting his natural arm forward, a huge beam of crash magic towards Emmeraude.

"Hmph." Emmeraude huffed at Gildarts's words before forming a sphere of darkness before her. This sphere consumed the crash magic, and due to mastering the magic herself and being prepared for it, the sphere didn't break apart, it only grew twice its size. "You'll need your full strength if you want to survive against the likes of me." And then the sphere was thrown forward at a violent velocity.

"That's the spirit!" Gildarts held his hand out; gripping the sphere once it came close. After a bit of a struggle, he closed his hand and crushed the sphere into nothing with his magic. But right after he did that, Emmeraude swooped in for a direct kick across his cheek, sending him staggering backwards. "Oof!"

The Queen didn't relent, ducking low while pressing her open palm against his chest. "Raging Blast!" BOOM! An intense, focused explosion of darkness magic occurred, causing Gildarts to fly backwards.

"Gildarts…!" Cana yelled out worriedly.

The dust around Gildarts' chest cleared, showing a noticeable bruise. "That had some kick to it. Now it's my turn." The Ace of Fairy Tail drew his arm back, using nothing but his pure power and unparalleled skill for this blow. "Crushing evil, spreading the truth…EMPYREAN!" A monstrous punch was aimed at Emmeraude's chest. While the Queen did block it, the power behind it was undeniable. She was forced backwards several feet and a deafening shockwave of raw power followed and pushed past her, creating a clear path behind where she stood.

Emmeraude let out a soft exhale and shook her arm. There was likely a bruise under her attire, but nothing she hadn't dealt with before. "Is that the best you can muster, Ace of Fairy Tail?"

"Let's go Gildarts! He pushed her back!" Max was jumping to conclusions.

"Yeah, that's great." Mii yawned. "Not. In reality…there's no way Em is gonna let you guys get past. But at least he's holding his own against her fairly well…by the way, am I the only one who's picking up on this sexual tension or…"

"STOP." Cana pleaded. She did not need the image of her dad and Emmeraude in her head ever. "IT'S ONLY YOU."

* * *

As the two monsters fought Wendy and Cynthia noticed the frightened Romeo nearby. They didn't even waste a moment approaching him. "Are you all right, Romeo?" Wendy asked.

"You don't look good…" Cynthia added.

"I'…I'm not, you two…" Romeo was trembling. "Not even close. I charged in so passionately at the start of the battle, but…this is just too much. The sheer number of enemies starting us down! It's terrifying! I'm beyond pathetic…my legs…they've been trembling from the beginning!"

Wendy leaned forward, giving Romeo a warm smile. "I'm certain that deep down, everyone else is scared as well! We just need to rely on each other and give it our all!"

"That's right!" Cynthia nodded, giving Romeo a thumbs up. "We can do it. We've overcome a lot of stuff in the past. This shouldn't be any different."

"But I…" Romeo stuttered, only to be smacked in the back of the head by Jack Corvus. "Ouch…!"

"The hell are you shaking for!?" Jack barked. "I'm the same age as you, and do you see me shaking!? Hell no! This isn't a battle anyone can afford to hesitate in, so fight or don't! I'm fighting because I owe these bastards a piece of my mind for ambushing us. Everyone else is fighting for one reason or another. I'm not afraid of this fight…I'm worried about what will happen if we lose…" The young man paused. It wasn't like him to admit such a weaknesses, but it was the truth. They had a lot on the line here… "But even still, I'm not quaking in my boots. I'm facing this shit head on just like everyone else! So are you gonna stand there and shake like a leaf, or are you gonna man up and fight!?"

"Wow, harsh…" Cynthia had a slight sweat drop. Jack never really held back with his 'pep talks'…

* * *

And at that moment, a vicious sandstorm suddenly whipped up once again! "A sandstorm!?" Alzack grunted.

"I can't see a thing!" Bisca yelled.

"What's the matter old lady!? Can't beat down an old geezer!?" No need to guess who was the cause behind this. Ajeel was laughing it up as the struggled with his sandstorm. "Dry out and wither to your deaths!"

"Not this douche again…" Gray groaned.

"Another sandstorm…" Erza grunted.

Elfman charged forward into the sand immediately. He wasn't planning on letting Ajeel have the upper hand on them again! "I'll make a Manly path for everyone!"

"Elfman…!"

Elfman transformed into a Sandbeast, trudging through the sand with no issues. "Just leave this guy to me! A little sand won't leave a scratch on a sandbeast!"

"Wanna test that!?" Ajeel brought his hands down, making use of his favorite trick. "Antlion pit!" And Elfman fell for it, sinking into the middle of the pit of sand.

Luckily for Elfman, an injured Lisanna was able to lift him out in her Harpie form. "You could stand to lose a few pounds…!" It was a struggle.

"Lisanna! You're a sight for sore eyes!" Elfman had such a wide grin on his face.

"Animals suit you nicely! Because right now, you're sitting ducks just waiting to be slaughtered!" Ajeel brought his hands forward, releasing spears of sand to pierce Lisanna and Elfman since they were airborne and defenseless.

"Uh oh…!" Lisanna didn't have the speed to avoid them! Not with Elfman weighing her down. But spears of flame countered those of sand, causing them to explode before they could touch the Strauss siblings. "Huh?"

"What the?!" Ajeel growled.

"You're getting ahead of yourself…" Reve walked with Kuro by his side, the two of them glaring at Ajeel. "You thought just because you got to run away you wouldn't deal with us? Doesn't work that way. We still owe you for Zalen."

"And you're not going to get away from us again." Kuro said as red markings crawled along his body, activating his Devil Slayer magic right off the bat.

"Ha, you chumps again!? Let's see how well you fare when you can't try and pick me off!" Ooooh, Ajeel had been waiting for these Eclipse mages to show up again! They thought they could kill him before when he was weak, but he planned to show them his true strength. "Come on and dry up just like your weak friend _**ZALEN!**_ "

* * *

Jacob watched Fairy Tail and their extra forces charge, in, adjusting his suit and glove in the process. "They're quite the troublesome bunch when they're all together…" Before he could make another move, he was blinded by Mira who jabbed him in the face. "Guboh..!"

"I'll be your opponent, let's do this!" Quite bold of Mira to be fighting considering she was nearly inside death's humble abode not too long ago.

Jacob's death glare was going to Mira, but then…his eyes ended up noticing her tore clothing and exposed chest. He immediately had to turn away and shut his eyes due to his feelings about seeing a naked woman. "H-How utterly vulgar…!"

"Ah, Mira-chan…you're still…!" Zelos could stare now since she wasn't coughing up blood now.

"Oops…!" Mira covered her chest, a little embarrassed she charged into battle like this. Also, considering she didn't have a lot of magic left…

At that moment, a cape was draped over Mira by none other than the enigmatic thief Roy. "While it is a nice sight, charging into battle like that isn't very becoming of a lady." The masked man then stepped forward, snapping his fingers to catch Jacob's attention. "Oi, baldy. You can open your eyes now. The lady's covered."

Jacob reluctantly turned his gaze back, only to see the thief now standing in his way. "And who are you?"

"Aw, you don't know me? I sure know of you, Mr. Assassin." Roy said with a taunting smile. "It's kind of funny…I steal treasures, you steal lives…but which one of us will steal the most precious thing of all? The victory?"

"Must you be so theatrical…?" Tristan asked with a hint of disgust. He didn't particularly like Roy, but right now there was a bigger issue to deal with than their dislike for one another.

"It's half the fun!" Roy said with a slight grin under his mask.

"…Hmph." Jacob's aura of killing intent became noticeably presence, eclipsing everything else in the immediate area. But the Steel Make mage and Ace Thief were completely unfazed. They recognized the threat this man possessed, but they weren't going to shy away from his killing intent. They wouldn't be Aces if they let something like that frighten them away.

* * *

Wahl and Bradman were rushing forward, both of them grinning with excitement. "AHYAHAHA! Now that's what I'm talking about!" The Machias cackled.

" **I shalt deliver them all to the depths of the underworld!"** Bradman exclaimed, but he noticed something slithering across the ground at the last second. **"Shadows!?"** Not just one, but two! Rouge and Selene emerged from the shadows, slashing Bradman's body in the process. **"What is this…!?"**

"If you think you're getting off that easy for what you did to Sensei, then you've got another thing coming! Death won't save you from my wrath." The violet hues of Selene stared into the walking soul that was Bradman.

As for Wahl, he just kept going, unleashing a barrage of missiles from his person to blow everyone to bits. "COME IF YOU DARE! I'LL BLOW YOU ALL INTO A MILLION PIECES! AYAHAHAHAHA!" And before his missiles got too far, they exploded on their own! "Hey, what the!?"

"It seems a rather noisy fly has made its way into my territory…" Minerva spoke with a slight smirk.

"Then let's squash it!" Tia pointed her scepter forward, causing water to manifest itself into the form of an elongated dragon that shot forward, colliding against Wahl to send him flying backwards. "That laugh was annoying the shit out of me anyway…!"

"Sis!" Jack said with a wide smirk.

"Sorry we're late." Tia said while patting Jack on the shoulder. "You weren't causing trouble while I was gone, were you?"

"Me? Of course." Jack admitted.

"Rogue-sama! Minerva-sama!" Yukino's eyes lit up.

"Roooooooogue!" Frosch was always more than happy to see Rogue.

"Huh…? I don't see Sting…" Lector was happy to see them of course, but he assumed Sting would be with them.

"It seems we were separated when that light appeared in the sky." Rogue explained.

"Makes sense…" Lector sighed.

"This is Sting we're talking about. There is no cause for concern. He'll show up when he's needed most, saying something about being the protagonist…" Rogue said.

"But how did all of you make your way here…?" Yukino questioned.

"As it so happens, this young lady showed us the way." Minerva gestured to Kinana.

"Hello." The woman waved, feeling a bit awkward with the group of people she had to travel with. Sabertooth, Tia, Selene, it was an interesting trek for certain…

"Ayhahahaha! Now things are finally startin' to pick up around here!" Wahl grinned. The chance for action after last time got his blood…er, oil going.

" **Shadows, is it?"** Bradman remembered Selene from earlier. If she wished to have the same fate as Gajeel, then he was more than happy to drag her to the depths of the abyss as well. This time, he wouldn't fail either.

"But…their magic power." Tia's visor scanned Wahl and Bradman. "It doesn't make any sense. It's like they're alive, but not!"

"We're dealing with the walking dead here…" Minerva pointed out. "Who knows how many puppeteers are lingering around here. There should be at least one on the battlefield nearby. Yukino, I can leave them to you, yes?"

"Understood!" Yukino nodded.

"I'm tagging along too!" Tia added. "You guys need all the help you can get. Jack, keep the enemy busy. You have my permission to go 100% wild on them!"

Purple flames ignited on Jack's talons, his malicious grin spreading on his lips once more. "I was gonna do that anyway, whether you gave me permission or not!" And without further ado, he flew off to raze the enemy with his flames.

Sorano began to sway back and forth at Sabertooth's plan of action. "You're all so sweet! Even though it's not for your own guild, you're fighting so valiantly!"

"…Yukino, who exactly is this…swinging character…?" Minerva questioned. Since Yukino never had the chance to officially introduce her sister to Sabertooth…yeah.

"Uh…that's erm…" Yukino was happy to officially be reunited with Sorano, but watching her now just made her extremely embarrassed…

* * *

The soldiers charged forward, and Natsu was going to meet them head on. "Everyone's fighting with all they've got! All to make it back to our guild!" The fire dragon roared.

"…." Romeo was still shaking. How could everyone still be fighting against these odds…!?

"COME AT GET SOOOOOME!" Natsu bellow at the top of his lungs, challenging every single person standing in their way!

"YOU SHALL NEVER MAKE IT THROUGH US!"

"WE WON'T ALLOW YOU TO REACH HIS MAJESTY!"

* * *

Emmeraude and Gildarts threw punches that clashed once again. The outrageous surge of magic between the two of them caused yet another shockwave to boom out. Unfortunately for Gildarts, Emmeraude didn't have any plans of moving anytime soon. "You're going to have to do much better than that to get me to move out of your way!"

"I like a challenge! Don't get to face someone with your level of magic power anyway!" Gildarts grinned while swinging an uppercut for Emmeraude's chin, but she avoided this by leaping backwards. "Unfortunately for you, I don't have all day to play around with you either! So you're gonna move one way or another!"

"Is that a fact?" Emmeraude questioned.

"Absolutely!" Gildarts jumped high into the air before swinging his fist down, causing a powerful shockwave of crash magic to emanate from the ground. The surrounding area was upheaved easily, and his actions were so intense it looked as though an earthquake ravaged the land. As for Emmeraude, Gildarts intentionally focused as much power into a certain spot to terraform the area – the area around Emmeraude in a few foot radius rising up high into the air as though it were a tower that went up for at least a mile! "I happen to specialize in moving immovable objects!"

Mii glanced up at the huge pillar towering in the sky. "Wow…he actually managed to move her. She doesn't have wings, so she's not coming down from that for a while…"

"LET'S GO GILDARTS!" Natsu yelled.

"LET'S PICK UP THE PACE PEOPLE!" Gildarts yelled. With Emmeraude out of their hair for the time being, there was nothing stopping them from finally advancing. "The guild's just a hop, skip, and a jump away!"

"FORWAAAAAARD!" Fairy Tail yelled as they finally began their forward charge to their guild.

Romeo clenched his fist, grit his teeth, and finally jumped forward along with everyone else. "YEAAAAAAAH!"

"…" Emmeraude was completely silent as she was carried into the air by rising earth. It was going to be a drop no matter what she did to get back down, but she wasn't irritated. She was…smiling at Gildarts' ploy. The sketchy man was a little cleverer than she initially gave him credit for. Since he couldn't push her back, he decided to move her up. "…This is going to be oh so much fun indeed. I'm going to savor every single second of this battle, believe me. You're not getting away from me a second time…"

Meanwhile…his icy cold gaze watched Fairy Tail's advance from the hill above. Invel Yura…his true strength shrouded by an ice cold veil. The Winter General. His gaze was already fixated on the outcome of the war. They would not be permitted to take another step towards His Majesty. That was what he decided.

.

.

Next Time: Gray's Resolve, Invel's Wrath, and Juvia's Farewell.


	69. Chapter 69: Gray, Invel, and Juvia

Mavis, robbed of mind and body laid on a table in the guild as Elieen began to extract Fairy Heart from her. All Mavis could do was moan and groan since Invel's Ice Lock robbed her of rational thought. "Poor thing…" Elieen mused while standing over Mavis. "To think, having it stolen from right under your nose. Your ever so precious imaginative ability. Invel's Ice Lock causes one to lose their very sense of self. If I were feeling poetic, I would liken it to encasing one's heart itself in ice."

Zeref watched from not too far away. Watching Mavis suffer like this…it was very difficult for him to watch. "Will the separation enchantment take much longer?"

"I believe you are aware of just how special the magic in her body really is." That was Elieen's response. This was a delicate process and rushing it only meant failure.

"Uugh…." Mavis was squirming about. All movement was useless.

"…I have no desire to watch her suffer." Zeref admitted.

"Oh? It is not often His Majesty wears his emotions on his sleeve. But, rude as it may be, I fear I must speak my mind here." The Scarlet Despair turned to Zeref, practically scowling at him. "If you do not rid yourself of that naiveté, you will never defeat Acnologia. He is the apotheosis of darkness itself, truly, the lord of all dragons. It is as Em mentioned…the heart is a foul weakness, but the Fairy Heart will be your source of strength, so long as you wield it."

"…Indeed, your logic is sound." Zeref conceded.

"And what am I to do?" King chuckled while taking a seat on the Fairy Tail bar. Since this was his first time ever being inside the building, he could see how low brow it wa for himself. "Sitting around isn't befitting of a man such as myself."

"…You still have Acnologia's DNA within you." Zeref turned to King. "In order to test the power of Fairy Heart when it is extracted from Mavis, I will be using it against you. You are free to do as you wish until then, but you will _not_ fall in battle."

Ah. So King was here to be a test subject. While one would likely feel insulted by this, the egotistical man simply laughed. "Ho ho ho! I see! You needed someone of my stature to test such almighty magic!" To him it was a compliment. The only made capable of testing whether or not Fairy Heart would truly be effective against Acnologia himself. "Indeed, I can still turn into that draconic form if I like. However, due to its nature, I may not be able to turn back."

Emerald was silent, making herself at home by sipping some wine. She was concerned for her daughter, just as sir Yajeel was concerned for Ajeel. "Hmmm…"

"…Your ability to wield that form is all that matters. I'll be taking my leave now." Zeref began to walk off, but not before looking back at Mavis for a second, just as she glanced at him. Their gaze met, and he continued off.

"Hmph…" Elieen then glanced at King. "You talk far too much. You must like the sound of your own voice…" And then she went back to her extraction of Fairy Heart.

"Lady Elieen…" Neinhart approached Elieen.

"Neinhart, can this wait? As you can see, I'm more than a bit occupied…" Elieen said.

"I have located Lady Erza on the battlefield." Neinhart mentioned. "She is currently engaged in combat, but as well you know, she…"

"Kill her." Elieen immediately said.

"…What?" Did Neinhart hear that correctly?

It was the same answer she gave Emmeraude. Her feelings hadn't changed, despite Erza being her own flesh and blood. "Do not make me repeat myself."

Okay, so he got that part. But there was still one issue he had that became prevalent when he used his Historia on her. "Yes, but…my Historia has no effect on Lady Erza and…"

"Then you must fight her yourself." Elieen turned with a wry smile. "Remember who you are."

At that moment, Neinhart's eyes turned pitch black. The woman took it upon herself to enchant her comrade. "I…I am…."

* * *

Erza was cutting down all who stood in her path. In the midst of switching armor, she kicked one troop into a group of them before entering her Purgatory Armor, creating another path for everyone to follow. "FOLLOW ME!"

"Such bravery…!" Yukino stared.

"It's like a bladed flower that blooms in the fields of battle…" How poetic of Lector.

"Fro things so too!" Frosch said as per usual.

Just as things were going well, eight dragons spawned from the ground, rising high into the sky. "What in the…!?" Erza gasped.

"Dragons!?" Cana yelled.

From the top of the dragons, God Serena flipped down, landed, stood up, then posed while pointing at the foes before him. "You shan't take one step further! God Serena (corpse)! A god has descended upon you mortals!" With that entrance, the dragon slayer pointed his hand forward, releasing a vortex of flame forward. "Purgatory Dragon's Blazing Hell!"

"Flame Dragon Slayer Magic!?" Carla gasped.

All Natsu saw was food. "IT'S TIME TO GRUB!" He was still pretty damn hungry, so when the flames came forward, he began feasting on them with an elated expression. Oh yeah, that hit the spot!

"Oh?" God Serena quirked a brow while drawing his opposing hand back. "Then how about…Sea King Dragon's Water Formation Envelopment!" With his opposing hand, water shot forward to mix in with the flames.

"Buah!" Natsu couldn't eat this!

"You think your attack names got enough words!?" Cana yelled while being thrown about in the sea of water and fire.

"Flames and water at the same time!?" Lucy asked.

"This water…what magical power!" Juvia clenched an eye shut. "And the flames are mixed in with it…!"

"Who cares! Just scarf it all down Natsu!" Gray commanded.

"COME ON MAN, BE REASONABLE!" Natsu groaned. There was no way he could scarf down the fire with the water so mixed into it.

"So this is the power of the former First Wizard Saint…" Erza grit her teeth. They just barely managed to get past Emmeraude, now they were dealing with yet another opponent who was in a different world from them in terms of power.

God Serena wasn't going to relent! His cheeks inflated as his mouth was now going to release an attack upon them. "Storm Dragon's…"

"Three!?" Happy yelped.

But right at that moment, the water within the flames was started to be…inhaled!? A few second was all it took for the water to completely drain away from the flames, leaving the fire alone for Natsu to consume. "Food!"

"What?" God Serena stopped, utterly confused on what just happened. "Who dared to consume the magic of a god!?"

"A god? That was just really salty water…" Blues said while patting his stomach. "But if you're gonna talk about the Sea King, then why don't you do it when he's right here!?"

"Blues!" Natsu grinned.

"Hmph…what is a King to a God!?" God Serena swiped his hand forward, releasing multiple glaciers of ice in Blues' direction.

Waiston charged forward, easily dismantling the ice before reaching God Serena, drawing his leg back. "Frozen Dragon's Claw!" A swift roundhouse was aimed for the skull of God Serena, but the Spriggan was capable of blocking the hit just in the nick of time.

"Another one!? You can all crawl out of the woodwork, but you'll never stand a chance against me!" God Serena bellowed.

"Acid Dragon's ROAR!" Leon yelled from above, unleashing a powerful funnel of acid at God Serena. The former Wizard Saint performed an elegant, yet highly unnecessary backflip to avoid this, landing once more in a posed position. "Three of you, hm?"

"Waiston and Leon…!" Lucy pointed at the two of them.

"Keep going forward." Leon said while entering his Acid Drive. "We'll take care of this one."

"Right!" Natsu nodded and continued to press on with Juvia, Gray, Lucy, and Happy. Erza decided to take a split path to help anyone else.

"Take care of me!? HA! How laughable! Babbling like a mindless idiot is common when faced with the might of a GOD!" God Serena assumed a fighting stance, scoffing at the notion of these three wannabe dragon slayers facing off against someone of his caliber.

"He really just does not stop talking, does he…?" Blues stared at Leon and Waiston.

"Damn, he really doesn't…" Waiston sighed. Then a smirk came across his lips. "So…this is the guy that Sidney almost took out, right? If that's the case…then this really shouldn't be that hard at all." If Sidney could do it, then so could Waiston. That's what he thought.

* * *

"Omega Fire Dragon's Wing Slash!" Cynthia sped past numerous troops, slicing them down with her wings of flame.

"Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" Wendy took to the air, swinging her arms down. This prompted spirals of wind to shoot from her arms, shooting forward to sweep away any and every one caught within the raging twister. Since she was in the air, they could only try and focus on her with their weaponry, but that's when Cynthia took advantage!

"Earth Flame Dragon's Eruption!" Cynthia slammed a hand onto the ground, causing it to crack around the troops aimed at Wendy. Flames and earth spewed up from the ground, catching a lot of troops in this violent explosion.

Wendy then landed next to Cynthia, the two of them back to back as they were surrounded by soldiers. "There really are a lot of them…" Wendy mumbled.

"No kidding…we kick down several dozen and the same amount just come back…" Cynthia laughed a bit. "But we can take them down, right? As long as we're together."

"Mhm." Wendy nodded. "I don't plan on breaking that promise."

"That's sweet you two, but how are you going to attack?" Carla asked from above.

"DA DA DA DAAA!" Strong yelled while swinging his club forward, knocking soldiers out of the park. "Dealer charges into battle!"

Spade rushed ahead, blue and red blades of electricity forming within his hands. In one swift motion, he cut through troops before they could even blink. Each slash he delivered erupted in a strong discharge of electricity, taking them down for the count. "Sorry we're late!"

"How'd you guys get here!?" Carla asked.

"We saw Evergreen." Diamond waved and caused frost to instantaneously form, freezing multiple enemies over. "But does the how really matter? We weren't done kicking Alvarez ass yet."

"Is uh…Joker still with you?" Wendy asked.

"He got busted, but I fixed him." Spade stated confidently. "He's somewhere…over there…" He pointed vaguely to the south. "We still haven't seen Ace or Heartless though…"

"Jack's up there." Carla pointed to the sky. Jack was having a fun time razing the enemy from above.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have a winter mage to find!" Diamond started to walk off already. "I wasn't done with him!"

"Same old Diamond…I think she's pretty bitter about how that fight was going…" Strong laughed. The bulky man then turned to the enemy before him. "COME ON NOW! LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN WITHSTAND THE MIGHT OF CLUB STRONG!" When a single swing of his club could break the earth, there weren't many people who were willing to actually run up to him.

* * *

"ARRRRRRGH!" Natsu pushed ahead recklessly, cheeks inflating once more. "Fire Dragon's ROAR!" And as soon as the torrent of flame came from his mouth, it was frozen! "Buha!? That was dirty, GRAY!"

"It wasn't me!" Gray said. But when he thought about it…the area itself had gotten rather chilly. "Come to think of it…this cold…"

"I'm freezing!" Lucy cried out.

"Serves you right for not wearing anything…" Juvia took the shot at Lucy's attire. Her Taurus Star Dress wasn't exactly conservative. "Brr…" But things did get worse when a cold front began to blow in.

"Eeeeek!" Happy cried.

"My body's…stiffening…!" Lucy could barely speak.

Natsu wasn't going to allow that to happen! "BURN!" The Salamander roared, flames shooting up around them all to combat the cold. But it only lasted a second before they were instantly frozen. "Wh…no way…" Even Natsu succumbed to the cold, leaving him, Lucy, Happy, and Juvia all frozen solid. The one behind this? Invel Yura of course.

"Natsu! Lucy! Juvia, Happy!" Gray's head turned to all his frozen comrades.

"Oh? You seem to be immune to this cold. Fascinating. You must be Gray, then…" Invel said.

"So it's you…" Gray turned his attention to Invel. He was aware that he was likely facing off against an enemy commander, but that didn't matter. His fist met his palm and…a blast of ice hit his side, throwing him into the wall nearby. "GAH!" When Gray sat up, he realized that the part of his body that was struck was frozen!? "What the…!?" Invel then brought his hand down, causing a series of frozen explosions around Gray, every single one of them causing him pain. "GAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"You may address me as Invel Yura. I am he who brings Winter's Wrath to all. Your paltry _**chill**_ is naught before my winter." Invel stated with confidence that border lined arrogance.

Gray was…actually shivering from this cold. _"This feeling…me, of all people. He's actually making_ _ **me**_ _shiver from the cold. My body is…freezing solid…"_

"Gray Fullbuster." Invel stated. "You were among those who stood before Emmeraude in her attempt to rule this kingdom. Try as you might, you won't be defeating me." Invel then swiped his hand forward once more, causing another blast of ice to shoot towards Gray.

"Shield!" Gray immediately forged a shield of ice to protect himself from Invel's attack. He wasn't going to be caught off guard a second time. "Ice Make: Ice Impact!" Swinging his arms down, a gigantic mallet of ice dropped down on Invel, but the Spriggan ceased its crushing movement with the palm of his hand. "What the!?"

"I see. Ice molding magic. No wonder you were able to withstand my cold…however…" Invel trailed off. The frozen hammer above him started to crack before it ultimately shattered.

"My molding magic…" Who was this guy!? "He froze then shattered it!?"

Invel's cold stare pierced into Gray's soul. I am the purest of ice mages. I do not simply make toys out of ice. I use the very essence of ice itself to freeze all. Your derivative flailings could never hold a candle to me. I will break them as easily as I would a child's playthings."

"Very essence of ice itself huh?" Gray scoffed. "Sounds like someone else I know…" Despite Invel's speech, Gray wasn't going to listen to him without more proof. "Ice Make: Unlimited! One Sided Chaotic Dance!" Gray instantly formed a chain of various weapons of ice, swinging this chain towards Invel. It's speed was unrivaled and it was easily his fastest molded creation.

"It seems you don't learn…" Invel sighed quietly. A mere swipe of his hand cause the entire chain of ice to freeze solid, subsequently shattering in the process. Before Gray could even marvel at his opponent's power, the Winter Mage brought his hand down, causing downward blast of ice to crush Gray into the ground.

"GAUH!" Gray yelped in pain, now picking himself up again.

"Was that sufficient proof for you?" Invel inquired.

"Damn it…" He was being made a fool out of! Gray held his arm out, the Devil Slaying markings beginning to cover his body. "What about this stuff then? I inherited this power from my teacher. The power to slay demons. The power to defeat END itself."

This made Invel's eyes widened. "Devil slaying…?"

Gray slammed his fist into his palm; sliding past Invel in the same instant he crafted the blade of purple ice. "Ice Devil Zeroth's Longsword!"

"Wh-!?" Invel was genuinely taken off guard. Before he realized what happened, there was a fierce gash along his chest. Long Sword was right. Even after Gray managed to strike him once, the reach from the devil slayer's blade covered the distance and allowed for a second strike across his back. "GAH!"

"This power…she wasn't exaggerating about it in the slightest…" That direct hit did leave him slightly winded, however, he was able to regain himself quickly. _"So he's been using this power for years. His heart and soul must be extremely tainted by darkness at this point."_ Perhaps…he could find some way to make Gray useful to him. A rare smile crossed his blood covered lips. _"You have my attention."_

"You done thinking to yourself, asshole!?" Gray yelled while swinging that same sword once again, only this time Invel caught it, much to his surprise! Invel released his own magic, causing an explosion of ice to ensure, resulting in a blizzard that covered a large section of the battlefield.

* * *

"What's up with this snowstorm!?" Since Mii had been wearing some of Lucy's more…revealing clothing, she was starting to feel the chill.

"Ah, it's so chilly, not even my hotness can counteract it!" Zelos whined, hugging Mira for warm. "Mira-chan, keep me warm…!"

"I-I'm not doing much better, actually…" Mira said with a sheepish smile.

Diamond was rushing through the area, looking around before pointing in the direction of the source of the snowstorm. "Ah ha! That's where they are! Outta the way!"

"…Was that Diamond?" Mira blinked. It was hard to see through the snowstorm.

Meanwhile, Zeref was gazing out from the nearby window. There was only one person he knew capable of such a thing. "Invel…"

* * *

Gray threw a punch forward, colliding against Invel's arm. These two ice mages caused yet another explosion of ice, only fueling the intense snowstorm that surrounded them. Sliding back, Gray instantly formed a bow and arrow of devil slaying ice and let that arrow fly. "HA!"

Invel held his hand out, generating enough ice to slowly freeze over the incoming arrow. Just before the arrow reached him, he froze it over and stopped it within the palm of his hand, crushing it to shards of ice after. "Although the power you wield is impressive, it's not quite enough to defeat me, but…"

Due to the roaring winds, their voices were a bit muffled. Gray had to admit that this was cold, even for him. _"It's cold! Cold enough to freeze! But…"_

"You have what it takes to stand alongside me as a comrade." That was Invel's comment. It came out of left field for Gray and he wasn't sure how to respond to such a remark. "I fear you yourself have been unaware of it all this time, but your heart has slowly been tainted by darkness."

"…What're you blathering on about?" Gray kept his guard up.

"The powers of darkness are the seeds of black magic itself. Proof of reality of the powers of the Emperor himself." Invel explained.

"What the? So you're basically telling me you know that you're the bad guys?" Gray questioned.

"Darkness is neither good nor evil. Darkness is a fearsome power that resides in the hearts of all. Your darkness is on the brink of releasing itself into the world. It seems you've managed to keep it in check all these years…but it would only take the slightest push to unleash its fury." Invel said.

Gray clenched his hand into a fist. He was starting to get sick of Invel's voice. "You're starting to make my ears bleed. I ain't trying to play Mr. Superhero over here either, you know. If it's my family on the line, I'll be as dark and black a villain I need to in order to protect 'em!"

"ATTA BOY, GRAY!" Natsu yelled as his flames finally managed to melt Invel's ice. He learned from being frozen by Tobias and wasn't going to be put out of the action again like this. "A FAIRY TAIL MAGE THROUGH AND THROUGH"

"The Ice has melted…" Happy let out a sigh of relief.

'It's still so cold…!" Lucy wasn't having a great time.

"Gray-sama, are you unharmed!" Juvia asked.

"Guys…" That was a weight off Gray's shoulders.

" _He actually melted the ice. I see…the one called Natsu. He truly is…"_ But Invel then shook his head. "It seems Emmeraude was correct about your guild. Your shortsighted nature prevents you from seeing the bigger picture…"

Lucy pointed at Invel. Now that this wasn' scenario, she was confident in their chances of winning. "The tables have turned, Mister! If we all gang up on y-" And cue a giant hand grasping her, while another grabbed Natsu and Happy. "KYAAAH!?"

It was Brandish, and she was towering over everyone with her magic. "I shall be taking these three."

"Natsu! Lucy! Happy!" Gray yelled in surprise.

"Brandish…!?" Lucy gasped. While she was happy to see Brandish was alive and well…she didn't exactly plan to bump into her like this.

"What's the big idea!? Let go of me!" Natsu growled.

"Brandish, stop this! We…!"

Lucy tried to interject, but Brandish increased her grip on her. "Silence." Without another word she started to walk off.

"Hold it right there!" Gray yelled at Brandish, but she ignored him.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia turned to Gray, and in that short window, Invel put his plan into action. With a swipe of his hand, Ice Lock activated. Two collars appeared on the necks of Gray and Juvia, connected together by a thick chain. "Gray-sama!?"

"Juvia!?" Gray felt his head beginning to turn numb. It didn't make sense. "What the…? My head's starting to go dark…?"

Juvia gripped the collar on her neck, shifting her legs a bit. "My body…it won't do what I tell it…!"

"Ice Lock." Invel explained. "A magic that seals a person's heart and makes them my willing puppets. You two will fight to the death. You have zero say in the matter."

"WHAT'D YOU JUST SAY!?" Gray roared. There was no way in he'd fight Juvia to the death!

"This cannot be removed until one of you lies lifeless." Invel said.

"There's no way this crap could ever…!" Gray began to object but…his head started to turn foggy. The thoughts in his head weren't his own! "Guh…my head…"

Invel turned his back, took a few steps away for ample distance, and turned back around to get a view of the show before him. _"As I see it, Gray will come out victorious. The moment he kills his friend and ally, his darkness will fully awaken. The one meant to defeat END is not His Majesty…it is you, Gray."_ Emmeraude told him that the heart was a person's strength…but with Ice Lock, he could manipulate the heart's weakness as he saw fit. And once END was out of the picture, there would be absolutely nothing that could stop Zeref.

"Juvia…"

"Gray…." Juvia clenched her hand into a fist. _"Not gonna happen…! If it means harming a single hair on Gray-sama…Juvia would much rather take her own life while she still has her wits about her!"_

"Now then, whenever you're ready. You may not rest until one of you lays dead!" Those were Invel's commands. Commands that they had to follow no matter what.

" _My consciousness…is fading…"_ Gray couldn't focus on anything else. Nothing but taking Juvia's life.

"… _I refuse to harm Gray-sama! Anything but that…!"_ But despite her internal objections, her body was moving on its own, water already beginning to form around her hand. _"I could never bring myself to harm a single hair on his body, and yet…!"_

" _It's no use, I can't even think of any other thing!"_ Ice formed along Gray's hand. He and Juvia fired at the same time, their respective elements exploding in the other's face. Unfortunately for them, they were on a tight leash, so they couldn't even be pushed too far away from one another. Gray immediately swung his fist at Juvia's cheek, forcing her head to snap in that direction. Juvia returned fire with a kick, but Gray blocked it and slammed the water mage onto the ground by her leg.

"KYAAAH!" Yeah, that hurt. It didn't end there either. Gray continued to assault Juvia with a flurry of blows, none of which she could defend herself against.

" _Indeed. It is just as I calculated. Gray will emerge victorious."_ It didn't take a genius to know that Gray was stronger than Juvia. _"The unbearable sin of taking the life of a dear comrade with your own hands! It shall dye your heart in pitch black darkness, and give birth to the ultimate warrior to defeat END!"_ Invel's obsession with END's defeat…it was because he was too close to Zeref. He'd always see Zeref wearing a pendant around his neck, one that contained a photo of him and Natsu. Natsu…the only person standing in Zeref's way. _"His Majesty shall be the one to defeat Acnologia and grasp the world his noble hands! All that stands in the way of his great ambition is that accursed END!"_

Gray and Juvia were panting heavily. Though this fight was pretty one sided, Juvia did manage to get her fair share of blows. But this wasn't what she wanted! _"Why is Juvia bringing harm to Gray-sama!? It cannot be! These actions are unforgivable! The very thought of Juvia hurting Gray-sama…Juvia would rather simply meet her end at Gray-sama's hands…BUT THAT TOO IS UNNACCEPTABLE! Because Gray-sama would surely blame himself! If that's the case, then the choice is obvious. Yes, Juvia shall end her own life here and now! Before my consciousness fades away completely…Juvia will…"_ Juvia brought her hand up, a sharp blade of water shooting out into the sky. _"You have nothing to fear. Muster your courage and fortitude, Juvia!"_

From Invel's perspective, all he could see was Juvia's futile attempt to severe the chain with the last remaining bit of conscious action she had left. "Any and all resistance is utterly futile. Ice Lock is a magic which completely imprisons one's heart. The two of you have long lost your ability to reason, and until one of you drops dead, the chain cannot be severed!"

How dare this man tell her what she could and couldn't do! Imprisoning her heart when it came to the most precious person in the world to her!? That…was Invel's first mistake. Because Juvia would never allow her feelings to be trapped within her body. The blade of water jutted violently from her and the magic power released from it was extremely lethal. "JUVIA'S BODY IS FAR TOO SMALL FOR THESE OVERFLOWING FEELINGS TO BE IMPRISONED WITHIN IT!"The water bearer screamed with all her might, her voice carrying out through the raging snowstorm. There was nothing on this planet that could stop her. This action was fueled by nothing but love itself.

"..!" W-What was she doing!? Invel's eyes went wide. What was she about to…!?

"..!" Even Gray was taken aback by Juvia's actions. He had to do something before she went and did something stupid!

Juvia gave Gray one final smile, her gaze softening as she stared at the love of her life. All of their time together…was the most precious thing in the world to her. "Words cannot express the joy Juvia has felt getting to know you, Gray-sama." With those words, she plunged the blade of water into her own chest, blood gushing out the instant she did so.

Invel's jaw dropped. How did she…why did she…!? "I-Inconceivable…she took her own life of her own accord!?" That should have been impossible! She shouldn't have been able to think about anything other than killing Gray, so how did she end up…!?

"Why…did you go and do something stupid like that…?" Asked Gray, a blade of ice plunged deep into his own side.

"Wha…!?" Juvia…she couldn't believe it.

Now Invel was trembling. _"BOTH OF THEM!? SIMUTANEOUSLY?!"_

"Why…how could you…" Gray felt his life slipping away from him.

"Gray-sama…this…cannot be…" This…this wasn't fair. Why did Gray also…

"I could never hurt a comrade…" Gray coughed. "No, I could never hurt you, Juvia! That's why I…and yet…I wanted to protect you, no matter what the cost but…I couldn't…"

"No…your words…bring Juvia such joy, Gray-sama…" Juvia could smile in her final moments. All because of Gray.

" _Wha…have these imbeciles lost their minds!? This cannot be…!?"_ Invel was simply at a loss. Out of everything he calculated and predicted, the two of them committing suicide was not an outcome he foresaw.

As Gray fell over, his consciousness began to go dark, but it wasn't like before. There was a certain chill that followed this darkness. Invel's cold made him shiver, but this cold was making his entire body stop. _"Damn it…it shouldn't have even come to this. Natsu, I'm begging you…avenge us…"_ Gray and Juvia then collapsed to the ground, lying in a small pool of their own blood. The Ice Lock slowly began to fade away because of this.

"AH HA! I've found you!" There was Diamond's voice off in the distance. She could see Invel, Gray, and Juvia as well. But when did she arrive? Just when the two of them stabbed themselves. The action froze the Ice Spirit, her eyes going wide at this inconceivable outcome. Her body came to a halt and she had no idea what she just walked in on.

Invel was still shocked. How did things come to this!? _"Rather than killing one another, they voluntarily took their own lives!? How…how could any relation being do such a thing!? I…I've made a gross miscalculation…"_ Now Invel understood what Emmeraude told him before. He…he underestimated the strength of the heart. With a heavy sigh, he turned and started to walk off. _"Now that it's come to this, it seems the duty of eliminating END falls unto my own hands!"_ And with this…the blizzard steadily subsided.

"GRAY! JUVIA!" Diamond rushed over to the two of them, her body practically shaking. Neither one of them were breathing. "…Nothing…" They were... "That bastard…" Wiping her eyes, Diamond felt…her blood boil, metaphorically speaking anyway. Invel couldn't have gotten too far away. She wasn't going to let him after this.

* * *

"The blizzard finally subsided!" Zelos could breathe easy now.

"That was odd…I wonder what happened…" Mira placed a hand on her cheek. "I assume it had to be Gray fighting…perhaps he won." That's what she wanted to think. For some reason, her heart sank…

"…" Mii didn't say a word. The scent of death hung in the air.

* * *

He was breathing. His eyes opened slowly and his consciousness kick started up again. _"What the…? I'm…still alive? That can't be…I'm certain I was…"_ But his heart was beating. When he took another look at Juvia's lifeless body, he sensed it. _"Juvia's blood is…flowing inside me?!"_

" _Water make: Blood. In preparation for the absolute worst-case scenario, should something befall Gray-sama…Juvia secretly perfected this blood transfusion magic."_ Juvia's voice was in Gray's head, but it was also fading too… _"Juvia will live on within you, Gray sama. That is why…there is no reason to be sad. Because Juvia's life…will forever and always belong only to you, Gray-sama. Her only regret is…not being able to hear Gray-sama's answer…"_ But in the end…that didn't matter to her either. No matter what Gray said to her, her feelings for him would never change.

No. No no no no no. This couldn't be happening. Gray started to cry and lifted Juvia's limp body into his arms. "This isn't happening…Juvia..! I promise…I'll take your feelings more seriously from now on so please! Just open your eyes! I'm begging you, Juvia…" His head rested against her own, but it was no use. That void of sadness quickly filled itself with anger. Anger towards the asshole who did this. Without a second thought, Gray wiped his tears and the devil slaying markings appeared on his body once again. Invel went in that direction…and that's where Gray was going to find him and make him pay. The devil slayer walked off, the immediate area around him freezing with each and every step.

A short while after Gray left, Prometheus stabbed his scythe into Juvia's body. The water mage's body jolted for a moment before going limp again. There was a glow as Prometheus did the deed of taking Juvia's soul before anyone else could swipe it, a heinous smile spread across his lips. "Kyahahaha…another fine soul to add to the collection. I'm on fire today!"

"I thought there were two dead bodies...it seems I was mistaken." Pandora gave Juvia a moment of silence. "Regardless...your haul has yet to begin, yes?"

"Exactly!" Prometheus erupted into his usual cackle. "This war will give me boundless souls, so long as I harvest them directly! I cannot wait for the Reaping to continue!"

.

.

"Brandish was headed in this direction, as I recall…" Invel spoke to himself, hunting down Brandish since she did swipe the boy who was END. That's when…

"YOU!" Diamond yelled, causing him to turn around. "You're the one…"

"You again? I'm afraid I simply don't have time to play games with you." Invel calmly responded.

"Is that all this is to you? A game!? Why did you do that to them!?" Diamond demanded to know.

"They were to kill one another, but instead killed themselves….I must admit, I never could have seen such a thing coming. It was a shame too…as their actions were meaningless in the end. All they did was force my hand in a different matter." Invel adjusted his glasses, his cold stare going right to Diamond.

The ice spirit wasn't a fan of those words. In fact, another blizzard picked up immediately as soon as Invel finished speaking, and her magic power spiked to higher levels than before. "Meaningless? YOU DON'T GET TO CALL THEIR ACTIONS MEANINGLESS!" As she screamed, the blizzard intensified. This didn't bother Invel, but he was surprised at the sudden spike in her power. "You push them into a corner, make them fight each other, and when they do something that exceeds your expectations in a different way you call it meaningless?! That attitude…it reminds me of King and it makes me sick…"

"…" Invel didn't say a word.

"…I'm going to make sure you burn in the hottest pit of hell…" Diamond didn't waste any more time. She was very angry…because she liked Gray and Juvia. Sure, their first meeting was a conflict when they were enemies, but over the years, of course they became allies and friends. If anyone would avenge them for this unforgivable sin committed by Invel, she'd take it upon herself to do so. Alvarez wasn't going to get away with taking anyone else's life as long as she could help it!

.

.

Next Time: The Reaper's Toll.


	70. Chapter 70: The Reaper's Toll

Diamond swiped her hand forward, a blue magic seal forming in front of her. This prompted several spears of diamond to shoot forward, all of them aiming to impale Invel at once. "You're going to pay!"

"I don't have time for this…" Invel groaned. He had to deal with end posthaste, and this annoying spirit of frost was doing nothing more than wasting his time! By moving his arm to the side, he generated a blast of ice to freeze the lances over and crush them all within mere seconds. Just as he did this, the woman herself was moving forward, swinging a large mallet already in her position. "…!" BAM! The crushing impact against Invel's side sent him flying into a nearby wall, shattering it with ease. Diamond's Break Hammer was no joke.

"I'm not done with you yet!" Diamond yelled while taking to the air, aiming to bring the hammer down on Invel's skull to crush him into the dirt.

"How irritable…" Though there was likely a bruise on Invel's side after that, he regained composure quickly and brought his hand up, stopping Diamond's drop instantly. A crater formed under his feet, but he used his ice to freeze the Break Hammer, and ironically broke it into a million pieces.

Diamond's eyes went wide at this. "Wha…" There was no time to revel in the shock of the situation. The Winter Mage threw his hand forward, releasing a potent blast of ice upon Diamond's body. This sent the ice spirit backwards, and while she didn't feel the cold, the raw power of Invel was still something to be wary of. The moment she landed, a series of frozen explosions occurred all around her, giving her very little time to breeze. "Aaaaaaah!"

"You aren't exempt from Winter's Wrath." Invel stated calmly.

Diamond stood up, shaking off the blows. "You call that Winter? Felt like a summer heatwave to me!" The woman then crafted a large blade of diamond, one that absolutely dwarfed her own size and held it over her head, a blizzard forming at the very tip of the blade. "Diamond Ice Maelstrom Blade!" The spirit then brought this blade down on Invel, who used a hand to try and intercept it. The contact resulted in another explosion of ice that spread out far beyond their battlefield.

" _This woman…"_ Invel slid back from the after effects of the explosion. _"If this continues any longer, I'll have to unleash that to ensure this battle is finished swiftly. I cannot afford to waste any more time here while END is on the prowl…"_

Diamond growled as her attack was rendered null. "Damn… "She and Invel were really at a stalemate – in terms of magic power she was outmatched, but in terms of damage output, she had the upper hand due to having more than just ice at her disposal. Despite the raw power of his attacks still dealing damage, she was completely immune to his cold. They could do this all day, but it was clear that neither of them wanted to. They wanted this over as fast as humanly possible.

* * *

After making some distance, Brandish then dropped Natsu, Lucy, and Happy down on the ground. It was a little more violent than she intended judging by the trio's grunts of pain. Natsu sat up, shaking his fist angrily at the woman. "What the hell're tryin' to do!?"

"Brandish, please1 I don't want to fight you, no matter what!" Lucy exclaimed.

Brandish stared down at the trio, returned to her normal size while her gaze went elsewhere. "I feel the same way." Those words caused Natsu and Lucy to stare at her. "I am in your debt after all. As a special exception, I have chosen to turn a blind eye to you three."

"Special exception…?" Happy didn't understand.

"As I have made clear previously, I am a loyal citizen of Alvarez. I have no intention of betraying my homeland. So from this moment forward, I shall return to the battlefield and will annihilate every single one of your comrades. However, I will overlook the three of you and return your kindness by sparring you."

"…What?" Lucy…didn't understand.

Natsu understood, however. "You…do you know what that sounds like to us?"

Dimaria was watching from nearby, clicking her teeth in annoyance. "Randi….I put my faith in you…I believed in you, and yet…!" She felt betrayed. Brandish was going to spare them!?

"This battle, no matter how you look at it, we will be victorious. That has been set in stone. The sheer number of our forces, and their individual skill levels; Prometheus and Pandora, Emmeraude, the Spriggan 12, August, Elieen…and on top of all that, the fact that the Emperor, at this very moment, is in the middle of obtaining Fairy Heart. It can only mean one thing. Whatever sliver of hope you had of winning has now been reduced to zero. You may have been able to push past Emmeraude's vanguard, but that was as far as you and your comrades go."

"Those are just words." Natsu immediately fired back. "We ain't gonna know until we try."

Brandish's expression didn't waver. They didn't understand their situation, but she did. "You may not know, but I do. Let me make this crystal clear. All of your friends will die today."

* * *

Minerva swung her hand forward, unleashing a potent blast of Territory magic from her palm. This multicolored beam of magic soared across the air while rushing towards Wahl with intent to destroy him on the spot. "Ayahahaha!" Wahl just laughed this wall, pointing his hand forward to unleash a smaller version of his anti-material cannot. These two beams exploded on contact, kicking up an intense cloud of smoke. Despite the smoke, Wahl was still capable of seeing Minerva and locked onto her position. "Target locked on. Mashing Zinc and Iron into bullets once more…and FIRE!" Multiple bullets of zinc and iron were fired violently into the cloud of smoke, giving Minerva no time for reprieve.

"Annoying…" Minerva could only assume that the bullets were coming from in front of her, thus she promptly put up a shield of territory to protect herself. The bullets pierced through her shield and grazed her side, causing her to grit her teeth in both pain and annoyance as blood spurted from the wounds. At the very least she was able to avoid fatal injuries and the smoke began to clear. Once she saw Wahl, she swiped her hand to the side, creating a series of explosions under his feet.

"Come on now, aren't you better than that!?" Wahl cackled while leaping into the air. "I've already fought one of you territory mages! They lost easily, and so will you-"

Minerva was suddenly in front of Wahl, swinging her heel across his cheek to send him crashing back into the ground. "The mage you fought could never reach my level." The Tigress stated before conjuring several orbs of her magic, each one laced with different properties. She launched every single sphere down without delay.

"Now this is getting interesting!" Wahl sprang up, releasing a plethora of missiles towards the incoming spheres. The result was yet another chain of explosions that clouded the surrounding area, only this time Minerva got rid of the smoke herself once landing on the ground. As soon as Minerva landed, however, Wahl augmented his arm to deliver a powerful blow to the Tigress' chest.

"Agh…!" Minerva stumbled back from the blow. If she took another one of those, it wouldn't be pretty. Wahl happened to swing again too, but she was able to parry his arm away with her own, following up with a territory infused fist to his face.

"Whoa…!" Wahl stumbled back, but grinned heinously as Minerva was right where he wanted her! The Machias pointed his other arm forward, turning it into a miniature railgun of sorts. "FIRE!" Out from this railgun was a potent blast of lightning that struck Minerva directly, causing her to let out a shrilling cry of pain. "THERE'S THE MONEY! AYAHAHAHAHHA!"

After the blast of electricity, Minerva slumped to her hands and knees, panting heavily. Her body was numb and wasn't responding properly after taking a blast like that. "Ngh…Damn it…"

"Don't tell me you're done already!?" Wahl unleashed another plethora of bullets to skewer Minerva's vital points. Desperate times called for desperate measures and it took all she had to roll off to the side, but a bullet still pierced a kidney and boy did that hurt.

"Shit…" Minerva cursed under her breath. She placed a hand on her bleeding side, hissing quietly in pain since she was losing a lot of blood. She also definitely just lost a kidney right there too.

"Now to wrap this up!" Wahl brought his enlarged arm down, planning to crush Minerva's skull right then and there, but just before the moment of impact, his arm was deflected by another, followed by a palm strike to his chest that sent him skidding backwards. "What the…!?"

"I thought I smelled the scent of alcohol in the air…" Minerva furrowed her brows before slowly making her way to her feet.

"You thought I'd miss a party like this? That wouldn't be wild at all!" Said Bacchus Groh, the Drunken Falcon. "Seems I made it just in time…things are starting to look pretty fun1 I'd hate to not be a part of it!"

Wahl shook his head, now scanning Bacchus before him. There was a grin on his face all the same. It looked like this battle was only just getting started, but in his mind the outcome was already certain. He'd destroy them, but that didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun with them in the process. "One fly after another…but it's so satisfying when you finally squash them! Come at me with your best, and think reallllllll hard about how you two wanna die!"

* * *

Reve and Kuro stood within Ajeel's sandstorm. The king of the desert couldn't wait to tear into these mages after they tried to pick him off. "How do you plan on fighting in this sandstorm when you can't even see me!? You're chumps when you can't pick someone off, ain't that right!?"

"It's almost like you forgot how you almost ended up earlier…" Reve narrowed his eyes, using his Quick Shot to fire off a bullet from his pistol. This continued into a series of bullets, all flying towards various spots on Ajeel's body. "But this time, you're not escaping with your life!"

"I don't need to escape anything!" Ajeel exclaimed while bringing up a wall of sand to protect himself from Reve's bullets. It was annoying that they could pierce through his sandy body, so he had to put just a little bit of effort into avoiding them. "But now that you're in this sandstorm with me, you won't be running away a second time! The sand of death will swallow you whole!" After he said this, he released multiple spears of sand from his body, all of them sharper than steel.

"Fire Make: Spears!" Kuro was quick on the draw, shooting out fiery spears of his own to collide with Ajeel's. He matched the numbers exactly, forcing a stalemate. As soon as that stalemate ended, Kuro went for another attack immediately. "Fireflies!" Multiple fireflies began to appear, circling around Ajeel before dive bombing him. As one would expect, these fireflies were going to explode the instant they made contact with him.

"Useless!" Ajeel formed a dome of sand around his body as the fireflies came in. While they were able to destroy the dome, they failed to make a mark on the Spriggan. But now he was open, and several bullets came flying at him just as the dome was destroyed. "Huh!?" He crossed his arms growling in annoyance as they did manage to land against him for minimal damage.

It was then that a rift opened up behind Ajeel, Reve leaping out of it while aiming a shotgun right for Ajeel's skull. He wasn't playing around and intended to end this as quickly as possible for Zalen's sake. "BURST SHOT!" The gunslinger yelled, releasing a single, condensed bullet forward to pierce the Spriggan's temple.

Ajeel was fast enough to turn around, forming an axe of his element within his left hand. "Ramal Fa'as!" With a swift turn, Ajeel swung his axe up to not only slice through the bullet, but cut into Reve's chest as well. Reve's Precision Eyes allowed him to avoid a fatal blow, but the upward swing did create a gash along his chest, one that drew blood.

"Ngh…!" Reve grit his teeth, taking a step back as his shirt and chest were now stained red.

"HAHA, HOW'D THAT FEEL!?" Ajeel said with a mocking laugh.

At that moment, Kuro ducked low and took a long step forward, placing his hand at his side in preparation to brandish a blade. "Flame Devil's Long Sword!" Kuro managed to land a swift, direct slash against Ajeel's chest. Since the sword was made of pure flame, it wasn't reduced to sand like a regular one. The cut Kuro landed erupted in devil flames, causing Ajeel to grit his teeth in pain. Not wanting to let up, the flame devil turned around, swinging a heavy fist of flame for Ajeel's skull. "And Thermal Strike!" But it was a whiff, as Ajeel took into the air just before contact. "Huh!?"

"You ants think you can get far against ME!?" The fact he was injured against infuriated him. He already swore that the fluke of him losing was not going to happen a second time. A whirlwind of sand consumed Ajeel's body, remaining down multiple blades of sand down on the two Eclipse mages. "Ramal Sayf!"

"Shit!" Reve cursed while firing out bullets to counter the incoming swords. They were extremely numerous in number, but with Kuro's help, they were able to strike them down before they became too much of a problem. Kuro was grazed by a number of spears, but didn't slow down despite the injuries caused.

"What's the matter, can't keep up!?" Ajeel himself then rocketed down from the whirlwind, spinning around to kick Kuro in the face while knocking him backwards. "Where's that hot shot attitude from before!?" The Spriggan then placed his hands on the ground, summoning a large sand golem that he rode atop on. "I'm just warming up!"

"Your attitude could use some work." Said Reve, of all people. The irony with that statement, but for some reason it did manage to get under Ajeel skin somewhat.

"The weak always try verbal jabs when they're cornered!" Ajeel lifted a hand up, commanding the golem to do the same.

"Is that why you won't shut up?" Reve held a smirk on his lips.

"I'll enjoy crushing you like the bug you arrrrrre!" Ajeel roared while bringing the golem's hand down to crush Reve and Kuro, and the instant he did, a barrier formed around the two Eclipse mages, causing the golem's hand to recoil. "Huh!?" And then a bolt of lightning dropped down from above. Ajeel leapt from the golem to avoid being struck down, but his golem did not survive the attack. "Lightning!? Is it that smug bastard again!?"

No. Far from it. It was Jack Royal, and he was…much different in appearance than before. His entire body was shrouded in Eclipse magic and every step he took was staggered and uncoordinated. It didn't even look like he was conscious, but with his zombie-like movements, he arrived onto the battlefield. "What the hell!? Where did he come from!? I didn't even sense him!?" And at that moment, Reve took this time to fire a bullet at Ajeel's shoulder, piercing right through to draw blood. "Gnk!?

"Of course you didn't sense him." Kuro said with a slight grin, watching Royal arrive on the battlefield in a fashion only he ever would.

"Because that's Jack Royal." Reve's smirk widened. "And he's…Eclipsed Out."

* * *

"You really think I'll just sit here and watch them all die?" Natsu questioned. The fact he even had to ask that meant that Brandish didn't understand _them._

"I'll have you know; we've survived and overcome countless battles in the past!" Lucy said.

"You know not the true strength of the 12." Brandish scowled. Why couldn't these two accept the fact that today was the day Alvarez won!? She was trying to save them, yet here they were, defying her wishes! Now she was starting to see why Emmeraude disliked this guild so much, they were abhorrently stubborn. "We have added to our ranks as well…a foe that knows you well. Coupled with them, you simply cannot win."

"You wanna play that game, then fine." Natsu scoffed and returned Brandish's statement twofold. "You all have no clue just how terrifying Fairy Tail can be."

* * *

As Diamond and Invel continued fighting, the damage rapidly racked up on both ends. Invel had enough and planned to bring this to an end. "Your spirit is commendable, but I've had enough of this back and forth. I'm going to end this here and now."

"I'm glad we're on the same page…your face has been making me angry." Diamond spat. The two of them were about to go all out when…a chill crawled up their spines. A chill cold enough to make the both of them shudder. "…!?" She shivered!? But it wasn't from _this_ cold…it was…

"..!" Invel sharply turned around and that's where he saw him. It was Gray, and there were absolutely no words to describe the anger he felt. There were no words to describe the look of horrified shock on Invel's face either. "Y-You still breathe!? But how?! That's impossible!"

* * *

Annoyingly stubborn. "Recall the events that transpired on Caracall Island. If we so desired, the 12, myself included, could crush you all in mere seconds." Brandish stated. "You couldn't even defeat Emmeraude with your power, and still cannot do so. How do you expect to defeat the 12 when you cannot defeat a single person at their level? Her power rivals the 12, and we are all above you in strength and ability."

"Go ahead and try." Natsu replied, completely unfazed by the threat.

"Natsu…!" Lucy tried to hush him.

"I never asked you to spare us. There's no need to overlook nothin'." Natsu shouted. "WHEN WE DECIDED TO COME HERE, WE KNEW WHAT WE WERE GETTING OURSEVLES INTO! WE KNOW WHAT WAS ON THE LINE HERE!"

"So you intend to fight until you're dead?" Brandish's expression continued to sour. They sure knew how to return a debt.

Their conversation was interrupted by Neinhart, who slowly walked into the area. "Where is Lady Erza…Lady Erza…" The aura he was giving off had even Dimaria a little concerned.

"Neinhart!" Brandish turned over her shoulder. "Those eyes, you've been…"

"Kukuku…" The Spriggan chuckled at his comrade's observation. "Indeed, you're bearing witness to Lady Elieen's formidable enchantment techniques. This unrivaled power exceeds even the limits of my own magic!" An ominous black aura flowed from his body. "Step aside, Brandish. Those pitiful mages are comrades of Lady Erza. In order words…" A twisted grin spread on his lips. "Our enemies…"

"Lady Erza…?" Happy curiously stated. Nobody referred to her as 'Lady' before.

"Fall back." Brandish said. "I am in the middle of negotiations with them."

"Negotiations…?" Neinhart cooed. Brandish said negotiations, but he heard something entirely different. "Am I to interpret that as betrayal? BRETRAL TO LADY ELIEEN!?" The instant he screamed, an intense whirlwind whipped out, covering the entire area while slicing into them.

"AAAAAH!" Brandish was genuinely caught off guard by Neinhart's attacks, so she was getting sliced up good. These injuries, on top of her prior stomach injury, began to rack up quickly.

"Randi…!" Dimaria covered her eyes, feeling Neinhart's winds strike even her. "What do you think you're doing, Neinhart…!?"

"A whirlwind!? What's going on!?" Happy had to cling onto something to prevent from behing thrown away.

" _My magic is having no effect! He's been enchanted that much!?"_ Brandish was shocked. It seemed even her magic had some limits. She was trying to at least shrink this raging whirlwind, but it was to no avail.

"Ghg…YOU BASTAAAARD!" Natsu gained his ground and started to sprint towards Neinhart, despite the winds ripping into his very being.

"STOP, YOU MUSTN'T!" Brandish warned. "He's not an opponent whose strength you can hope to match!"

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Neinhart cackled. He was far too gone.

"IT AIN'T ABOUT WHETHER I CAN MATCH 'EM OR NOT!" Natsu roared, swinging his fist against Neinhart's cheek It was a direct hit, sending the enchanted man back a step. "IT'S EITHER MOVE FORWARD OR PULL BACK, AND I DON'T KNOW THE MEANING OF THE SECOND ONE!" Natsu then firmly placed his foot on the ground, flames igniting around his fist. "Putting our heads down and marching forward one step at a time…that's what we do!" Natsu then swung his fist forward, swinging right for Neinhart's face. "THAT IS THE ONE AND ONLY PATH TO OUR GUILD!" A direct hit; an explosion of flame followed the impact upon striking Neinhart. The enchanted Spriggan flew forward, flying through a wall. As Natsu held his follow through, blood spurted out from various cuts along his arm.

Brandish stared in awe. That…wasn't something she expected to see. _"Did I…miscalculate? Was he truly this strong…!?"_

"ATTA BOY NATSU!" Lucy cheered. She also hoped that Brandish got the memo now; no matter what they had to face, they weren't going to back down!

"…." Dimaria didn't say a word. She was actually about to get involved herself when…

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Neinhart's laugh bellowed out along with another whirlwind. This one consumed Brandish, Lucy, Natsu, and Happy, throwing them all backwards suddenly.

"He's not down yet!?" Lucy crossed her arms, sliding back from the full force of the whirlwinds.

"I'll keep hitting him until he does!" Natsu took a few steps forward, only to find that this wind was much stronger than the previous attack. "What the…!?"

"Neinhart, cease this!" Brandish pleaded.

"ANYONE WHO STANDS AGAINST LADY ELIEEN MUST DIE!" Neinhart cackled. He could hear nothing else. There were only two things on his mind: Killing Erza for the sake of Lady Elieen, and eliminating those who stood in the way of that, whether they be a comrade or not. "I'LL BE SURE TO TURN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU INTO A BEAUTIFUL HISTORIA!"

"DYNA WAVE!" Three tidal waves suddenly formed from not too far away. Each wave was stronger than the last and they easily swept Neinhart away while destroying most of the surrounding structure.

"…!?" Dimaria was nearly swept away but she managed to slip out in time. "Who…?"

"Water magic…?" Lucy turned in the direction of the waves, spotting Tia, Yukino, and Sorano not too far away. "Tia…!"

"Angel and Yukino too!" Happy was glad to see them again.

"It looks like you all could use a helping hand." Sorano placed her hands on her hips, grinning slyly.

"We're here to offer assistance!" Yukino said with a nod.

"…" Brandish turned to the three women who arrived. "Fighting him is futile…you cannot win…"

Tia walked over to Brandish and shook her head. "If I had that attitude, then it would be futile. You just don't get it do you? We know this battle isn't an easy one, but we'd die faster if we thought like you did."

"…." Brandish stayed silent and simply took a few steps backwards. She was giving them space to battle Neinhart.

"Nuisances, all of you!" Neinhart stood up, growling from Tia's surprise attack. He then began snapping his fingers, although unlike before, the action was fueled by agitation and annoyance. "Lady Elieen shouldn't be bothered to face any of you. Those who are on the battlefield should be more than enough!"

"Geez, what's this guy's deal…?" Sorano kept her guard up. "He looks pissed…"

"My magic is beautiful! I can gaze into your hearts and see those who are most important to you, but…" Neinhart's snapping grew more and more forceful, a scowl forming on his lips. "As I am now, I could revive your fallen comrades and make them my willful puppets and make them torture you to death with no cost to my own stamina!"

"That's…awful…" Yukino placed a hand over her mouth. The dead should have been able to rest peacefully, but that was beside the point.

"You say you could, but why don't you then?" Tia didn't beat around the bush.

"Because of the blasted Reaper!" Neinhart's black aura swirled around him ominously. "My Historia brings back people filled with heart and soul…but he…he ruined everything!"

"Reaper…?" Yukino blinked slowly. "Are you referring to the one known as Prometheus…or Bradman…?"

"PROMETHEUS!" Neinhart's voice suddenly rose, startling the Tigress. "He's harvesting the souls of those who fall in battle, leaving nothing but soulless puppets on the battlefield!"

"Prometheus…" Tia scowled at that name. Prometheus and Pandora were the ones who ambushed Dealer after all.

"Neinhart…" Brandish wanted to try and say something, but she felt it was better not to.

"That damned Demon is hindering my magic…" With one final snap. Neinhart summoned two beings from his Historia; recently fallen mages Juvia Lockser and Orga Nanagear. Unlike before when he used this magic, the two of them weren't full of life. Their gazes were lifeless, devoid of any soul. "BEHOLD! Your fallen comrades who have suffered the Reaper's Toll!"

"…!" Lucy brought a hand over her mouth. "J-Juvia…!? N-No…!" T-That couldn't be right! Juvia was alive when Brandish took them away. That was only a few minutes ago! "T-That can't be right…"

Yukino was just as shaken. Having to see Orga again after watching him die in front of her. "O-Orga-sama…!"

"You bastard…" This only enraged Natsu.

"Are you mad? Are you upset!?" Neinhart cackled at Natsu's enraged expression, but his scornful glare returned once more. "Imagine how I feel!? There is no beauty in these lifeless shells! The only reason I can even summon them now is because that blasted Reaper allows it! And look at them! No life, no soul! It's sickening!"

"…It's sickening that you're using them like this…" Natsu snarled, veins starting to bulge from his hand and forehead. After Natsu just told Brandish that he wasn't going to sit around and watch his comrades die, here was Juvia, right in front of him…dead.

"It's as I said…" Brandish mumbled. Just as she thought, they were all going to die sooner or later.

"YOU BASTAAARD!" Natsu roared and started to sprint forward, only to be blocked off by a sudden wave of water from Juvia. "Agh?! Juvia!?"

"The Reaper's Toll…" That was Prometheus' voice. He was overhead along with Pandora. "A fitting name, don't you think?" The sound of his voice caused everyone to look up at him. "As you all know, I am the Grim Reaper and Demon of Chaos. I grow stronger in the furnace of war! As for the souls I've harvested personally…I'll be keeping them. But I've allotted our dear Neinhart to bring them back from the grave as soulless toys!"

"REAPER!" Neinhart's senses were all messed up now. He barely had control of himself. As such, he released a whirlwind towards the one who was technically a comrade.

"HYAHAHAHAHA!" Prometheus laughed and sliced through the whirlwind with his scythe. "You humans are so amusing! You get an increase and power and expect the world to bow at your feet. That's just one thing I love about you beings!"

"Give them their souls back!" Natsu demanded, making a beeline for Prometheus. But after too steps, Orga was already in front of him, swinging a lightning infused fist downward at the Salamander's skull. With widened eyes, Natsu barely managed to evade, but the real surprise came from the crater in the ground. "What the…!?"

"Orga-sama?!" Yukino knew Orga was strong, but he wasn't this strong!

"Kyahahahaha!" Prometheus cackled. "Oh, now this is just rich! You never let me finish, you hasty boy! With the Reaper's Toll in effect, those soulless puppets are getting a fraction of my strength, which increases within the chaotic flames of war! And since they've been summoned by Neinhart as well…"

"They're getting an increase in strength from his enchantment." Pandora finished. Prometheus had their souls, and Neinhart was stringing their empty bodies along like the puppetmaster he was. "Ironically…Juvia's body is still lying dead somewhere…so what you see here is an empty shell of an empty shell…"

"Are you kidding me…?" Sorano groaned. Now this was much more trouble than it was worth.

"But I'll let you all have a reason to fight this battle. If you can defeat them, I'll give their souls back and let them rest in peace. Does that sound fair?" Prometheus said this with a straight face, but on the inside he was hiding a snicker.

"He's lying…or he's going to be a dick about it…" Tia said while preparing her scepter. Either way, she had no choice but to fight. Neinhart was one of the puppeteer's they had to seek and destroy nonetheless. She wasn't surprised that he'd pull out a trick like this to shake them up.

"All three of them!?" Lucy turned to their opponents, unable to believe what she was staring at. Juvia, Orga, and Neinhart. All three of them had the same ominous aura around them. "Juvia…I'm so sorry…"

"Damn it…things weren't supposed to turn out this way…" Natsu turned to their three foes, clenching his hand into a fist. It was too late to regret the lack of action. The only thing Natsu could do now was exactly as he just said: continue moving forward, and now he'd do so for Juvia and Orga as well. Other guilds had lost people in this war after joining on Fairy Tail's behalf. In this war, they were all nakama, and everyone knew how Natsu was when it came to his comrades. He'd fight for them no matter. "We'll set you two free, I swear it!"

"…" Brandish didn't say a word. She just watched the ensuing battle, although in her mind, the outcome was already set.

"….." As for Dimaria, she had half a mind to get involved in this, but she also wanted to see how things ended. Just how hot did Fairy Tail's resolve burn? In truth, she wanted to see how far it would carry them…because the stronger the flame, the more entertaining it was to see it crash and burn in the end.

.

.

Next Time: The Tomorrow We Fight For.


	71. Chapter 71: The Tomorrow We Fight For

The battle continuously raged on in the open field. Fairy Tail was still perched on the hill overhead as members of the guild charged forward. Thanks to the efforts of Sabertooth, Shaman's Haven, Black Phoenix, White Eclipse, and Quatro Cerberus, Fairy Tail was able to continue moving forward. Although the battle ahead wasn't as smooth as they wanted it to be, but they didn't expect it to be easy. Erza was determined to carve a path forward as the others followed; all while Juvia lie dead, taking her own life to preserve Gray's. Wendy, Cynthia, and Carla arrived to Juvia's corpse and the first thing Wendy tried to do was heal her. "Juvia-san, please wake up!"

Carla was perhaps the most distraught out of the trio. Her clairvoyance gave her a feeling that something terrible would happen to Juvia, but in the end… "It seems like we weren't fast enough…"

"…." Cynthia frowned heavily at the sight of Juvia. "…She's not moving…she's not even breathing…."

"These wounds…" Carla examined Juvia's wounds: a deep stab within her chest, and one within her stomach. "There's no way anyone could survive two wounds like this…"

"Carla…!" That wasn't what Wendy wanted to hear. But despite her efforts, she couldn't do anything to save Juvia. The wounds were 'healed' but that didn't stop Juvia's body from lying lifeless. There were tears in the corners of her eyes as she came to the realization that her efforts were useless. Had this been the Wendy of old, she likely would've kept trying…but she knew it was pointless. That soft seafoam light emitting from her palms steadily came to a halt and her body trembled. "…Juvia-san, I'm so sorry…" There was nothing she could do.

"….." Cynthia couldn't say a word either. This war had been absolutely terrible. So many people had lost their lives fighting for them. Every guild had lost something and now it finally extended to them as well. Without thinking about it, she coiled her arms around Wendy to give her a shoulder to cry on.

Wendy appreciated the embrace, but after a moment she pulled back and shook her head, wiping her eyes to prevent the tears from falling. "I…I can't cry for her yet. Not until this battle is over…not until we're home…"

"…Yeah." Cynthia gave a nod. "I…I want to bring her back home. Th-that's not a cruel thought, is it…?"

"Not at all…" Carla shook her head slowly. "She's our comrade until the very end. The least we can do is bring her back home."

"Hear that, Juvia?" Cynthia gave Juvia a weak smile. "We're gonna bring you home…so you can at least rest peacefully…"

* * *

Diamond and Invel were previously at a stalemate. Invel was essentially hammering away at a brick wall while Diamond was trudging upstream. The tide of their battle changed when Gray, previously thought to be dead by both parties, walked onto the scene with indescribable rage while also within his Frozen Monarch's Mode. The devil slaying tattoos covered the entire right side of his body. Invel was absolutely bewildered that Gray was still walking. "This is…unprecedented! I cannot believe you still breathe!"

"Holy shit…" Diamond blinked several times. "You're still alive!?" Shock aside, Diamond was glad that at least one of them lived, but that begged the question…where was Juvia? Judging by Gray's expression… "Well, now we can beat the shit out of…" Gray started walking forward and didn't say a word. His chest heaved up and down and his gaze was glued on Invel. "…Yeah, no, okay, I get it…" Honestly, Diamond was kind of frightened right now.

While Invel was shaken, he refused to believe that he'd be the one losing. He was already on the cusp unleashing his trump card on Diamond, and since Gray decided to get involved with his injuries, he had this battle finished. "But one thing I crystal clear! You will not be able to fight at full strength with such grievous wou-" And before he could even finish, Gray's fist struck his face, shattering his glasses in the process. Gray rode this momentum to crush Invel right into the ground. "GAH!" Gray didn't relent. _"This man…!"_ He then swung his leg up to kick Invel in the chin, following up with a brutal punch strong enough to send Invel flying through a nearby wall. _"This man is…!"_

Diamond blinked several times, eyes wide at Gray's display of anger. "…I uh…I had this in the bag, but now…" She really didn't want to get involved right now. It was clear that Gray was still sensible enough to know that she was an ally, but if she got involved, she was unsure if that line would become blurred in his rage filled vision.

" _This man…"_ Invel placed his hand on the ground, sliding to a halt while glaring up at Gray and Diamond. _"I was already just about to release that…but now I see I have no choice!"_ The Winter Mage stood up, ice beginning to coat around his body to form broad knight's armor. "Ice Rending Divine Raiment!" Gray didn't care what the hell this was, he was charging in with devil slaying ice wrapped around his fist.

"What the hell…!?" Diamond stared at Invel. "He had something like that up his sleeve!? Where did he even…"

"This is ice from the depths of the underworld. From the 9th circle of hell. All things unlucky enough to even graze it shall freeze instantly." Gray threw his punch, and Invel caught it, stopping Gray's momentum cold. "Even the likes of you and your body's immunity to ice, it matters not! This unholy armor freezes anything and everything without fail!" And just as he said, Gray's entire arm was starting to freeze over. "BE FROZEN FOREVER IN TIME, AND SHATTER INTO PIECES!" With this opening, he swung his other hand to strike Gray right in the chest, causing him to fly backwards.

"GAH!" Gray felt that one. As Invel stated, his injuries weren't going to help in this situation. Invel was prepared to bring down both arms to finish Gray, but that's when Diamond jumped in, using one arm to defend against Invel for Gray.

"Ngh…this is…a little chilly…" Diamond admitted as her entire arm started to freeze over.

"Even you, a spirit born in ice, shall freeze!" Invel had a grin under his helmet. This was the coup de grace. With another forceful push, Diamond's entire arm shattered off!

"GNK…!" Diamond grit her teeth during the whole process. Since her body was similar to that of a celestial spirits, it wasn't a gruesome scene at the very least, but it did hurt the spirit like hell. But just before her arm froze over, she used the contact to not try and manipulate the ice, but absorb it! "You, freeze me? Amazing how someone with four eyes couldn't see the bigger picture!" After having absorbed the ice, Diamond coated her other arm with it and violently swung it forward. "I only needed one arm to block you!" And a violent left hook slammed against Invel's chest plate, pushing the Spriggan backwards.

"Impossible!? You…you absorbed the ice!?" Invel was at a loss!

"I may not be able to manipulate your ice against you…but I sure can make use of it for myself!" Diamond then smirked. "Besides, I'm not the one with the vendetta!"

Right as she said that, Gray appeared in front of Invel once more, swinging a violent haymaker at Invel's face. While the Winter mage was able to block this, Gray used this to his advantage and began to mold the ice to his liking. With a roar, Gray pushed forward and shattered part of Invel's armor off, just enough to see the shocked expression on his face. "Wha…!? This cannot be!?" _"He's utilizing ice of the same properties as my Divine Raiment…and molding it!?"_

"You stole away Juvia's future right from under her!" Gray screamed at the top of his lungs, gauntlets of ice now fully formed along his hands. He began to unleash a flurry of rage filled punches, each one striking Invel and shattering his armor with each direct hit. "And that's unforgivable! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S GOING TO SHATTER **YOU SON OF A BITCH**! ICE DEVIL ZEROTH'S DESTRUCTION FIST!" One final punch completely shattered Invel's armor, sending the broken and defeated Spriggan spiraling around in the air before he violently crashed into the ground. Invel gave one final cry before he smashed into the dirt. Gray didn't say a word as his body reverted to normal, a few tears falling from his eyes. This was all he could do for Juvia now. He fought for the tomorrow that she would never get to see…

" _So this…this is what she meant…"_ Invel thought to himself as his battered body hit the ground. It was at this moment that he finally understood the true weight of Emmeraude's warning.

One Spriggan down, 11 more to go.

* * *

"Eclipsed Out? What kind of bullshit is that!?" Ajeel questioned while staring at Jack Royal, a man engulfed in Eclipse Magic.

"Heh…" Reve smirked at Ajeel's disposition. "Since you asked nicely, we can explain it for you nice and simple before we beat the shit out of you. You see, Jack here among the few Eclipse mages who have mastered a spell from the Book of Calium. But his is…unique. Whenever he gets drunk to the point of blacking out, his subconscious takes over and well…you see what we have here."

"So this asshole is drunk?" When he heard that, Ajeel calmed down a bit and turned his attention to Royal. "And to think I thought this was cause for alarm!" Two axes of sand formed in his hands and he planned to use Royal as a statement just as he did Zalen. "I'll dry up all the alcohol from his system!" With a menacing grin, Ajeel brought his axes down…only to find that Royal evaded them with a stagger. "…Drunk luck…!" That grin turned into a slightly irritated expression as Ajeel continued to slash at Royal, but they were all being avoided! "What the hell is going on here!?"

"You shouldn't have done that." Kuro pointed out. "You didn't let Reve finish."

"He's perfectly aware of everything going on around him, and…" Reve trailed off. He didn't want to spoil everything just yet.

"I'm not gonna be made a fool of by this drunk bastard!" Ajeel roared as a vortex of sand exploded from his chest, spiraling around to consume Royal, which it did. "Any other day of the week I'd gladly take my time, but today is the day Fiore falls!" He was angry and anxious to get back into the action. Considering his defeat during the vanguard was his first one in a very, very long time, he couldn't let these ants think that there was strength in numbers! In his case, quality was far better than quantity. Soon after the sand consumed Royal, it was blown away by wind! "Wind!?"

"…." Royal didn't say a word. He lifted a hand up and it shone brightly for a moment before a powerful explosion occurred on the spot. Ajeel was capable of blocking it, but that didn't stop his anger and confusion.

"He couldn't do this last time!" Ajeel knew this for a fact. When he glared at Reve…

"You're right. He's so drunk; he doesn't even remember what magic is his. So he's just using magic that he's seen before subconsciously. That is the power of Eclipsed Out…and now that the explanation is over, so is your time. Spread Shot!" Reve pointed his shotgun forward once more, releasing a single bullet that spread into multiple, fanning out to cover a large radius.

"I'm still warming up!" Ajeel scoffed while flipping into the air to avoid Reve's Spread Shot, now twisting around to form another whirlwind of sand around his body. "Sand Rush!" Ajeel then dove down with the sand swirling around him, slamming right into Kuro of all people to send him flying back! Just like with all opponents every time they made contact with his sand, the moisture was sucked right out of them. The Spriggan then turned to Reve and pointed his hand down, causing the surrounding ground to cave in and turn into a pit of quicksand with the gunslinger right in the middle. "Sand Tomb!" A smaller version of his Ant Lion Pit, but just as effective. "Try getting out of that one!"

Kuro tumbled along the ground after the direct hit. That was going to leave him sore for a while, but he quickly halted his own momentum and exhaled, unleashing a potent funnel of flames at his target. "Flame Devil's Rage!"

"Too slow!" Ajeel was faster on the defensive draw, lifting a hand up to form a barrier of sand to protect himself from the incoming oral attack.

With this quick opening, Reve pointed one of his guns down into the sand and clicked the trigger. This caused a beam of magic to explode from the nozzle, sending the gunslinger soaring high into the air. Once he was above Ajeel, he dropped one shotgun and switched it in favor of the six chambered magnum everyone knew and loved. "Bang." With a click of the trigger, the gigantic bullet was released from the barrel, now soaring down towards the Spriggan.

"What the…!?" Ajeel didn't have time to dodge. He quickly formed another barrier of sand, but this one didn't hold at all. The bullet exploded against it, destroyed his shield, and sent him skidding backwards to the point where he almost flew away. There was some kick to that one, as much as he hated to admit it! "But now you're open!" Arrows of sand shot from the ground, all of them flying up to impale Reve.

"…Tch!" Reve fired from his other shotgun to open a rift as he fell. He wasn't fast enough as the arrows of sand sliced into his body, but he was grounded once again and fought despite the pain. Ajeel was tough, as much as he hated to admit it. But not tougher than Sidney in his eyes…which meant that he could be beaten.

It was then that the drunken Royal came at Ajeel with fists of fire and lightning, swinging haphazardly due to his inebriated state. Ajeel ducked low under a punch, firing back with a sandy uppercut to Royal's chin. The Eclipse mage staggered back a single step and grumbled. "Ow." He felt that one, but it wasn't enough to entirely slow him down as he pointed his hands forward, a completely different spell coming forth. Rays of black and white shot forward, colliding against Ajeel from near point blank range.

"Piece of…!" Ajeel crossed his arms, growling lowly at the attacks slamming into him. Due to the nature of the magic he was being attacked with, his sand body couldn't exactly render things useless. But he was able to push Royal away with a straight kick to the chest, knocking him over in the process with the torrent of sand that followed! That was when Ajeel heard the sound of multiple triggers clicking around him. When he looked up, he was surrounded by at least 100 guns, all of them pointed down at him.

"Devil's Wheel." Reve stated, causing a bombardment of bullets to rain down on Ajeel from all angles. Even with defensive measures up, Ajeel was no match for the Devil's Wheel. The requiem of bullets slowly came to an end and the dust settled, and it showed that Ajeel was very unhappy about what just happened. There were noticeable bruises all over his skin after Reve's attack.

"That's cute…" The King of the Desert was heaving angrily at this point. These worms had the audacity to challenge a god like him!? "I was going to grant you a mercy blow…but now, even if you call me god and beg for mercy, I'll make your deaths as slow and painful as possible!"

"You think that hurt?" Kuro narrowed his eyes at Ajeel, the flames around his body burning even brighter. "You went into great detail about how you killed Zalen before…and because of that, we're going to make sure you feel every bit of that pain one hundred times over."

"You think you can talk to ME that way!? A GOD!?" The sandstorm around them began to pick up severely. Ajeel wasn't about to take any more of their shit.

Reve stood up straight, a golden light forming around his body. A coat with the White Eclipse insignia branded on the back wavered in the wind within the sandstorm. Reve Volver, Kuro Crane, and Jack Royal all stood together while staring down Ajeel. The rage Ajeel felt now was nothing compared to that wrath of these mages he brought onto himself with Zalen's murder. "You're no one's god. And when I put this bullet between your eyes, you'll understand that you're nothing more than an ant who has raw talent and nothing else."

"What did you say!?" Ajeel sneered. How DARE they talk down to him like this!?

"You messed with the wrong guild." Reve told Ajeel while pointing his magnum at him. "And now you'll face the wrath of the Eclipse." The climax of their battle was rapidly approaching, and so was its conclusion…

* * *

"Scanning…" Since Bacchus arrived on the scene to assist Minerva. "Whoa, what's this? You're blood alcohol levels are off the charts! You sure you can even be standing let alone fighting?" Not that he cared, but this was the third human he encountered with something messed up inside their body and yet they still tried to fight him. "Not to mention your hand was recently severed and reattached, it's definitely not in fighting shape."

"You kiddin' me!?" Bacchus laughed. "This has been the best few days of my life, there's no way I'm sitting this out!"

"Why am I not surprised…" Minerva rolled her eyes while standing up. She was pretty pissed that her dress was stained red along with the fact she only had one working kidney. "No matter the situation, you're always grinning like some deranged fool."

"I've been having the time of my life." Bacchus spread his arms apart and crouched, assuming his signature fighting stance. "I still don't know what this war is all about…but I know I gotta do what I have to. Otherwise these chumps will think they can steamroll all over us, and that ain't wild."

"At least you can take the situation seriously enough…even though you reek of alcohol…" The Tigress brought a hand to her nose, waving the scent away as best she could. "Though, once this is over, I'm going to need a barrel myself…"

"I'm sure there are plenty in hell! OPEN FIRE!" Wahl wasn't going to deal with this chit chat much longer. He wanted to slaughter as many mages as he could and he was confident they couldn't hold a candle to him! Magic seals formed all around him and another bombardment of missiles shot forward, all of them soaring towards the duo before him. "SO EXPLODE INTO BITS! AYHAHAHAHA!"

Minerva raised her hand, but when Bacchus moved, she stopped. The Drunken Falcon had a wide smirk on his lips and slowly lifted a leg into the air. "Guess the warm ups are just about over. All right then…" Just as the missiles closed in, Bacchus slammed his leg down, crushing the ground under his foot as a powerful shockwave boomed out, spreading out for several yards.

"Whoa!" Wahl crossed his arms, feeling the shockwave nearly push him back. Maybe this was gonna be fun after all! The missiles he fired were destroyed with that single shockwave, but as it cleared, Bacchus was nowhere to be seen. "Where'd he…."

Minerva used her magic to warp Bacchus around. Before Wahl could finish his sentence, Bacchus was dropping down from above with a palm reared back. "CHOP HANGING PALM: RISING MOONLIGHT!" Just as Wahl looked up, Bacchus slammed his palm into the Machias' face, driving him into the dirt with force! That wasn't enough to knock Wahl out, but it was a powerful block. Bacchus then lifted his leg, kicking Wahl in the chest to send him tumbling away.

"Well that's something…!" Wahl tumbled for a moment or two before gripping the ground, forcing his momentum to a halt. When he looked up again, he saw multiple spheres of territory above him, all of them unleashing spikes of said magic down onto Wahl. "But I'm not finished yet!" Pointing his palm forward, a potent blast of heat exploded out, incinerating the territory orbs before they could strike him.

"What a nuisance…" Minerva grit her teeth.

"AYAHAHAHA!" With jet boosters appearing under his feet, Wahl launched himself forward towards Bacchus, augmenting his fists once more. A flurry of blows was released upon the Drunken Falcon, which he was able to dodge rather fluently. All except for a jab to the face which opened Bacchus up to a follow up to the chest, where Wahl then placed his hands upon his foe's exposed chest. "DIE!" A potent explosion occurred on the spot, packed with more than enough power to send Bacchus flying backwards with a cry of pain. There was a lot of damage dealt there.

That laugh was making Minerva increasingly irritated. With a swing of her arm, she manifested multiple orbs around Wahl, all of them spinning in a counterclockwise motion while closing in on them. The goal was for all of them to converge on Wahl and explode, but the Machias could see through such an easy ploy and rocketed himself into the air. "You fell for it." Was all Minerva had to say. The orbs never exploded! They just merged into each other to form a gigantic sphere that released an equally large pillar of magic into the sky where Wahl was.

"Oooooh, clever!" Wahl pointed a hand down to release another blast of his own to combat Minerva's attack. The two attacks ruptured and destroyed a large section of the ground. The moment Wahl landed, he was assaulted by Bacchus, slammed right into an orb of territory to keep him from moving. "…!?"

"This is checkmate." Minerva smirked, clenching her hand into a fist to cause the orb to grow smaller and smaller. Her plan was to crush Wahl into scrap heap. All was going fairly well until a strange light started to shine within the orb. Before either of them could do anything, two separate blasts of raw Ethernano shot out, consuming the both of them to send them flying backwards along with heavy damage. "Ngh…!"

"Whoooooa!" Bacchus cried out before coming to a halt on a knee. "What the hell!?"

"What else can this outdated machine do!?" Minerva was really annoyed now.

As the light died down, Wahl was revealed to be in his Assault Mode. In the heat of the moment he realized that Bacchus and Minerva together held a pretty high chance of pulling the rug out from under him. Minerva alone practically pushed him to this, but with Bacchus this was an absolute necessity if he wanted to win. "Assault Wahl, ready for sortie." That frivolous personality of his was gone, overwritten once again for a cold hearted and calculating persona.

"He transformed? Guess he felt cornered…" Bacchus laughed. He was in pain, but he laughed nonetheless.

"Despite being a robot, he feels cornered like a wild animal…" Minerva narrowed her eyes at the cold hearted machine before them. "That just means we were close to reducing him to scrap metal…"

Wahl scanned both Minerva and Bacchus, taking note of their injuries and current physical state. He didn't plan on making the same miscalculation he did Laxus and Leon. "Estimated time for elimination...one minute."

* * *

"I'll take Juvia!" Tia sprang forward, pointing her scepter forward to release a beam of water towards the lifeless water mage. Just as she did that, Juvia unleashed a potent beam of water to collide against Tia's. The two beams simply exploded, sending water flying in all directions. Tia had to bring her arm up to shield her eyes from the wind kicked up. "…Was she always that strong?" No offense to Juvia intended, but Tia was the stronger water mage out of the two of them. Thanks to the Reaper's Toll and Neinhart's own boost, Juvia was much stronger dead than she was alive.

"I'm sorry Orga-sama, but we must strike!" Yukino pulled out a golden key and swiped it along the air. "Gate of the Scales, I open thee! Libra!" The spirit of gravity appeared next to Yukino and the Tigress gave her command. "Increase the gravity around Orga-sama!"

"As you wish!" Libra nodded and did just that, tilting her scales down to increase the gravity around Orga to the point the ground caved in. "Sister!"

"Right!" Sorano tossed several coins into the air. The total cost amounted to 40, thus summoning a large angel wielding a mallet in its grip. The angel swung its hammer down to crush Orga into the dirt, a small tremor occurring from the impact. "Sorry do to this to someone from my little sister's guild, but…" She trailed off, eyes widening as Orga actually managed to stop the hammer cold with his broad arm. "He caught it!?" Orga then fired off a black bolt of lightning to take down the angel in a single strike.

"Such power…!" Yukino spoke with widened eyes. Orga slammed his hands into the ground, causing an electrical shockwave to split the ground open and release a powerful discharge that caught the two sisters and the spirit in its wake, throwing them backwards. "Aaaahhhh!"

"This isn't going good…" Lucy grit her teeth before turning her attention to Neinhart, who was sitting comfortably in the back. "We have to take him out fast!" Lucy then broke out into a sprint, preparing to use her Taurus Star Dress to its fullest abilities. She reared her arm back, preparing to sock Neinhart in the face. "This is for Juvia!"

"Heh…" Neinhart snapped his fingers, and in that instant, Layla Heartfilia appeared in front of him.

"Layla…" Brandish muttered.

"Mom!?" Lucy's eyes widened as her punch was going right for her mother! She knew this couldn't be real, but it was an instinct she couldn't fight. Her punch went wide, missing Layla by just a hair. The shock of seeing her mother left her open to Neinhart's counter, a powerful whirlwind that was a direct hit and sent Lucy flying backwards. "Gaaaaah!" Lucy ended up tumbling along the ground. "T-That was so dirty…!" The last time she saw her mom…it wasn't a happy meeting and here Neinhart was, digging up the past.

"I may not be able to make the best use of my Historia on a few people…but this should suffice! AHAHAHA!" The purple haired Spriggan cackled.

"…" Layla didn't seem so pleased to be dredged up from the realm of the dead

"YOU BASTARD!" Natsu roared while leaping into the air, flames blazing around his arm. He flipped over Layla while swinging at Neinhart.

Neinhart brought his arm up, a shockwave exploding from the two of them colliding. "You won't catch me off guard with that lucky shot once again! I will destroy all allies of Lady Erza for Lady Elieen!" The Spriggan then lifted his leg as a spiral of wind swirled around it, and he kicked Natsu in the side, sending him flying towards a wall!

"Ugh!" Natsu grunted before catching himself in the air with a flip, firmly pressing his feet against the wall before shooting himself forward, flames blazing round his body as he went for a fierce Sword Horn. "What's this that 'Lady Erza' crap anyway!?" Nobody called Erza that. But there was a bigger issue present – Natsu was actually en route to slam into Layla, and whichever route he took, Juvia and Orga were waiting to slam him!

"Natsu, look out!" Lucy cried.

"Libra!" Yukino commanded. The spirit did as told, lowering Natsu's center of gravity to send him into the air.

That was a close shave. "Thanks, Yukino!" Natsu said.

Lucy then hopped into the air, pressing her foot to Natsu's back. "Ready!?"

"Yeah!" Natsu yelled. Without a word, Lucy kicked Natsu forward with all her might, sending the Salamander rocketing back towards Neinhart. "I WASN'T DONE WITH YOU!"

"WH-?!" Before Neinhart could muster a counter, Nastu slammed into his ribcage. The impact was strong enough to send Neinhart flying backwards.

As soon as Natsu came to a halt, Juvia was in front of him. "Juvia, don't…!" It was no use. His words fell on deaf ears and Juvia swiped her hand forward, carrying Natsu away with a powerful surge of water. "Guah…!"

"Natsu!" Lucy went to rush to Natsu's aid, but then Orga was suddenly in front of her, swinging a fist packed with nothing but his raw power behind it. Lucy went to grab it…and succeeded! Only to find her knees buckling under his might. Her eyes comically widened for a moment she started to push back. "Too strong, too strong, too strong!" She whimpered.

"HA!" Tia swung her scepter at Orga's bare chest, managing to push him back slightly. But the impact reverberated through her weapon and too her hands, causing her to shake a bit. "Ow…!? What the hell are his abs made of, concrete!?"

"He did work out a lot…" Yukino remarked before shaking her head.

Up above, Prometheus and Pandora were enjoying the show. "Ah, isn't this just grand!?"

"It is indeed entertaining…" Pandora admitted. "I'm curious to see if they will overcome their own hearts…"

Angel stood up and groaned, placing a hand on her lowering back. She was too young to be having back pain right now! "So what's the plan…? Those two are absurdly strong and he's just mocking us in the back…"

"We'll have to hit those two hard to distract them long enough…" Tia said. Though she did lift a brow as Orga and Juvia both drew their arms back. "Wait, what are they doing…"

"That…that's not a Unison Raid attempt is it!? But…!" Lucy couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"When I'm the one controlling them, they can do anything they desire, so long as it fits my agenda!" Neinhart cackled. His words came true as Orga and Juvia threw their hands forward. Nothing happened at first…then a tsunami of electrified water rose up from in front of them.

"That's huge…!" Happy yelped.

"Here it comes!" Tia and the others braced for impact as the waved crashed down on them, and boy did it hurt! "Geez…!"

"It's shocking me…!" Yukino cried out.

"Damn it…!" Natsu growled.

"Virgo!" Lucy managed to pull out a key despite feeling her body growing increasingly numb by the second. Virgo didn't appear immediately, but the maid spirit did drill a hole underground for the water to flood down into. "Ah…thank goodness…"

"Do I receive punishment for not making it in a timely manner?" The masochist spirit questioned.

"NO!" Lucy shouted.

"Oooow…." Angel groaned.

Tia remained standing, focusing on the water Virgo funneled underground. "Get ready!" By raising her scepter, she manipulated the water against the senders, turning it into a geyser under Juvia and Orga's feet to launch them into the air. "Go!"

"Sagittarius!" Lucy whipped out another golden key, calling out the archer spirit, who took aim at Juvia.

"How can I assist, moshi-moshi?!" Sagittarius saluted before noticing who his target ways.

"I'm sure, don't worry about it!" She said before the spirit could question her.

"Shamsiel!" Angel tossed up four golden coins, the cost of them amounting to 40. This summoned forth Shamsiel, a large stone0like cherub with pigs hiding within its gaudy pompadour. The pigs released beams of light energy just as Sagittarius fired off a plethora of arrows. The two merged together to form arrows of light, being just enough to pierce through Juvia's Water Body. These direct hits caused Juvia to scream out in pain, which became heart wrenching for Natsu, Lucy, and Happy.

They had to keep fighting though. Natsu turned to the airborne Orga, clasped his hands together to generate a sphere of flame, and hurled it forward. "TAKE THIS!"

"I'll assist, Natsu-sama!" Yukino's body lit up in a golden hue as she donned a Star Dress: Libra! It was much better than her currently tattered clothing and actually served some use here. She increased the fireball's velocity and it exploded violently upon Orga. Despite not wanting to do this, she then lowered her hand, causing the gravity around her guild mate to increase tenfold and crush him into the ground. "He's open!"

"I got it!" Natsu yelled while making a beeline towards Neinhart. Even if the Spriggan was attempting to use Layla as a shield, Natsu could easily bypass this slipping past the extremely familiar woman. He did just this, now aiming a fiery fist for Neinhart's face…only to be blocked by a pair of familiar gauntlets. "Huh? You again!?" It was Sophie.

"…Again…" Sophie mumbled before flipping back, firing off a Shotstaff Blast at Natsu to force him back.

"What's going on here?!" Natsu growled while using his arm to smack the blast into a nearby wall. Just as he did this, he saw Neinhart coming in for another whirlwind, but Natsu's combat awareness allowed him to jump into the air to avoid this. "More of them!?"

"Sophie…" Lucy felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of Sophie. Sophie noticed her as well, but she didn't say anything. "Juvia, Orga, my mother, and now Sophie? How twisted are you!?"

"Twisted? Far from it!" Neinhart laughed. "I'm only peering into the depths of your hearts! Do you know what I see? I see mages who have fought battles against fierce warriors! Your heart sings to me, how could I not listen!? Allow me to conduct the symphony of your hearts!"

"Neinhart…" Brandish started to sweat. Neinhart was going too far now.

"This fool…" Dimaria muttered, clicking her teeth. "The enchantment Elieen must've given him had to have been the Berserker one…his mind is rapidly deteriorating and soon he'll be a mess…"

Sorano waved her hand dismissively at this nonsense. "I'm starting to get a headache listening to him talk! Let's just hurry up and take him out already! Shamsiel, finish the job!" The angel mage commanded. However, just before it could strike, a familiar beam of darkness pierced right through it and her side. Sorano's eyes went wide and she placed a hand against her hip, hissing in pain as blood started pool from the wound. "That beam…!"

Brain was now next to Neinhart, chuckling quietly at Sorano's situation. "I expected that outcome…"

"Brain!?" Sorano hissed.

"Sister…!" Yukino instinctively went to help Sorano, but that's when she noticed a large shadow looming over her. There was no time to dodge, so she brought her arms up as Jimenna's large fist crashed into her, sending her right into a wall. "Agh…!" The Tigress fell from the wall, panting heavily from the crushing blow she received. "J-Jimenna…!?"

Not just regular Jimenna, he was within his demon form as well, standing next to Neinhart. "As I suspected…the current Sabertooth is far too weak. If they focused on power instead of weak bonds, they'd be much stronger than they are. A pity they dragged Sabertooth's name through the mud…the weak deserve to perish."

Happy looked around at all these faces materializing into existence. "W-What's going on here?! Are these people all…!?"

"Dead, yes!" Neinhart laughed, placing a hand over his face as laughter was the only thing he was capable of. The Berserker Enchantment augmented his abilities far beyond their normal levels, and while he was able to stay grounded mentally for a little bit, not even he could withstand the drawback. "But due to my magic, I can pull your past out into the present!" He started snapping his fingers and they all just started appearing – Historia of dead people who didn't even relate to those present: Zalen, Heather, Veronica, Raven, Eizen in his human form, Hades, Ross, Marisa, Drayden, and even Grami. They all just kept coming! His magic spread out but he was losing control of it. Every Historia from Port Hargeon and beyond was coming into the fray!

"Shit, we're surrounded!" Tia cursed. The Historia of Corpses all surrounded them!

"Mother…!?" Brandish felt her heart skip a beat. Now Neinhart was going too far!

"Isn't it beautiful! Your hearts are so filled with passion and ferocity, I couldn't help myself!" Neinhart's laughter never ended as he turned to Brandish. "Look at these mages, overpowered by the depths of their past brought to life! Isn't it grand! Do you still want to talk things out with them!?"

"…." Brandish ended up saying nothing. To aid them was to betray Alvarez, which was something she would never do. But Neinhart using her own mother like this? It was worth clocking him in the face or something similar since he did attack her.

"We're not going to break through at this rate…" Sorano pointed out. They'd get worn out well before they'd even reach Neinhart.

"HYAHAHAHA!" Prometheus began to cackle. "Well well, this is far more than I expected! But it's making for a wonderful show! Is this where you make your final stand!?"

"ATTACK THEM ALL!" Neinhart yelled.

At that moment, everything went pitch black thanks to Simon's Dark Instant. "W-What's happening!? It's pitch black!" Yukino yelled. It was then that the assault began. With so many mages opposing them, a series of explosions occurred in various locations! They had no way of knowing what was happening, so the party of five ended up crying out in pain. When the darkness faded, the five of them were on the ground in agony. Because of the damage dealt, Virgo and Sagittarius were forced to return to the Celestial Spirit World via gate close.

"Ah, there's the look of defeat I wanted to see!" Neinhart chuckled. "Be buried under the weight of your own Historia! Glorious though it may be…I can't wait to turn you into a beautiful Historia myself, and use you to crush Lady Erza! This war will be over in a flash, and Lady Elieen won't have to lift a finger!"

Brandish glanced away. This was…the result she ultimately expected. She tried to spare them, but her act of mercy was interrupted by Neinhart. _"…So this is how it ends…"_ She wanted to protect them due to the debt she felt she owed, but…

"Who said…we were finished…?" Natsu growled, pressing his hands to the ground to push himself up. "Crushed under the weight of our past? Don't make me laugh."

"…What?" Neinhart practically gasped at Natsu standing back up! It wasn't just him. Lucy, Tia, Yukino, and Sorano followed suit. "Why won't you all just stay down! This battle is over, I've won! You're vastly outnumbered and…!"

"THAT'S NEVER STOPPED US!" Natsu interrupted. "So what if we're outnumbered!? That doesn't mean anything, because we're going to keep fighting to the end! Using our past battles as a shield for yourself…that's unforgivable, especially because our comrades are among them all! You think our past is going to hold us back!? Maybe for some people that would be true before, but we can all overcome our past by help of our comrades. But that aside…we're not fighting for the future just to get stuck in the past. The people before us now are in our hearts for a reason…SO WE CAN CARRY ON AS WE MOVE FORWARD!"

"That's right!" Lucy pointed forward at Neinhart. "Trying to use our hearts against us…in reality, that just means you have the weakest heart of all! We're not going to fall for your tricks any longer. We promised we'd free Juvia and Orga from your clutches, and we intend to do just that!"

"Geez…" Tia rubbed the back of her head. "I'm going to be feeling that one for a week or two…and my previous wound is feeling rather sore now. But I'd be dumb not to give up."

"So many ugly mugs around here…" Sorano groaned. "I didn't come here to be bogged down by you again." Her tone went right to Brain. "I'm going to live my life the way I want to now…and you're not going to stop me!" She honestly thought she'd live through the day Natsu of all people inspired her to

"Right!" Yukino nodded, pulling out another golden key. But this one had black serpents wrapped all around it. In order to go all out, she was pulling all the stops. "Sabertooth is a wonderful guild now, and it doesn't need you anymore. I'll gladly teach you this lesson as many times as you need it!"

"So we're not going down yet! Not until we've made it home!" Natsu yelled. Everyone was with him.

"It's not or never, so get your butts moving!" Sorano tossed up ten golden coins, the cost totaling 100. She was putting everything she had into this charge. "I summon you, Raguel!" Sorano's strongest angel to date. The large white angel with four long arms, and several heads appeared, each one holding a golden horn. As soon as the angel was summoned, it blew into all of its horns to create a powerful, deafening soundwave to stun all enemies in place. For those who could resist the sound, they started to open fire, but…

This opening was exactly what Yukino needed to follow suit. "Gate of the Shake Charmer, I open thee! Ophiuchus!" With this call, it was not a golden light that shone from the infamous 13th key, but rather an ominous purple/black mist. This mist covered Yukino's body to give her a matching Star Dress, one fitted with a leather top and skirt, all scaly to match the incoming serpent's appearance. Yukino rode atop the head of the snake as it barreled forward, forcing a path open with its raw power. No one was a match for the 13th key! To add to its power, the snake began to release a similar colored mist from its mouth. This was a paralytic mist "Natsu-sama, Lucy-sama, Tia-sama!" The three of them were also darting alongside the snake's elongated body, waiting for the perfect chance to strike, and thanks to Yukino, they had it!

"We're on it!" Lucy shouted while dashing alongside Natsu, while Tia stayed behind.

"Maelstrom!" Tia swung her scepter down, creating a tidal wave in front of Ophiuchus. The enemies that were paralyzed from the snake's breath were easily swept up in the wave and pulled away, drowning in the process. Tia didn't have a problem killing those who were already dead. "Natsu, Lucy!"

"Let's do this!" Lucy said while grabbing onto Natsu's arm, stopping on a dime. With the strength her Taurus Dress gave her, she was able to spin Natsu around for a moment before hurling him at full speed towards Neinhart. "GO GET HIM, NATSU!"

"I GOT HIM!" Natsu bellowed while flying towards Neinhart, firing and lightning blazing around his body.

"T-This can't be…!?" Neinhart's black eyes were wide as Natsu came at him. He tried to form a whirlwind to blow him away, but Ophicuhus wasn't having any of it and used its tail to smack the ground, causing it to rumble and make Neinhart miss as a result.

"There's no way we could ever be bogged down by the past like you wanted us to! That's not how Fairy Tail works! We're fighting for the future right at this very moment! A future where our home isn't under attack, where everyone can laugh, cry, fight, and smile together once again! We're going to win this war and go back home! We will walk forward one foot at a time, looking at the path ahead of us! That is the future we believe in, and THAT IS THE TOMORROW WE FIGHT FOR!" The duo of elements now erupted into a wild blaze around Natsu's arm as he twisted his body in a counterclockwise rotation. "DRAGON SLAYER SECRET ART: CRIMSON LOTUS – EXPLODING LIGHTNING BLADE!" The fire dragon of Fairy Tail swung his arms forward, releasing an unforgiving torrent of Mother Nature's most dangerous weapons.

" _They fight for Tomorrow, do they…?"_ Brandish thought to herself.

"NO! NO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENNNNINNNG…! AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGH!" Neinhart's pained scream was the final thing anyone heard as Natsu's attack consumed him whole. As the Spriggan was blown away by Natsu's attack, all of the people he brought with his Historia started to fade away…but they did so with smiles on their faces. With bruises, burns, and lightning crackling around him, Neinhart hit the ground with pure white eyes.

Two Spriggan down, 10 to go…

.

.

"You okay…?" Gray asked while glancing at Diamond.

"Yeah, fine." The ice spirit waved her arm made of ice around. "This is fine. It'll come back eventually, but I can work with this for now. Are you…?"

Gray didn't answer. He just turned to the downed Invel, panting heavily after the harsh beat down he delivered. "I can stand here and pound away at you all day and night…but it won't bring Juvia back. She's…never coming back."

"The same could be said for your father, mother, and teacher as well…" Invel remarked, but this just made Gray scowl.

"How the hell do you know about them?" Gray growled.

"It is all predetermined by fate…" Invel chuckled weakly. "As long as END remains undefeated, you are doomed to suffer through misfortune and heartache…"

"You don't need to tell me twice. I'm going to be the one to defeat END." Gray spat.

"It would be more accurate to say that you are the _only_ one who _can_ defeat END…" Invel smirked despite his bruised cheek. He may have lost the battle, but Gray being alive was actually a good thing for him. Invel watered the seeds of Gray's darkness, and now it sprouted into the world. If his defeat was the catalyst for END's demise…then he'd gladly accept this.

"….I don't like where this is going. Don't listen to him, Gray." Diamond warned.

Ah…Diamond's attempt to stop Gray from listening were cute, but it was far too late. He had Gray's attention the moment the topic shifted to END. "However, you are still blissfully unaware of its true identity. The mighestest demon of all the demons from the Book of Zeref, and your true mortal enemy is none other than a man you know all too well….Etherious Natsu Dragneel." The moment he said those words…it all clicked for Gray.

Invel's words…the cruel revelation that formed into the rift of an irreplaceable friendship.

.

.

Next Time: Brandish Myu


	72. Chapter 72: Brandish Myu

Neinhart's defeat spelled the end for his Historia. All those he brought back in his fit of insanity started to fade away. Sophie took a few steps forward as her form started to disappear. "…So I'm vanishing again…"

"Sophie, I…" Lucy placed a hand on her chest. "I'm sorry for what happened. I never…"

"I don't blame you. I told you I was just doing my mission." Sophie looked up at Lucy with a curious head tilt. "I know Mom probably blamed you at first, but I know her well enough to know she's moved on too by now. But we can still be friends like you said, right…?"

It was strange…but hearing Sophie say that did lift that extra bit of weight off her shoulders. It was enough for Lucy to muster a soft smile and a nod. "Of course…I'd be happy to have you as my friend."

"Mmm." Sophie nodded and turned to the large pillar that rose into the sky. The one Gildarts created to remove Emmeraude from the bout not too long ago. Sophie knew that her mother was up there somewhere. "I still believe in you, Mom." That was the last thing Sophie uttered before her form vanished, this time, for the last time.

"See? There was no reason for you to carry that weight…" Natsu said. He could see it on Lucy's face how relieved she was after all this time.

"Lucy…" Layla's voice caught Natsu and Lucy's attention. "I'm glad to see that you're still growing up, and how far you've come…"

"You too, Brandish…" Grami turned to her daughter. The two of them were vanishing fast so they had to make it quick. "I hoped for the day you and Layla's daughter could meet…are you two friends…?" That was their dream. That one day their daughters would get along, but as fate would have it, the opposite happened. They were standing against one another on opposing sides of a war.

"…" Brandish quickly turned away. She couldn't face her mother after that question. "Mother, I…"

"We're both proud to see you two have grown in to such strong women." Said Layla. Both she and Grami faded soon after, along with all the other Historia. There was only Brandish, Natsu, Lucy, Tia, Yukino, Sorano, and Happy after.

* * *

Emmeraude actually hadn't begun her descent down the pillar. She was sitting cross legged at the top with a good view of the battlefield. She could see all the fights from her position and didn't intend to get involved yet. That was until she heard Sophie's voice. The woman paused for a moment before a slight smile formed on her lips and she nodded to herself. "I know you do, my dear. And I do not intend to waste that belief of yours…" Now she stood up and stared down at the distance she had to cross. "I suppose I should be rejoining the fray now."

* * *

Sorano sighed and stared at the palm of her hand. She didn't have many coins left after using such high level magic. Regardless, she tossed most of what she had left into the air, an angel with a halo appearing above them. A soft glittering light rained down on the group who fought, excluding herself, restoring magic and injuries proportionate to the amount the user paid. Since Sorano was almost on fumes, the recovery wasn't a lot, but it did fix a lot of the battle damage sustained and magic used. "There. That was just about everything I had."

"How long are you gonna stay in that bikini…? It's really not battle appropriate. At least Brandish has a jacket on…" Tia narrowed her eyes.

"…I don't have a change of clothes available right now." Sorano pouted.

"We'll fix that when this is over…" Yukino said with a nervous sweat drop.

Lucy pointed up to Prometheus after the battle was finished. "We beat him, so return Juvia and Orga's souls like you said you would!"

Prometheus was silent for a moment before erupting into a heinous cackle. "KYAHAHAHAHA! Oh, that was a wonderful performance by you all! Truly spectacular!" And as he promised, with a snap of his fingers, the souls of Juvia and Orga started to fade away….then he slashed at them with his scythe, returning them to him instantly. "But don't tell me you actually believed I'd let them go!"

"Wha!?" Happy's eyes went wide. "You…!"

"I never had any intention of returning them. They're far too valuable to get rid of…" Prometheus trailed off, staring at the downed Neinhart. "Besides, you've just given me quite the ripe soul for the taking…" Without warning, the Grim Reaper dropped down onto Neinhart, plunging his scythe right into the man's chest to pierce his heart. All eyes went wide at this action, all eyes except for Pandora.

"He just…!?" Yukino brought a hand to her mouth.

"Prometheus!? What have you done…?" Brandish genuinely wasn't sure what just happened.

"Neinhart was far too gone." Pandora stated calmly. "His mind deteriorated and even if he had come out victorious against them, it was very clear that he would attack you next after showing no remorse for the action beforehand. Given that this was an enchantment by Lady Elieen, it would have persisted when he regained consciousness given his strength. This was for the safety of our allies."

"….." Dimaria watched, but she honestly wasn't sure how she felt about Prometheus taking things into his own hands like this.

There was a soft glow within the scythe's blade and Prometheus drew the blood soaked weapon up, sighing contently. "Ah, such a powerful soul. That's three Spriggan in my possession now. This harvest has been wonderful!"

"You bastard, he was your ally, wasn't he!?" Natsu snarled.

"…" Prometheus shrugged. "Avatar thought they were our allies, but we simply used them for more power."

"Prometheus and I intend to see this was through to the end. The casualties on either side are of no concern to us." Pandora stated.

"Plus, I've changed my terms to something more reasonable." Prometheus said while slinging his scythe over his shoulder. "Seeing that Neinhart wasn't a very suitable challenge for the likes of you all, allow me to up the ante! If you can defeat Pandora and I, I will return only one of the souls I've harvest. Of course it won't do much for them if their body is beyond repair! So what do you say, do you take my offer!?" There he went, displaying why he was the Demon of Chaos.

"You can't just…!" Lucy started to yell.

"Come now; let us return to the battlefield! There are more souls to be harvested!" Prometheus took to the sky and Pandora followed him as they returned to the main field. He placed his offer on the table; if he and Pandora were defeated, only one soul would be returned and allowed to rest peacefully. A cruel offer indeed, making them pick and choose like this. "You better choose wisely!"

"The deal has been made. Whether you can follow through or not is up to you." Pandora said as they began to fly off.

"Hey, wait a second!" Sorano waved her fist around. "You can't just leave like that!"

"We have to chase them!" Yukino said. She and Sorano began to hunt Prometheus and Pandora, and right after they left, Brandish manipulated a piece of rubble to form a wall to prevent Natsu and the others from following.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Natsu shouted.

"That's one way to keep people from leaving." Tia grunted. She comically slammed into the makeshift wall and wasn't very happy about that.

"…We weren't finished." Brandish said. Their conversation got derailed with the whole Neinhart debacle, but now it was finally time to get back on track, for better or worse.

* * *

Wahl dragged his hand forward, releasing a potent blast of flame that exploded upon Minerva. The Tigress couldn't help but let out a cry of pain as she was thrown backwards. While the ace of Sabertooth was able to catch herself, Wahl intended to finish her off in about 20 seconds, using the rest of the allotted time to finish Bacchus off and thus pursued relentlessly. "Target Locked: FIRE!" His arm turned into a railgun once more, unleashing a potent beam of lightning right at Minerva!

"This is really getting on my last nerve!" Minerva wasn't as slow to react as Wahl believe. She was capable of pulling her hands apart, forming a wall of territory in front of her to shield her from the strong blast of lightning. As soon the blast faded she pointed her hand down, unleashing an eruption of territory that towered into the sky, shooting Wahl into the air.

Despite the damage, Wahl flipped around while in the air, his jet boosters allowing him to rocket back towards Minerva. "Just as I calculated." The Machias then spun around on his heel, using his momentum to slam his foot into Minerva's temple! That one left a mark as Minerva's body tumbled along ground helplessly.

"NOW WE'RE TALKIN!" Bacchus roared while leaping after Wahl, swinging a few palm strikes at the Assault Machias' bare chest. Wahl was capable of avoiding these blows, swinging his augmented fist at Bacchus' face to drive him into the ground. "Guh!"

"30 seconds remaining." Wahl stated while kicking Bacchus in the chest to send him flying once more. Bacchus ended up sliding back against the ground, a small fissure forming due to the path he created. At this rate he'd end up finishing them before the time he gave! This is what happened when you overestimated your foe. "Time to finish th…" Wait…something wasn't right. His body was starting to fade away. "…Error. Neinhart has been defeated. _System error! System error!"_ This wasn't good. With Neinhart defeated, he was going disappear. How annoying since Neinhart gave him directions to protect him only to end up falling in battle all by his lonesome. Now he really had to finish things! Just as Wahl prepared to do this, he felt a surge of power behind him! "…?"

It was Minerva. The Tigress hated to resort to this, but now she saw that she had absolutely no choice. Black markings started to appear around her chest while covering a single eye, her hands turned into sharp claw, and tiny horns sprouted from her head. It was Neo Minerva. "I didn't want to resort to this, but now that you've royally pissed me off, I have no choice but to tear you apart limb from robotic limb."

"What!?" Wahl didn't know about this! Actually…Emmeraude probably mentioned it once, but that was to Badd, who dismissed it entirely. So now he was paying the price here. "This power…"

Minerva pointed a hand forward, unleashing an extremely power blast that completely dwarfed everything she released thus far. Wahl countered with his own, but he was surprised to see that his blast was overpowered and he was struck in the chest, flying backwards. "These games end here."

Wahl slid across the ground, digging his fingers into the dirt to halt his momentum. His body was continuing to fade. Was this the reason his power was dropping so rapidly!? No! No! "AYAHAHAHAHA!" And there was the cackle as steam shot from his body. _"Personality systems error!"_ "I'm gonna enjoy blowing you to bits! Illegal explosives locked and loaded!"

Before Wahl could even fire, Minerva already teleported behind him. At this point she was incredibly enraged, so she grabbed his skull and drove him into the dirt, following up with another powerful explosion to send the augmented soaring as pieces of him broke off. "This is where it ends." And finally, Minerva released multicolored beam, using every ounce of magic she possessed to ensure Wahl was scrapped.

"AYAHAHAHA!" _"Personality settings error!"_ Wahl flipped while cackling, using his boosters to fly towards the blast! He intended to counter with his mass of explosives that he attempted to use on Laxus and Leon prior. But due to his attention being solely on Minerva, he never noticed that Bacchus was behind him. "Huh!?"

"Let you want to fly right into your oblivion, then let me help you along! WIIIIIIILD!" Bacchus began, pressing both of his palms to Wahl's back while pushing him forward into Minerva's blast. Since it happened faster than Wahl was anticipating, he had no defense for it and took the entire blast head on. With one final palm strike, Bacchus pushed the Spriggan forward right into Minerva's hands.

Minerva wasn't normally one to go along with this, but she was feeling the excitement of finally tearing this annoying opponent into pieces. The moment Wahl was within her hands, her claws gripped his chest and ripped him apart seamlessly, shredding Wahl into pieces. The Machias was nothing more than scrap heap scattered on the ground. All Minerva had to do now was dust her hands off. "Four."

"HELL YEAH!" Bacchus lifted a fist into the air after their victory. But boy was he exhausted, and looking at his injuries, he'd clearly seen better days. "That was wild."

Minerva reverted to normal, slumping against a rock due to her injuries. "…I barely have any magic left, and I lost a kidney. I'm pretty upset about how that went down…" The Tigress admitted. After Wahl was defeated, his broken body started to fade away. His time was up due to Neinhart's defeat regardless. "It seems like Yukino and her friend were able to beat that Puppeteer as well…I knew she had it in her."

Three Spriggan down, 9 to go.

* * *

Due to reaching the limits of his patience, and since it was clear the climax of this battle was upon them, Ajeel increased the intensity of the sandstorm to the point where visibility was nearly impossible for those without the affinity. This was also going to increase the rate of the dehydration effect his magic was capable of. "LET THE SANDS OF DEATH SWALLOW YOU WHOLE! YOU CAN ALL DRY UP LIKE YOUR PATHEIC FRIEND!" The Spriggan's voice echoed through the sandstorm as he melded into it, practically becoming invisible to everyone present.

"Those are a poor choice of last word!" Reve narrowed his eyes. With the sandstorm obsurcing his vision, even his Precision Eyes were having some trouble keeping up. But that was fine, because despite Ajeel trying to hide himself within the sand, he could still spot him with his Heat Vision. "There!" Reve turned to his left, firing off another power shot from his magnum. This shot did hit something as it exploded, but it didn't make a dent in the sandstorm.

"You think that'll work!?" Ajeel laughed while beginning to form various weapons of sand around the trio of Eclispe mages. "Now die!" These weapons began shooting forward. Though they were composed of sand, they all had the power to slice off a limb at the very least. He was going to enjoy making them scream in pain. Even if they called him God, there was no mercy for them.

"Uhh…" Royal lifted a hand up, actually making use of earth magic this time, but it wasn't really his own. More so earth dragon slaying. Royal caused several pillars of earth to rise into the air, which did block some of the weaponry coming at them. But since they were being attacked from all angles, it only softened the blow just a little bit. As a result, Reve, Kuro, and Jack were being cut up, but they were avoiding major injuries for the time being. If this kept up, however, they would be in a poor situation.

"Kuro!" Reve exclaimed, his eyes shifting to the color gray.

"I know!" Kuro lifted his hand up, golden flames radiating off of his person. If they wanted to stop Ajeel, they had to get rid of this damn sandstorm once and for all. "Fire Make: Radiant Gold!" An upgraded version of Fire Make: Gold. The golden flames around Kuro's body intensified and he used the wind of the sandstorm to his advantage. A wave of golden flames shot forth from the devil slayer's body, picking up with the wind the sandstorm created. Fire and sand whirled about violently and it did no one any favors.

"You think that's gonna work!? A little heat doesn't bother me assholes!" Ajeel mocked. Though it was getting a little too hot for comfort, the man's god complex would never allow him to back down.

"Royal." Reve didn't even have to say anything. He just called out to his companion to make sure he was still conscious. Royal lifted his hand up into the air, a cold mist emanating from it. He suddenly made use of Ice Devil Slaying, instantly freezing over the fire and sand, leaving nothing but a frozen tornado! "And there he is…" Reve pointed his magnum back, not even glancing at the briefly frozen Ajeel's direction. Foresight allowed Reve to see a few seconds into the future, and he saw this very same combo playing out, and Ajeel was going to try and behead him. So before that could happen, Reve clicked the trigger and the bullet exploded against Ajeel and the ice, shattering it at lost last! This meant that the sandstorm finally stopped.

"GAAAAAH!" Ajeel tumbled along the ground before coming to a halt on a knee. His eyes were wide and his body was trembling. "You…you worms…how dare you stand up to me!? ME!? GOD!"

"So this is what a Spriggan looks like when things don't go their way…" Reve scoffed.

"He's like an even worse you." Kuro said jokingly.

"Don't level me with that, even as a joke." The Gunslinger took aim at Ajeel once again. "This battle is over."

"LIKE HELL IT IS!" Ajeel stood up once more, forming multiple golems of sand in front of him. "I can do this all day, but the same can't be said for you three!" But before the golems could get close, Reve destroyed them all with his third magnum shot. This meant that he was running out of magic quickly, but for him, this wasn't such a big deal. "What!?"

"Like I said – you messed with the wrong guild. We didn't join this war to fight for Fairy Tail's sake. They can owe us one later. But we have a stake in this war too, and a debt to repay to Alvarez. So we're going to take it."

"D-DAMN YOU!" Ajeel slammed his fist onto the ground. It was time to bring out the big guns again! A large tidal wave of sand formed in front of him, equal in size to what he used during the Escape Battle. This caused him to smirk since he recalled them having no defense for this technique. "Let's see how you work your way out of this one, asswipes! I recall you sweating at the sight of this, so what's your next move!? There's no escape! Even if you call me God and beg for your life, I'll still kill you!"

"That's gonna swallow everyone behind us if we don't stop it…!" Kuro narrowed his eyes.

"So he's cornered…" That's all Reve got out of this. If they could push through Ajeel's last resort, then this battle was theirs. The only problem was that Ajeel had the gall to involve more than just them in this fight.

"…" Royal didn't say anything, but slowly trudged forward slowly. The Eclipsed Out mage lifted a leg and then slammed it onto the ground. This caused an intense wave of Crash Magic to shoot out through the ground, erupting on Ajeel and the gigantic tsunami of sand. Since it was Crash Magic the ground ripped apart at the seams, forming a giant chasm that allowed the sand to slip through.

"That's Royal for you…" Reve smirked. But as soon as he said this, Royal stumbled back a few steps…and then collapsed for good. It wasn't just from the heavy damage he sustained, but also because he reached his limit. It was only a matter of time until he passed out due to how drunk he was. Every drunk person had a limit after all. Eclipsed Out faded into deactivation, but Jack Royal did more than his fair share in the battle.

Cana watched from afar. Eclipsed Out was really something else. No wonder Jack kept beating her whenever they had a drinking content. But that thought aside, she noticed Ajeel rearing up for an attack after his failed trump card worked. "LOOK OUT!"

"Sand Spear: Zaarach!" Ajeel formed a spear of sand within his hand and hurled it right for Kuro! It flew through the sky so quickly the flame devil slayer didn't have any time to react as it pierced right into his chest. "Got him!"

"…!" Kuro's eyes went wide and his entire body nearly suffered from shock…but not yet! The Flame Devil planted his feet, grit his teeth, and formed a javelin of fire within his grip. "Flame Devil's…Javelin…" With the last bit of strength his body offered, Kuro hurled this javelin at Ajeel!

"He still moved!?" Ajeel attempted to leap to the side, but the weapon of flame still stabbed into his shoulder blade, causing him to hiss in pain. "Damn it!"

"Kuro…!" Reve's eyes watched as Kuro slowly fell to the ground, limp.

"You're next!" Ajeel fought through the pain and started to form yet another sandstorm. "I WON'T GO DOWN SO EASILY…!" And just as he said that, his sand started to disperse. "…Huh?" How did that happen…? Was it raining now? "What's going on!?" When he looked up, the sky above him was cloudy and there was a torrential downpour. "When did this happen!?"

Up above was Jaxon, sitting on a cloud while staring down at Ajeel. "You're the one who killed one of my guild members, isn't that right? I'm not going to steal Reve's thunder, but I'm going to give you some of my own. You're done." Jaxon clapped his hands together for a literal thunderclap. A bolt of lightning zoomed from his hands and struck Ajeel, additional damage being dealt since he was wet from the rain. "Reve."

"I know." Reve dropped his magnum and replaced it for something more worthy of a finisher – the Eclipse Cannon. The giant cannon was hoisted over Reve's shoulder and he took aim at the recovering Ajeel. "Bang." From the cannon, a black and white sphere of eclipse magic shot forth. This sphere rocketed through the air and collided with Ajeel's stomach, carrying him off into the distance.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ajeel screamed as he was carried away by the Eclipse Cannon shot. There was nothing he could do, no defense he could muster at the last second to even stop this from happening. He knew from the very instant this sphere hit him…that it was over. "NOT AAAAAAAAAGAAAAAIN!" He yelled out, but that scream of anger was immediately drowned out by the ensuing explosion of black and white that took the form of a large pillar that towered into the sky. "Gah…." Ajeel's eyes turned pure white as his broken and battered body hit the ground. He lost. Again. This was no fluke, either.

"…" Reve immediately turned to Kuro, who was thankfully still breathing for now. Medical attention was needed for the fire devil to survive.

"…Finish…him off…" Kuro struggled to speak. He was clinging on to life. In Ajeel's haste, he narrowly missed Kuro's heart, but that didn't mean he was out of the woods.

"I'll make sure he doesn't bite it!" Cana crouched down near Kuro.

"…" Reve wasn't gonna thank a Fairy. Instead, he requipped a single pistol and started walking towards Ajeel's final resting spot. He stood over Ajeel, pointing the pistol at his forehead.

"Damn it…" Ajeel growled. "I can't believe…I lost to you weaklings! How could this happen!? I'm not…"

"You're finished. This is for Zalen." Reve wasn't going to mince words or relish in this moment. From the very start, all he wanted was to finish Ajeel off the moment he killed Zalen. Those at Fairy Tail wouldn't go through with something like this…but this was White Eclipse. They didn't have the same moral obligations. This was war, after all. That kind of thinking would get someone killed. All he had to do was squeeze the trigger and…

Bang.

4 Spriggan down, 8 to go.

* * *

"If you're planning on gettin' in our way, then I'll have no choice but to fight you too." Natsu told Brandish. Even though they just came off of battling Neinhart and his wild Historia, he had no issues fighting against Brandish if she elected to become their enemy.

"I beg of you, Brandish! Please stand aside!" Lucy pleaded.

"You don't really want to fight, do you?" Tia placed her hands on her hips. That question had multiple meanings. Brandish reminded Tia so much of how she used to be, so she could kind of understand how the woman was feeling right now.

"…" At first, Brandish said nothing. Her gaze went to Neinhart's corpse before she sighed. "What a pain. Haaaaah…"

That's when it happened. Natsu's eyes widened as an indescribable shock went through his body. He cluched his chest and immediately fell over. "GAH?! W-What the hell's…!?"

"Natsu!" Lucy immediately rushed over to him. "Hang in there, Natsu!"

"What happened?! He suddenly just…!" Happy gasped.

Tia had an idea. "Brandish, did you…!?"

"It appears you've forgotten it was I who shrunk his tumor in the first place. I simply restore it to its original size." Brandish said.

"Why would you do such a thing!?" Lucy asked.

"Why, you ask? Because that man is a threat to us, nothing more, nothing less." Brandish's tone lowered. It appears as though she found her answer.

"Please, stop!" Happy begged. "Don't make Natsu suffer like this!"

"You four chose to be my enemies." Brandish retorted. She tried to spare them, she tried to save them, she tried so hard to ensure they weren't caught up in the inevitable slaughter…but they refused her at every turn. Now she had no choice.

"You're twisting things! We can still be friends!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Do not confuse our relationship with that of our mothers. The two of us were raised in different countries, fight for different objectives, and are now standing in opposition to one another." Brandish started to remove her jacket. It was clear that she was having some emotional confliction as of late. Her mother and Lucy's wanted them to be friends, but the circumstances just didn't allow for that to happen. It pained her to be unable to fulfill her mother's final wish, but…she had no choice. "It may be true that I no longer hold a grudge against you personally, but can't you see!? As things stand now, I have no clue what I'm supposed to do!" She tossed her jacket aside now. "I'm tired of searching for answers. Let's settle this the simple way, Lucy."

Lucy had no choice either. She stood up and prepared to fight. But for a moment, her brown gaze wandered to Brandish's stomach wound from before. Did she even still feel that…? It was something to keep in mind for later, but as for now… "Fair enough. If I win, promise me you'll heal Natsu."

Upon hearing this, Tia's eyes widened. "What!? Lucy, you can't fight her! She's…!"

"It's okay." Lucy said. "I know she's stronger than me. Please, watch over Natsu for me."

"That's not what I mean, you idiot…!" Tia grumbled.

"You seem to be mistaken, Lucy. When I said 'let's settle this' I was not referring to a duel between you and I. I'm going to settling things with myself, who, if for but a flitting moment, became emotional and sentimental over the thought of killing you." But now that the moment passed, Brandish's oppressive aura returned. It was just like on Caracall Island.

" _This magic power…it's…"_ Happy's own thoughts trailed off.

The look in Brandish's eyes shifted dramatically. The thought of Lucy fighting her…how laughable. "Fact of the matter is you never had even a remote chance of winning against me from the outset."

Lucy didn't care. She immediately swung her heel at Brandish's face. "I ASKED YOU TO PROMISE ME!"

And just before Lucy's foot could connect, Brandish caught it effortlessly. That was despite Lucy being in Taurus Star Dress as well. "Sure, why not." She agreed to Lucy's terms, figuring she might as well humor her. "Btu make no mistake, you cannot win." She then swung her heel at Lucy's stomach, knocking her away. That kick hurt too, considering Brandish's heels were a few inches.

"Lucy!" Happy and Tia yelled at the same time.

Lucy tumbled along the ground before catching herself quickly, springing to her feet and grabbed one of the large pieces of debris. With her current super strength, she hoisted it over her head and hurled it at Brandish. "Ha!"

"Useless." Brandish waved her hand, turning the incoming debris into nothing more than small grain. The moment she did this, Lucy's whip wrapped around her wrist. "Huh…!?"

"HAAAA!" Lucy yelled while using her strength to lift Brandish off her feet and swing her into a nearby wall. Even Brandish felt that one as she let out a grunt of pain. The Celestial mage refused to relent and swung Brandish into another wall before slamming her into the ground.

The Spriggan was quick to stand up, scowling in annoyance while picking up some small rocks. "How annoying…" She then tossed these rocks forward and amplified their size tenfold, causing large boulders to fly towards Lucy.

"Lucy, look out!" Tia yelped.

"Eep..!" The blonde's eyes were wide in fear and she had no choice but to change into Star Dress: Sagittarius! With her bow and arrow in hand, she took aim at the rocks and released multiple arrows of light. "Starshot!" These arrows exploded the boulders before they could come near, causing harmless pebbles to fall near her. She then took aim at Brandish, releasing six arrows to converge on her. "Six Falling Stars!"

"Tch…!" Brandish crossed her arms as the six arrows landed, causing a brilliant explosion to occur on the spot. Before Lucy even had the chance to make another move, the Spriggan moved fast and was already in front of her, swinging a knee to her solar plexus. That knocked the wind right out of Lucy, and Brandish followed up with two left and right jabs, finishing her assault off with another kick to Lucy's chest.

"Agh!" Lucy barely coughed out, rolling across the ground before somehow managing to catch herself. This time she pulled a golden key out while switching Star Dresses' once again to match the incoming spirit. "Scorpio!"

"We aaaaaare!" Scorpio said his signature catchphrase before lowering himself to point his stinger out. "Let's do this, Lucy! Sand Buster: Kai!"

Just as Scorpio released a powerful twister of sand, Lucy jumped forward. Brandish was swept up in this twister and Lucy flew past her, slashing at her in the process. It was an annoying assault that made Brandish cry out in pain, and after a few hits she had enough. "Command T: Reduction!" And just like that, Lucy shrank to the size of a small object. Small enough for Brandish to grasp within one hand and squeeze tightly. "I'll squeeze the life out of you with my bare hands!"

"Lucy!" Scorpio cried out.

"…" Tia watched it all go down. Something wasn't right about all of this. Based on what she knew about Brandish so far, this fight wasn't as one sided as it should have been. In fact, this shouldn't have even been a fight at all! That's when it clicked for Tia, and the moment it did, her eyes widened in realization. _"Is Brandish…"_

Brandish planned on squeezing Lucy to death, but that was when she felt multiple cuts on her hand. They all hurt too. "Cancer Form!" Lucy yelled, creating multiple lacerations on Brandish's hand, and her body's natural instinct was to release. As soon as Lucy was free she started hopping along Brandish's body, delivering small cuts that hurt much more than their size suggested. "Take this!"

Brandish had enough. Big or small, Lucy was just an annoyance either way. "How irritating! Revert back to your original size!" With a snap of her fingers, Lucy…vanished!? "What? She dis…"

Lucy didn't vanish. She was just above her, now donning Aquarius' Star Dress. With a swing of her arms, she caused the ground to surge and swell into a tidal wave, sweeping Brandish along with it. "AQUA METRIA!" The tidal wave of earth consumed the Spriggan whole.

"GO LUCY!" Happy yelled.

"Heh…looks like she's putting my girl's power to good use." Scorpio gave a thumbs up.

"Yeah…she is…" Tia thought aloud…but her comment was not about Lucy.

"Command T: Reduction." Brandish stated. The swelling earth soon shrank, compressed neatly between the woman's palms as an overflowing sphere.

"She compressed my attack!?" Lucy gasped.

"The difference in quality of magic power is simply too great. Between you and I, a Spriggan that is!" The Spriggan then shot her hands forward, magnifying Lucy's attack at a much greater velocity. "Command T: Magnification!"

"AAAAAAAH!" Lucy cried out as her own attack hit her much harder than it did Brandish. Lucy's body was reeling after that one.

Natsu tried to stand up. He was extremely worried about Lucy in this one on one scenario. "Lu…." But then he fell over, losing consciousness.

"Natsu…! NATSUUUU!" Happy cried.

Tia immediately placed a hand on Natsu's back, sweating at his condition. "His body…it's going cold…"

Lucy barely managed to catch herself. Her hands and feet slid along the ground and she panted heavily to catch her breath. "I…I admit it! You're far stronger than me. But who cares?! I don't have the luxury of losing! The truth is I can barely muster the resolve to fight with you right now! But as conflicted as I am, this is something I have to do! No matter if you're twice as strong as me, ten times as strong or even a hundred times stronger…I'M GOING TO PROTECT NATSU NO MATTER THE COST!" That was Lucy's resolve. She forced herself up, slamming her fist into Brandish's cheek with enough strength behind it to send the Spriggan staggering back. Lucy followed up with a kick to Brandish's stomach, which was still susceptible due to Mest's earlier tactic. So much for that wound of hers recovering nicely…

"…!" Brandish grunted from the surprising strikes, but quickly regained her composure. "You…" Now that she was actively hit in such a sensitive area, she started to pant a bit.

"That's quite enough. Let's end this farce of a battle here and now, shall we?" Dimaria decided she'd seen enough. Neinhart down, Brandish's strange performance…it was finally time she do something about this.

"Mari…" Brandish glanced over her shoulder.

"I knew someone was watching us…" Tia stood up to face Dimaria, who was aware of her presence, but didn't bother looking at her.

"A farce?! What are you talking about!?" Lucy was fighting with all her might, and Dimaria had the nerve to call this a farce!?

"Ignorance sure is bliss." Dimaria snickered before glancing at Tia. "It seems your friend here is fast on the upkeep. She figured it out before the battle even started. From the very start, Randi here had no intention of killing that man, or you for that matter. Is that clear enough for you?"

Happy and Lucy were shocked, Brandish started to sweat a little, and Tia just nodded. "She's right…"

"Returning the tumor to its original size? Don't make me laugh. If you so desired it, you could enlarge all his internal organs and cause him to blow from within. The same goes for the girl. You needed only shrink her and crush her beneath your feet. I know you, Randi. You're usually so very lazy and you don't need to take anything seriously. If you really wanted to win this fight, you would have ended it before it began. So the question becomes….why didn't you?"

"….." Brandish didn't say anything. But she continued to sweat, because Dimaria was onto her now.

"I have a theory." Dimaria continued. "You realized that I was watching from afar and decided the best course of action would be to throw the battle in order to deceive me."

"Wha…" Lucy's eyes turned to Brandish.

"That's why I told you that you couldn't fight her!" Tia groaned. "I thought she was going to blow you up or something, but the instant she actually started _fighting_ you, I knew something was up. Even if she didn't want to take the easy way, it was clear she was throwing the fight. That stomach wound of hers slowed her down, sure…but she probably trying to use that as an excuse to lose."

"Wow, your friend is right on the money. I know you too well, Randi…" Dimaria hummed. "I had so much faith in you, too. I should have intervened when Neinhart went crazy, but I wanted to see what you would do about it. Perhaps he wasn't entirely in the wrong to attack you, but now that I've seen your actions for myself…it's a pity, Randi. You're simply no good to us anymore." Click.

"ST-" Brandish wanted to try and reason with Dimaria, but in the next instant, Dimaria was behind her with a bloodied knife. There were multiple slash and stab wounds on her stomach and chest. "…OP…." Brandish's eyes went dull and she tipped over before collapsing. As much as Dimaria wanted to say that it was nothing personal…..to her, it was.

Lucy covered her mouth with her hands, shrieking at the scene before her. "B-Brandish!? NOOOOOOOO!" There was nothing no one could do against Dimaria's Age Seal. No one here present had the power to deal with her.

"Shit…" Tia was about to attack, but before she could do anything, Dimaria was already behind her, knocking her out cold with a solid chop to the neck. Tia hit the ground helplessly and unconscious.

Even though Luke told Lucy and Happy what Dimaria was capable of, the shock of it all still took hold of them. _"It…it happened in a flash…"_ Happy couldn't believe it. In the next instant, Dimaria swung her leg at his face, knocking him through a wall and out cold. He didn't have the endurance to withstand a blow like that.

"HAPPY!" Lucy cried out.

"Tell me…" Dimaria's tone of voice lowered in attempt to hide its shakiness. "Are you the one responsible for corrupting _my_ Randi?" With another click, Lucy was face first on the ground as Dimaria's foot pressed into her skull. An all too familiar position to the celestial mage, unfortunately. Dimaria grit her teeth, tears spilling from her eyes as she scowled at Lucy. "I'll make sure your death is a slow and painful one, _**you little bitch.**_ "

…5 Spriggan down, 7 to go….

.

.

Next Time: Mavis and Zera


	73. Chapter 73: Mavis and Zera

Much to her surprise, Elieen was still in the middle of extracting Fairy Heart form Mavis. At this point, Mavis was completely unresponsive at this point. She just lied there, not making a sound. "I specialize in detaching magic and yet…never before has it taken this much time for me to extract magic from something."

"Ho ho ho…" King chuckled. "Perhaps you may not be able to. If Fairy Heart is truly a source of endless magic, you may be here for an eternity."

"You really do not stop talking, do you…" Elieen groaned quietly.

"That aside…" King stood up from his seat, peering at Mavis' lack of response. "…Are you quite sure she isn't pulling some sort of trick? She was suffering mere moments ago, yet now she lies as here as though she died. I've seen various expressions of suffering, and I must say hers does not fit the description."

"Don't be a fool." Elieen scoffed. "Invel's Ice Lock has rendered her incapable of resisting. There is no chance of her pulling a trick on me. Now if you would kindly shut your mouth and allow me to focus."

"Ho ho ho…if you insist…" King shrugged his shoulders, flipping through his deck of cards while taking a seat.

Emerald glanced in Yajeel's direction. As of a few moments ago, he looked extremely distressed. "Sir Yajeel…are you all right?"

"…I'm worried for Ajeel." Yajeel said nervously. "His reckless attitude, I worry that it will get him killed. I know he's done terrible things to people in the past, and karma is a foul beast indeed. I fear that it will catch up to him in the heat of this war and there is nothing I can do…"

"I see…that is an understandable worry." Emerald nodded in agreement. "I worry for Em. I know she's strong, but as her mother, I can't help it. She chose to enter this battle of her own accord, and now I can only hope that she doesn't do something she might regret. She's such a brilliant person with a grand vision…she's suffered a lot over the past year and I just want what's best for her. But sometimes she makes me worry a little too much…children, right?"

That last remark caused the old man to laugh a bit. "Yes…children are a bit reckless these days…"

Elieen listened to the two of them talk, curling her lips down in disgust. She nearly forgot they were parents and how they talked so fondly of their children. Meanwhile, her child was out in the battlefield and she wanted nothing more than to…than to… "…."

"Elieen." It was Zeref.

Zeref's appearance broke Elieen's train of thought. "Your Majesty, did you still have some business with me? I'd very much like to focus, if you don't mind."

"I'd like you to stay your hand for a moment." Zeref said. This command was the complete opposite of what anyone expected, especially Elieen. "Stop what you're doing and heed my words." Emperor Spriggan commanded.

Elieen planned on expressing her objections to this notion. "Exactly what is the meaning of this?"

"I want to have one final conversation with Mavis. Just the two of us." Zeref said. While that was understandable…why on Earthland did it have to be now?

"You're saying this now, when we're so close to the finish line? Pardon my saying so, but this is beyond a foolish suggest-"

Elieen was cut off. "I require but three minutes."

"HO HO HO HO!" King's shoulders started to move up and down as he laughed. "And as we near the finish line, even Emperor Spriggan is not exempt from the villain's folly! Making such an obvious mistake when victory is in sight, thus causing everything they've achieved up until that point to be in vain! It is how every villain suffers defeat, so I hear."

Elieen cut her eyes at King. "It's no surprise that you would be well versed in such a pitiful defeat. I can only imagine that's how someone with Acnologia's power would be defeated otherwise."

"Ho ho! A sharp tongue!" King laughed Elieen's cutting remark off.

"Elieen." The conversation was getting sidetracked. Zeref still wanted his demands to be met.

"…But Your Majesty…" Elieen frowned. "I won't allow your wishy washy attitude to…"

"ELIEEN! That apparition is not me! It's an imposter!" The real Zeref exclaimed, catching everyone's attention.

"Your Majesty!?" Elieen's eyes widened as the Zeref that spoke to her vanished. "It cannot be…!" And when she put her hand on Mavis, it went right through and the woman faded away. "An illusion!?"

"Indeed. It's a magic which Mavis particularly excels in…" Zeref sighed. Mavis slipped away. "It seems that Invel has been incapacitated…"

"But when did have the opportunity to…!?" This was the first time that Elieen had been duped. She felt…frustrated and distraught at this level of confusion she was experiencing. "You're telling me that I of all people…was so handily deceived…?"

"HO HO HO!" King's laugh filled the guild hall. "I knew something was amiss with her expression! Only a genius such as myself could have seen through such a ruse." He was relishing in Elieen's folly. He tried to tell her, but she shrugged him off.

"Pursue her immediately." Zeref said. "Remember, you mustn't wound her under any circumstances."

Between being duped and having King laugh at her, Elieen was extremely pissed off now. Which was worse? Mavis actually pulling a fast one on her somehow, because the First master of Fairy Tail had the audacity to embarrass her, or having this jackass King laugh at her for this? As much as she wanted to throttle King at this very moment, it was more important to her to catch Mavis. Now it was personal. "With pleasure."

* * *

Thanks to her illusions, Mavis was able to buy herself enough time to escape the guild and began climbing down the hill the building rested on. "To think the day would come that I'd have to flee from my own guild…" Such a notion hurt her…but she knew it was necessary in order to take the guild back. "I must reconvene with the others by any means possible. However, given my current positions, returning to my allies will prove exceptionally difficult…" To put things into perspective, Mavis was escaping the enemy base, which was currently Fairy Tail. There were one million soldiers between her and her allies, meaning that slipping through was not going to be an easy task. As she thought about multiple means of regrouping she sensed someone approaching behind her! The First's eyes widened and her body stiffened on instinct, assuming that the enemy had already tracked her location. "…!"

"I shall escort you back to everyone." It was Mest! He looked a little beat up, presumably due to August's attack, which was the last time he was seen. But he extended his hand to Mavis, grinning slightly at his ablity to track her down.

"Mest!" Mavis' eyes lit up. He was just the person she needed and at the perfect time no less!

* * *

"Ha ha ha!" God Serena laughed at the three dragon slayers before him; Waiston, Blues, and Leon. Their battle so far had both sides surprisingly a little banged up, but far from finished. Especially on God Serena's end. He felt as though he could keep this up all day. "Do the three of you honestly think you can take the power of a GOD!? You'd do well to tremble before the might of God Serena, the strongest Dragon Slayer!"

"Man, this guy is super annoying!" Blues groaned. "He never shuts up!"

"Right?" Waiston cracked his neck, panting softly. Despite all appearances, God Serena was extremely tough.

"We can still defeat him, though." Leon said confidently.

"Is that a fact?! Then allow me to show you once more why all dragon slayers pale in comparison!" The hybrid slammed his hands onto the ground, causing it to crack and rupture violently. "Cavern Dragon's Rumbling Earth!"

"Shit…!" Waiston cursed as the ground split open from God Serena's attack.

"And…" Now the Spriggan began to inhale, his eyes shifting to a pitch black color as he let his dragon instincts run while. "Storm Dragon's Song of the Wind and Moon!" Exhaling, God Sernea unleashed a powerful blast of wind that consumed his three opponents, blowing them backwards as his raw power created a crevasse in the earth. "Can't you see now!?"

Not even a second after God Serena's attack faded did Waiston lunge forward in Frozen Sky, swinging his leg for a fierce roundhouse kick. "Frozen Sky Dragon's Claw!" The kick was blocked by God Serena's forearm, but the impact of it did send the Spriggan skidding backwards.

"Don't you get it!? All of your elements work poorly on me! Your attacks won't work!" God Serena proclaimed as flames ignited around his fist. "Purgatory Dragon's Blazing Hell!" Once again, he shot his palm forward, attempting to consume Waiston within the torrent of flame, but they were immediately extinguished by a water attack from Blues. "Hm!"

Leon then jumped up from above, acid and poison swirling around his fist as he closed in on the Spriggan. "Poison Acid Dragon's Iron Fist!" With his quick movements, he was able to land a solid hit on God Serena's cheek, forcing the Spriggan to stagger back a step.

"Oof…!" God Serena grunted, snarling at the audacity of this mere mortal! How dare they not bow before his glory!? "Storm Dragon's Blazing Sea!" Swinging two hands forward, a hurricane of wind, water, and fire was released at Leon. The composition of three elements shouldn't have worked, but God Serena did hold up to the title of Former First Wizard Saint.

"Acid Dragon's Swirling Corrosion!" Leon crossed his arms as a veil of acid appeared around him, serving as a defensive technique against God Serena's attack. The cocoon of acid did protect Leon for a little bit, but he was ultimately overwhelmed by God Serena's attack and thrown backwards with a grunt of pain.

Blues was up next, wasting no time in sprinting towards God Serena. "Blue Dragon's Bomb!" A dense sphere of water was hurled in God Serena's direction, but all the Spriggan saw was a snack! The moment the Spriggan opened his mouth to consume the bomb, it exploded!

"…!" God Serena found himself coughing from Blues' sneaky maneuver. "You dare trick a god!?"

Ignoring God Serena's remark, Blues continued to sprint forward as black water now formed around his right hand. "If you claim to be a god, then this should hurt you like nothing else! Kuro, lend me your strength!" Blues was calling upon his fallen friend, now using Water God Slaying that took the shape of a drill around his hand. "Water God's Piercing Drill!" With the distance closed, Blues stepped forward, slamming this watery drill right into God Serena's shoulder! It was a direct hit and the hybrid gasped.

"You…!" Gritting his teeth, God Serena used his free arm to grip Blues' extended arm, lightning beginning to surge between the two of them. More importantly, the element of iron began to spread across his arms to amplifying what was coming. "You little…! Raijin Dragon's Iron Blow!" With such a tight grip on Blues, the dragon slayer wasn't escaping. The lightning surged along the iron and exploded violently, sending Blues sky high.

"Gaaaaaah!" Yeah, that hurt quite a bit. Blues landed on the ground, bouncing a few times after his impact. Lightning sparked along his body occasionally and he was grumbling as he tried to stand up. His body felt a little numb after that, but luckily he wasn't fighting this battle alone.

Waiston's speed allowed him to slip behind God Serena. There was a smirk on his lips as his cheeks were inflated. "Frozen Sky Dragon's ROAR!" He let loose! A harrowing combination of ice and wind consumed God Serena, forcing him backwards. The area around and behind God Serena was completely frozen over and Waiston wiped his mouth with a smirk. "Cold enough for you?"

"Cold!? HA! Don't make me laugh!" God Serena scoffed. While damage was being deal to his person from their attacks, he refused to even bend a knee to them. "Now, bow before my might! Neptune Dragon's Circle of Water!" Swinging his left hand, God Serena created a torrent of water to sweep Blues, Waiston, and Leon within it. He knew that Blues was going to try and consume it and immediately followed up with his right. "Frigid Dragon's Frozen Nest!" This released a wave of ice that instantly froze the water over. The ice water created an interesting combination that neither Blues nor Waiston could stomach. "And…Luminous Dragon's Luster Purge!" He finished this combination with a roar of light, causing it to explode within the ice water. This sent his opposition crashing down on the ground, sprawled out before him just like the Four Kings of Ishgar before him. "Just as I said, you can't defeat me, God Serena. I am the Dragon God, the man with eight elements! And I will be the one to destroy Acnologia! That has been my mission. That is why I left this weak country several years ago. All dragon slayers are naught but a stepping stone before my righteous might! If you bow before me, I'll allow your God Bye Byes to be swift and peaceful."

"You've got eight elements…so what…" Blues coughed up a bit of blood before shakily making his way back to his feet. Waiston and Leon followed suit. "You think that scares us?"

"You refuse to bow!?" God Serena snarled. "This country is weak, and as far as I know, you are involved with that Fairy Tail bunch. This war has nothing to do with you!"

"That's where you're wrong." Waiston spat. "I don't care about Fairy Tail too much…but if you think you can just waltz in on our home and walk all over us…then you got another thing coming."

"In this war…right now, we're all allies and nakama." Leon's emerald gaze pierced through God Serena. "You've hurt my nakama, and that's something I can never forgive." His voice was calm as he said this, but one could see the rage within his eyes. A rage that had been bubbling since the war began. A rage that was about to boil over…

"So what you've got eight elements…" Blues laughed as his aura intensified, blue scales and markings beginning to form all along his body. Water exploded from his being and there he stood within his Ocean King Mode, glaring down the dragon slayer of eight before them. "You're playing with eight elements. But us? We're the masters of our own."

Just as Blues entered his Ocean King's mode, Waiston did something smilar. Light blue scales appearing along his body and the wind picked up dramatically. Frozen Tundra Mode. "What he said. We've been with these elements all our lives thanks to our dragons. I wouldn't be beaten by a poser like you in a million years. I wouldn't lose to someone that couldn't beat Sidney, either."

Acid erupted around Leon's body, green scales etching their way onto his face. The acid around his body corroded everything within a few foot radius, and the poison dripping from his person could kill even the largest of creatures with the slightest touch. Duo Dragon Force. "So the one who's going to be saying their 'God Bye Byes' is you."

God Serena started to sweat at the aura these three dragon slayers before him were giving off. What was this pressure!? No! Don't relent! You are GOD SERENA! He told himself this and fixed his stance, forcing a laugh and smirk. "Ha! You can power up all you wish. In the face of a true god such as myself, it matters not! Come, dragon slayers! Allow me to show you why I stand at the top of the latter, and I will crush you beneath my godly foot in record time!"

* * *

Roy and Jacob both threw punches, and they both avoided what was thrown at them as well. Jacob was a master of close combat and he could easily hold his own against two opponents. Roy went for a jab, only to find it blocked by Jacob's wrist. Thief and assassin were at a stalemate, though Roy was clearly enjoying himself. "I guess it makes sense for an assassin to be a master at hand to hand combat. Been a while since I've had some trouble throwing hands."

"Your skills aren't bad. But you shouldn't be involved in this fight. I can end your life in an instant." Jacob stated.

"Oh yeah!? Then do it!" Roy spoke with a wide grin, throwing his free hand forward to create a concessive explosion that pushed Jacob backwards. "Kill me if you can!"

Tristan rolled his eyes at Roy's enjoyment. While one was having fun, the other was simply trying to get the job done. With a steel sword in hand, Tristan dropped down from above, attempting to slice Jacob's frame. The Spriggan was still fast and evaded Tristan's slash by shifting his body to the side, using this momentum to kick Tristan in the back of the head. "Guh…!"

"It doesn't matter how many of you there are…." Jacob muttered while turning to Tristan, brandishing a knife to slice the Steel Make mage's throat. But it was parried by his opponent's sword, sparks flying from steel colliding against steel.

"I think it does!" Roy tossed several bombs at Jacob, each one laced with different explosive properties. However, just before the bombs connected, Jacob vanished!

"He's gone…?" Tristan narrowed his eyes.

"He vanished…?" Mira asked. She was watching the battle from afar, keeping Roy's cape tugged closer since it was the only thing she could cover her chest with.

Roy's eyes burned a fierce yellow as his sight magic came into play. "You can't hide from me. I see everything…" The explosive mage could vaguely see a figure sneaking up to Tristan's left and he pointed. "Left!"

Admittedly, Tristan didn't exactly want to trust Roy at this moment, but he had no choice. Tristan slammed his fist into his palm, a gray magic seal forming underneath him. "Steel Make: Knight's Armor!" Thick plated armor formed around Tristan's body, and just in the nick of time. Jacob attempted to stab Tristan, but the steel armor caused the knife to shatter. Now that Tristan knew where his opponent was, he swung an armored leg at his opponent's chest, but it was still surprisingly blocked. "What!?"

Jacob grabbed Tristan's leg, flipping him over onto the ground and started to bend his leg backwards. Sure he was back in full view, but now he had Tristan's leg bending back in a way it shouldn't have been. "Just because you're wearing armor doesn't mean I can't fight you. My magic may not be as destructive as the other Spriggan, but I'm well versed in taking people out regardless…"

"Tch…" Tristan grit his teeth before placing his hands on the ground, fighting against Jacob's grip.

"For someone who specializes in killing people, you're doing a pretty poor job!" Roy threw a white bomb forward. It was a flashbang! The sudden burst of light caught Jacob off guard and he shut his eyes, releasing Tristan in the process. As soon as he was let go, Tristan threw his feet leg forward to kick the Spriggan in the chest, causing him to stagger back.

"Agh…" Jacob shook his head and kept his eyes shut. He didn't need them to fight and he was going to show it now. With a swipe of his hand, an invisible whip struck Roy across the chest, cutting into his outfit.

"Sharp…!" Roy hissed in pain, shaking his head before grinning. "Not bad, I like this guy!"

"You're both extremely annoying." Tristan groaned before standing back up. Jacob started to vanish again, but Tristan wasn't having it. "Steel Make: Lance!" Several lances of steel shot forth from Tristan's palms, all of them shooting wildly in all directions to cut off all of Jacob's possible movement options. It was clear that while he could mask his presence, he was not invisible by any means. The lances did end up striking something, and once they did, Roy took over.

"Spiral Explosion!" He took a page from a certain demon's book; then again he was the better one anyway. Swiping his hand forward, a spiraling explosion occurred, sweeping Jacob within its blast radius to blow him away. "That one hit!"

Jacob flipped, gritting his teeth in slight annoyance. This was an annoying team composition; a man equipped steel clad armor, and someone who had more range than him, and could see him. He was slowly beginning to realize that this was an unfavorable match up for him….on paper. The assassin regained his posture and adjusted his gloves. "I see. You two aren't bad in your own rights. You complement each other in a strange way…"

"Don't ever say that again." Tristan cringed. The idea of him and Roy actually being a good team? Not one he cared much for. "But that aside…you are going to be defeated here and now. Your weapons won't pierce my armor, I'm sure of that."

"You're right." Jacob brought his hands up, keeping them spaced apart. "Which is why I'm going to do this the easy."

"W-What's he doing…?" Mira blinked slowly.

Zelos and Mii knew exactly what this was and started to pull Mira away. They may have been standing a fair distance away, but that was still too close. "Back away, back away!" Zelos yelped.

"If you think we're just gonna stand here and let you…" Roy started, but by then, Jacob clapped his hands together.

"Transport." Jacob said, clasping his hands together. Due to the range of Roy's attacks, they had the space all to themselves. This range was close enough for Roy and Tristan to be pulled within Jacob's pocket dimension.

"Oh shi-" This was the last thing Roy could utter before he and Tristan just…vanished!

"…W-What just…" Mira's eyes went wide at what happened. One second they were there, and the next they were gone.

Mii blinked several times, placing her hands behind her head. "…That ain't good."

"Now that they're out of the way…" Jacob adjusted his gloves. "Who's next?"

* * *

Bradman wasted no time in activating his Third Seal once again. With opponents such as Selene and Rogue, he planned on going all out against them. As such, the demon landed a fierce explosive punch across Rogue's chest, sending the shadow dragon soaring backwards. **"Come now, Shadow! Is that the extent of your power!?"**

"Gah…!" Rogue cried out as he felt the explosion rip his body apart. Upon landing, the shadow dragon caught himself in a crouched position, black scales forming around his body as he wasted no time kicking things into Dragon Force. "Shadow Dragon's ROAR!" From his lips a potent torrent of shadows shot forth, colliding against Bradman's frame to push him backwards.

" **That's more like it!"** The demon spoke with a pained grin.

"Diamond Shadow Dragon's Armored Horn!" Selene propelled herself forward, shadows cloaked around her body. Due to the shadows around her body, this allowed her to strike Bradman's frame and push him back.

After being thrown back, Bradman caught himself and crossed his arms into an X formation. **"Mikazuchi!"** Spreading his arms apart, he created several blades of curse that could slice through anything. Ezel's curse came into play once more, slashing against Selene's frame and piercing through her diamond defenses. Her diamond's didn't break, but again, it felt as though they weren't even there to begin with.

"Tch…!" Selene slid back, gripping the dirt with her fingers to halt her momentum.

Rogue slithered across the ground as a shadow, emerging once more while sliding past Bradman, thin beams of darkness spreading out from his fingertips to pierce the Spriggan before him. "Shadow Dragon's Rouge Silk!" That was an effective attack.

Bradman growled in pain before puffing his cheeks out. **"Ice Demon's Rage!"** Exhaling, Bradman released a blast of purple ice that consumed Rogue and Selene, causing them to fly backwards with a chill in their bones.

"Damn it…" Rogue was on a knee, panting heavily. "Was he this strong before!?"

"No." Selene shook her head. "It feels like he's gotten even stronger…but how can that be? He's already dead."

" **It is the curse of the Reaper…"** Bradman explained. **"The one who holds the epithet of Grim Reaper now is mine ally, Prometheus…"**

"The man from the north…" Rogue mumbled while making his way to his feet.

" **The Demon of Chaos. He grows stronger the more chaotic his surroundings become, and he holds the ability to harvest souls. Mine soul has been harvested, ironic though it may be. The dead souls he conjures up grow stronger as he does…"** Bradman divulged information that a few others were privy to.

"So unless we take him out…" Selene sighed. This was way more trouble than it should have been.

"Then you can leave it to me." Another shadow appeared on the ground. Two figures slowly rose from it side by side; Takeru and Arcturus. The one who spoke was Arc, his bandaged gaze shifting to Bradman.

"Arc…Tak…" Selene said with a wide grin.

Takeru stepped back from Arc as the demon of darkness walked towards Bradman. "Demons like this are rare…" Arc said while standing a few feet away from Bradman. "This will be the battle to repay my debt to Takeru. Sorry to say this, Spriggan…but I'm going to tear you apart."

* * *

Meanwhile, others were still combating against Alvarez troops. Droy, however, could take no more. The fat man collapsed onto the ground as he hit his limit. "Yeah, that about does it for me. I couldn't lift a fork…if I wanted to…"

"Droy! GET THE HELL UP!" Jet yelled.

It was no use. Droy could barely move. "I'm sorry but…" The soldiers were getting closer. "It looks like this is the end of the line for me…"

"DROY!" Jet yelled. He wasn't going anywhere without his friend!

"It's too soon for you to give up!" Gajeel stepped forward, swinging his arm as it turned into an iron sword, slicing down multiple soldiers. "I'll keep 'em busy here! So you guys fall back and regroup!"

"Gajeel…" Jet's jaw dropped.

"Don't bother…wasting your energy for a couple of useless scrubs like us…" Droy groaned in pain. "Urgh…you're in worse shape than us, for crying out loud!"

To their comments, Gajeel just smirked. "For all intents and purposes, my life was over. So having the chance to stand here and protect a couple of buddies like this…I couldn't ask for anything more!"

Gajeel's words…they were something he never expected. Jet stared at the iron dragon, completely dumbfounded at what he heard. "Buddies…?"

"You…actually see us as…your buddies?" Droy couldn't believe it.

"My ears must be deceiving me…those words coming from Gajeel…" Lily swung his sword up, cleaving through the ground and a number of soldiers in the process.

"Lily..!" Boy was Gajeel glad to see him!

"You sound like you've turned over a new leaf, Gajeel…" Lily stated.'

Gajeel then turned his gaze to Levy and everything stopped. "…Levy."

"Gajeel…" Levu felt as though she would tear up. "Gajeel, you…" And with no warning she lunged forward, kicking Gajeel in the face and knocked him down in the process. "BIG DOOFUS!"

"WHAAAAAT?!" Droy and Jet yelled in unison.

Gajeel landed on his back with Levy now on top of him. There were tears dripping down her cheeks and her body shook. "Stupid…! You said it yourself…you're going to take me back to the guild, right? So you better…you better keep your word!"

Gajeel's lips turned up to a smile. "Yeah. The guild's right in front of us."

"Ahh, youth is such a wonderful thing…" Zera finally said, peering out from behind a fallen piece of rubble.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?" Jet nearly screamed out in surprise.

"Wait…this voice is…" Lily recognized it.

"Hi there. I'm Zera." Zera offered a small smile.

"You were the one who guided us to the guild." Levy stood up now.

"Seems like she's a friend of the First." Gajeel said. Although he still kind of doubted that.

After a moment, Zera's body started to turn transparent. "Wait just a minute though…" Levy pointed at Zera. "Your body…!"

"What the…!? It's transparent!" Droy shouted.

"This can only mean Mavis' consciousness is finally returning…" Zera shrugged. "If things kept up as they were and I was completely forgotten, I was wondering what I would do, but…I'm merely an illusion created by Mavis' subconscious, so as soon as she remembers everything about me, I'll vanish completely."

"That's terrible…" Levy frowned.

At this, Zera waved her hands and laughed. "Ah! It's already been over 100 years since I died, so please, there's no need to start letting the waterworks fly! So much time has passed, so trust me, I won't be offended…!"

* * *

Mest brought Mavis to a safe location and informed her of what happened. It didn't make sense to her at first… "So you're saying a young lady's voice gathered everyone here?"

"It's speculation, but I'm guessing the voice could only be heard by Fairy Tail members." Mest said. "If anyone had been with a member of the guild at the time, it would only make sense they'd arrive here as well."

"Just who…who would be capable of such a th-…" And then it all came flooding back at once. _"Zera!?"_

The scene changed for Mavis as they were in her mind now. Mavis and Zera, finally reunited after over 100 years. _"Took you long enough…sheesh…"_ Zera scoffed. _"You had me worried there for a minute!"_

" _So you were the one who brought everyone here."_ It clicked for Mavis. _"I see. As a result of my revival, you…"_

The two of them were moving closer to one another for one final embrace. _"I've already done everything I can here."_

" _Thanks to you, the two of us have become one once again."_

" _I believe in you, Mavis…"_

" _Pleasant dreams, Zera…"_

" _I believe in Fairy Tail."_

" _You'll live on forever…together with me…"_

* * *

And just like that, Zera vanished. "She's…gone…" Jet had no idea what just happened.

"Aw man…she was totally my type too…" Droy sighed.

"We owe ya one, Zera…" Gajeel said with a slight grin.

"Thank you." Levy placed a hand against her chest.

"And with that, we have one more thing to look forward to after our victory." Lily said, turning to the others with a hint of a smile. "We'll get to hear all the stories of the First's adventures with Zera. The story of the origins of Fairy Tail!"

* * *

Now that Zera was back within her, Mavis felt renewed. Mest wasn't sure what happened, but he did try and say something. "First…"

"Zera has returned home." Mavis said with a smile. "She is here, within me…"

"U uh…the thing is, I…" Mest tripped over his words. What was he trying to say? Who knew. But right now, Mavis was ready to strike back.

"Now, the time has come for all of us to return to the place where we belong. Our guild. Our home." The Fairy Tactician was back.

* * *

Lucy was unconscious in a building, tied to a chair and bound with magic sealing stones. After Dimaria took the liberty of knocking everyone nearby unconscious, she decided to take Tia, Lucy, and Natsu elsewhere and restrain them. Tia was still out cold and Natsu wasn't even moving. Dimaria stood over the unconscious Lucy, placing her hands against her face to tilt her head up. "I hold you responsible! You killed her!" Dimaria exclaimed in a rage. "You killed my Randi!" How ironic…Dimaria was now the one blaming Lucy for the 'death' of Brandish. "Now I see why Em despised you so much! I thought she was just being petty, but as it turns out, you're an awful human being! The death of Em's daughter, and then the death of my dear Randi. If I continue to let you roam freely, who knows what else you'll take away from someone. Now then…what sort of torturous hell shall I show you to make you repent?" Dimaria didn't care that Lucy was one of Emmeraude's targets for the longest time. She was going to do the deed herself, even if the Emerald Queen disliked her for it it after.

* * *

"THERE YOU ARE!" Porlyusica was rushing towards the downed Brandish. Not much time passed, but Brandish was lying in a small pool of her own blood after Dimaria's ruthless attack.

"Porlyusica! You mustn't rush so!" Evergreen was right behind, along with Aira and Luke.

"Wow, look at that old lady book it…" Luke whispered. When he glanced around, he noticed that Happy was lying unconscious nearby. "What the hell? Yo, cat. You alive…?"

"Sssh…!" Aira shushed Luke, now rushing over to Brandish's side. It didn't take a genius to see that somehow, Brandish was clinging to life.

"My word…such grievous injuries…!" The old woman spoke in shock.

The sound of Porlyusica's voice caused Brandish to open her eyes. Honestly, the sound of her voice pulled her from the cold abyss of death she was fighting to not slip into. "Y…You're…" She vaguely recognized the woman from earlier.

"Don't move." Aira demanded, kneeling down to begin healing Brandish's injuries. She was in a very sensitive condition that needed to be treated right away.

"I'm Fairy Tail's apothecary consultant." Porlyusica shoved reintroductions aside. "But never mind that! What has become of Natsu!?"

"Natsu…." Brandish had to pull the most recent memories out of her slipping consciousness. That's right…the last thing she remembered was something about his tumor. She allowed it to grow again…

"My earlier diagnosis was horribly mistaken!" Porlyusica exclaimed in worry. "That tumor which you shrank…it wasn't anti-ethernano! I'm afraid it was something far worse…!"

.

.

Next Time: The Last Sight I Beheld


	74. Chapter 74: The Last Sight I Beheld

She slowly began to awaken. Lucy's vision returned to her and the first thing she saw was Natsu sitting unconscious, bound to a chair in front of her a few feet away. "Natsu?!" That's when she noticed that she was bound! When she took another look around, she could see Tia off to the side, also unconscious and bound just like her. The blonde began squirming about in a vain attempt to free herself. "What is all this!? When did I…!? Wait, magic sealing stones!?"

Dimaria suddenly appeared beside Lucy, a wry grin on her face. "Ishgar actually has some rather convenient tools, wouldn't you say? Not long ago, I was….done in by them as well." She didn't enjoy recalling the lowest points of her life, but now that she could relate to Lucy's situation, it made this all the more enjoyable. There was the silver lining at least. The woman took hold of Lucy's cheek, grinning down at her. "Restrained, tied up, and looking pitiful with no means of escape. Pretty much how you are now."

Lucy was forced to look up at Dimaria, but she did so with a look of anger. "How could you do that to Brandish…?"

"Me? No no…you were the one who broke her…" Dimaria clicked her teeth together, suddenly appearing beside Natsu.

"…." Lucy kept a stern gaze. Since Luke had told her about Dimaria's abilities, she wasn't surprised that the Spriggan could cross the room in literally no time. Dimaria then held up Lucy's top from her current equipped Aquarius Star Dress, smirking all the while. Now that Lucy noticed this, her cheeks flushed as her chest was exposed with no way to cover it! "Wha…huh…WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA YOU PERVERT! GIVE IT BACK!"

Dimaria casually tossed the top to the side with a grin. "Oh, don't you worry. I'll strip the both of them down too, and then you'll be in the same boat!" And right after she said that, she clicked her teeth one more. From Lucy's point of view, Tia's top was shredded and luckily for the unconscious woman, her hair was the only thing covering her chest. "Ah, so she is still breathing. You know…I was actually trying to kill her with that blow, but she's more durable than she looks…"

"T-Tia! Wake up…!" Lucy cried out. But Tia was really out cold and not waking up anytime soon.

"Although…" Dimaria then gripped Natsu by the back of his head. "This little punk's not moving at all, is he? Don't tell me he's already dead…" How boring. Lucy gave Dimaria a glare, only for her eyes to widen when the woman was right in front of her, leaning in very close. "You look just as good as you did a while ago during that little trial incident."

"Huh…?" Lucy blinked slowly.

"Oh, did Em not tell you all the details?" Dimaria snickered before taking a step back. "It was I that brought that terrible ordeal to a swift end. Along with your clothes."

"So it was you…!" Dimaria was the reason Lucy was naked back then! Not that this was the most important takeaway from all this…

"Yes, and she really, really hates you." Dimaria slowly sauntered around the room. "I heard her story and how her plan ultimately ended in failure. Here I thought she was clinging onto her failure as an excuse to hate you…but after seeing what you did to my Randi, I can see that she was entirely in the right." The woman's gaze narrowed and suddenly, Lucy had someone else that wanted her dead. "You killed her daughter, and you took away my Randi. You're nothing but an awful monster, aren't you!?"

"…." Lucy's gaze faltered for a split second. But only that split second. She continued to glare at Dimaria despite her current situation. If Dimaria had gotten to her moments sooner than the Neinhart battle, then her words about Sophie would have a more detrimental effect. But now? She went through a whole year of victim blaming and guilt over everything that happened. Slowly but surely those wounds began to heal; first with Natsu's return, followed by Fairy Tail's revival, and finally, Sophie herself saying she didn't blame Lucy. While there was more than Lucy wished she could have done…this didn't harm her anymore. "Sophie is my friend." Lucy finally said. "And so is Brandish…" Even if Brandish wouldn't say such a thing back, after learning that Brandish was never planning to kill her to begin with, she could say that with confidence.

"What was that…?" Dimaria's eye twitched in annoyance. Did she just say…

"I said they're my friends!" Lucy yelled, locking her gaze with Dimaria's to further get her point across. "Sophie looked me in the eyes and said she wanted to be my friend, and that she didn't blame me for what happened, and I believe her now! And Brandish…she was torn and didn't know what to do. So if our fight helped her clear things for her even a little bit, then…!"

SMACK! Dimaria could take no more. Her palm swiftly struck against Lucy's cheek, forcing the celestial's head to snap to the side violently. "You have no right to make such claims."

Lucy's cheek felt a little numb from the slap, but she then turned back to Dimaria with a fierce glare. "Is that the best you can do?"

OH. Lucy had attitude!? This just made Dimaria's lips curled into a twisted, yet annoyed grin. "You sure have a lot of attitude for someone tied down! You don't get to say such things after the things you've done!"

"Your words won't work on me!" Lucy spat. "You can hit me as many times as you want, it won't matter! I believe in them and I am not afraid of you!" Her mother's last wish was for her and Brandish to be friends. Even if Brandish felt as though she couldn't feel the same way, Lucy would be damned if she didn't try! It was clear that Dimaria had to try a different approach. With another click of her teeth, Dimaria was now perched on the chair Lucy was bound too, peering closely into her eyes. "…."

"What big, beautiful eyes you have." Dimaria's expression turned into a sinister sneer. "I wonder…are all Ishgarians born with them?" It was then that the woman pulled out a knife; the same one she used to attack Brandish. She lifted it up, holding it very close to Lucy's eyes. "Just looking at them really pisses me off. I suppose gouging them out would be a good place to start, don't you think?" Lucy didn't say anything; she just glared up at Dimaria still. "That's the best expression you can make? Some tears and screaming in terror would be nice. It would really help set the mood."

"I'd much rather lose my eyes than entertain your twisted fetishes you scum!" Lucy spat. "Even if I can't see everyone's smiling faces, I'll always remember each and every one of them. The sight of our guild, the streets of Magnolia, with all the shops and houses…all the stains and dirty spots on the books I've read…I'll remember them all! IF YOU'RE REALLY GOING TO DO IT, THEN GET ON WITH IT ALREADY! DON'T THINK FOR A SECOND THAT I'M SCARED OF THE LIKES OF YOU!" She wasn't budging on this matter at all. Dimaria could hit her, stab her, gouge her eyes out, do whatever; it was not going to work. Lucy was not going to break in front of this woman.

Dimaria was really getting annoyed. She was going to enjoy wearing down this attitude until Lucy was nothing more than a broken, crying mess! Emmeraude's grudge be damned, Lucy was Dimaria's now! "YOU REBELLIOUS LITTLE BITCH! I'm gonna take that pretty face of yours, and take my time covering in scars!" This scream was immediately followed by Dimaria thrusting the knife forward, right for Lucy's eyes.

Lucy didn't cringe. She stared at the knife head on as it came right for her! But in the very few seconds of her remaining consciousness, there was only one thing on her mind… _"NATSU!"_ And then…a vicious stabbing sound echoed through the room. The sound of a knife piercing through flesh.

* * *

Mira was in shock that Roy and Tristan were just…gone from the battlefield. All it took was for Jacob to clap his hands together and they vanished! "W-Where did they go!?"

Meanwhile, Jacob was adjusting his tie. That battle could have gone messy for him since it was out of his element, but his Transport allowed him to take care of meddlesome foes so long as they were within range. "So…who's next?" Jacob looked to Mira, Zelos, and Mii. He was fairly confident he could deal with any one of them easily.

"Don't look at Mii." Mii shrugged. "I'm not trying to fight anyone."

"I don't fight ugly dudes…" Zelos shrugged.

It was then that Mira tossed off the thief's cape, curling her hands into fists once more. "It seems I have no choice. I'll be your opponent! So once again, let's do this!" Stepping forward, Mira swung her fist right at Jacob's jawline…but she missed! "Huh…!?" It wasn't the fact that she missed that had her off guard. It was the fact that Jacob had his eyes closed and was still capable of dodging her with ease!

"Secret Technique: Shutting my eyes!" Jacob stated rather proudly. In the next instant, he returned fire with a swift punch of his own to Mira's jawline. The direct hit sent the woman back and some blood flew from her mouth. Just because he couldn't look at an exposed woman didn't mean he wasn't going to fight one.

"Ouch…!" Mira grunted, now wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "What's with this guy…?" As Jacob stated, his magic wasn't the 'strongest' or most destructive, but it did get the job done.

"I can see without seeing." Jacob remarked as his body vanished once more.

"Uhhh…" Mii blinked once. Could she actually see Jacob? That question was left hanging in the air since she didn't say anything.

Strike first. Strike last. Jacob's assassination techniques worked perfectly against someone like Mira in her condition. He took note of her injuries prior and simply struck at her weakest spots; her sides, her chest, and her legs. There was nothing Mira could do but threw thrown around helplessly by Jacob's blows. "Ah! Ah…!" And at the end of his assault, a kick to her chest sent her tumbling back onto the ground.

"Mira-chan!" Zelos cried out in worry!

"Don't do it…" Mii wasn't going to hold Zelos back though. She sighed as Zelos could take no more and charged forward.

"A white knight, are we?" Jacob adjusted his tie. Before Zelos could even get close…the clothes of Mira and Mii began to vanish! Since his eyes were closed, he didn't have to worry about the backlash of what was coming.

"Eh…?!" Mira blinked. It wasn't like she was wearing much to begin with since her outfit was in tatters, but this was still confusing and a little embarrassing to happen in the heat of battle.

"What the…?" Mii stared at her vanishing clothing. "Uh…"

Zelos sprint ground to an immediate halt and he just found himself staring, comical hearts appearing over his eyes and flowed from his being. "Oh…hello…" And of course the moment he did so, he was pushed onto the ground by Jacob and held with an arm pulled back. "Ow…!"

"This is…a truly hellish scene, isn't it!?" Jacob exclaimed. "How utterly vulgar it is to be exposed on the battlefield! It makes you want to turn away, doesn't it!? I didn't want to have to use this technique a second time, but now…!"

"Dude…this is awesome!" Mii didn't even try covering herself. She was just too busy making groping motions at Mira. "I want magic like this!"

"Mii…! Now isn't the time for this!" Mira whined while comically pushing on Mii's cheek to keep her at bay.

"What…?" Jacob was dumbfounded at Mii's attitude. Of course he wasn't looking, but he could tell from the sound of her voice that she was straight up enjoying this! "What is wrong with you!? Shouldn't you have some more respect for your fellow exposed woman!? Have some dignity!"

"Jokes on you! I don't know what that word means!" Hence why Mii was perfectly okay with letting it all out. Her hair was the only thing covering her chest, and she didn't even bother trying to hide her black panties. "I have nothing to hide."

"Y-You're so abhorrently vulgar…! I can't even look in your direction!" Jacob turned away. This was too much for him. The damage was already racking up and he wasn't sure how much he could take!

"Aw, come on…~" Mii cooed scooting closer and closer to Jacob. "Let Mii give you a closer look at a woman!"

"No, stop! Don't come any closer…!" Jacob pleaded. It was at that moment that a leg then slammed into his face, causing him to tumble backwards. "Ooof!"

"Wow, that a show." Roy dusted his hands off. Tristan was beside him, and boy did he seem pretty upset at the events that unfolded.

"What!?" Jacob regained himself, shocked to see Roy and Tristan before him. "How did you escape the Transport!?"

Roy pressed his index finger against his temple, a smirk noticeable under his mask. "Desperate times call for desperate measures. I can use my celestial bomb bag to escape to a different place if things ever look dicey for me! It's the ultimate thief escape trick! The only problem is that I can only use it once and it takes a while to recharge. With my buddy's help here…

"We are not buddies." Tristan added sharply.

"We were able to teleport out of your strange rift before anything bad happened!" Roy finished.

"We only took so long because he wanted to wait before dropping in dramatically…" Tristan was really fed up with Roy's attitude. The thief was kind of enjoying the show before them, while Tristan was arguing with him to hurry up and take the Spriggan out.

"T-This is…impossible!" Jacob snarled and brought his hands apart again. "If you can only use it once, then you won't be able to escape again!" Just before he could bring his hands together, there was a bomb between his palms. "Huh?!" And then the bomb exploded, releasing a pungent aroma into the air that forced Jacob to stagger back from the putrid stench. "W-What is this…?"

"A stink bomb." Roy shrugged. "The best way to defeat someone so skilled at killing people is to take them out of their element. Rob them of their senses; a stench so strong they can't see, can't smell, and can't ascertain their targets whereabouts…"

"Did you have to catch us in it too!?" Mii pinched her nose while waving her first around.

"Truly disgusting…" Tristan's armor kind of helped against the stench, but he could still smell it. Nevertheless, he slid into the maker's stance once more. "But it's time to bring this battle to a close before he recovers!" The Ace of Black Phoenix was truly about to go all out! "Steel Make: Phoenix!" The absolute strongest of his steel make spells. A large phoenix entirely composed of steel formed in the skies above him, towering over those who were currently present. "Finish him!" The phoenix let out a mighty caw before flapping its wings. The feathers of steel were launched forward, all of them sharper than the mightiest of blades. Jacob was consumed within the flurry of steel feathers, letting out a cry of pain as he was swept away.

"G-GOD DAMMMMIT!" The assassin screamed in frustration, feeling the feathers cut up his suit and skin.

Roy then held up a small bomb with an exclamation point on it. "Here's the big one!" The thief then tossed the literal nuke forward, allowing it to collide against Jacob's frame as he fell from the sky. There was a gigantic explosion that covered several kilometers, shaking the earth in the process with how powerful it was. "Got em!"

"….." Jacob fell from the sky, his eyes pure white to signify his KO. Even more so, his clothes happened to be burnt off again and he landed on the ground in his underwear.

Mira blinked a few times, a little impressed at their power. "Wow…so this is the strength of Black Phoenix and Shaman Haven's Aces…they're very strong."

"Eh. They were okay." Mii shrugged. "I could've taken him out easily…but I'm not lifting a finger."

"I think this turned out pretty well if you ask me." Zelos got to see Mii and Mira practically naked, so he wasn't complaining.

"I think Tristan and I make a pretty good team!" Roy said with a laugh, now intentionally getting under Tristan's skin.

Tristan started to walk off. He ended up using a lot of magic in the fight against Jacob, but he still had plenty in the tank. Plus he wanted to aid areas where others may have been struggling; they may have defeated an enemy commander, but the battle was far from over…and he needed to get away from Roy before he did something he regretted. "I will seriously teleport you into the middle of the ocean and leave you there to drown."

"We get along great." Roy waved a hand nonchalantly before deciding to see if Jacob had anything on him in his condition. He was a thief after all.

"I know he's an enemy, but…" Mira didn't exactly agree with Roy's actions….

6 Spriggan down, 6 to go…

* * *

"Arcturus…?" Rogue remembered this demon. He knew that the demon was fighting with them up north, but he also recalled him being a villain for a little bit.

"Don't worry, he's on our side." Selene said, trusting Takeru's words from before completely.

" **It matters not how many you send. The Reaper shall…"** Before Bradman could finish, Arcturus was in front of him, darkness cloaked around his hand. "…!?"

"Darkness Demon's Claw." A swift slash was delivered across Bradman's chest. The Spriggan let out a shout of pain as Arc's darkness easily tore through his Third Seal form. The attack was so fierce that there were several fissures behind the Spriggan.

" **Guh…!?"** Bradman stumbled backwards before snarling. How dare this demon think he superior!? **"Ice Devil's RAGE!"** After inhaling for only a split second, Bradman unleashed a potent blast of ice from his mouth, attempting to consume Arc within its frozen fury.

"Darkness Demon's Rage!" Without missing a beat, Arc fired off his own blast of darkness from his lips. The two attacks collided before Arc's completely swallowed up the Ice Devil's Rage, moving on to strike Bradman and blow him backwards.

"He's a lot stronger than I remember…" Selene remarked quietly.

"Yeah…" Takeru nodded in agreement. He then nudged Selene to snap her attention out of the fight. "Hey, listen…I sense something off. It's bothering me and I want you to check it out with me. I have a…bad feeling."

"You too?" Selene could also sense that something wasn't quite right.

"We can leave this to Arc." Without saying much more, Takeru started to sprint off in a particular direction with Selene close behind him.

"What…where are you two going!?" Rogue wasn't going to follow, but he wasn't going to stand nearby as these two titans did battle right in front of him. "Damn it…" Instead, he was going to focus his efforts on finding Minerva or Sting. This just left Arc vs Bradman. These two demons were going to need the isolation as well.

* * *

"Lucy! Lucy wake up!" Tia feverishly tried to shake Lucy awake. The room was in shambles; the chairs that they were tied to were completely broken. Tia didn't realize she was topless, but right now her attention was on Lucy who wasn't moving or even breathing. Blood splattered on the blonde's face, covering those beautiful eyes that Dimaria sought to carve out. "Come on…don't tell me you bit the dust….."

After a few moments, Lucy's eyes slowly started to open. She had both of them. "Huh…?"

"Oh thank goodness…" Tia felt her heart nearly burst out of worry.

"Tia…?" Lucy sat up, wiping the blood from her eyes. "What just…? Splattered blood? And my restrains have been undone…?"

"Hey…" Tia pointed to a corner of the room, and that's when Lucy saw her; Dimaria lying against the wall, battered and bruised as steam emanated from her being. She actually wasn't just lying against the wall; whatever happened caused her to be put _into_ the wall. The Spriggan was still conscious, but she looked as though she'd seen a ghost and had the biggest scare of her entire life.

"W-WHAT HAPPENED TO HER!?" Lucy was so taken aback she nearly screamed.

"I…I don't know…" Tia crossed her arms. "When I woke up, I was on the floor and she was just like this. I think…I think she's more frightened than she is hurt…" And considering Dimaria's physical condition…. "Natsu isn't here either…"

"Monster…" Dimaria wheezed. "It's a monster…"

" _It…it couldn't be Natsu…!?"_ Lucy thought to herself.

"That he could move freely within my time…I've never seen anything like it…" Yes, people intruded in Dimaria's time before, but from the sound of it, Natsu didn't even so much as pause when her magic was in play. "You're telling me his power surpasses even the gods….something capable of those feats…it could only be E.N.D…"

"E.N.D…" Tia furrowed her brows. Those words…they sounded a little familiar. In fact, considering Dimaria's condition, Natsu's disappearance and his actions…she was drawing a conclusion. A conclusion that she didn't like. "…No way…those initials…they couldn't mean…!?"

"LUUUUUUCCCY!" Happy flew right towards Lucy. He ended up flying right into her exposed chest. "WAAAAAAAAH!"

Luke, Porlyusica, Aira, and Evergreen supporting Brandish appeared in the area. "Natsu isn't with you!?" The doctor asked.

"Guys…" Lucy sure was glad to see them.

Brandish glanced in Dimaria's direction, immediately averting her gaze after. Dimaria nearly killed her. Aira had some bandages on hand to help with Brandish's injuries. "…."

"Randi…" Dimaria muttered.

"WHOA! YOU LOOK LIKE SHIT!" Luke pointed at Dimaria and his jaw dropped comically. "What the hell happened to you!?"

"Luke, that's rude…!" Aira hushed Luke. She didn't deny that it was true.

"You're still alive…what a relief…" Lucy let out a sigh of relief. She was happy that Brandish was still kicking.

"She was barely alive when we found her." Aira pointed out. "If we found her even a second later…."

"More importantly, you must bind Mari with those restraints immediately while you still can. I'm sure you're aware of Mari's magic by now…" Brandish huffed. She was still injured so talking was difficult.

"No worries. If she tries anything I'll stop her." Luke knelt down, staring at Dimaria. Of course he was here to vex her again, that's how she felt anyway. "So…what happened to you? You look like you got hit by a speeding train."

"….I don't…want to talk about it…anymore…" Dimaria groaned. She was still wheezing from the impact. Who knows how long ago this actually look place?

"So…what exactly happened in here?" Evergreen questioned.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Lucy shrugged. "I was captured together with Natsu and Tia. They were unconscious and she tried to torture me. I think I passed out…but I woke when Tia shook me."

"Is that why you two are topless…?" Now that Luke brought it up, Aira had to smack him in the back of the head.

"I can't believe you were staring…!" The blonde healer chided Luke.

"WHAT!?" Tia looked down and immediately covered herself. "AAAAAH! Why am I topless!?"

"KYAAAH!" Lucy covered her chest.

"Pervs…" Brandish said with a deadpanned expression.

More importantly… "Do you recall the tumor within Natsu? At the time, I was under the impression that it was anti-ethernano which developed due to Natsu overexerting his magic power. However, it turns out it was something else entirely. Even I cannot determine what it is exactly, but…in response to this girl returning the tumor to its normal size, it's like that his body suffered an 'attack'. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say it has awakened…" Porlyusica reported.

"Awakened…?" Luke asked while prying restraints off Lucy and Tia. He was going to be the one to restrain Dimaria. "What's awakened?"

"A sinister, demonic power…" The doctor said.

" _E.N.D?"_ That was the only conclusion Happy could draw.

Lucy immediately began to sprint off. "I-I have to go search for Natsu!"

"You're still naked!" Luke pointed out.

"AAAAAH!" Lucy completely forgot about that part!

So, cut to a few minutes later. Lucy was getting dressed with a spare change of clothes while Porlyusica was looking over Brandish's injuries. The woman removed her bandages so the doctor could get a better look. "Such grievous injuries…and yet…"

"Even with my healing…" Aira trailed off.

"I can alter the size of my wounds as well. Although the damage inflicted from them will still remain…" Brandish explained. "But when you found me, I was too weak to do anything…"

Evergreen crouched down towards Dimaria, who reluctantly explained the story once more. "So you're telling me that Natsu was actually able to move in suspended time? He really has become a full-blown monster, it seems…"

"Pffft….so it's suddenly incredible that he can do it?" Luke scoffed.

"It is when it's something he can't normally do…" Tia scowled. She was also dressed now.

"I'm able to shrink wounds to such a small size, and yet…I'm unable to shrink my own doubts, or lessen my uncertainty in the slightest." Brandish sighed.

"That's how it should be, don't you think?" Lucy asked. "People become worried, have doubts, and suffer through failures. And yet, they grow all the while. That's what I think anyway. And that's perfectly fine! Keep wavering, doubting, and questioning…and do it with everything you have! That's what it means to be human! It's proof that you're alive!" Lucy's words stunned everyone, yet they all grinned at the message she delivered. They all agreed with it, and her words resonated with Brandish in some way.

"Not bad." Luke said with a soft chuckle. With the restrains now off, he began to walk towards Dimaria. "All right, Dimaria…we're doing this again."

Again? Again. Again…? They were going to restrain her again? Was she going to look hopeless and pitiful in front of the enemy? In front of Randi, despite the fact she did aim for her life? Her golden gaze was directed at the approaching copycat. No…no…nononononononoNOOOOO! "AAHHH!" Dimaria suddenly let out a piercing scream as a golden pillar of light enveloped her body.

"Shit…!" Luke took a step backwards.

"W-What's happening!?" Evergeeen asked.

"She's so bright…!?" Happy cried out.

"Mari…!" Brandish knew exactly what was coming.

"So we're doing this again, are we!?" Luke asked.

The light died down and Dimaria was within her God Soul once more. The sudden rush of emotions overflowed and the Goddess of Time refused to be humiliated a third time. "You all shall bow down before me!"

"Not this again…" Luke groaned. "Now she wants a fight!?"

"The hell is this…!?" Tia growled.

"She's probably in a fight or flight response right now!" Aira suggested. "All this trauma isn't good for her mental state! She's snapped..!"

Between her first humiliation, Brandish's betrayal, and now being mocked by END of all things. Dimaria truly couldn't take it anymore. She wanted to obliterate everything in her way. "I shall destroy you all!"

"What do we do…!?" Lucy asked. She wanted to go look for Natsu immediately, but this…!

"Go." Luke turned his back to Lucy, keeping an eye on Dimaria. "I'll handle this one…"

"We can help…!" Lucy was prepared to take hold of her keys, but Luke turned his head back over his shoulder to glance at her.

"Right now, that idiot needs you more than I do. You're his partner, right? So go to his side." Luke said. The tone of voice…that wasn't something Lucy ever expected to hear from him. "The rest of you get out of here too, this is gonna get messy. I'm sure you don't want to see me embarrass your friend either…"

"….." Lucy simply nodded. "Tia, Happy, let's go! We have to find Natsu!"

"Right behind you!" Tia nodded, sprinting behind Happy and Lucy.

"Come on…we mustn't be caught in the crossfire…" Porlyusica told Evergreen and Brandish. The three of them had to depart as soon as possible to give this battle some space.

"…" Brandish gave Luke a look. One that asked for him not to kill Dimaria if he could help it. Not that she believed he had a chance against her…actually, honestly? She didn't know what to believe in anymore.

Aira stood next to Luke, a soft green aura around her body. "I'll back you up, Luke!"

"Perfect!" Luke stared at the enraged Goddess of Time, smirking at her. "I really didn't want to have to do this…but you're not giving us much of a choice, Dimaria!"

* * *

The landscape burned with every step he took. Many soldiers tried to stand in his way, but they were all brutally put down before they could even lift their swords. The ground melted with each step and he trudged forward, only one thing on his mind. His hands turned into sharp, blackish-red claws and his feet were soon to turn into talons. "Zeref…where is Zeref…" His gaze lifted up to the hill which the Fairy Tail guild stood upon. "There he is…" But when he looked forward, he saw someone familiar standing in his way.

It was Gray. The wounded Devil Slayer stood before his friend, getting a glimpse of what he was turning into. Invel's words from before had to be true – now that he was looking at his rival with his own two eyes…it was irrefutable. This was the essence of a demon. "Natsu."

Natsu stared at Gray. He barely recognized his friend. Right now, all he saw was someone standing in his way. His mission was to kill Zeref by any means possible. "Gray…" Their two fates, while being strung along by Zeref…were to tragically clash and tear the fabric of their bond apart. The rift between them had already formed, and it grew larger with each passing second…

.

.

Next Time: Rift.


	75. Chapter 75: Rift

Natsu and Gray. Two childhood friends who were raised under the same banner of Fairy Tail. But now, Natsu's 'destiny' to defeat Zeref, and Gray's hatred were now standing against one another, preparing to tear their bond asunder. "Move." Natsu demanded. He wasn't going to repeat himself either.

"So…you were E.N.D this whole time?" Gray asked, although he could see it for himself. "When Zeref spoke to you back in Tartarus..."

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Natsu screamed. His patience was running thin. The only thing on his mind was destroying Zeref. He wouldn't stand for Gray serving as the blockade to this mission.

"ANSWER ME, NATSU!" Gray yelled right back. Natsu's answer determined his fate, but at this point, Gray approached Natsu with a plan in mind.

"I will…defeat Zeref…" Natsu repeated over and over. "For that purpose, Zeref…I will…

"Looks like my words can't even reach you anymore…" Gray scoffed. What was in front of him wasn't his friend, Natsu. It was the demon he swore to defeat.

"Don't stand in my way…" Natsu's body trembled, the claws that were his hands radiating dangerous levels of heat. "I will…defeat…"

* * *

[Flashback]

After Invel was defeated by the hands of Gray and Diamond, he had no issues divulging information about END to Gray, the man he would make defeat Natsu to leave Zeref completely unopposed. "The demons of the book of Zeref are tools personally created by His Majesty in order to end his own life. His Majesty, who lamented his own immortality, aimed to create demons so powerful, they could kill even him. That goal is what drove him. And of those, his ultimate masterpiece was E.N.D: Etherious Natsu Dragneel. The peerless, most powerful demon. It was none other than his Majesty's younger brother."

"Are you serious!?" Diamond gasped.

"Moreover, instilled in the demons of the Book of Zeref was a sort of homing instinct. A specific 'thought' which they cannot help but obey. That is to kill Zeref…" As he spoke, he had a very hint of a smirk on his fist.

"…I see…" Gray clenched his hand into a fist. "Then I know what I have to do."

"Hold on!" Diamond stood in front of Gray. "Don't tell me that you're seriously considering killing Natsu. Don't you realize how stupid this is!?"

"Get out of my way, Diamond." Gray glared daggers into Diamond's soul. "This is something I _have_ to do."

"He's your guild mate-" Before Diamond could finish, Gray blasted her away with a fierce beam of ice. The ice itself likely didn't hurt and Gray knew that, but he couldn't afford to have anyone stand in his way. "Gaaaaah!"

"….." Gray didn't say a word. With Diamond out of the way, he began to walk off.

"Heh…" Invel chuckled weakly. His job was done…

[End flashback]

* * *

"I will defeat Zeref!" END yelled.

Gray scowled. "Who would've guessed…my greatest foe was so close to me this whole time, masquerading as…my greatest rival."

"I said…move." This was the last time END was going to repeat himself.

"My parents…ur…all because of Zeref's demons, they…" Gray clenched his hand into a fist. "And now Juvia…you're a part of the group that…!"

"I'm not asking again." END didn't care at all what Gray had to say, or how he felt. Nothing was important to him except the eradication of Zeref.

A chilling breeze passed by Gray's body, Devil Slaying markings appearing along his body as he immediately entered his Frozen Monarch's Mode. "Don't you worry, Natsu. You won't have to! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU AND STOP YOU DEAD IN YOUR TRACKS!" Gray reared his arm back, preparing to strike END with everything he could muster.

END foresaw this; he knew that Gray was going to attack him. Vicious flames ignited around his arm and he lunged forward in time with the man who was once his greatest rival. "GET THE HELL OUTTA MY WAY, GRAY!" END roared. The two of them swung and struck each other across the cheek, causing explosions of their elements behind the opposition. The two didn't relent, colliding their fists while screaming at the top of their lungs. The result was a massive explosion that spread out for miles on end; the only fortunately part about this clash is that they happened to be in a desolate area of the battlefield. As soon as the explosion faded, END swung a blazing claw at Gray's arms. The Devil Slayer barely managed to defend and slid back across the ground.

"Bastard!" Gray yelled, swinging his arm to quickly craft a Long Sword that slashed against END's chest. In his current state, such magic was highly effective and the demon roared out in pain.

"MOVE!" END exclaimed, immediately pushing off to launch himself headfirst right into Gray's gut! The blazing head butt pushed the devil slayer backwards and he just narrowly caught himself. "YOU CAN'T STOP ME ANYMORE! NO ONE CAN!"

* * *

[Flashback]

" _NATSU!"_

This was the last thing that crossed Lucy's mind just before she blacked out. Dimaria's knife was the last thing she saw, and just before that knife could stab into Lucy's face, he woke up. Natsu's eyes shot open and a strange sensation coursed through him. Flames erupted from his body and his chair shattered. "…!"

"What!?" Dimaria turned at this disturbance. Tia was still unconscious, but she noticed that Natsu was awake, and rapidly closing what little distance there was between them. "I see you're awake, but how about you wait your turn!? I'll happily play with you after I'm done with your friend!" Click. Time came to a halt…but Natsu didn't. "WHAT?!" It was over in a flash. Dimaria could only witness Natsu speeding towards her while raising a blazing hand…a hand that soon collided into her, sending her crashing into a nearby wall. Blood spurted from her body and splashed onto Lucy's face. The chairs nearby were completely destroyed and broken apart…

The first thing Natsu did was go to Lucy. She was unresponsive. "Lucy! Why aren't you move!? LUCY! LUCY!" And that's when it happened. Natsu was aware of this growing sensation within his body, but he had to hold it back. If Lucy was okay, he could hold it back…but she wasn't okay. To Natsu, he thought the worst had befallen her. After leaving to train for a year to make up for his failure of protecting her against Emmeraude, here he was…being shown that all of this was useless. When this realization struck, it awakened. The wheels of fate spun and there was now only one thing on his mind: killing Zeref.

[End flashback.]

* * *

"I CANNOT BE STOPPED! I _**WILL NOT BE STOPPED**_ _!"_ END declared while rushing down Gray. First Gray, then Zeref.

"I'LL HAVE TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THAT, BECAUSE I PLAN ON SHUTTING THAT MOUTH OF YOURS **_PERMANENTLY_**!" Gray proclaimed. Their bloodlust was at an all-time high. This was completely different from their clash in Avatar. Avatar was a misunderstanding, but this fight? They would not stop until the other lie dead.

* * *

"I have a really bad feeling…" Carla said while carrying Juvia's body. It was a little painful for her to be carrying the corpse of a fallen comrade. "We haven't been able to find Gray anywhere…"

"I hope Gray-san is okay…" Wendy sighed.

"He might break…" Cynthia brought up. "I know the feeling…of reaching your emotional limits. I don't know what he's doing right now, but if he keeps going, I don't think he'll be able to recover. If Juvia was still alive, then maybe…"

"Whatever he's doing, we have to stop him!" Wendy was certain of this. "Juvia would want us to, I'm sure of it!"

* * *

"So what exactly is the plan here…?" Tia questioned while running alongside Lucy and Happy. "As far as we know, Natsu is currently some sort of raging demon with no sense of self as Dimaria put it. So what are we going to do?"

"We have to bring him back to his senses somehow!" Lucy said. "Cynthia was in a similar situation, but Wendy was able to bring her out. So now it's my turn to do the same for Natsu."

"If Natsu keeps this up then…" Happy was still keeping quiet about it. But he was reaching his limit. Ever since he learned that Natsu would die if he defeated Zeref, he was completely beside himself.

"So what I'm hearing is we don't have a plan?" Tia rolled her eyes. "Guess we'll have to cross that bridge when we get there…" There was no time to think. Right now, they had to ensure that Natsu wasn't doing anything outrageous for his sake.

* * *

Arcturus was sent staggering backwards from Bradman's attack. Normally Bradman was someone he could deal with on even terms, but with the Reaper's Toll in effect, he was much stronger than he would be. "Tch...a stubborn one you are…"

" **Thou art powerless before the might of the Reaper…"** Bradman spread his arms apart, making use of his own curse power that surpassed the Nine Demon Gates. A sea of skeletons appeared around the two of them, gripping at the Darkness Demon to hold him down!

"The hell is all this!?" Even Arcturus was surprised at this. This power was nothing like that he'd witnessed in Tartarus.

" **Overskeltor!"** Bradman yelled. The skeletons released curse power that pierced through him in various locations, much like it did Gajeel earlier! Such an attack inflicted a high amount of damage, even Arc couldn't shake this one off so easily.

"Gaaaah!" The darkness demon snarled in pain.

" **It is as I said…thou art powerless, former demon of Tartarus. Thy power is naught compared to mine own."** The Spriggan was firm in his voice. This was his chance to prove his superiority, so a part of him was gloating about it.

With blood dripping from his lips, Arcturus managed a smirk. "So…that's the power of a Spriggan." Prying himself from the grip of the skeletons, the demon licked his lips. "Then allow me to show you what I can do…" Wings spread from his back, darkness emanated around his being, and the darkness demon let out a cackle. "I'm glad I was able to have a little bit of fun here…but now it's time to repay my debt!"

" **What is this!? You still stand!?"** Bradman gasped. In the next instant, Arcturus was in front of him, swinging a fierce claw of darkness across his chest. This ripped through his body and caused him to stagger back as magic barrier particles seeped out in a manner similar to blood. **"Guh!?"**

"That power of yours ain't bad…" Arc admitted before gripping Bradman's body. With the darkness around his being, this allowed him to treat the barrier particles as though they were tangible, physical objects. Thus, he could carry the Spriggan high into the sky. "But compared to what I've seen and been through, this isn't anything special! I'm here to repay a debt to an old friend that saved me. Therefore, you have to be eliminated!" Once high in the sky, Arc shifted his momentum downward, now dive bombing towards the ground at speeds that broke the sound barrier!

" **Release me!"** Bradman attempted to force Arc to release him in various ways. Ice devil slaying wrapped around his limb, and he began thrashing about violently to strike Arc. The devil slaying did hurt, but Arc's grip only grew tighter!

"White Eclipse was my home at one point, and I turned my back on them….and he saved me from my own inner darkness. So that's why…you're going down!" Arc screamed as darkenss wrapped around the body of them. "Darkness Demon's Impact!" The two then crashed into the ground, resulting in a massive explosion that shook the earth. There was a gigantic crater in the earth from the point of their impact, but Arc was the one who remained standing after. Bradman was down, jaw hung open while his body reverted back to its regular form.

"… **The power of the Darkness Demon…far surpasses mine own…"** Bradman was forced to admit. He could already feel his form starting to fade due to his own defeat…his soul returning to Prometheus. But Arc couldn't let him go away so easily.

"Prometheus. Pandora. Where are they?" It seems as though Arc had some reason for demanding their whereabouts. At some point in time they were allies, but now they were on separate sides of this war.

" **Kukuku…"** Bradman chuckled. **"Promethus…Pandora…do you truly know who they are…?"**

7 Spriggan down, 5 to go…

* * *

The Ocean King, The Frozen Tundra, and the Acid Dragon. All three of them stood before God Serena, who had a slight sweat drop at their might. Their power was incredible, however… "Ha! You can bolster your power all you wish, but it is useless in the presence of a god-!" Before he could finish, Blues was already upon him. "…!"

"Ocean King's Iron Fist!" A simple technique, but one that packed so much power behind it. Blues violently swung his fist at God Serena's face. The Spriggan was able to block it at the last second, but the power behind the punch sent the dragon god sliding back across the ground a great deal. The water itself had no effect on him, but that power….

"What…?" God Serena was admittedly taken aback. What sort of powers did these dragon slayers have before him!? "You dare lay your filthy fingers on this god!?" The Spriggan then pushed off, rearing his leg back as lightning and ice swirled around it. "Raijin Dragon's Frigid Blow!" The simple kick landed against Blues' side, causing him to fly off to the side. "Do not underestimate me!" And it was at that moment things got…cold? The air started to freeze. Normally God Serena wouldn't feel chilly, but this cold was…!

"I noticed you're shivering…" Waiston said while giving God Serena a smirk.

"Chilly? Me!?" God Serena took this as an insult and began to inhale, gathering both flames and wind within his mouth. He was tired of these Dragon Slayers thinking they had him on the ropes! "Storm Dragon's Infernal Current!" Exhaling, the Spriggan unleashed a widespread torrent of wind and flame to consume the Frozen Dragon. But the closer it got, the more it began to freeze until it was just…frozen solid. "What is…this…?" Even God Serena began to freeze!

"Frozen Dragon's Clear Domain!" This was the opening Waiston needed. Anything and everything Ice was completely under his control. God Serena was soon completely frozen solid along with his attack, leaving nothing but a clear wasteland!

A few seconds passed before flames exploded around God Serena, melting his frozen prison. His anger was starting to get the best of him and soon multicolored scales began to form around his body, each color signifying one of the elements he wielded. This was his Dragon Force. "Enough! It seems you don't understand your place, so allow me to remind you! This is what a GOD does to ants! Cavern Dragon's Iron Grave!" God Serena brought his hand down, causing the ground under Waiston to break apart and shatter instantly. Before the frozen dragon could even move, spikes of iron rose up from the cracks in the ground, piercing him various locations.

"Gaaaaaaah!" Waiston cried out, blood spurting from his wounds. Luckily for him, God Serena missed his vitals, so he didn't die from the hit. But if he took another hit like that, he wasn't so certain on his chances of survival.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art…." Dragon Force or not, this didn't stop Leon from sprinting forward, using the opening that Waiston gave him. "Emerald Corrosion: Uprising Tower of Wrath!" The acid dragon burned a hole through the palm of his own hand, mixing poison and acid together that took the shape of a dragon's head. Leon swung his fist up to God Serena's chest, allowing this dangerous mixture to rush out and carry him towards the heavens. The beam of poison and acid burned into God Serena's body, causing the Spriggan to cry out in pain as he was taken for a trip into the sky. "AAAAAH!" Leon roared as he focused all of his efforts into this attack!

"AAAAAH!" God Serena let out his own roar, Despite the damages dealt to his body, he flipped once more and his eyes turned pitch black. The Spriggan began to inhale, all eight elements he controlled swirling around his mouth. "DRAGON GOD'S ROAR!" To assert his dominance, the dragon god unleashed a potent roar of all his elements. His positioning allowed him to consume Leon, Blues, and Waiston its wake, and impact with the ground caused a large dome explosion to spread out. There were probably a few soldiers caught in its wake, but at this point, God Serena didn't care. He landed outside of the cloud of smoke, exhaling heavily from the amount of magic he used. To think he was pushed this far! Even with the Reaper's Toll, these three were… "Still standing!?"

Somehow. Blues, Leon, and Waiston weren't looking great, but their eyes burned with a look of defiance. "Not yet." Blues panted.

"You continue to defy me…even though you should have said your God-Bye Byes…" God Serena was sick. His fangs bared and he violently pushed off again, preparing to finish this job once and for all! "I shall show you the undeniable might of God Serena! Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Dragon God's Domination!" God Serena focused every bit of magic power he had into his fist. It was clear that an explosive end awaited anyone on the receiving end of this blow, which is why the trio of dragon slayers had to put a stop to this monster here and now!

"Roar…" The trio inhaled, gathering as much magic as they possibly could for this climatic attack. This was their final stand. If God Serena broke through this, then they were finished. It was as simple as that.

"Of the Ocean King!"

"Of the Frozen Sky Dragon!"

"Of the Acid Dragon!"

Water, Wind, Ice, Acid, and Poison merged together in perfect harmony, creating a destructive beam of magic that obliterated the ground it traveled over. God Serena roared at the top of his lungs, swinging his fist right at this attack to break through it. He collided against it and there was a strong stalemate; neither side could break through the other, but they were both losing ground at the same time! God Serena grit his teeth, slowly but surely making his way through the attack. "This is the end for you gnats! Bow down before GOD SERENA!" This was bad! He was going to break through and end them! God Serena began laughing victoriously. He could taste it now – victory was within his grasp, he just had to push a little more. Even though this roar was slowly tearing him apart, he could finish them before they finished him. "Say **GOD BYE-BYE!** " And that's when it happened. A bolt of red lightning crashed down on top of him, thus breaking his concentration. "…Who are you to interrupt a god!?"

It was Laxus. He was still pretty injured from his battles against Wahl and Hades, but the lightning dragon of Fairy Tail was here, his right arm reared back as red lightning sparked around it violently. "You're an enemy of Fairy Tail. I don't give a damn who you are. You're all going down." Laxus' lightning body came into effect and he sped forward, closing the distance between them before swinging his fist forward. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: CRIMSON THUNDER!" The S-class of Fairy Tail swung his fist into God Serena's back, the momentum he carried pushing God Serena helplessly into the gigantic roar that threatened to consume him. The red behemoth let out his own battle cry, just as the other dragon slayers used this chance to push forward on their attack!

"NO! NOOOOO!" God Serena cried out as he was consumed by both attacks. There was nothing he could do as the inevitable explosion occurred, throwing his mangled body into the air. He was kicked out of Dragon Force, his eyes pure eye to signify his KO. "How could…a god like me…be defeated…!?" This was his last thought as his body hit the ground, limp for the last time.

"…Whew…" The trio of Blues, Leon, and Waiston all ended up falling over after exerting themselves so much.

"…." Laxus wasn't feeling all that great either. He clenched his hand into a fist while exhaling heavily. This battle was still far from over…

8 Spriggan down, 4 to go….

* * *

Back in the center of the field, the battle raged on. Fairy Tail and the other guilds were still having a rough time pushing ahead. Makarov was starting to feel his limits approaching and clutched his chest, huffing and puffing heavily. Alzack noticed and turned to face the old master immediately. "Master!?"

"You young'ns don't need to worry about it!" Makarov panted. "Now advance!"

"As much as we'd like to…" Max was panting from exhaustion. "The enemy forces aren't decreasing in the slightest! There's just no end to them!"

Erza stepped forward, wielding a large broadsword to cut down the enemy numbers. "FEAR NOW! I SHALL CARVE A PATH!"

"Erza!" Laki grinned.

"Stop complaining and get to work!" Jack said while releasing his Wicked Flames upon the enemy. They weren't exhausted yet, so they were going to keep fighting!

"Forgive me…" Makarov cursed his old age. It had been plaguing him for a while now, but it grew worse as the battle progressed. He honestly didn't know how much time he had left…

"Master, please do not overexert yourself." Erza turned her head over her shoulder, glancing back at Makarov with a soft smile. "Let us all return to the guild together, without fail."

Erza's words rejuvenated Makarov's spirit and he managed a smile of his own. "That goes without saying, ya dumb whippersnapper!"

And right at that moment, a gigantic eye appeared in the sky. It was Elieen's ocular magic and she was scanning the battlefield for the escaped Mavis. "Mavis…you can run, you can hide, but in the end, it matters not. None can hope to escape from my gaze." The Scarlet Despair's voice echoed through the entire battlefield!

"WHOA, THE EYE TALKED?!" Strong yelled.

"Mavis!?" Warren gasped.

"Is it looking for the First!?" Romeo suggested. The appearance of the eye alone caused mass confusion and panic on those opposing Alvarez.

"That voice belongs to…" Mira turned up to the sky. She recognized Elieen's voice. It was hard to forget someone that attempted to kill you.

* * *

Yukino and Sorano were still hunting down Prometheus and Pandora. Their search for the duo was halted by the eye that appeared in the sky. "That voice…" Yukino somewhat recognized it. "The strongest mage who we encountered in the north…"

Sorano, on the other hand, was very freaked out by the giant eye that was peering down on them. "EEEEEK!"

* * *

"The Scarlet Despair…" Brandish knew who it was even before she spoke. If Elieen was about to get involved, then…

* * *

"The hell is that…?" Bacchus stared up at the sky, unsure of what it was he was looking at.

"Whatever it is, it's hideous…" Minerva scoffed.

"What are we supposed to do about that!?"

"It's giving me the creeps!"

"I've never seen anything like it!"

Elieen's presence shocked many, but she only wished for Mavis. While the others were sent into a state of panic, it was time for her to return and push back against Alvarez. _"I've no intention of running or hiding."_

"…!?" Elieen's eyes went wide at those words.

"That's the First's voice!" Levy said, looking around frantically. "But where is it coming from!?"

"That ground on which you stand is our guild. It belongs to us! And we shall take it back from you, without fail!" By use of her illusion magic, a giant Mavis appeared on the battlefield on Fairy Tail's side, extending her arm out to lead everyone to battle! Mavis' form could be seen by everyone, and she intended to rally all of Fiore's forces and push them to victory! "My comrades! If my voice reaches you, heed my call! In this battle we are all allies, fighting together with one goal in mind! White Eclipse, Sabertooth, Lamia Scale, Black Phoenix, Dealer, Cosmic Star, all of you! Your efforts in fighting with us in this war have been greatly appreciated! I didn't wish to get you involved at first, but despite that, you've fought alongside us, and are now helping us reclaim our guild, and for that I cannot thank you enough! Now, join together and fight! Your blades, your strength, your magic, entrust them all to I, the Fairy Tactician! And I shall guide you all to victory!"

Gildarts held a smirk at the words Mavis spoke. "Well…now there's something you don't see every day…"

"She instantly raised the morale of everyone on the battlefield. Simply amazing!" Erza said with a grin.

"So that's her huh…?" Reve looked up at Mavis, scowling at her words. They weren't doing this for her! "I'm not taking orders from a Fairy. You can do what you want…just don't get in our way."

"AHAHAHAHA!" Bacchus let out a hearty chuckle at Mavis' words. "I don't know who she is…but she sure got everyone's spirits high!" The drunk lifted his flash into the air. "SO LET'S KEEP AT IT! WIIIIIIIIILD!"

"FOUR!" The cheer resounded from a number of people fighting. If there was one thing Bacchus was good at, it was lifting spirits through his guild's infamous cry!

Emmeraude was back on the ground, staring up at the large Mavis towering overhead. A hint of a smirk crossed her purple painted lips and she began to saunter forward since she had some ground to make up. "To think you escaped from Elieen that easily. I have to admit, Mavis…you are quite the adversary. Let's see how brilliant that mind of yours truly is. I've been anxious for another round against the Fairy Tactician and her forces…" Her Majesty's emerald aura wavered around her body slightly. Emmeraude was taking this battle very seriously, and yet, at the same time…there was a stint of excitement welling up in her being. This moment solidified her renewed convictions. This was a battle worth fighting. Ironically…Mavis' encouraging words for Fiore's forces ended up motivating the Emerald Empress that much more.

* * *

Elieen tilted her head down at Mavis' words and appearance. "I see…so you had long since predicted my lines in this whimsical little production of yours…." The Scarlet Despair lifted her gaze, a sinister grin mixed with a hint of irritation spreading on her lips. If Mavis wanted to pla like this, then Elieen was willing to do the same. "You really know how to get under my skin… _ **little girl...**_ "

.

.

Next Time: Trump Card.


	76. Chapter 76: Trump Card

So Mavis wanted to play this game, did she? Elieen was more than willing to play, then. The Scarlet Despair stood in front of the Fairy Tail guild hall, lifting her scepter up, she tapped it on the ground. The hill that extended to tomorrow shone brightly as a strange light emanated from the woman. This light spread from the hill to the battlefield, and more importantly, the numerous Alvarez soldiers began to moan and groan from this sudden surge of power welling up within them! "I worked this Beserker spell on Neinhart earlier…he was able to retain his sense of self for some time before it crumbled. But despite his loss of reason, his power increased dramatically…so I'm curious to see how this pans out…"

"Hey, what's going on with them!?" Max asked.

"The soldiers are acting strangely…!" Warren gasped.

"OOOOOOOH!" Every single Alvarez soldier on the field moaned and groaned before their bodies erupted in a strange aura. Their heads shifted to something more inhumane and they charged forward. "BERSERKER!

A soldier was charging towards Erza while rearing its sword back. Titania was prepared to block the hit and when she did…there was an astronomical increase in strength compared to before. The blow was so intense; Erza was sent tumbling backward along the ground, "Kuh…!"

"ERZA!" Warren cried out in worry, but the one he should have been worrying about was himself! He stagger back just in the nick of time as a sword came for his neck. "Ahhhh…!"

"The enemy's combat abilities have been upgraded!?" Erza asked, although upgraded was putting it lightly.

"Who cares?! Just keep pushing forward!" Jack yelled while continuing to set the enemies ablaze just as he did before, only to realize that it was having a much less of an effect. "What the hell!? My flames…they aren't even budging!"

This single spell alone was enough to shift the tides against Fiore's forces in an unfavorable manner. Many people were getting the crap smacked out of them by these raging soldiers. "We already had our hands full just dealing with their numbers, but now we have to deal with this too!?"

Makarov remained silent at their situation. "…" It seemed that he was at a crossroads.

Elieen watched the display before her with an evil, anxious grin. Mavis talked big about leading Fiore to victory against them, so she was very eager to see how the infamous Fairy Tactician was going to handle this situation. "Now then…what will you do to counter this, O' Great Fairy Tactician, Mavis?"

"It doesn't matter how many of them there are!" Reve groaned while spreading his arms apart, creating a multitude of guns all around. "Devil's Wheel!" The guns began to bombard the Alvarez troops with bullets, pumping them full of magic lead. To his surprise, he found that he was only pushing them back at best. "….This is…"

Erza shifted to her Clear Heart Armor, using the Ten Commandments spear to slash at numerous soldiers. The blows she dealt, while not fatal, were still to deal a bunch of damage. The soldiers stood up, contorted their bodies a bit, and then charged right back at her. "What!?"

"That's just great! So on top of everything, you're telling me they don't feel pain either!?" Max didn't like how this was looking at all, and the tide battle continued to shift against them. Many Fairy Tail mages were being thrown down to the ground against the oppressive might of Alvarez's berserker soldiers.

"This is getting more troublesome than I would like to admit!" Jaxon said while forming a vicious twister. He planned on sucking the oxygen right out of the soldiers to render them unconscious, but he didn't foresee them brazenly charging forward just to hit him. "Damn it! Who pissed in their cereal this morning!?" The White Eclipse guild master groaned while wincing at the gash along his side.

"Their strength…this is absurd!" Tristan was narrowly parrying sword strikes from the soldiers. "Where did this come from!?"

"Who knows, but even I can admit that this isn't good…!" Roy was somewhat at his wits end. The best he could do was cause massive explosions to blow the soldiers backwards, and it worked. But despite the heavy amount of damage he was putting out, the fact these soldiers didn't feel any of it put a hole in that plan. "Ahaha! Wow, these guys are seriously tough…!"

"Increasing the size of a gnat doesn't make it any more threatening." Minerva was firm in ensuring that these soldiers wouldn't make it past her. Spikes of territory magic impaled incoming soldiers in various locations. To her surprise, their charge didn't even pause for a millisecond, and she found herself narrowly avoiding a slash aimed at her thigh. "What on earth is happening here?! They're not actually invincible, are they?"

"This is pretty wild…" And for once, Bacchus didn't mean it in the good way. Good thing he was hammered out of his mind right now, because that drunken agility was really saving his life, narrowly swaying away from sword strikes that would be fatal otherwise.

Makarov watched the situation spiral out of control. Everyone was being surrounded. At this rate… "Is this…where we make our final stand?"

"MASTER! WE MUSTN'T GIVE UP!" Erza screamed at the top of her lungs, even as a blade stabbed right into her shoulder. "I will create a path! Give us an opening…NO MATTER THE COST!" Erza swore to everyone that she would create the path to their guild, and she refused to back down from this!

Makarov took a very familiar stance. "So this is where it finally comes to an end…my long journey…"

"That stance, it's…!" Laki knew what it was.

"Fairy Law…!" A wounded Vijeeter grinned.

"That's right, we've still got that up our sleeve!" Max grinned.

"The battle's as good as won!" Romeo exclaimed.

"NO!" Mavis yelled, rushing onto the scene as fast as she could. "YOUR JOURNEY DOES NOT END HERE!"

"First…!" Alzack was surprised to see the actual Mavis show up so quickly.

"Fairy Law is a spell that shaves away one's very life in direct proportion to the amount of enemies on which it is cast! IF you use it on such a large force, your body will not be able to endure it!" Mavis rapidly explained.

"No…" Romeo understood. If Makarov did this, then…

"First…" Makarov kept his eyes closed. "I am very well aware of that fact. I beg of you…do not stop me. The time has come for me to make my grand exit."

"I HAVE A PLAN!" Mavis said. She needed Makarov to trust her. "I've formulated a strategy which ensures our escape form this dire situation…!"

" _ **ENOUGH!"**_ Makarov yelled at Mavis, causing her to halt. She didn't expect him to raise his voice at her like this. "My precious children and their ally brats are suffering right before my eyes! They're being beaten and bruised on this hellish battlefield as we speak! To you, they may be nothing more than pawns on the battlefield you can maneuver, but to me, these brats are my irreplaceable children!"

Mavis was stunned. Is that how Makarov perceived her perception of them? "I…that's not…"

"I know it all too well! If we follow your plan, we will surely seize the momentum and come out victorious! BUT THAT MATTERS NOT! I CANNOT BEAR TO STAND IDLY BY AND WATCH MY FAMILY'S BLOOD BEING SHED ANY LONGER! With the last few remaining years of this old soldier's life…if I can use them to create a bright future for these brats…well, then I know what to do. My job is a simple one…"

"MASTER!" Erza screamed at the top of her lungs. Unfortunately for her, she was starting to be overpowered and grabbed at by various soldiers.

Before Makarov could say another word, a hand chopped the back of his neck, the absurd level of strength nearly putting him through the ground. Mii was standing over Makarov, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. "What the FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" The angel screamed, unable to help the stream of tears flowing down her cheeks. "How DARE YOU ABANDON ME A SECOND TIME!?"

"Mii!?" Now really wasn't the time for this! Mavis was in shock at Mii's actions.

"You talk about wanting me to live on, how I was one of your children, and yet you're going to throw away your life on something that might not even work!? How the fuck can you be so irresponsible and hypocritical!" The woman then lifted her leg, kicking Makarov across the ground. He didn't even bother fighting it, but Mii's actions were horribly timed. "ANSWER ME, MAKAROV!"

"Mii, PLEASE STOP!" Erza begged. The only reason she had yet to be grappled into submission at this point was due to Tristan's efforts, for he was able to stave them off, but barely.

"Stop it, Mii!" Mira pleaded.

"Mii…!" Mavis called out to the enraged woman.

"Mii-chan…" Zelos frowned. He wasn't expecting Mii to blow up like this…then again; he wasn't expecting these soldiers to become rampaging beasts! It took all he had just to fend a few of them off.

"I WANT AN ANSWER!" Mii kicked Makarov again, the tears she shed growing heavier and heavier. "How can you lie to me like that!? How can you abandon me, after apologizing before and everything! Was my time here just a whole fucking lie!? A waste of what little time I had left on this stupid world?! Did it mean nothing!?" A soldier attempted to jump at Mii from behind, but she backhanded the thing and broke its neck in the process.

Makarov grunted with each kick. Every kick wasn't fueled by Mii's own strength, but the frustration and sadness that was building up inside of her for the past year since he disbanded Fairy Tail. "Ugh…gah…! Mii…you…the moment you were branded with the mark…you became one of my children, for better or for worse. I could see it on your face every day…genuine happiness." Not even Mii's lies could fool Makarov. He was an old man, one with experience. When he said that, she stopped kicking him. "I am truly sorry for the heartbreak I've caused you…it was never my intention. I was simply trying to look out for everyone…because this engaging in this battle could mean certain death, and I had to avoid that for everyone, including you."

"…When I was finally able to call this place home…you threw it away." Mii clenched her hand into a fist, trembling with anger. "And now you have the audacity to throw yourself away, because you can't watch them be hurt? You saw how hurt everyone was and you turned your back on them, is that what you're doing!? Running away from your decisions?! If you want to die, then fucking die! I don't care! Throw your life away; I knew I couldn't trust any of you!" Broken promises. That's all Mii saw.

Makarov slowly stood up after the beating Mii gave him. "…I'm truly sorry…" His decision was made. Even Mii, who claimed she couldn't come back to Fairy Tail…he still thought of her as a brat. "You were truly…the biggest brat. Who went through the biggest change while under Fairy Tail's flag."

"…." Mii turned her back to Makarov. She didn't have anything else to say. If he wanted to die, then so be it. She wasn't going to stop him.

They lost a lot of ground and time because of Mii. They were getting surrounded and Makarov had to act fast if he wanted to save everyone. But at that moment…a number of soldiers when flying! Club Strong and Spade Magnes were working hard to put them down or at least render them immobile! "What's with the gloomy attitude around here!? Don't tell me you guys are tired yet!?"

"You shouldn't be worried…because you still have your Ace in the hole!" Black Ace, reporting for duty! Ace, Heartless, and Daigo arrived on the battlefield, plowing through numerous soldiers in their wake. "Meteor Light!" Ace dropped down a series of white meteors that exploded upon the battlefield, giving Fiore's forces a little more space.

"Ace!" Jack grinned. "What took you guys so long!?"

"Traffic." Ace smugly responded. "But nobody will be dying on our watch! Ain't that right, Joker!?"

Red Joker was still on the battlefield, having little trouble with the Alvarez troops. Between physical blows, missiles barrages, and the occasional Dread Lazer, he was doing fine! "These insects…simply because they have strength doesn't make them invincible." He was more annoyed than anything else, but holding his own just fine.

"Come on guys, we have to keep pushing!" Alex yelled. "We can't let Fairy Tail's master die! That would make Cynthia sad, and I can't have that!"

At this moment, Sidney made his appearance. The ghost mage used his pure strength to knock away various soldiers and it was revealed that he wasn't alone: Micaiah, Kanade, Reiss, and Vanya were soon to join the fray! "This battle isn't over yet!" Reiss yelled.

"Let me at 'em!" Kanade roared. She was matching these soldiers when it came to raw strength, pushing them away with bare punches alone.

"…" Makarov was prepared to throw away his life, and he still was. But to see everyone banding together like this? After all the conflict and torment over the years, it was nice to know that his kids were in good hands…

* * *

Elieen still watched from her vantage point. At first, it looked like Fairy Tail was going to lose the battle outright. But then their reinforcements arrived, causing the tide to shift a little bit. "Hm…is this part of your plan, Mavis? Or is this simply luck?"

"Ho ho ho…" King watched beside Elieen, eying the battlefield carefully. "Certainly luck. But any great strategist can incorporate luck into their plans. But luck only lasts so long, ho ho ho!"

"She should be arriving soon nonetheless…I believe the last of their luck has run dry." Elieen smirked.

* * *

"Thank you all…" Makarov clapped his hands together once more, a bright light forming within his hands. He was still prepared to give his life so everyone could live. And the moment he was about to cast the spell…he noticed something. His head turned and CRACK! A leg slammed against his neck. The old man's eyes went wide for a moment before he tumbled along the ground before eventually going limp.

"…Seems he noticed me at the last second. Shame. That blow would have easily killed him otherwise." Emmeraude shrugged her shoulders at the turn of events. "The battlefield is no place for struggling old men."

"Shit! Emmeraude…!" Cana grit her teeth. "Your timing is pretty awful, you know that!?"

"A Queen is never late. Everyone else is simply on time." Emmeraude responded.

"She sure got down fast!" Gildarts swung his arm back, taking out four soldiers in the process. "I'll deal with her!"

"You're far too below my paygrade to take seriously." Emmeraude scoffed and waved her hand. "Besides, it looks like your hands are tied." As she said this, several more soldiers jumped Gildarts and Cana, and it took all Gildarts had to keep his daughter safe, even though she was clearly objecting to his need to protect her. Emmeraude was waltzing towards Makarov's downed body, preparing to finish the job. At that moment, Mavis stepped in front of her.

"I will not allow you to harm my family any more than you already have!" Mavis stated.

"That's cute. But don't forget that you're not just a soldier in this battlefield. You're our target…" Emmeraude's chain whip sword materialized and she swung it at Mavis' body, scoring a direct hit. Technically speaking, she was unaware of Zeref's orders of leaving Mavis unharmed…although she knew better; she wasn't going to allow Mavis to get away so easily. It was a slip of the wrist. "Such a naughty woman you are, escaping from our clutches like this."

"AAAAH!" Wow, that chain whip sword hurt! Mavis gasped for air and clutched her chest. There was no physical wound, but it felt like the weapon pierced right through her! Despite this, she wasn't going to move!

"FIRST!" Cana was really sick and tired of Emmeraude's attitude! "I'm so tired of you and your existence! Why don't you just disappear already!?" The card mage then tossed several cards at Emmeraude, but the Empress simply swatted them away, using a bit of crash magic to completely destroy them.

"As the one who will guide this world to a peaceful era, I cannot rest until those who dare to usurp my peace are eliminated." Emmeraude's chain whip sword then wrapped around Mavis' body, completely constricting her movements. "If I can't end that old man's life, then I'll settle for taking what I originally sought." Her free hand was then used to release a piercing beam of darkness magic that struck through Cana's side.

"Agh…!" The card mage's eyes went wide with pain for a moment and she clutched her now open wound, hissing in pain while glaring daggers at Emmeraude. "I'm really…really sick of you…"

"Cana!" Gildarts cried out in worry for his daughter.

"Ngh! Release me this instant, Emmeraude!" Mavis attempted to squirm within Emmeraude's clutches, but it was no use!

"Oh? Is this the best you can offer up? Surely after that grandiose speech, you have more fight in you, don't you? Or have the cornered Fairies finally reached their limits?" Emmeraude scoffed and started to drag Mavis away, and the worst part was, due to the soldiers flooding the battlefield, no one could stop her!

"We have to stop her!" Erza yelled, but she was just narrowly avoiding getting manhandled again. "And is Master okay!?"

"I don't know!" Laki yelled. This was going from bad to worse! It was only going to take a matter of seconds for them to be completely overrun at this rate! Even with the likes of Gildarts, Sidney, Roy, Ace, Joker, and Tristan on their sides, these rampaging monsters were just too much overall! Their numbers would dwindle before they could truly fight back.

"Damn it!" Max yelled. "Is this the end for us!?"

"I'm too pretty to die!" Zelos whined.

"….." Mii didn't even bother. Everything that happened a few moments ago was still stuck in her mind. If she died due to her own negligence then so be it.

" _You used to be a member of this place! Don't you have any compassion!?"_

" _Everything we've experienced with you, we don't want to forget it!"_

" _Trust me, because I trust you."_

" _Your pain is our pain!"_

Mii clenched her hand into a fist, her body violently trembling as a whirlpool of emotions swirled inside her. What was she supposed to do!? Just sit idly by and accept all of this? Watch as the only people who accepted her for what she was die in front of her? Was she to let them die and not get involved for their safety due to her Pergrande allegiance? Then again, what good was that if they died anyway?! It would just make things worse. These people, who did so much for her over a year and then some…? These people who actually made her want to live for a little bit? They really did 'fix' her a little bit, before ultimately breaking her all over again, and yet…. "…AAAAAAAAH!" She screamed out, catching everyone's attention. The first thing she did was shoot a bullet towards Emmeraude's chain, causing it to recoil and set Mavis free.

"Having some problems, Koryuji…?" Emmeraude lifted a brow. She wasn't frustrated by Mii's stunt; more so curious by the sudden yell.

"You guys are so helpless!" Rainbow wings spread and Mii took the skies. "Getting pushed back by these chumps!?" The angel then dropped down, kicking her legs rapidly at the soldiers she came down upon. She was taking so many of them with her, dragging them along the open plain while creating a deep fissure in the earth with her lower body strength. At the end of it all she jumped from the fissure in the ground and held a hand up. "Lion Lord: Finish!"

"She's helping us now!?" Warren was smiling.

"Mii!" Mavis' eyes sparkled. After all this talk of not lifting a finger, it seemed that Mii was finally willing to lend a helping hand!

"So what if these guys can't feel pain! I don't feel pain either, but that doesn't mean I'm unstoppable!" Rainbow angelic feathers dropped from her wings and she sent them shooting forward. "Angel Feathers!" These rainbow feathers were sharper than Erza's blades. The feathers ran through the soldiers, making sure to aim for their vitals. The numerous feathers pierced through them, causing the soldiers to drop. Now that Mii was causing a scene, the Berserker soldiers turned to her and all started to charge. She drew forth Dragon Hadlar, splitting it into two shotguns and released rapid fire bullets while spinning around, causing a massive explosion that cleared some space. "Stop holding back on them! High-roading them is only going to get you killed!" Right as she said that, a sword pierced into her side. She didn't feel the pain, but her expression soured for a moment and she kicked the soldier away, a bullet exploding from her boot after to carry the soul away.

"Mii…you're truly helping us?" Mavis asked. She had to make sure before implementing Mii into her plan! She couldn't let Makarov die just yet!

"I don't see why she is…" Emmeraude mentioned while placing her hands on her hips. "After all, if she continues to do so, she'll cause problems that would persist if you somehow make it out of this war. You know what you're doing, don't you, Koryuji?"

Mii's actions came to a halt. She glanced at Mavis, then Emmeraude. "I know exactly what I'm doing. These people have saved my life twice, and I'm sick of owing them. So this is me cashing in my debts, and after this, I don't want anything else to do with them!" From the sounds of it, if they all made it out of this alive, Mii was cutting Fairy Tail off for good.

"The fact you're helping us in our dire time of need means more to us than you'll ever know." Mavis said with a soft smile before pointing her hand forward. "We can advance forward; I need you all to believe in me! Someone, please keep Eighth safe as well!"

"Master…!" Erza was on that. She immediately ran over to Makarov and crouched down.

"…Erza…?" Makarov was still alive. If he hadn't noticed Emmeraude at the last second, his neck would most definitely been snapped like a twig.

"Don't worry, Master. We're going to make it back to the guild together. This battle isn't over yet, and neither is your life!" Erza was determined to keep Makarov alive. "You're the only parent I've ever known, and I can't let you leave prematurely!"

"…." Makarov wasn't sure what to make of those words. But it touched his heart knowing that Erza thought so highly of him.

With the new space that Mii allotted, this allowed Jaxon to breathe for a little bit. "I was hoping to save this for a moment near the tail end of the war, but if I do don't this now, then we won't even make it until then! White Eclipse, get ready!" Forming a sphere of Eclipse magic in his hand, the guild master tossed it high into the sky to overshadow the sun! An Eclipse itself may have been a rare occurrence, but Jaxon was capable of creating an artificial moon to replicate the effects of one. As a result, those who bore the mark of the three moons got a substantial power boost. It was as Luke said before; when there was an eclipse, White Eclipse got that much stronger under its light. This was the Trump Card of White Eclipse!

* * *

"Hm?" Elieen's gaze went up to the Solar Eclipse in the sky. "What do we have here? A change in the weather?"

"Ho ho ho…it looks like they're pulling out all the stops just to survive. Isn't that grand!?" King laughed.

* * *

"Oh yeah…! I feel it now!" Kuro said while his mark shone brightly. The devil slayer felt rejuvenated for a moment and exhaled, unleashing an extremely potent funnel of flame from his mouth. This easily dwarfed something he could use at his regular full power and he blew away multiple soldiers before they could even get close.

"That's more like it." Reve pointed a shot gun forward. "Spread Shot!" As usual, a single bullet was released, splitting into two, then four, then eight in a fan-like motion. But to show just how huge the increase in power was, each bullet that shot forth was equal in size to that of a single magnum shot from the gunslinger.

"I have to admit, I like this…" Taya smirked while her vectors grew that much stronger. Before, the soldiers were somehow managing to slip from their grip, but now she could grab multiple berserkers at once and fling them around like rag dolls, following up with potent blasts of darkness.

Sidney just stood there, menacingly. He was already absurdly strong, but with the boosted power of the Eclipse? Even these mindless berserker soldiers were having second thoughts about fighting him! Unfortunately, Sidney wasn't going to let them go. A single kick sent multiple soldiers flying back, clearing a path on its own with how many were taken as collateral! "…"

"So this is what White Eclipse can really do, huh?" Gildarts said with a chuckle. Now he was having the thoughts of fighting an Eclipse mage under these conditions; more so Sidney since their fight was a draw. But that was for another time.

"I didn't realize White Eclipse could wield so much power…" Mavis was happy they could, though. Because this was already aiding to her plan. The enemy still had an overwhelming amount of numbers, but at this rate, they could surely push Alvarez back. "Mii, I need you to…!"

"Keep Em busy? I would love to~" Mii hummed while a bright light wrapped around her body, shifting into her Angelic Transformation that she unlocked one year ago thanks to Fairy Tail's help. "Hey Emmmmm~" Mii was flying right towards Emmeraude at high speeds while drawing a fist back. "Haven't done this in a while, huh?"

"Stop acting like you know what you're doing…" Emmeraude scoffed and brought a hand forward to catch Mii's incoming punch. While she did catch it, the Emerald Empress slid back several feet, just barely wincing due to Mii's strength. The woman immediately twisted her body, lifted her leg high, and attempted to crush Mii's skull with her heel! Mii was able to slip away, but the impact Emmeraude caused left a crater in the ground.

"…Why did I move?" Mii questioned aloud, smacking herself for unintentionally avoiding one of her wishes when it came to dealing with Em. "You were gonna step on me…damn it, I'm really not in a good place right now…" Considering the lack of using her name as a pun, she really wasn't feeling all that great mentally, but it was whatever. "Angel Feathers." Just as before, multiple feathers began to rain down, although their numbers were greater than last time.

Emmeraude was making use of her chain whip sword to deflect the feathers. Their numbers were great, and a few did slip through, cutting Em's clothing and some of her skin. Despite this, she didn't seem so bothered by it. "Your lack of conviction was always your weakest quality…among other things." Em pointed out. "Always shifting between one side and another…even now, you can't stay true to yourself, can you? Honestly, Koryuji…that's just one reason I dislike you. I cannot believe I was comrades with someone who plays both sides."

"That was intentional, wasn't it!?" Mii exclaimed before lifting her hand into the air. "I know you like listening to the sound of your own voice, and you being right, which you always are for some reason…but your words don't bother me. I'm already a piece of shit! I don't want redemption or anything of the sort." Multiple magic seals appeared in the sky above, all of them releasing potent beams of angel magic that dropped down on Emmeraude and the berserker soldiers. "Shining Bind!" The beams of light collided with the ground, exploding violently in the process.

Emmeraude used her darkness magic to create a sturdy shield in front of. It withstood the Shining Bind for the most part. Whatever remained was easily dealt with by the Empress herself and she dusted herself off. "I'd be lying if I said you didn't at least get stronger…" Multiple emerald chains shot forth from the ground and wrapped around Mii, tugging her right into Emmeraude's arm! The Empress held onto Mii's arms and leaned in with an almost sultry grin. "So…is this what you've always wanted then~?"

Oh. That was one way to disarm Mii and get her to shudder. "You can't touch Mii like that and expect me not to get turned on, Em~" Mii said…only to cough when Emmeraude sent a sharp knee to her stomach. She may not have felt pain, but she did feel the lack of air for a moment. She was then sent away by a fierce kick to send her tumbling along the ground. "That was dirty…but I liked it…"

"That was almost too easy…" Emmeraude sighed. Everyone thought Mii was some unstoppable monster, but Emmeraude knew exactly how to take care such a troublesome angel. Mii had plenty of weaknesses she didn't mind exploiting.

"EMMERAUDE!" Erza screamed while leaping down from above, swinging her sword right at Emmeraude's chest! The strike was blocked by the woman's own weapon, but it was clear that Erza was angered at what Em had done to Makarov. "You're going to pay for harming my family a second time! I won't stand for it!"

"Erza, dear…" Emmeraude held a grin. "I understand your anger at me, but you shouldn't be taking it out on me. There's someone who's far more interested in you than I am, which is saying a lot."

"I've heard enough from you!" Erza swung her blade once more, but she was halted as a chain shot from the ground behind her, wrapping around her wrists to completely halt her momentum. "Ah…!"

"It's rude to steal someone else's meal." Emmeraude pointed out before slamming her heel into Erza's stomach to force her away. "I feel bad even just hitting you, that's like swiping a bite off of someone's meal when they aren't looking." It was clear by the force of Emmeraude's kick that she had no intentions of seriously harming Erza. Because she knew that Elieen and Erza would cross paths very soon one way or another. While the Empress still had doubts about Elieen's conviction, she wanted them to confront one another with as much magic as possible.

Everything was still a little lopsided for Fiore's forces. Thanks to White Eclipse, they were able to push forward very slowly against these hundreds of thousands of soldiers, but how much longer? Not to mention, an enemy commander was standing right in front of them! That's why Mavis took action herself. By use of her illusion magic, multiple copies appeared to circulate around Emmeraude. "I can handle this, Erza. Go assist the others and keep the Eighth safe."

"…First…" Erza nodded slowly. It was hard to disobey a direct order like this.

"So, you're going to face me yourself…?" Emmeraude lifted a brow, glancing at all the Mavis' around her.

"We can't call this a fight." Mavis stated firmly. "Because I know you won't attack me again."

"Oh, is that a fact?" Emmeraude's chain whip blade began to fidget and twitch. "His Majesty may say he wants you unharmed, but that the reasoning for that is unclear, don't you think? His feelings for you…or the extraction of Fairy Heart…I can only wonder which reason it is he wants you unharmed. But you're immortal, aren't you?"

"Regardless of the reason, are you going to risk angering Zeref?" Mavis and her copies began to walk around Emmeraude slowly, never taking their gaze off her. "You're a smarter woman than that, Emmeraude."

"And you're a smart woman as well, Mavis." Emmeraude said while watching every Mavis pass her by a few times. "Do you really think these illusions of yours will work on me?"

"I do. Because I know how your chains and your weapon work." Mavis stated confidently. "Your chains latch onto the magical signature of your target in order to pierce or grab them with such accuracy. Your weapon works in a similar fashion. However, since it can also be commanded by your own swing, you have more control over it in an unexpected situation. Have you noticed it yet? I have. You aren't using your chains to grab me."

Emmeraude furrowed her brows before letting out a soft chuckle. "Clever indeed. I noticed that these illusions of yours are all emitting the same magic power. Impressive that there are no fluctuations…" She then drew her whip back.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Mavis immediately responded to Emmeraude's movements. "If you guess wrong, you'll end up harming me…and I don't think that damage is something you can take back."

"Truly placing your bets on His Majesty's desire to not hurt you, hm? That's rather manipulative of you. I didn't realize you could be so cruel. But victory by any means, right?" Emmeraude kept a wry grin. "I can play by those rules to." If Mavis didn't think Emmeraude was going to take the risk of attacking her, she was sorely mistaken! Emmeraude swung her whip around, knocking out illusion of illusion one by one! The strange part was that every single Mavis around her was an illusion. "…Oh?"

"Surely you can keep up, can't you?" Mavis' voice echoed around Emmeraude as more illusions popped up, double the number from before! "I know you think very highly of your abilities…and I concede to the fact that you are stronger than I am. But my illusions aren't something you can see though so easily." Even Elieen didn't realize she had been duped until it was too late, so needless to say that Emmeraude wasn't going to have an easy time figuring this out either.

"You certainly know how to make something entertaining…" Emmeraude admitted. "It isn't easy to slip away from someone such as Elieen. I knew the moment you appeared that you were a formidable opponent. That's what makes this battle worth fighting. I've been so anxious to crush the leader of the resistance against me. I'm glad you've given me the opportunity." The Empress stepped on the ground, releasing a potent burst of crash magic within the surrounding area to wipe out the illusions and anything nearby. "You can hide all you wish…"

"I'm not hiding." Mavis repeated herself as the illusions just returned, again with double the number. Emmeraude was surrounded by Mavis'! "I'm approaching this tactically."

"Indeed you are. Keeping me busy with the treat of capturing you. It's tantalizing bait, I do admit…" Emmeraude licked her lower lip. It was then that she realized what she had said, causing her smile to grow. "Oh, I get it…"

"…" Mavis was silent.

"This game of cat and mouse…I must admit, it's very entertaining. I wish I could play with you some more, however…I don't have time for games." Emmeraude realized what Mavis was up to. Mavis was keeping Emmeraude busy by keeping herself close, yet just out of arms reach. If Mavis could distract Emmeraude long enough, they could push through the berserker troops. While Emmeraude was entertained with the game at first, she noticed what Mavis was up to and had to put a stop to it. "Hiding in plain sight works well…unless you fail to blend in with your surroundings." The Empress realized her true target. The Mavis' around her were nothing more than a distraction.

"You shouldn't take your eyes off the prize, Em." Mavis' tone lowered. Emmeraude was wising up, but Mavis refused to concede the charade. Just where was her real location?

Emmeraude was attempting to decipher this at this very moment. It was admittedly very difficult with numerous Mavis' swarming her, but remaining calm in this situation was important. She stabbed her chain whip blade into the ground, using her magic to get a read on Mavis' magical signature. All of these illusions felt the same. Mavis was everywhere around her. Everywhere…but there was one spot where she shouldn't have been. If her goal was to keep Emmeraude busy, why was she all the way over there?! "…I found you. Right there!" Emmeraude pulled her chain from the ground and swung it forward, right for a soldier that was fighting Erza! She wrapped her chain around its wrist and forcefully tugged it forward! Lo and behold, the soldier was Mavis in disguise! "That was a very clever hiding spot. I almost never would have guessed you to take the guise of a soldier. Unfortunately for you, in your haste to fool me, you failed to realize you couldn't mask your magic…"

Mavis messed up there. All of her illusions held her signature, even her own. For a moment, she did have the better of one of Emmeraude's more dangerous assets, but in the end, it fell short. "Agh…"

"As for that…" Emmeraude pointed a hand up, releasing a beam of crash magic at the Eclipse in the sky. She destroyed it, thus rendering the boost White Eclipse had null. "I can't have anything causing trouble for my comrades now can it?"

Reve clicked the trigger just as the Eclipse was destroyed. What came out was a pea shooter compared to the gigantic blasts he'd been releasing thus far. "…Shit."

"That ain't good." Ace said with a sweat drop. And just like that, momentum started to shift again! White Eclipse was leading the charge, but now they had to fall back!

"FIRST!" Erza was trying to pull her way out of numerous soldiers' grip. The momentum changed so fast all because of Emmeraude! But now they had to rescue Mavis from Emmeraude's grasp.

"It looks like I win." Emmeraude grinned while beginning to drag Mavis away. "Now, let's get you back to your guild, hm? After all, you've made such a big deal about wanting to return. What sort of Queen would I be if I didn't help a subject in need?"

"R-Release me…!" Mavis squirmed about.

"Let her go!" Alex tried to step in, but she was blocked off by numerous troops. "Ah…!"

"This isn't good!" Lore exclaimed.

"LISTEN WELL, ALL OF YOU! Listen well, Erza!" Just when the tide of battle shifted against them, he stood up once more. Despite his old age, his lack of strength, and the few years he had left…Makarov Dreyar was not going to die by the enemy's hands. The light of Fairy Tail was gathered within his hands.

"MASTER!?" Erza's eyes went wide. Was he still trying to go through with this?! " I refuse to listen! We must return to the guild! All of us, together! So stop! We can win this still! You needn't…!"

"Oh, you're conscious?" Emmeraude lifted a brow while pulling Mavis along. "I thought you'd at least be lying limp for a while longer…"

"…" Mii shook her head, staring up at Makarov with a scowl. Even after all she tried to do, he was still planning on doing this, was he?

"Look around you! No matter what hardships may fall upon you from here on out, if you walk hand-in-hand with your friends and allies, there will always be a path forward! Believe in your friends, and believe in yourself. A guild is a family, do not ever forget that. Thanks to all of you, my journey was one filled with an abundance of elation and jubilation." The light in Makarov's hands began to grow stronger.

"MASSSSTERRR!" Erza screamed at the top of her lungs. But unfortunately…there was nothing she could do. She was too busy pulling against the soldiers that had an ironclad grip on her. The rest of Fairy Tail began to cry and helplessly reach out to him.

"Throwing your life away? I don't think so. I'll gladly end it for you myself!" With her free hand, Emmeraude released a potent beam of crash magic to strike Makarov down before he could cast the spell. But at that moment, a heart appeared in front of the beam, soaking up the impact to render the beam useless before it shattered.

It was Heartless. She stared at Emmeraude with a fierce look in her eyes. She may not have had a heart, but Makarov's words oddly resonated with her. Because of that, she refused to allow anyone to interrupt this old man's final wish. "I will not let you."

To think, a former enemy was shielding him. Makarov knew that his children were in good hands. "I have no regrets. All of you…be well." Makarov Dreyar clapped his hands, and the instant he did so, every member of Fairy Tail present was screaming out for him. Multiple beams of light pierced through the ground before the entire battlefield was shrouded in this brilliant flash of light. "FAIRY LAW!"

"…!" Emmeraude was taken aback by this flash, releasing her hold on Mavis to simply defend herself. To think that he was going to use such a spell on her during their conflict last year! "This magic is…!"

"…!" Elieen's eyes went wide at this gigantic flash of light. There was pure shock written on her face!

"Ho ho ho…!" King was laughing, but in this brief instance, it was almost a desperate one. This situation was not funny and took him for a loop.

"This magic…" August turned to face the light. Makarov's final spell caught every high level mage still in the battle off guard. This light spread far and wide. There was no one who wasn't aware of its presence; even END and Gray, who were locked in a battle to the death saw the light, but they refused to acknowledge it. All they saw was each other.

When that light faded, the berserker troops that plagued the battlefield were all defeated. The field was cleared instantly as a massive chunk of the soldiers were defeated from Fairy Law. Erza dropped her sword, the tears falling from one eye as she stared at Makarov's corpse, still holding the Fairy Law position. The air was tense and somber; no one could say a thing at Makarov's sacrifice. The Eight guild Master of Fairy Tail refused to go down without a fight. It was in the Fairy's nature to do or die. If his children could live on, then he'd gladly die to create the path for them. His aloof, yet kind soul. The final cries of his precious, irreplaceable life…they were forever engraved into the hearts of his sworn family…

.

.

Next Time: Broken Bonds.


	77. Chapter 77: Broken Bonds

While Erza and the others were cornered by the Berserker soldiers, Luke and Aira were clashing against an enraged Dimaria. The vessel of Chronos unleashed a potent blast from the palm of her hand, nearly catching the two of them in it, but they were able to dodge before any harm came to them. The destruction the blast created was cause for concern. "..Yikes. She's really unhappy."

"Where did all this anger come from…!?" Aira questioned before swinging her arms forward, releasing a potent gust of wind that forced Dimaria to defend and hold her ground. "She's suffering a mental breakdown. If we don't stop her here, the others may be in grave danger!"

"I think we might be the starting point of her anger…" Luke pointed out while jumping forward, swinging a Darkness Crash right into Dimaria's chest. The god slaying within the blow did inflict plenty of damage and forced Dimaria back.

"AGGGH!" Frustrated, the vessel of Chronos screamed before pointing her hand down. This prompted a gigantic explosion to overtake the two Eclipse mages and destroyed the surrounding area as a result.

"Gah…!" Luke tumbled backwards along with Aira. Eventually the two of them were able regain their footing. "Yeah, I think she's really mad at us…we did kinda start the chain of pissing her off…" Luke had a point. First, White Eclipse not only violated Dimaria's 'world' but also managed to give her the slip back in Alvarez; then came the battle of Port Hargeon, where Chelia landed the finishing blow, leading to her humiliation of being captured; following this, Universe One granted her a desperate escape attempt that nearly failed; fast forward to her perception of Brandish's betrayal, and Natsu unleashing END on her…this war had not been in the favor of the Time Goddess in the slightest. No wonder these two were on the receiving end of her ire. "And I don't think she's in the mood for talking!"

"Shut UP!" Dimaria screamed, pointing her finger forward to release multiple beams of time magic to pierce through the two Eclipse mages before her. "All everyone has done is get in my way! I'm tired of it all!"

"Incoming!" Aira yelped while diving off to the side. The beams were nearly impossible to track, but she was more lucky than anything else. After rolling, she inhaled and released a potent gust of wind from her mouth. "False Bellow!" Similar to a slayer's oral attack, this widespread funnel of wind consumed Dimaria, pushing her backwards, but this wind only fueled the flames of her rage.

"Chaotic God's Bellow!" Luke exhaled, not giving Dimaria a moment of reprieve. A potent blast of black and white god slaying shot forth, merged in an unholy manner due to his Chaos Unison.

Dimaria held her hand out, releasing another potent blast to clash with Luke's. The result was a gigantic explosion that shook the earth, creating a thick cloud of smoke that obscured vision. "Thou shall perish!" The enraged goddess lunged from the smoke, gripping both of Luke and Aira's faces to drag them across the dirt before hurling them into the air.

"Ooooof!" Luke cried out before flipping in the air, creating a mirror in Aira's flight path. "Aira…!"

"I know…!" The wind mage flipped around, pressing her feet against the mirror that appeared. Luke's mirror magic was highly versatile and could be used for many things. In this case it was used to reflect Aira's momentum to shoot her back down towards Dimaria! The blonde crossed her arms, her own natural speed increasing her momentum. "Great Cross Slash!" The instant Aira reached Dimaria, she uncrossed her arms in an X, passing the time goddess while inflicting a heavy blow upon her person.

"Ngggh…!" That hurt. But Dimaria was more enraged than anything else and the adrenaline pumping through her veins allowed her to ignore the pain. She turned sharply, releasing multiple finger beams to strike the Eclipse mage near her. Aira was just narrowly capable of dodging the more lethal beams, but a few did strike her shoulder, chest, and thigh.

"Aaaahhh!" Aira cried out, blood spurting from her wounds.

"Damn it…" Luke growled while landing, giving Dimaria a glare. "An angry god is a tough opponent…" Hell hath no fury like an enraged Goddess. Considering she was on another plane, this fight was uphill. They needed a decisive strike to settle this, and Luke's magic was key to that. There was no time to rest, as Dimaria released a potent blast in his direction, one that he was narrowly able to block, but it still blew him backwards a great deal. "Ugh…!"

Dimaria was pretty beat up, but at the same time, her rage allowed her push on. An enraged deity was truly a fearsome foe, least of all one that controlled time. All it took was one mistake for Luke and Aira to end up like Raven, even though time had yet to pause. Probably because Dimaria was aware that Luke was going to violate her world just like everyone else she encountered. "Bow before me, and I will grant you a swift, merciful death! Refuse and I shall grind you under my heel."

"An enticing offer, but I have to refuse." Luke shook his head. He was admittedly coming up short when it came to their options...and at that moment, there was a glowing light in the sky. It was the Eclipse that Jaxon had made on the battlefield. "What the…?"

"Is that…?" Aira looked up at the skies above. The mark of the three moons on their bodies began to shine brightly and an overflowing power filled them! "This power…!"

"Talk about good timing!" Luke felt incredibly rejuvenated!

"So what if you're shining!?" Dimaria lunged towards Luke, throwing her fist forward to collide with the copycat's jaw. Luke crossed his arms and braced for impact. It collided against him and sent him skidding back a bit.

"All right!" Luke grinned. The impact normally would've had added to the pain he was feeling right now. But with the power of the Eclipse surging through him, he felt unstoppable! "Bomb of the Chaotic God!" Once again, Luke formed a gigantic sphere within his hand and threw it forward. He let the sphere loose and it exploded violently, dwarfing everything else he let out thus far.

"AAAAAH!" Yeah, Dimaria felt that one. Her body was tossed helplessly into the air, but she quickly recovered despite the damages and held her hand out, a clock-like seal appearing on Luke and Aira's bodies. "Let your own time catch up to you!"

Shit. Luke could feel his past injuries coming back to haunt him and fast too. Because of this, he nearly collapsed on the spot. But he had to take this chance and hold fast. "Not yet…!"

Aira was on a knee, but that was as close as she'd come to bowing. The woman panted heavily, but kept her gaze on the descending Goddess. She could tell that Dimaria's God Soul was beginning to wear off. They just needed to push one more time! A vibrant blue aura flared around the woman's body and multiple sapphire orbs surrounded Dimaria. "Secret Art: Raging Collapse!" One of her strongest spells, consisting of her Aura magic. Aira clenched her hand into a tight fist, commanding the orbs to collapse on their target. Due to the eclipse in the sky, the spheres covered an incredibly large radius that Dimaria couldn't escape from, causing her to cry out in pain while also being flung skyward. "Luke!"

"I know!" Luke's aura flared and he was putting every ounce of magic he had left into this attack. It was now or never! Multiple mirrors formed around Dimaria, fueled by his Eclipse boost. "It's timeout for you! ECLIPSE MIRRORS!" Luke let loose. The mirrors began to unleash various beams of magic, all representing those he's copied over the years. The beams bounced between mirrors, ricocheting off of them only to increase in speed and power while passing by Dimaria. She tried her best to avoid them, but ultimately the number was too great. Luke ended this by clenching both hands, causing all the mirrors and magic to collapse on itself, resulting in a grandiose explosion that covered an incredibly wide radius. Dimaria's shout of pain was drowned in the rumbling of the earth.

"A-Aaah…." The wounded Dimaria fell from the sky, crash landing onto the ground. She was still conscious, but her body was too mangled and she was out of magic. All she could do was stare up into the sky, lamenting her second defeat at the hands of these mages of Ishgar. This war…really hadn't been good to her. "My world…."

"Holy shit…" Luke started to cough profusely and fell to the ground. Right as that happened, the Eclipse was destroyed by Emmeraude on the other battlefield. "Q-Quick…restrain her…!"

"I-I'm on it…!" Aira was pretty wobbly and was barely capable of standing. She could take care of their injuries later – right now it was more important to restrain Dimaria so she wouldn't have another outbreak. "I understand your mental state is very fragile right now…but we're not going to kill you, okay?"

"…." Dimaria didn't say anything. She just remained silent as she was finally restrained for a second time. The rage that filled her flooded out and she was just quiet.

"Good grief…" Luke was staring up at the sky, heaving at the amount of effort he had to put up against Dimaria. "I hope everyone's okay over there…" And right at that moment, a brilliant flash of light covered the area, blinding the two of them. "Huh?! What the hell is this!?"

"It's so bright…!" Aira said while covering her eyes.

9 Spriggan down, 3 to go…

* * *

Fairy Law. Makarov's final spell that saved Fiore's forces from a bind. Even though Mavis told him that she had a plan to escape from the dangerous situation, he ignored this and went on with it anyway. Because of this, he lost his life, steam emitting from his still standing body. Mavis stared at Makarov's corpse, recalling how she was the one to name him when he was born. Because of this, she fell to her hands and knees, placed her face within her hands, and began to sob. "Aaah….ahhhhhhhh…."

No one could say a thing. The various mages from different guilds simply held a moment of silence in respect for Makarov's sacrifice. Sidney stared at Makarov for a moment before tugging his scarf a single time. "…."

A hand was placed on Mavis' shoulder. The wounded Laxus found his way to the others after the battle with God Serena, offering the First master a soft smile. "Stand up for us one more time, First. There are still enemies who require our attention, and we cannot win without your strategies. So…come on. Not just for us, but for the old geezer's sake too."

"Laxus…" A few of the guild members sniffed at his words.

Erza stood before Makarov's body and bowed to him without hesitation. "To be able to grow up as your child…I was happy beyond words." Makarov Dreyar would forever be the one and only parent that Erza acknowledged.

Mii stared at Makarov's body with wide eyes. The emotions flowing through her unknown even to her. But she could pick out one very clearly: rage. After all that, after all she tried to do, he threw his life away anyway. Purple Pot was drawn and she pointed it forward, her hand trembling as she aimed it at Makarov's corpse. "You liar…." But she stopped when Emmeraude walked in front of her.

"Hm…" Emmeraude placed her hand in her chin, observing Makarov's corpse. Even after Fairy Law, it appeared as though she was unharmed. It was safe to assume the same of the rest of the 12 who were still lingering about. "So this was your trump card, Fairy Tail? Seems rather lackluster if you ask me."

"Don't you dare…" Cana stepped in front of Emmeraude, eyes still clouded with tears. But she could see the enemy in front of her clearly. "You've done more than enough…so I swear if you try and desecrate his body; no power in this universe will stop me from taking you down!"

"I'm offended that you think of me as some sort of monster." Emmeraude scoffed and crossed her arms. Right now she was the most prominent enemy on the field. "I wouldn't be so rude as to stomp on the dead, or speak ill of them. I'd much rather do so while he was alive." After a moment, she glanced around, noticing the lack of a certain soul swiping maniac. "Hm…I guess he's not coming…I wonder what has his attention."

Cana only clenched her hand into a fist at these words. Everything about this woman standing in front of her pissed her off to no end. "You…"

"Cana…we can take care of this." Gildarts was prepared to step in, but Cana held her arm out in front of him.

"I don't need you protecting me!" Cana spat angrily. While some of her anger was directed at Gildarts, most of it was at Emmeraude. "Especially against this woman! You weren't here when she tried to wipe us out in such an arrogant fashion! She hurt Lucy, destroyed our home, and tried to make run us out of the country! She made us look bad all because of her delusional dream!"

Emmeraude simply lifted a brow. This was how Cana spoke to her father, huh? It was clear to her that there was at least some affection between them, one sided or not. A father's love was something she never had, but never needed either. Watching this…unique relationship play out in front of her was certainly an experience. "You were the only people standing in the way of my goal, by sheer force of will mind you. Everything could have been avoided if you simply followed my orders. Your hatred of me is extremely one-sided and unhealthy, Cana."

"It's that attitude right there!" Cana yelled, causing Emmeraude to tilt her head ever so slightly. "The way you talk down to people, the way you look down on us, that arrogant smile of yours, and the way you think you know everything! It makes me sick! I'll never forgive you for what you did to Lucy or the rest of the guild! That's why…!" Cana held her arm forward, revealing the mark of Fairy Glitter at long last. The tattoo on her arm shone brightly and she pointed it right towards Emmeraude. "That's why I'm going to make you repent for all the sins you've committed against our guild!"

"That's…!" Gildarts' eyes widened at this.

"Oh?" This caught Emmeraude's attention. "You're upset, I see. But is it not the nature of the world for those to heed their Queens words?"

"You are NOT anyone's Queen!" The card mage retaliated. "And I intend to blow that inflated ego of yours up into pieces!"

"Cana!" Gildarts shouted in worry. All eyes were on Cana and Emmeraude as the two squared off. As worried as Gildarts was though…he could hear the pain in Cana's voice. This only pushed his protective urges of her to the surface even more, however he could also hear the resolve as well. This was something she needed to do.

"I see…so you intend to stand against me." Emmeraude dropped her arms. The phrasing was intentional, because she didn't see what was about to happen as a 'fight'; more so an inconvenience. "I suppose I can spare a minute or two…"

There it was again! The way Emmeraude brushed people off and talked down to them! It infuriated the card mage to know end! "I'm not just standing against you, I'm going to fight you, and I'm going to take you down!"

Emmeraude's eyes narrowed at Cana's words. The Empress didn't seem to be playing around anymore. "Very well. Do what you must. But I should warn you…if you're going to strike the Queen, you best make sure you don't miss."

"Oh, trust me…" Cana's eyes narrowed while glaring Emmeraude down. "I've been saving this spell just for you. There's no way I'd miss."

* * *

"How many of our people have been taken out?" Zeref asked Elieen.

"I'd say roughly 70-80% of our forces, if I were to make a quick estimate." Elieen reported.

"Ho ho ho! It seems that they are still in this game." King chuckled, though he was being ignored for the time being.

"I'd expect nothing less of that man." Zeref said with a smile. "I must give credit where credit is due. Even so, I sorely underestimated it…the magic I which I once taught to Mavis, and which she then passed onto Makarov."

Elieen turned on her heel and began to walk off. With the shift in battle, the Scarlet Despair decided it was time to get in on the action herself. "That being said, there were no casualties among the remaining of the Twelve or our extra forces. Emmeraude is still standing, and I doubt Prometheus and Pandora would go down that easily in their current state. The flow of battle is unlikely to change in any significant way from this point forth." In her eyes, no matter what Fiore did, the result was going to be the same. The only difference now was that their ensuing defeat was going to be all the more crushing considering they actually managed to gain some momentum.

"Em…" Emerald was feeling anxious after hearing the battle report and forecast. Her only daughter, her pride and joy, was down there fighting for her life…

* * *

END charged at Gray, swinging a blazing fist at his face. Gray was able to block the blow, but the intensity behind it sent him flying through a wall! "Guh…!" Painful, but he had to keep on the offense. Bits of ice began to surround END and violently crashed down towards him. END was swift enough to notice this and avoid them with several flips. When they got to close, he swung his arms around violently, creating bursts of flames to completely destroy what was attacking him.

That's when his foot touched the ground and he realized he was frozen in place! It was something he could melt easily, but that brief second of distraction cost him as a beam of ice struck his body, sending END tumbling backwards. "Gah…!" END rolled before catching himself, plugging his arm deep into the ground to create a pillar of flame to rise from underneath Gray.

The instant this formed, Gray lifted his hand up to freeze it. Several more pillars rose, but he froze them as well. What Gray failed to realize that this was a ploy and when he turned his head, a gigantic funnel of darkened flames was released from END's mouth! The blast consumed him and sent him flying backwards. "GAAAAAAH!" END wasn't going to relent. Flames exploded from the soles of his sandals and he rocketed forward. That's when Gray lifted his hands up to form a wall of ice in front of him, one that END slammed into. With a glare, END attempted to circle around the wall, only to be cut off once more. This process continued until Natsu was trapped! "I'm putting a stop you here and now…NATSU!" Gray yelled a glacier of devil slaying ice arose from the center of his prison.

This ice immediately shattered with an explosion of flame, and END was leaping out from it, sneering at Gray below him. "GRAAAAAAAAY!" END roared, his form beginning to shift a little bit. There was a black shade over his eyes, his teeth grew sharper, and horns began to sprout from his head. The air around him became unbearably hot and he shot forward once more, rearing his demonic claw back as the flames grew stronger still.

"NATSUUUUUUUU!" Gray reared his arm back as Natsu neared. The two of them swung at each other with lethal intent, resulting in yet another cataclysmic explosion. The two of them were sent sliding backwards, soon releasing oral attacks for a similar effect, and completely obliterated the surrounding area around them.

That's when Takeru and Selene arrived on the scene. "What the hell!?" Selene's eyes were wide at what they walked in on.

"What's going on here!? Don't they realize we're in the middle of a fight!?" Takeru groaned. "Leave it to Fairy Tail to start fighting each other in the middle of a war! OI! WHAT THE HELL YOU TWO!? CUT IT OUT!" Takeru fired off a Shadow Dragon's Roar to cut between the two of them, and right after he did…

"GET OUT OF MY WAY, TAKERU!" END turned, releasing a torrent of flames at his mouth. Anyone who wasn't Zeref and stood in his way was an enemy, simple as that.

"Ah…!" Selene threw her hands up to conjure up a wall of diamond. The wall held for a few seconds before the intensity of END's flames completely melted a hole through it, leaving the diamond dragon shaken. "What on earthland…"

"THIS IS MY FIGHT!" Gray roared while forging a long sword, taking a single step forward to slash right through END's frame. "Ice Devil Zeroth's Longsword!"

"GRAAAAAAAAAH!" END let out a piercing cry of pain before sharply turning on his heel, flames exploding from his feet to launch him forward. Before Gray could even move, END's skull and horns slammed right into his abdomen. The horns were sharper than he expected and blood leaked out from the wound.

"Shit…!" Gray tumbled backwards before catching himself, preparing to go on the offensive once more.

"CUT IT OUT!" Selene threw her hand forward to create a diamond wall in front of Gray. "What's even going on here!?"

Gray cut his eyes at Selene and swung his Long Sword at her! Good thing she was ready to defend, but the impact still sent her flying backwards. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

"Serena!" Takeru rushed over to Selene's side. "Damn it! They're completely blind to everything around them!"

END placed both hands on the ground and let out a demonic cry that wasn't even his usual voice anymore. The ground began to heat up before lighting up in a massive fiery explosion that caught Gray, Takeru, and Selene in its wake! The latter two were fine, but Gray's prior injuries were finally starting to catch up with him. "I WON'T REPEAT MYSELF AGAIN! MOVE!" The demon then took to the air, flames igniting around his foot, and he spun around, aiming a fierce axe kick onto Gray's skull to crush him into the dirt! The longer this fight went on, the more END's features started to turn more…demonic. Now his skin was turning a strange black-red color, resembling smoldering rocks trapped within heated magma. Even his skin was burning hot to the touch!

"Stop worrying about Zeref, because I'm going to cut you down here!" Gray's rage pushed him forward. The Devil Slayer brought a single arm up, allowing this to take the crushing blow. He grit his teeth, a gauntlet of devil slaying ice wrapping his fist. "Ice Devil Zeroth's Ice Hammer!" Gray swung his fist forward, colliding against END's chest where a potent blast of ice followed suit, causing END to fly backwards in pain. "This is where it ends: Ice Make: Silver!" It was time to put END to rest. An instantaneous frost covered their battlefield. Gray didn't even care that Selene and Takeru were collateral, but they dipped into the shadows to avoid it. Once it was all send and done, END was frozen solid with a shocked look on his face. "And now…" Gray formed a Vambrace along his arm, gripping a solid chunk of ice within it. "It's time to shatter…"

"ZEREEEEEEF!" That was the only thing END cared about at this moment. The flames completely melted the ice and END was revealed in his true glory; a demon with dragon wings sprouting from his back, scales along his face that mixed in with his demonic appearance. It was an unholy fusion of dragon and demon only possible for END due to his…unique circumstances.

"Holy shit…" Takeru's eyes went wide. "That's Natsu!?"

"Tak! We have to pull the plug on this!" Selene pleaded, and she was right. But how were they going to do such a thing!? The heat END was giving off was so intense they couldn't even get close without feeling like their skin would melt right off.

"So that's your true ugly form is it!?" Gray pulled his arm back, forming a bow with multiple frozen arrows in it. "Ice Devil Zeroth's Annihilation Bow!" All of these arrows were let loose, every single one flying with the sole intent of piercing through END's body. A few of them did hit their mark and struck END, but after that, none of them would. Gray continuously fired arrows, but they melted before reaching him.

"BURN TO AASSSSSSSSH!" END's demonic voice echoed out and he spun his arms in a counterclockwise rotation, creating an intense veil of flames around his body. With no incantation, he swung his arms forward to release this infernal torrent upon Gray. The Devil Slayer could muster a defense of only several walls of ice before the flames completely consumed him.

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" Gray cried out as his burnt, charred body hit the ground. But no! He couldn't die here yet! Not until END was killed! That was his mission! "I-I-I'M NOT FINISHED YET YOU BASTARD!" The frost that Gray's body emitted was meant to counter his flames, thus resulting in a stalemate in the temperature. It wasn't a pretty scene, but these two rivals sought to completely destroy one another.

"NAAAAATSUUUU!"

That voice…END immediately turned and saw her. Lucy was leading the way with Tia and Happy right behind her. Tia's eyes nearly shot out of her as she stared at the scene. "W-what the fuck is all this!?"

"Natsu!?" Happy gasped.

"Natsu…" Lucy's jaw dropped at the scene before her.

"They're been fighting each other to the death…!" Selene exclaimed.

"Huh!?" Lucy's eyes widened and she immediately rushed to END. "Natsu, please, snap out of this! This isn't you!" The second she got close, END swung at her! She nearly fell back and gasped at the thought of Natsu attacking her…but she remembered what was said earlier.

"Hey, knock it off dipshit!" Tia yelled while getting her scepter ready. She'd fight END if she had to.

"Get back!" Gray shouted, though his breathing was a little heavy from the injuries he sustained. "This is my fight. I have to kill him!"

"Kill him? Are you stupid!?" The water mage scoffed. "Calm down and take a breather for a second and-"

"Get out of my way!" Gray was too unhinged at that moment. "Juvia's…!"

"We know." Tia averted her eyes. "But because you lost one comrade, you're going to kill another? I don't see the logic in this, Gray! I know you're mad, but…!"

"He's part of the group that killed my parents and Juvia! He's part of the enemy!" Gray was drawing his arm back to create another long sword. END was prepared to retaliate, but Lucy stood between the both of them. "Lucy..!"

"I won't let you!" Lucy exclaimed to the both of them. She looked at Gray, then END. "Please, let me talk to him." She didn't even wait for Gray to say anything; she just latched onto Natsu for an embrace. His entire body was hot, but Lucy refused to let go. "Natsu, please, snap out of it…"

"Zeref…" END grumbled, clenching his hand into a fist as Lucy touched. There was an urge for him to shake her off just as he did Gray and the others, but knowing that Lucy was in fact alive and okay…something in the back of his head prevented him from attacking.

"Please, let Zeref go!" Happy pleaded. "If you actually end up killing him you'll…!" Happy couldn't take it anymore, but he couldn't bear to utter the rest of the words.

"He'll what?" Tia glared at Happy while using her scepter to cast a barrier of water around Lucy. It was meant to help her against Natsu's body, but she really had to focus since it was evaporating too fast. "You can't just stop mid-sentence like that!"

"I HAVE TO…kill…Zeref…!" Flames erupted from END's body in an attempt to push Lucy away. But she refused.

"Natsu, come on!" Lucy squeezed the demon even tighter. "I know it's hard, but you have to fight it! I know you can! If I have to, I'll punch whatever it is out of you! But Fairy Tail needs you right now…I need you right now!" This situation was extremely familiar. One year ago, it was Natsu trying to talk Lucy down when her life was in peril because of Lambda, and now the situation was reversed. Here was Lucy, doing her damndest to talk Natsu down. Everyone could only watch since this was the stillest END had been since his awakening. "I don't know what's going on with you, but I know you'd never want to be anyone's puppet! So trust me when I say we want you back, I want you back! I won't let you leave again, Natsu, that I promise! So please, snap out of it!"

"…." END stared at Lucy for a long time. Her words struck a chord in his heart. In a clouded, dark heart and mind that only thought about Zeref's destruction, there was light. Lucy was that light. Steam emanated from END's body before all of the markings, wings, and scales just…vanished. His hands were still demonic claws and he almost slumped over. "Lucy…?"

"Natsu…?" Lucy looked up to him with a tearful smile. She stepped back to look at him, preparing to wipe the tears away.

"She…she talked him down…?" Selene was pretty amazed.

"Geez…" Takeru rubbed the back of his head. "Now annoying…"

Oh, but it wasn't over yet. Despite Lucy's efforts, Gray wasn't done with this fight yet. It showed as he brought down another long sword towards Natsu's front, but it was blocked by Tia's scepter. "Gray, what the hell!? You are NOT HELPING!" Considering that Lucy was nearly collateral, she wasn't happy.

"I have to kill him!" Gray said. The darkness in his wounded heart was pouring out with no way of stopping.

"Are you dumb!?" Tia snarled before barely managing to push Gray back. "Look at what you're doing! You're attacking your comrades in your fit of blind rage, just calm down for one damn second!"

"…." Natsu blinked slowly, realizing that Lucy was almost hurt from Gray's attack. Now there were two things on his mind: protecting Lucy and stopping Zeref. Gray was still viewed as an enemy, especially since he nearly caught Lucy in his attack. As a result, he lunged forward and roared. "GRAAAAAAY!"

"NATSU NO!" Lucy screamed. "PLEASE STOP IT! BOTH OF YOU!"

Natsu slammed his fist into Gray's chest, causing the ice devil to slide backwards. Gray tumbled backwards with a snarl before lunging forward. He and Natsu could barely recognize each other. The two of them wrapped their fists in their respective elements. They were going for the killing blow. Everyone was pleading for them to stop, but they couldn't hear it. Just as Natsu and Gray swung their fists for the final impact, she appeared between them, catching both of their fists with her hands. It didn't come without consequence. Erza's hands were both frozen and horribly burned, but the pain from that was nowhere near as strong as the pain in her heart. The tears fell from both eyes while she spoke to her comrades. "…What do you two imbeciles think you're doing…?" After she asked this, she began to sob.

"Erza…?" Natsu's eyes went wide. _"Erza was crying. Shaking and crying like a baby. I don't want to see her like that ever again. AND THAT'S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO MADE HER CRY!"_ He recalled these words…how long ago was this? How long had it been since Erza shed a tear…?

"Tears…?" Gray came to a stop only for a moment. They'd both only ever seen Erza cry one time. _"Erza, more than anyone needs Fairy Tail. Without it, she'd just fall apart…"_

"TAKE A GOOD LOOK! TELL ME WHAT IT IS YOU SEE?!" Erza screamed. "AN ENEMY?! A COMRADE!? I don't know what's going on here, but don't let this fleeting rage get the better of you! Never forget the history we all share!" It was at that moment that Natsu and Gray came to a complete halt. "Listen closely…!"

" _Listen well!"_

" _Gramps!?"_ Natsu and Gray thought at the same time.

" _There are times when disagreements are unavoidable. It is a consequence of staying true to your own ideals and beliefs. Just remember, do not let it diminish your respect for the opponent you are clashing with. It is never acceptable to let it turn into hatred or a grudge since then violence will be the only possible outcome. That's what it means to be a guild…a family."_ Makarov's voice…his parting words.

"….." With that, Natsu finally calmed down. His body returned to normal and he just stared down at his hands.

"…I…" Gray was trembling, finding himself at a crossroads.

"Gray…!" Cynthia called out to him. She, Wendy, and Carla arrived on the scene.

Gray turned, noticing that the trio bought Juvia along with them. Unfortunately for him, she was still dead. Yet Lucy was still alive for Natsu. For a moment that fleeting rage returned, but Carla sensed this. She didn't know what was going on, but she planned to nip it in the bud. "I don't know what you're doing, but you have to stop this! Do you really think that this is something that Juvia would want you to do!?" It was a low blow for certain…she hated uttering those words, but she had to.

"…." Gray didn't say a word. But he knew that Carla was right. Juvia…Juvia wouldn't want this…

Erza then pulled Natsu and Gray into a hug, weeping all the while. "I truly love you both, with every fiber of my being."

Once the hug was over, Gray took a step back and just…collapsed. He passed out.

"Gray-san…!" Wendy rushed over to Gray. "Oh thank goodness. He's still alive…."

When Natsu collapsed, Lucy wrapped her arms around him to hold him steady. "You sure know how to make a girl worry…"

"Natsu!" Happy rushed into Natsu's arms, more than elated to know his partner was okay.

"Lucy…Happy…" Natsu managed a slight smile before passing out.

"Good grief…" Tia took a seat. "Idiots…"

"At least they avoided killing each other…" Selene wiped her brow. That situation was far too close for comfort.

"What the hell was that even all about…?!" Takeru asked. Nobody really had an answer at the end of the day.

"…Erza…that light just now…" Wendy turned to Erza. She, Cynthia, and Carla all noticed the light, but they weren't sure what to make of it. Erza didn't say a word but instead wiped the tears from her eyes. "…Erza-san…?"

Lucy hoisted Natsu over her back and Happy picked up Gray. "We should take Natsu back to see Porlyusica…"

"Gray could stand to use a look over." Carla added.

"Aye." Happy said.

"Right…let's get moving…" Tia stood back up and suddenly her senses started screaming at her.

"EVERYONE GET DOWN!" Erza yelled, and right as she did, a powerful explosion occurred, nearly blowing them all away.

"Eeep!" Cynthia ducked down.

"What is it now!?" Tia groaned. "Coming at us out of the blue like that!?"

Heels clicked along the ground. Elieen stared right at Erza, a subtle smirk on her face. "So…here you are. It's been far, far too long, Erza…"

"A friend of yours…?" Takeru groaned while standing back up.

"An acquaintance…?" Lucy asked, making sure to keep Natsu safe in her arms.

"No clue." Erza admitted. "Who are you?"

Wendy noticed it right off the bat. This wasn't a coincidence. _"She…kinda resembles Erza…?!"_

Elieen's lips curved, giving one very simple response. "I am you, and you are me."

.

.

Next Time: Pleasure and Agony.


	78. Chapter 78: Pleasure and Agony

Jellal, Crime Soriciere, and Cygnus were up against the King of Magic himself…and it was a losing battle. _"What's going on here?!"_ Jellal questioned while staring up at this monster before him. His magic power was on a completely different level than that of Neinhart's! _"Every time we attack him, we just keep losing ground!"_

" _Be that as it may…I can still hear what you're going to do next!"_ Cobra lunged at August, preparing to blindside him. But when Cobra got close, August turned to him.

" _You're not the only one who can hear the thoughts of others…"_ August trailed off. The fact that Cobra was heard threw him off, not that it mattered. No matter what Cobra did, August's staff was going to hit the back of his neck and crush him into the ground.

"How about a dose of super speed then!?" Racer shot forward, sprinting across the ground at high speeds, but the moment he got close…

August merely stepped to the side, slamming his staff into Racer's back to send him flying. "So, so slow…"

"I'm so tired of this asshole!" Cygnus groaned while entering his God Trigger. The most unfortunate part about all of this is that he was unable to make use of the Eclipse that Jaxon created. All because they encountered the King of Magic shortly after it was destroyed. "Gravity God's Bellow!" From his lips, a powerful funnel of golden gravity shot forth, attempting to consume August in its wake.

"You call yourself a god…" August turned, firing a beam of magic from his staff to intercept the bellow, resulting in an explosion. Shortly after this he brought his hand down, creating an intense gravity field to bring everyone down. "But the one who should be bowing is you."

"Gah…!" Cygnus groaned, refusing to bend a knee to this opposing gravity.

"Why is nothing working!?" Ultear groaned while attempting to keep Meredy out of harm's way, which was impossible in this battle.

"We're running out of options…!" Meredy pointed out.

"Spiral Pain!" Midnight swiped his hand, releasing his reflector magic in a piercing spiral towards August.

It did succeed in wrapping around August, but the King of Magic only took a second glance at it. "Your magic is a peculiar one…" He then twisted his body around, amplifying the attack tenfold before shooting it back at everyone, causing them to release a scream of pain. "But I've already mastered all of its nuances."

"Damn it!" Jellal was on a knee. _"We're out of options!"_

Ultear created multiple versions of her orbs in the skies above. "Flash Forward!" They had to do something, anything against this monster. The orbs began to rain down and August noticed this, electing to dodge. Due to their inability to hit him regardless, nobody realized how big this actually was. Ultear was frustrated that nothing they did worked.

"Huh…?" Cygnus noticed. Now he had to test something and make sure he wasn't going crazy, because if his hunch was right… "Come here, you old geezer!" The Gravity God pushed forward while bringing out his blade, Rebellion. "Round Trip!" The Eclipse mage tossed the sword forward, allowing it to spin violently towards its target. August shifted his body to avoid it, and was well aware that it was coming back. Despite this, Cygnus grabbed the sword as it returned, thrusting forward to pierce August's chest. "STINGER!"

"Foolish endeavors…" August muttered while dodging once again, only to counter by firing off a beam of light in Cygnus' direction. Cygnus was able to block it, but the intensity sent him stumbling back before barely being able to regain his footing.

"…I get it." Cygnus spoke with a smirk. "I might be crazy here, but I think I figured you out already!"

"Huh!?" Meredy turned to Cygnus. "What do you mean!? Did you find out what his magic is!?"

"He's just like Luke!" Cygnus yelled. "He's a copy mage!"

"WHAT!?" Nobody would have ever seen that coming. The King of Magic was a copy mage!?

"All this time spent around Luke and I know exactly how a copy mage acts." Cygnus stared at August, whose expression shifted a little to hint at the surprise he felt. "I'm not entirely sure how it works, but if I had to guess…he's nullifying our magic and then copying it. That's why none of our attacks have been working. He doesn't even have to move to do it!"

"So how do we win then!?" Ultear asked.

"Holder Magic." Cygnus said while tapping his index finger to his temple. "He doesn't need to dodge our attacks if he can do what he's been doing. But with Ultear's orbs and my blade, he dodged them. Because you can't copy magic like that. Luke may have copied Erza's armor once, but it was a very specific move…"

"…." August said not a word.

"Even the 'King of Magic' has his limitations. Which means…" Cygnus' lips curled up into a smirk. "We can beat him."

" _Is this the break we've been looking for!?"_ Jellal certainly hoped so. The remaining Spriggan 12 were monsters in their own right. So any momentum they could gain was needed.

* * *

"In the end, they got away…" Yukino sighed. The hunt for Prometheus and Pandora came up short.

"Look at this…" Lector pointed to all the enemies who were downed. "All the enemies in front of us were suddenly beaten in one fell swoop!"

"Fro thinks so too!" Fro exclaimed.

"I haven't a clue whose magic that was…but it certainly helped out, don't you think, Sister?" Yukino said while glancing around.

"Yeah…if we're lucky, maybe those two freaks got caught up in it…" Sorano said, knowing full well that this was nothing more than wishful thinking.

"I must say, that was quite the gaudy spell…" His voice came from atop the mountain nearby. The two sisters glanced up, only to be met with divine radiance. "Thanks to that, our faces have been considerably diminished. Quite troublesome indeed. And so it falls upon me to return the favor, if only a bit. I simply wouldn't be able to face my father otherwise." This was the conclusion that Rahkeid Dragneel came to.

"It's him…!" Lector gasped.

"…That's the man who…who killed Orga-sama…" Yukino said quietly.

"Oh?" Sorano frowned at first before facing Rahkeid with a confident smirk. "I don't know who this man thinks he is, but if he believes he can take on the two of us, he's got another thing coming!"

"I'm here too y'know…in case you forgot." Lector pointed out.

"And Fro too!"

Rahkeid smiled down at the two women before him, taking their words into consideration. "I said I'd be returning the favor, did I not? That is to say…I shall 'take on' all those who dared to oppose us." The White Dragneel brought his hands together, a divine white light forming within his hands. He then spread his arms apart, allowing this light to wash over the entirety of the battlefield.

"So bri-" Sorano gasped.

"Light!?" Yukino questioned.

"Let their pure, white souls ascend to the freedom of heaven…" Rahkeid said.

Suddenly, Sorano's body began to heat up. She wasn't sure what was happening, but she felt nothing but euphoria shooting through her body! "Ah~" The woman began to moan, unable to contain or fight against the pleasure that was invading her.

"Sister!? Sister, please hold on!" Yukino pleaded.

* * *

"Mmmmn…this…? My body is…?" Even Minerva was caught up in this! She wasn't sure what was happening, but her body was squirming and her voice escaped in nothing but pleased moans. It wasn't long before she fell to her knees.

"Lady…!" Rouge finally managed to find her, only for this to happen.

"DO NOT TOUCH ME!" Minerva screamed. It was supposed to be angry, but with how she was feeling her expression came off more sheepish than anything else. "It's no use…" That's all she could say between her hard breaths and moans.

"Just…just what is going on!?" Rogue questioned…and then he felt it. Pleasure burned his body and he suddenly collapsed. _"This is…not good…!"_

* * *

The main section of the battlefield is where Rahekid's magic held the most prominent effect. Numerous people were washed in the light of pleasure. "Dad…!? What's going on!?" Romeo asked while shaking Macao.

"Mama? Papa?!" Asuka looked between Alzack and Bisca, who were also downed from this wave of pleasure.

"Ah…" Ace clutched his chest, falling to a knee while panting heavily. "What the hell…is this…?"

"Ace!" Jack rushed over to Ace. "Are you all right? What's going on? Your stupid sickness isn't acting up now, is it?"

Ace slowly shook his head. "No…that's not it…Jack, g-go find your sister now…"

"Huh? But…!" Jack objected.

"GO!" That order came from Heartless. As much as she tried to find it, the flushed hue on her cheeks told the story. Whatever everyone else was feeling, she was feeling it too.

"R-Right…" Jack didn't know what was going on, but clearly Tia was involved as well. His wings flapped and carried him to the sky in search of his sister.

"Ooooooh~" Zelos was on the ground, hearts in his eyes. "This sensation…feels soooooo gooooooood~"

"What the hell is wrong with you…?" Mii dried her eyes while looking around. "This isn't fair…I wanna feel good too. What's going on here…I want what everyone else is having!"

"Laxus…!" Mavis rushed over to Laxus, who was also afflicted by this. _"What is the meaning of all this!? What sort of magic is it? Only the adults are falling one after another…"_ She then glanced at Warren, who had no clue what was going on. _"No…that's not it! What exactly is this magic!? Zelos is affected, however Mii is not? I don't understand…"_ And suddenly, Mavis felt it as well. A white heat coursing through her body that made her cry out in pleasure. "My body…feels so hot…" The First Master fell to her knees, panting heavily. "This can't be…I…I cannot resist it…"

Just as Cana and Emmeraude were having their standoff, Emmeraude felt it. She blinked once, bringing her hands to her shoulders as a red tint appeared on her cheeks. "O-Oh…I see…it appears that Rahkeid is using his magic…"

"OOOOOOOOOH!" Gildarts just dropped like a rock.

Cana's attention went to Gildarts for a moment, rushing to his side to see if he was okay. "Gildarts! Wat's gotten into you all of a sudden!? Snap out of it!" That's when Gildarts gave Cana a look she deemed disgusting and immediately punched him in the face. "THAT IS NOT THE KIND OF EXPRESSION I WANT TO SEE FROM YOU WHEN WE'RE NECK DEEP IN WAR! YOU'RE GROSSING ME OUT!"

"But it feels so good…" Gildarts moaned, unfazed by the punch in the slightest.

Growling, Cana turned back to Emmeraude, who looked a little uncomfortable. "…What's gotten into you? Lose your nerve?"

"A-Ah…F-Far from it…" Emmeraude's aura wavered around her being. Queenly Majesty was consciously being put into play, allowing her to breathe easy for a moment. Not even she was completely exempt from Rahkeid's magic, as much as it pained her to admit. "It seems you've angered one of my few remaining comrades. His magic is…quite. And a spell like this ails all those who've tasted the forbidden fruit of pleasure."

"Is that why you were shifting around? I'm surprised. Who on earth would touch you…?" Cana shot.

"And conversely, I'm surprised you aren't affected by it…" Emmeraude trailed off. She didn't say anything more, but the tone of her voice implied her thoughts.

"Did you just…!?" Cana had enough. The Fairy Glitter mark on her arm began to shine brightly as she pointed it directly at Emmeraude. "This is the end of the line for you! I've been saving this spell for you for an entire year, so I hope you're ready!"

Emmeraude completely dropped her guard, giving Cana to opportunity to strike her at full power. "You've been saving this just for me?" The Queen's lips curved up to a smile. "I'm so flattered. But you want to know if I'm ready for this? I want to know if you are. You better hope this kills me. Otherwise, the price for attacking your Queen is punishable by death."

Ignoring Emmeraude's words, Cana went on with the incantation as a golden aura flaring around her body. A bright halo of light appeared, rapidly shrinking to constrict Emmeraude's body. "Gather! O river of light that guides the fairies! Shine in order to perish the fangs of evil! FAIRY GLITTER!" Within mere seconds, a massive pillar of light dropped down from the heavens, causing the surrounding area to tremble violently as Emmeraude took the hit directly. There was no sign of defense from the woman, and those that could stand and watch were in awe at Cana's power.

Sidney was one of the few unaffected by Rahkeid's magic. He watched on with his arms crossed as Cana nuked the former queen of the country. "…She never stood a chance."

"Nope…" Mii muttered.

"Ooooh yeah! That's my Cana…!" Gildarts saying that while in his current condition…well; let's just say it didn't come out very well.

"I'm gonna throw up…" Cana groaned for a moment, but her gaze returned to the cloud of smoke around Emmeraude. Her heart was pounding in anxiety as she awaited the outcome of Fairy Tail's second trump card. "…."

The smoke cleared and…Emmeraude was still standing. Her clothing was mostly ruined and there were a few marks on her body, but otherwise she took that hit fairly well since she didn't defend against it at all. "Well…that was a little anti climatic, don't you think?"

"Wha..!?" Cana's eyes went wide. "But that…!"

"You think because you defeated Drayden with that move, it would work on me? All that big talk only for you to slap me on the wrist?" The Empress shook her head. "You're lucky I'm feeling merciful today…"

"Don't give me that!" Cana wasn't having it. She wasn't going to give up! She tossed several cards forward, all of them merging together to form three arrows of fire, ice, and lightning. "Tri-Arrow!"

Before the Tri-Arrow could even reach her, Emmeraude swatted them away with her bare hands. "I don't think you understand your situation." Emerald chains shot up from the ground, wrapping around Cana's limbs to pull her closer, close enough so her and Emmeraude's faces were inches apart. "Your guild couldn't even defeat me when it mattered. While you may have taken down most of the 12, the three who remain well…since you've not invoked their ire; you won't be making it out of this war alive. The one who's causing most of your troops to drop is a man with unspeakable power. As for the other two? As much as I hate to admit this, their power surpasses my own. Prometheus and Pandora still remain, and their strength is ever growing. If you couldn't even put a noticeable scratch on me, what on Earthlamd makes you believe that you can defeat them?"

"P-Put her…down…" Gildarts was really trying, but unfortunately, he was about as useless as everyone else in the situation.

"Absolutely pathetic. I've wasted too much time toying with you." Emmeraude pressed her hand to Cana's exposed stomach, more so against the wound she created on the card mage earlier. "Be gone." A potent blast of crash magic was released. The blast was so strong it ripped Cana from the chains and her body tumbled along the ground, a crimson trail following suit.

"CANA!" The few Fairy Tail mages that could move rushed to her aid.

"A-Ah…" Cana could barely muster the strength to say anything. Her body trembled and her eyes were wide from the shock she was experiencing. "I-I'm not…I…"

Emmeraude shook her head and started to walk off. She took a glance at Mavis; however it was clear that Sidney wasn't going to let her get away with it. "I see a number of you can still move, and while I'm outnumbered, only a few of you can really put up a fight. Letting most of you expire from the throes of pleasure isn't exactly my way of getting revenge…but I suppose we must achieve victory through any means…but I wonder…"

"S-Someone…stop her…" Mavis choked.

Sidney didn't pursue, because it was clear that Emmeraude was heading elsewhere. If Mavis was Alvarez's objective, then it was imperative that she be kept away from them. Plus, he was more concerned with something else… "….She's not a priority right now. The real concern is the one behind this magic." The ghost mage glanced around. A lot of people from various guilds were affected by this plague of pleasure. "If it's not stopped soon…"

* * *

August halted for a moment. Despite the fact Cygnus figured out his weakness, the battle was still extremely one sided. "Rahkeid…using such magic makes for a dull battle…" Not that he sought any enjoyment from this. But it was extremely anticlimactic if the war came to an abrupt end because of pleasure.

"What the hell's going on…? What was that light…?" Cygnus questioned while panting heavily. "AND HEY! DON'T TAKE YOUR EYES OFF US YOU OLD FART!"

* * *

"I am you, and you are me." Elieen stated.

"I have no idea what you're talking about…" Erza trailed off.

"Kuku…" Elieen snickered. She was about to explain when…her body felt really, really hot. Unlike the others, she wasn't collapsing on the spot. But it was an annoyance to be sure. "Mmmf…this must be…Rahkeid."

"Aaaaaah…" Tia suddenly let out a moan and fell onto her knees, her cheeks flushed red. "W-What's happening…!? M-My body is…so hot…"

"Tia…!?" Lucy's eyes widened. "Are you okay…!?"

"I…I'm not sure what's going on…" Selene staggered around with flushed cheeks.

"M-Me neither…" Takeru said while falling to a knee.

"Now's your chance! Take Natsu and Gray to safety! Erza yelled.

"We're on it!" Lucy turned to Tia. "Can you move!?"

"Barely…" Tia managed to stand up, but staggered around a bit. "This is so not good…come on…"

"What are you planning on doing!?" Carla asked while leaving the scene with the others.

Erza drew her blade, rushing Elieen down. "I must confirm the true meaning of this woman's words!"

"Kuh…!" Elieen moved her scepter forward, making use of air enchantment just as she did against Acnologia. The sphere appeared right in front of Erza, and just when she had no defense for it, it dispersed into nothing.

Wendy stood in front of Erza with her arms spread out, and Cynthia by her side. "We'll lend you a hand!"

"Mhm!" Cynthia nodded.

"Wendy! Cynthia…!" Erza was glad they were all right. "Selene, Takeru, are you…?"

"If I could move…I would fight too…" Takeru groaned. "What is all this…!?"

"Enchantment…?!" Elieen wasn't expecting to encounter another enchanter on the enemy side! "So…Rahkeid's magic only works on a select few of you…" And to her luck, it just so happened to be the people that planned to oppose her. This was making things difficult; it was extremely hard for her to focus when her body was nearly trembling in pleasure. "You accursed brats…!"

* * *

Things weren't great for Zeref either. Rahkeid's magic was affecting even him. It got to the point where he had to make an executive decision. _"Rahkeid, cease this at once. Our allies are suffering harm from your magic as well…"_

"Oh my…please pardon my impetuous actions." Rahkeid then disabled the spell he put into play, thus removing the pleasure from the battlefield.

"Just what was that!?" Lector asked as everyone crowded around Sorano. She reached the peak of pleasure a while ago and ended up passing out because of it.

"Why was Sister the only one affected?" Yukino needed to know. Sorano was unharmed, but still… "Sister, please get a hold of yourself…!"

"My magic is 'pleasure'." Rahkeid explained while connecting his right thumb and index finger together. "It is impossible for those who have already tasted the forbidden fruit of pleasure to escape from my magic. I wonder…are you aware of what happens to humans who are granted pleasure over and over and over…?"

Yukino didn't want to hear any of this. This was the man who killed her comrade and she wouldn't stand for it! "Open, gate of the…!"

"It's simple, really. They die." As soon as Rahkeid said this, tendrils of pleasure magic coiled around Yukino's body before she could even finish her incantation. It wasn't just Yukino, Lector and Frosch were dragged into this well. "Knowledge is to ignorance as black is to white. May you come to know both pleasure and agony."

"AH!" Yukino cried out. She was completely restrained as the sensation of euphoria coursed through her entire body. She tried to fight it, but it was extremely difficult to do so and her voice made this clear.

"What's happening! This feels bad…!" Lector said before… "Actually, on second thought, it feels really good!"

"Fro too!" Frosch hummed, not even trying to fight it.

This foreign sensation of pleasure was driving Yukino mad! Her body couldn't fight against this and her voice just wouldn't stop. "Ahhhhhhh~!" All she could do was let out moans of pleasure as the tendrils tightened their hold around her, intensifying what she felt with each passing second. _"I have to…escape…"_ She had to slip out of this somehow but…her mind was drawing a blank. If this kept up she'd…

Suddenly, the tendrils were severed by an outside force, freeing the trio who was trapped within the iron grip of pleasure. Rahkeid and Yukino were both caught off guard by this sudden interruption. "White? Light? Granting pleasure?" Kagura slid her blade into its sheath, staring at the enemy before her. "It's quite hard to fathom that you are a comrade of the Black Wizard." The Mermaid stated, pointing out the irony.

"Kagura-sama…!" Boy was Yukino glad to see her! Any longer and she wasn't sure what would have happened to her.

"I am much more than his comrade…Zeref is my father." Rahkeid stated.

* * *

"Suddenly, I'm feeling all right again…" Tia let out a few huffs. She, Lucy, Happy, and Carla were carrying Natsu and Gray to safety. "What the hell was all that, though? It felt…good…in a bad way."

"At least you're okay…" Carla pointed out. "I hope those two idiots are as well."

"They were really going at it…" Lucy sighed. "But I think they've calmed down now. So all that's left is to…" That's when a sphere of darkness flew past them and exploded nearby. "WAAAH!"

"AAAAH!" Happy cried out in surprise. "Who's attacking us now!?"

Tia immediately began to scan the area. "That was a warning shot…"

"Great, now we have someone else to deal with…?" Carla let out a heavy sigh.

"So this is where you were…" Emmeraude crossed her arms. "Quite a ways away from the battlefield, aren't you?"

"Shit…" Tia prepared for battle.

"Emmeraude…!" Carla grit her teeth. This wasn't good. They were all extremely vulnerable right now.

"Emmeraude…" Lucy narrowed her eyes at Emmeraude as she appeared. Honestly, she was expecting this to happen sooner or later. The unfortunate part? Why did this have to happen _now_? Natsu and Gray were unconscious and Juvia was just dead weight.

"Has anyone ever told you that your timing is horrendous?" Tia asked.

"A Queen is never late. Everyone else is simply early." Emmeraude shrugged.

"How long have you been waiting to use that one…?" Carla rolled her eyes. It was important that they get the injured out of here, but…

"Now then, if you don't mind. Would you mind stepping aside? I have some unfinished business with these people." Emmeraude waved her hand to shoo Tia away, but she wasn't budging. Unconscious or not, Emmeraude planned on exterminating them first before anyone else.

"Not on your life!" Tia growled.

"Tia." Lucy briefly turned her gaze to her friend. "Take Natsu somewhere safe."

"What?!" Tia turned to Lucy with wide eyes. She didn't like the implications of Lucy's demands. "And leave you with the crazy psycho bitch, are you out of your mind!?"

"Please!" Lucy begged. "You're the only one who can get him someplace safe. I need you to do this for me!" She had a point. Happy was carrying Gray, Carla was carrying Juvia and fully intended to bring her back to the guild somehow…Tia was the only person who could carry Natsu.

"…Are you done whispering secrets?" Emmeraude asked, although she could hear their plan clear as day.

Tia really hated being Lucy's friend at this moment. If only because she wanted to stand by her side and beat the shit out of Emmeraude, but clearly that wasn't happening. Lucy was begging her to get Natsu to safety, and being anywhere near Em was not safe. "Ugh! Fine!" The water mage conceded, taking Natsu off Lucy's back and onto her own. "But the moment he's safe, I'm coming back to help you! So you better not even think about dying until then!"

"I won't." Lucy could breathe easy now. Although she found it strange that Emmeraude was letting Tia and the Exceeds go without a warning shot or anything.

"It doesn't matter where they run. I plan on killing them too." Emmeraude said. "How noble of you to stay behind, though. I'm impressed."

"I knew this was going to happen sooner or later." Lucy said while gripping her key ring. The two of them were staring each other right in the eyes. "But as Tia said…your timing is awful."

"I noticed the look in your eyes has changed." Emmeraude tilted her head slowly, a smirk steadily drawing itself on her lips.

"I'm not afraid of you anymore." Lucy stated. "I'm not afraid to fight you alone either!" It was ironic. Natsu and Gray both told Lucy that they wouldn't let her face Emmeraude alone…yet, they were both unconscious after almost fighting each other to the death. The tables turned, and now it was Lucy facing Emmeraude alone, but she was doing this to protect them.

"Not afraid of me? Well, I'm glad to hear that." Emmeraude placed a hand on her chest, relishing in the expression her response got from Lucy. "As Queen, I don't enjoy being feared. It makes me seem like some sort of tyrant like my dear old, senile father. I want to be loved and respected, not feared and avoided."

"Tch…" Lucy should've seen that coming. "Wait…as Queen?"

"That's right. You remember, don't you? I made my way to the castle and decided to revisit the throne room. That's when I recalled our battle one year ago, and it dawned on me how much of a fool I was. While you and your guild were at fault for standing in my way…I was in the wrong to entirely blame you for what happened. It fell to me as Queen and wounded my pride. What happened last year wounded me just as it did you."

Emmeraude wasn't exactly wrong, but Lucy still didn't like the way she was talking. "So you're not blaming me for Sophie's death anymore?" Not that it mattered to her now but…she was simply curious.

"I blame you, but I blame myself more. I was her mother, and I should have protected her, not the other way around. But I realized something very important…those who followed me; Marisa, Drayden, Ross, and Sophie…they believed in me until the very end, and continue to do so. My will and creed as Queen has returned. Lambda was but one of the many paths I could have taken to lead this world to a peaceful era, and now I have many more in store once this war comes to an end."

"Your creed?" Lucy shouldn't have asked, but her curiosity got the best of her. Plus, keeping Emmeraude talking was a good way for her to buy Tia and the others some time for safety. Lucy realized a long time ago that Emmeraude talked a lot whenever she felt comfortable in a situation. Of course, she realized that this didn't bode well for her in the end.

"Her Majesty fights for the people, cries for the people, and angers for the people. Justice will be dealt, and all the wrongs shall be righted." After speaking her creed once more, her emerald aura began to flow around her body. This caused the earth around them to tremble violently. It seemed like she was done talking for now. "We have some unfinished business, Lucy. For the crime of standing against your Queen, your punishment shall be execution by my hands. It won't just be you. Your guild master is dead, as are a number of your comrades already. Every one of you who stood against me will suffer the consequences." The Emerald Empress drew her chain whip sword, slashing it against the ground once to prove how serious she was about this. The chain scarred the earth with a deep fissure.

This was it. The confrontation she knew was going to happen from the very start. If she had run into Emmeraude sooner, then her resolve would be weakened. But now? Lucy was more than prepared to meet Emmeraude head on by herself. The celestial wizard of Fairy Tail held a firm gaze towards her opponent: the woman who caused the most traumatic experience of her life. "I'm not afraid of you, Emmeraude, and I won't back down either! Not while everyone's lives are on the line!" A golden light flared around her body, shifting her into Star Dress: Taurus once more, sprinting towards Emmeraude at full speed.

Emmeraude only smirked at Lucy's conviction, her aura growing from a mixture of both blood lust and anticipation. "Come on then, Lucy…let's see if those words aren't just the echoes of your hollowed shell!"

.

.

Next Time: Lucy vs Emmeraude.


	79. Chapter 79: Lucy vs Emmeraude

"Ahhhhh…" Cana groaned, slowly sitting up. The injury on her side still hurt and she gasped when she noticed the trail of her own blood. "W-What happened?!" The last thing she remembered was Emmeraude mocking her after Fairy Glitter.

"Em kicked the shit out of you." Mii was leaning over Cana, a hand placed over the woman's injury. Much to Cana's surprise, Mii was somewhat healing the wound. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying earlier, but she seemed to be over it now.

"Damn it…I wasn't done with her…" Cana groaned while rubbing her arm. "There's no way she shrugged all of that off so easily! I know that hit her hard!"

"It's Em. She wouldn't let you see her in pain even if you stabbed her." Mii shrugged and stood up. "Anyway, I did what I could. You were gonna bleed out."

Cana looked down at her wound. It looked like it would still rip open at any moment, but Mii did help. "…Thanks, Mii. Are you…?"

"Doesn't matter. After this war is over, I never want to see any of you again. But for now, I'll do what I can." Mii turned her back.

"Did you see which way she went?" Cana was on her feet, hissing in pain. She glanced at Gildarts, who was lying on the ground. Since the wave of pleasure subsided, those affected were just trying to recover.

"She briskly walked off in that direction." Mii pointed.

"…Can you take me there?" Cana asked. "I wasn't done with her yet. And I haven't seen Lucy on the battlefield either. I won't let that woman hurt Lucy again…"

Mii lifted a brow. "You're saying you're all right with me touching you?"

"…Don't make it into something it isn't!" Cana comically waved her fist around, only to wince in pain. "Ack…please."

"…." Mii rolled her eyes as her wings spread out. She carefully wrapped her arms around Cana's waist to hoist her into the sky and flew off in the direction Emmeraude went. "Fine, whatever…"

It was an awkward ride for sure. Mii wasn't talking and Cana wasn't sure what to say. They flew for a few minutes before she tried speaking to Mii. "Hey, Mii…"

"….Unless you're gonna let me grope you then I don't wanna hear it." Mii replied.

"Right…" Cana glanced away. She wasn't sure if there was anything she could say or do to make Mii feel better. Then again, she was feeling pretty down herself after Makarov's sacrifice… "Hey, down there…!"

"That's…" Mii glanced down, only for a large explosion to occur. The ground rumbled and Mii ended up losing her balance. "G-Going down…!"

"Pull up, pull up!" Cana yelped. But it was too late. The two of them crash landed on a cliff side, nearly falling off. "Ouch…"

"Ugh…" Mii sat up and shook head. "Geez…that was rough." It was then that she looked over the cliff base, blinking a few times at what she witnessed. "Oh…they've started fighting."

"What!?" Cana scrambled to her feet, peering over the cliff base. Her eyes were wide at the sight before her. "LUCY…!"

* * *

Lucy sprinted towards Emmeraude, drawing out two golden keys in the process. "Open, Gate of the Golden Bull! Open, Gate of the Scorpion! Taurus! Scorpio!"

"Mooooo!" Taurus let out a battle cry.

"We are!" Scorpio reappeared to the battle. Both spirits were uncertain of what was going on, but they saw Emmeraude and Lucy's expression so they could only assume, and they were ready to help her out. Scorpio pointed his stinger forward and let the sand fly. "Sand Buster!"

Emmeraude stomped on the ground, causing Crash magic to surge though it. The ground in front of her broke apart before rising up. This slab of earth served as a suitable defense for the incoming Sand Buster, preventing it from coming close to her being. At that moment, Taurus mooed and sliced through the rock. "MOOO!"

Lucy then appeared from above, lifting her leg up high. "Take THIS!" The blonde swung her leg down for a heel drop on Emmeraude's skull. Her physical power was increased tenfold due to donning the Taurus Star Dress. The blonde's leg collided against Emmeraude's raised arm, a crater forming due to her momentum. After her kick, she felt Emmeraude's iron grip around her ankle. "Ah…!"

"You could have come at me literally in one thousand other ways, yet this is your opening? That was a bad move." Try harder." Emmeraude spat before twisting on her heel, hurling Lucy in the opposite direction. The throw caused Lucy to violently tumble along the ground. The Empress' pure strength was nothing to take lightly. "As for you two…" The chain whip blade in her free hand was sent forward, its reach adjusting properly to strike both targets. Scorpio and Taurus were sent skidding backwards from the hit. "And another…" That's when she felt something wrap around her other wrists. "Hm…?"

"Now, you two!" It was Lucy! She used her whip to buy some time.

"It's time to MOOve!" Taurus roared. He reared his axe back while Scorpio coated the weapon in a fierce veil of sand. It was their tag team attack. Once the axe was enhanced, Taurus stepped forward and began to swing at Emmeraude. "Though you have a nice body, I can never forgive anyone that dares to hurt Lucy-sana!"

This was…annoying. Emmeraude was awkwardly shifting about to avoid Taurus' attack. Getting cut with an axe wasn't exactly how she planned on spending her afternoon. With Lucy holding back her wrists, she wasn't as free to move as she liked. As such, the axe did end up grazing her side, causing her expression to contort in a mixture of slight pain and annoyance. "You're…surprisingly easy to bait." Emmeraude finally said as Taurus came down for an overhead strike. Emmeraude quickly pulled her restrained wrist forward, easily lifting Lucy off her feet and dragged her forward to be caught in the cross fire.

"Ahhhh!" Lucy cried out as she was dragged along the ground.

"Ah…!" Taurus realized that Lucy was at risk, so he quickly had to plunge his axe into the ground aside from Emmeraude's chest. The ground was easily broken, but the more important part was that Lucy was safe. "Are you…!"

Before Taurus could finish, Emmeraude swiftly lifted her heel up to kick Lucy into Taurus, causing them both to stagger. She followed up with a potent sphere of dark magic to collide against the pair and carry them to Scorpio, where it ultimately exploded. "Dark Sphere."

"Kyaaaaaah!" Lucy let out a shout of pain as the explosion consumed her. She tumbled along the ground before catching herself in a crouched position, panting softly at the damage dealt. When she looked at Taurus and Scorpio, they were already fading out of this realm and back to the Spirit World. "…Thank you both. I know you did your best…" It was time to move onto plan b! "Sagittarius! Capricorn!" As Lucy summoned Sagittarius and Capricorn, she shifted to Star Dress Virgo. "On my mark!" Lucy then sprinted off once again. The maid outfit didn't slow her down.

"As you say! Moshi-moshi!" Sagittarius saluted while aiming his bow into the sky.

"I will await your command!" Capricorn bowed.

"You don't have a trick that I haven't already seen…" Emmeraude pointed out.

Lucy was running right at Emmeraude, who was more than prepared to take her on again. "Just because you watched us in the Games a year ago doesn't mean anything! I haven't been sitting around depressed for a year!" Lucy slid to a halt and brought her hands to the ground. She made use of Vigro's earth magic, causing the ground to sink in. It was an idea she got after being victim of Ajeel's Ant Lion's Larva Pit. It was almost like quicksand, but it was thick mud instead. "Now!"

"Ngh…" This was more uncomfortable than anything else. When Emmeraude looked up, she spotted a rain of arrows coming down on her. With her chain whip sword, she began to lash at all the arrows to take care of them before they came down onto her. She then pointed her free hand to the ground, releasing a burst of darkness magic to free herself from the sinking ground. The second she did…

"This is for Lady Lucy!" Capricorn lunged forward, aiming an elbow for Emmeraude's jaw. She was narrowly capable of catching it with her free hand, but Capricorn continued his assault. A swift roundhouse kick was delivered to the woman's temple, but she ducked to evade it. The Empress was easily able to handle herself in hand to hand combat, even against the likes of Capricorn. Emmeraude spotted an opening in Capricorn's assault and pressed her heel to his chest, kicking him away with ease, and the moment she did that…

Lucy was already in front of her, donning Aquarius' Star Dress once more. "Aqua Metria!" She swung her arms forward, causing the ground between them to surge and swell. Soon, the earth became its own tidal wave, sweeping Emmeruade away within its destructive wake. Lucy held a slight grin, because she knew that was a direct hit. "I got her!"

Admittedly, the trap Lucy set up was well played. The execution was competent, even. Emmeraude was carried away by the Aqua Metria, but not for very long. She brought a hand out, creating a sphere of dark magic that acted as a black hole, drawing in the swelling ground to fuel its own power. "So even you have a semblance of a brain. But it won't be good enough to defeat me!" After proclaiming this, she released the sphere towards Lucy and her spirits.

"Watch out!" Lucy gasped. All she could do with such a volitle sphere coming her way was cross her arms. The sphere exploded violently, sweeping her off her feet with a cry of pain. The impact was so strong a part of the ground was utterly destroyed, and the blonde landed on her back. "Ouch…" There was no time to rest. When she glanced, Emmeraude was in the air, planning to use her heel to crush Lucy's skull! Her eyes widened and she scrambled to roll away, just narrowly capable of doing so. Emmeraude's heel was imbued with crash magic, so the impact was incredibly devastating. That was _too_ close. Her life flashed before her eyes for that split second. "Capricorn!"

"I don't think so." Emmeraude didn't even have to move to see that Capricorn was rearing his head for a strike at her back. Several chains emerged from the ground behind her, stabbing right into the spirit's side.

"Gah…!" Capricorn gasped.

"I'll happily be rid of each and every spirit you send my way one by one." Emmeraude commanded her chains to toss Capricorn to the side. As soon as he landed on the ground, the Empress pointed her hand down, causing a fatal eruption of crash magic to engulf him and send him back to the Spirit World.

"Capricorn…!" Lucy exclaimed in worry. There wasn't any time to think, if she paused for even a second Emmeraude would take advantage of this and kill her. Her body lit up in a golden hue and she donned Sagittarius' Star Dress, pointing her bow at Emmeraude. "Let's keep it up!"

"As you wish, moshi-moshi!" Sagittarius saluted before releasing numerous arrows alongside Lucy. The two of them were doing a joint assault, intending to bring Emmeraude down with these numerous arrows.

Emmeraude sprinted forward, using her chain whip blade to slash at anything coming close to harming her. Most arrows grazed her person, but she didn't heed them any mind. Once close, her lips curved up to a smirk and chains emerged from the ground under Sagittarius and ensnare him. "Do you always only attack what's in front of you?"

"Sagittarius!?" Lucy's eyes widened. She spotted Emmeraude attempting to attack the restrained spirit with a sphere of dark magic, but she stopped that with an arrow. The result was a small explosion right in front of her. That was her mistake; in protecting her spirit, Emmeraude flew through the smoke, her heel swiftly connecting to Lucy's cheek to send her spiraling backwards. "Aaaaaah!" The blow was so strong; she ended up dropping her bow.

"Lucy-!" Before Sagittarius could finish, the chains binding him exploded in crash magic, tearing apart his being. The damage was so severe, he was sent back to the Spirit World instantly.

"Don't tell me that's the best you can muster…" Emmeraude walked to Lucy's bow and stepped on it, breaking it easily. "All that big talk for a display like this?"

"Shut up…" Lucy slowly made her way back to her feet, pulling out yet another pair keys. "Cancer! Aries!" With the bell chime, the two spirits appeared, and Lucy once again changed Star Dresses into Cancer. This battle…it was even harder than Brandish, though that went without saying. Brandish planned to lose, but even when she was throwing the fight, she made the difference in their power crystal clear. Emmeraude's magic power surpassed Brandish's, and she held killing intent. It was taking all Lucy had to survive. "Aries, Wool Bomb!"

"O-Okay…!" Aries sheepishly nodded and threw her hands forward. "Wool Bomb!" This cry caused a large cloud of pink wool to appear between Lucy and Emmeraude, even smothering the Empress a little due to its sheer size. "I'm sorry…!"

"Don't apologize to her…!" Lucy quipped before sprinting forward, using the Wool Bomb as cover.

Wool Bomb's side-effect of inducing drowsiness wasn't going to work on Emmeraude. But it did provide Lucy with some irritating cover. Oh well. "You can hide, but my chains will find you." The emerald chains shot from all over the place, shooting into the cloud of wool to hunt Lucy down.

" _Here they come…"_ Lucy thought to herself. With Cancer by her side, her plan was being put into motion. Chains shot from the wool, rapidly deteriorating its size. As they came for Lucy, she used her blades to parry them. Whatever chains she couldn't deal with, Cancer himself took the liberty of cutting them. She got closer and closer… _"THERE!"_ Lucy emerged from the Wool Bomb, directly in front of Emmeraude. She swung both swords down, aiming to cut deep into Emmeraude's chest. Unfortunately for her, Emmeraude shifted her body to the side. It wasn't a miss, since she did cut the Queen's upper thigh, but that wasn't what she was looking for. "Tch…!"

"I would appreciate it…if you didn't get blood on my clothes!" Emmeraude created a chain to pierce Lucy's side. It all happened so quickly, she didn't have any time to act. The chain whipped Lucy back through the now destroyed Wool Bomb and against the ground. "My mother made me some of these clothes…"

Luckily for Lucy, Cancer was able to cut the chain in her side. "I won't allow any more harm to come to you, ebi-ebi." The crab said while snipping his scissors. However, the exact instant he finished freeing Lucy, more chains emerged to bind her, Aries, and Cancer! These chains held razor sharp edges, meaning that even the slightest movement caused pain. "Oh no…!"

"Eeep…!" Aries cried.

"Ngh…!" Lucy grunted, struggling against the chains, only for them to rip into her skin and clothing.

"Your struggle is admirable. But I will not let you die a slow death. I will make your execution as swift and painless as possible." Part of that was a lie. She did want to see Lucy in a little bit of pain, hence why she cracked that chain whip against her chest just to hear her cry of pain.

After she shouted in pain, Lucy narrowed her eyes at Emmeraude. "You can hit me as many times as you want…it's not going to change anything!" Despite the pain of the chains, she did try and push forward, but they were wrapped tightly around her.

"Is that a fact?" Emmeraude lifted a brow. "Well, it doesn't matter. I'm not going to waste my time; it is of the essence after all." The chains began to light up in a hue of darkness and crash magic. What happened next wasn't going to pretty. The chains lit up in vicious explosions, throwing Lucy and her two spirits for a loop.

Cancer and Aries were too injured to continue and returned to the spirit world, and the battered Lucy hit the ground on her stomach, coughing a few times with bruises and cuts all along her body. Still, she refused to give up. She placed her hands on the ground and slowly pushed herself up. "I…" She didn't get the chance to stand up, as Emmeraude's heel pressed against the back of her head, forcing her face into the dirt. "Ugh…!"

"Don't you understand how pointless your struggle is at this point? You can't beat me." Emmeraude grinded her heel against the back of Lucy's head to drive her point home. "Just like that idiot man you're trying to protect, you're far too weak to beat me. So why don't you just give up already?" After asking the question, she reared her leg back and kicked Lucy in the stomach, causing the battered blonde to roll across the ground before coming to a halt, where she once again started to push herself.

"Y-You're right…" Lucy coughed, bringing herself to her hands and knees. "You're far too strong. I can't beat you…but…that doesn't matter."

"That…doesn't matter?" Emmeraude tilted her head.

"In this war, it's never been about what I can or can't do. That doesn't matter right now!" Lucy looked up to Emmeraude, a determined fire burning in her eyes. "This is about what I _have_ to do! I have to protect Natsu and the others because their lives depend on it! So it doesn't matter if I can't beat you, I HAVE TO BEAT YOU, EMMERAUDE! I refuse to die here!"

"…That doesn't make any sense." Emmeraude scoffed at Lucy's determination. "Just because you 'have' to beat me doesn't mean you can. Deluding yourself on false promises… It's that attitude of yours that makes me sick to my stomach…!" Her aura flared once again, her expression shifting to a sinister sneer.

"Isn't that what you do…?" Lucy stood up, a little shakily, but she stood nonetheless. Two more keys were drawn out. She was starting to feel the recoil of her injuries and magic usage, but she was far from finished. "Gemini! Virgo!" The two spirits appeared on that call, and Lucy shifted to Star Dress: Gemini.

"Is it time for Punishment?" Virgo asked while glancing at Lucy.

"No!" Lucy groaned. Damn it Virgo. "Gemini!"

"Piri-piri!" Gemini transformed into Natsu. She'd use Marin, but since his magic actively went against her own, it would have been pointless.

"I see the foe before us…and I understand." Virgo nodded and proceeded to burrow into the ground.

"Let's go, Gemini!" Lucy allowed black and white magic to surround her fist. This was Luke's magic. Gemini Star Dress allowed a number of transformations while granting her to copy the magic of whomever she touched with the key, so long as the Gemini duo themselves could turn into the target. She'd never tell Luke this, but she tapped him with the key after he undid her restraints earlier. "Black God's Bomb!" She threw this sphere of pitch black darkness forward with full intent of allowing it to explode.

"Hmph." Emmeraude scoffed, shooting her hand forward to unleash a beam of crash magic that destroyed the incoming Bomb before it could even reach her. At that moment, she felt Virgo emerged from the ground and grip onto her ankles tightly.

"I got her, Princess." Virgo said.

"Now, Gemini!" Lucy exclaimed.

"I'm fired up!" Gemini-Natsu roared while leaping into the air, flames igniting around his feet. He swung his legs down for a fierce axe kick to Emmeraude's skull. The woman was capable of blocking it even in her current position. "Whoa…!"

"Do not touch your Queen without permission!" An intense white explosion occurred on the spot, forcing Virgo out of the ground and Gemini backwards.

"Virgo, it's time." Lucy said.

"I see…" Virgo turned to Emmeraude with a rare serious expression. "I shall never forgive you for harming the Princess." As the maid spoke, her form began to change. The petite maid turned into a hulking beast that towered over Emmeraude. "Therefore, your punishment, Emmeraude, is to be crushed."

"…." Emmeraude blinked a few times, genuinely surprised at what she witnessed. "Huh." Virgo brought her arm down to crush Emmeraude, but she opted to avoid it, now getting a glimpse of Virgo's ugly side. "Is this what happens when you're not punished? My my…"

"Stop acting like you're still in control!" Lucy came down for a white god slaying infused push at Emmeraude's jaw, but it was blocked. Narrowing her eyes, the Fairy Tail wizard continued her assault with Gemini-Natsu by her side. It may not have been the real Natsu, but the silent communication between spirit and celestial wizard was strong nonetheless. Even so, Emmeraude was holding her own against the tag team assault.

* * *

"Why are we just watching this!?" Cana asked. "Fly us down there right now!" Unfortunately for Cana, the cliff they landed on was steep. Trying to climb it, or find another way around was either far too risky or took too much time. "Lucy's in danger and we have to help!"

"Help?" Mii tilted her head. "What makes you say that?"

"What the hell are you saying?" Cana pointed at the battle below. Despite Lucy's constant advantage in numbers, Emmeraude's own strength just evened the playing field. "Lucy's gonna…!"

"…Do you see someone wants help in that battlefield?" Mii asked.

"H-Huh…?" Cana blinked slowly. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I just see two people who really need to beat the shit out of each other going at it." The angel shrugged. "You'd just be getting in the way even if you tried to help."

"Damn it, why are you being so stubborn now!?" Cana groaned. The only way to get down there in a timely manner was by flight, but the only one who could do that now was Mii.

* * *

"I don't like this at all…" Tia said while constantly looking back. "I don't want to leave her back there alone."

"She's not alone. She's got her spirits!" Happy pointed out. But still, he knew exactly how Tia felt. "But I am worried…Emmeraude is crazy strong."

"She might just be trying to buy us some time…" Carla said. "But that's too risky. She can only survive but for so long against someone like that. She truly wants her dead."

"Lucy wouldn't go down without a fight." Happy added. "We just…we just have to believe in her!"

"…Yeah…let's hurry up. The slower we move, the more time Licy has to buy…" Tia grumbled. "Plus…Natsu's kinda heavy…"

* * *

"KYAAAAH!" Lucy and Gemini Natsu were forced backwards after a powerful strike from Emmeraude.

"Princess…!" The hulking Virgo gasped before bringing her large arm down to crush Emmeraude. She only hit the ground instead, and as soon as she did, chains wrapped around her limbs. "…!"

"You're into this sort of thing, aren't you?" Emmeraude winked. "You remind me of Koryuji in some ways…so; this is the best way to take care of you." And boy was she right. Virgo tried to resist, but the masochist spirit couldn't hold back her tendencies. As such, she reverted back to normal as the chains just bound her with no fight. "…I'm sorry, Princess."

"Virgo…!" Damn it. Why was Virgo like this!?

"I got this!" Gemini Natsu began to sprint at Emmeraude, only to be met halfway. He suddenly stopped with widened eyes, a black cut mark on his body. "Huh…?"

Emmeraude's blade of darkness cut right through the spirit. She snapped her fingers and darkness exploded from the cut on Gemini-Natsu, not only causing the transformation to wear out, but forced the spirits to return to the Spirit World once more. "I don't think this bears repeating, but…"

"HAAAAH!" Lucy hated when Emmeraude belittled her so much! She threw a darkness infused punch right at her face, but the blow was blocked by her arm. "…!"

"But you aren't winning." Emmeraude's palm pressed against Lucy's chest. "Raging Blast." A potent burst of crash magic erupted against Lucy's chest, tearing apart her Star Dress to render it useless.

"Princess…!" Virgo turned while still bound in chains. Concern…her kink…it was really hard to juggle the two of them in this situation, but fortunately for Lucy, the concern ended up outweighing any vulgar thoughts.

"Now it's time to finish this…" Emmeraude was prepared to finish Lucy off, but that's when Loke appeared out of thin air! His leg swung to Emmeraude's side, but she noticed him at the last second and narrowly avoided him. "Hm…? I don't recall her summoning you."

"She didn't have to." Loke said while adjusting the cuffs on his suit. "I came here of my own accord, because I felt she was in danger. As much as it pains me to bring harm to such a beautiful woman, I'm afraid I must. Any villain who harms Lucy or Fairy Tail will answer to me."

"Loke…!" Lucy grinned at his timely arrival. With her Gemini Star Dress destroyed, she only found it fitting to shift to Star Dress: Leo. "Are you ready!?"

"Of course!" Loke smirked while pointing his hand forward, the light of Regulas shining brightly. "Lion's Brilliance!" The flash the lion emitted was so bright, even Emmeraude needed to shut her eyes for a moment.

Lucy took advantage of this opening and allowed light to shine around her leg. "Regulas Lucy Kick!" She swung her heel right at Emmeraude's jaw, succeeding in the direct hit. "I got her!"

Emmeraude's eyes snapped open after the hit. The light was now no longer an issue since she covered her eyes in darkness magic to balance things out. "You…!"

Loke slid in from Emmeraude's exposed right. "Regulas Impact!" He fired off a swift light infused jab at Emmeraude's side, the hit connecting just enough to make her stagger back. "Now, Lucy?"

"Right now!" Lucy and Loke stood side by side, holding their hands close together as a bright light formed within the space between their palms. The light grew so intense that even the bystanders of Mii and Cana had to cover their eyes.

"LION'S RADIANCE!"

The pair of spirit and summoner threw their hands forward, unleashing the destructive beam of light that raced across the ground. The beam of light consumed Emmeraude for what felt like a direct hit and continued on for several meters. There was a thick cloud of smoke that Lucy stared into anxiously. "I felt it hit…did we do it…? Also, you can stop holding my hand now…" She pointed out to Loke.

"I felt it hit too…" Loke peered into the smoke. As that smoke cleared….Emmeraude was still standing. She had her fair share of injuries, but just like one year ago…she still stood.

"Huh!?" Lucy's eyes went wide.

"She still stands!?" Virgo asked.

"No way…" Loke grit his teeth.

"That packed a punch, I admit." Emmeraude dusted herself off, taking slow, methodical steps forward. "But that was probably a close to a solid punch that I'll ever feel from you."

"H-How…?" Lucy started to pant. The exhaustion was catching up to her. She was throwing everything in her arsenal at Emmeraude, but she was still standing!? Was the gap between them truly that large?

"Six of you failed to defeat me one year ago, what made you think that you could do so on your own?" Emmeraude shook her head. "Were you blinded by your newfound determination? Your shortsighted nature? I could go on listing the flaws in your logical reasoning, but I think it's much better if I just ended this." With a snap of her fingers, large chains emerged from the ground, forming a dome around Lucy, Loke, and Virgo. These chains were then imbued with darkness magic, creating a near pitch black environment within.

"What is this!?" Lucy asked. The light of Regulas was barely enough to create some visibility. She punched at the chains, only to recoil. "Ouch…!"

"This is a very special dome. It took me some time to set up, but with you and I moving about in the battlefield, it was rather easy. The darkness in this cage will rapidly chew away at what little magic and life you have left. The same goes for your spirits. Welcome to my Emerald Cage."

"What!? Virgo, Loke, gate close!" Lucy would find a way out of this herself. She tried to close their gates, but nothing happened. "Huh?"

"I made this spell _just_ for you." Emmeraude explained. "You'll find it impossible for anyone in this cage to escape by any means. Your spirits will be sucked dry." She may not have been a celestial wizard, but she was well aware of what would happen if a spirit was forced to stay in this realm and ran out of magic. "And for added effect…" She didn't want Lucy to just wither away slowly. No, she made it a point to finish this as quickly as possible. From within the dome, chains and tendrils of darkness shot out from various angles, the ground included, intending to impale the blonde and her spirits! Judging by the cries of pain, it was working.

"This isn't good!" Loke's light wasn't enough. He fired off a blast of light to see if he could make some leeway, but it just wasn't good enough. "Regulas is completely useless here…and I'm running out of magic fast…!"

"A-As am I…" This sort of punishment wasn't exactly what Virgo was hoping for.

"I have to get us out of here somehow…" Lucy was panting heavily. She didn't have any ideas on how, though. All her efforts were focused on surviving and dodging, her spirits had been badly damaged, her Star Dresses' main assets destroyed, Virgo was no help here, and Loke couldn't do anything. She was truly backed into a corner. The ground was her only viable escape option, but there was no way she could make it with the chains and darkness shooting from there. Plus, she refused to abandon Loke and Virgo. _"Think, Lucy…think! There has to be some way out of this! Natsu is in danger…everyone else is in danger too!"_

"Lucy! I have an idea!" Loke exclaimed while unleashing another Lion's Brilliance. Though his light held little power here, he could still buy some time. "Do you remember how you summoned the Celestial Spirit King?"

"Yeah…" Lucy gave Loke an odd look. "But I can't summon anymore spirits in here...!"

"You won't have to. I was thinking…!" A chain came out, but Loke deflected it, almost desperately. "You have Star Dress…which you've become great at mastering over the years."

"But I can't use them against her…" Lucy grit her teeth.

"There's one…one I think you can beat her with…" Loke suggested. "If you use the power of the Celestial Spirit King."

"Huh...?!" Lucy's eyes widened.

"You aren't suggesting…" Virgo started.

"Break my key!" Loke yelled.

"What!? I can't do that…!" As Lucy said that, she and Virgo were hit by a passing beam of darkness. If this kept up for much longer, she wasn't going to make it. "I can't break your key! I don't want to lose you too!" Makarov, Juvia…so many other people had been lost in this war. She couldn't bear losing another comrade…!"

To that, Loke just laughed. "Lose me? Don't be ridiculous. I came here of my own accord, remember? Back then, when I was about to die…you're the one who gave me a second chance. You even reunited Aries and I…you've done so much for me, this is the least I can do. Besides…you won't lose me. After all, I'm a member of Fairy Tail and always will be. And…just like Aquarius said…come find my key in a year. But right now, if you don't do this, everyone's going to be in danger because of that woman. Right now, you're in danger! You can't let her get what she wants. That's what you told me, right? So follow through on your promise to everyone and protect them!" As Loke said this, his body gave off the brightest shine he could muster in this cage of darkness, keeping anything and everything at bay from Lucy so she could do this.

Lucy felt the tears in her eyes. Loke was really putting himself on the line for her? She was so reluctant to do this again, but she had no choice. She clutched Loke's key tightly and nodded. The tears fell, but she gave Loke a firm nod. "I'll find you again Loke, I promise!" But right now, she had another promise to fulfill. She couldn't let Emmeraude get what she wanted. They had to settle things right now, and Lucy already said she refused to die. With Loke's key shining brightly in her hand, she stabbed the key right into the symbol of Leo on her chest, causing the light to illuminate. "Please, lend me your power! Star Dress…!"

"… _I hear your plea, my old friend…"_

* * *

"Lucy!" Cana cried out as the Emerald Cage appeared. "Mii, stop being so stubborn and let's go!"

"I…" Mii shook her head, only to stop as a bright light exploded from the cage. "Holy…!"

"Huh!?" Cana turned back to the rising pillar of light. "Lucy…!"

* * *

Tia was constantly looking back while carrying Natsu. At that moment, a large pillar of light exploded from where Lucy and Emmeraude were doing battle. "Lucy!?"

"Lucy!?" Carla and Happy turned around.

"Lucy….." Natsu barely mumbled in his unconscious state.

* * *

Rahkeid, and everyone's attention was briefly diverted to the large pillar of light. "…What's this?"

"That light…" Kagura couldn't even begin to fathom what it was.

"It's so bright!" Lector said.

"Fro thinks so too…!" Frosch had to cover his eyes.

Yukino, however, had an idea. She stared intently at the light rising into the sky. "Lucy-sama…"

* * *

"What's that light…!?" Cynthia asked.

" _I know that light…"_ Verona mumbled in Cynthia's head.

"Brighter than anything I've ever seen…" Selene said.

"What the hell is going on over there?!" Takeru questioned.

"I don't know…" Erza used her arm to shield herself from the light.

"That location…" Wendy had an idea.

"…" Elieen was curious as well. She knew who was in that direction as well.

* * *

"More light!?" Ace wasn't ready for more light! Not after what just happened.

"Wait…!" Mavis shakily made her way to her feet. "That light…it isn't malevolent…! It's coming from the direction Emmeraude went…"

* * *

"Hm…?" August turned his head to the rising light on the opposite end of the large battlefield. "Where'd this power come from…?"

"This magic power…it's huge…!" Meredy shouted. Not close to August's, but the sudden rise in power was hard to miss.

"Who's using that much power!?" Jellal didn't have a clue.

"We can figure that out later!" Cygnus grunted. "Old man in front of us has to go down first!"

* * *

"Hm…" Zeref looked on to the pillar of light from within the Fairy Tail guild. That light caught everyone's attention since it was visible from everywhere.

"Ho ho…what a spectacular light show." King stroked his mustache. "I believe that's where the 'Queen' was heading, if I remember correctly."

"Em…!?" Emerald rushed to the window, staring at the pillar of light. The worried mother placed her hand over her heart. "Please, be okay…"

* * *

Emmeraude watched on with a curious brow lifted. Just where was this sudden surge of power coming from? The Emerald Cage she crafted was blown apart by the sudden light and the entire ground quaked from the presence of this power. Arms crossed, her yellow eyes peered intently into the light. "…So, is this your second wind, or your dying breath?"

As the light faded, Lucy was shown donning a new outfit. It was still a 'dress' in a sense, although she now wore flexible, plated armor similar to that of the king of spirits. Her hair was pulled back into a pony tail, and within her armored hands, a very familiar looking sword. One identical to the Celestial Spirit King himself. Star Dress: Celestial Spirit King. "Thank you…" At the cost of Loke's key, Lucy was able to draw out this power. A power granted to her by the king himself.

"…." Emmeraude simply stared. The sudden increase in Lucy's magic power was hard to ignore, and as a result, her emerald aura wavered in her effort to stay dominant in the situation. "Well?"

"Princess…" Virgo was freed from her chains at this point. Loke was gone, and the maid could only stare in awe.

"Emmeraude…" Lucy gripped the blade with both hands, hoisting it over her head before pointing it forward. Her expression was as determined as ever, but that fire inside burned ever brighter. "This time, I WILL _**NOT** _LOSE TO YOU!"

.

.

Next Time: Resolute Heart.


	80. Chapter 80: Resolute Heart

"You won't lose to me?" Emmeraude scoffed at such a notion. "Then why don't you-" Before she could even finish, Lucy had flown across the ground, already mid swing with her longsword. "..!" Emmeraude's eyes widened for a split second. The blade cut across her chest and the force behind it sent her flying backwards with a surprising shout of pain. This was the first time Lucy had actually heard Emmeraude in pain! "Kyaaah!" Emmeraude flipped, pressing her heels against the ground to force her momentum to a stop. That's when she noticed Lucy continuing the assault, swinging her sword down to cut again! This time, Emmeraude was forced to jump to the side as the blade created a deep fissure within the earth. "Don't you know it's rude to interrupt someone when they're talking?"

"I don't want to hear it!" Lucy roared while turning to pursue Emmeraude. "This time, you're going to be the one going down!" Lucy continued her offensive pressure, using both hands to swing this longsword around. Emmeraude regained her composure, using her chain whip sword to parry the strikes and fight back. This was Lucy's final chance to do something about Emmeraude and she couldn't afford to waste it.

" _So, this is the power of the Celestial Spirit King…"_ Emmeraude thought to herself, keeping a cool and composed expression on the outside. But on the inside, she was fuming. _"By breaking Leo's key, she was able to summon his power? That blade, it's likely a one handed blade, but in her condition she has to use both hands. And this power…did it truly close the gap between us that much? No…that's not the important part. The important part is that there's still distance between us!"_ Right as she thought this, she quickly strafed to the side from a downward slash. That was her opening to wrap her chain whip blade around Lucy's wrists. "Don't get ahead of yourself because of your new clothing!" Pivoting on her heel, Emmeraude proceeded to violently swing Lucy around, dragging her against the ground in the process.

"Aaaaaaah!" In her condition, this hurt a lot. Lucy couldn't help but let out a cry of pain, but she had to endure!

"Worms like you should just learn their place!" After a high speed spin, she allowed her whip to release Lucy and tossed her into the air. At that moment, the whip broke off into individual parts and flew into the sky, moving to pierce Lucy from various angles. All Emmeraude had to do was take advantage of her injured state and she could win.

Lucy flipped around in the air after being thrown. Luckily for her, the Celestial Spirit King had a few different times of magic at his disposal, one of them being flight. With this she was able to sustain herself in the air and prepare for the incoming pieces of the blade coming at her. "You never shut up, do you!?" Lucy swung her longsword once, a bright blue slash following the motion. This was the Spirit King's Sword Magic, and Lucy made it work. The slash shattered the incoming pieces of chain and continued to rush towards Emmeraude.

"And you never die…so it seems as though we're both stuck." Emmeraude fired back as her chain whip sword repaired itself. Just as the deadly slash was incoming she held a hand out to unleash her crash magic, thus dispersing the attack before it could reach her. "Why don't you come back down to reality for a moment?" As she said this, large chains snaked their way from the ground, now shooting into the sky with full intentions of wrapping around Lucy to bring her back to earth.

Lucy grit her teeth as Emmeraude managed to nullify one attack for now. Her attention went to the incoming chains, zipping around them to avoid being caught. She assumed how these chains worked; tracking her magic to pin her down with accuracy. With the amount of magic surging from her right now, she was a clear target. "I should be saying that to you!" Lucy gripped her blade and proceeded to swing it, slicing the chains that threatened to bring her down. The blonde then brought herself to a low altitude, soaring right towards Emmeraude while lifting her blade over her head. "Meteor Blade!" Lucy then swung the blade down vertically, creating a huge linear blast to surge up in front of her, reaching the sky in height while covering an incredibly long area in front of her. Emmeraude was right in its path. The surrounding area was utterly decimated by the raw strength of this attack, shooting up rocks and debris the moment Lucy swung.

Emmeraude couldn't dodge this, she hadn't the time. All she could do was cross her arms as the blast engulfed and cut into her being. She wasn't going to be caught off guard again and refused to release another cry of pain. The Empress was lifted off her feet and tossed into the sky. "Tch…! How annoying…!" As she flew back, she had a flash of inspiration. The moment she passed two large chunks of rubble, she summoned chains to latch onto them, holding on as she gained momentum. The instant she stopped, she flew forward in a sling-shot manner, now soaring towards Lucy while rearing her leg back. Crash magic imbued on the extremity and her heel swung right for Lucy's cheek!

Luckily for Lucy, she was able to block the hit with her arm, but at the same time, the crash magic destroyed the armor surrounding it, and the raw power sent her skidding backwards to the point where she nearly fell. "Ah…!"

"The moment you fall is the moment you die." Emmeraude pointed out while shooting a hand forward, unleashing a potent blast of darkness magic. This widespread beam aimed to consume Lucy, but the Fairy Tail wizard had other plans.

"Good thing I don't intend on falling!" Lucy swung her sword vertically once more, using this blade of light to cut through the darkness with no injury. The action itself did take a little muscle and she was seen panting somewhat heavily at the end of it.

"You say that, but you look as though you'll fall at any moment…" Emmeraude was having some difficulty hiding the labored breaths, but with that annoying smirk of hers, it was hard for Lucy to notice.

* * *

"COME ON LUCY! KICK HER ASS!" Cana screamed at the top of her lungs.

"You still wanna help?" Mii placed her hands on her hips, looking at the battle below. "Just look at Virgo. She's been staring in awe this whole time because she's worried she'll get in the way."

"…" Cana went silent. Mii kind of had a point right now. With these two going all out on each other, Cana couldn't see herself adding anything in Lucy's favor, and knowing Emmeraude… "I may not be able to help much physically but…I'm sure Lucy can hear me. So I'm going to keep cheering her on and greet her with the biggest hug when she puts that witch in the dirt!"

"…Hm." Mii gave a casual shrug of her shoulders, her gaze going to Emmmeraude. "…You've been doing a lot lately, Em. I wonder how much longer you can keep it up…same goes for you, Lucy." Mii seemed to notice something that Cana didn't. In Mii's mind, it was a matter of who was going to 'break' first.

* * *

Huffing and puffing, both women were swinging their blades to try and outdo the other. In their conditions, they were grazing each other at best if they weren't parrying. Lucy aimed a swing for Emmeraude's chest, but the Empress parried the strike away, following up with a kick to Lucy's stomach. That was a direct hit; however, before she could follow up, Lucy escaped into the sky and pointed her sword down. "I call upon the power of the stars! Shine down on my enemy!" There were numerous glints in the sky. These lights rapidly descended towards the earth, the stars now raining down upon Emmeraude with intense explosive properties.

Emmeraude put her foot down, briefly putting her chain away before pointing her hands forward, crafting a thick barrier of darkness around her being. Destruction rained from the heavens, utterly annihilating the landscape around them. As the smoke cleared, Emmeraude was seen behind a broken barrier, noticeable marks now appearing on her skin. She couldn't hide the damage she was taking anymore, despite how much she wanted to. "It's ironic…"

"Huh?" Lucy lifted a brow. How could Emmeraude still talk in a situation like this?

"Me, a Queen…vs you, someone who's donning the armor of a ruler and playing pretend." Emmeraude took a deep breath while straightening herself. For a moment her legs shook, but she always remained standing. "Unfortunately for you…I cannot afford to fall again. I will not fall until I see that man grovel underneath my heel!" Just as before, a multitude of emerald chains erupted from the ground. The numbers were astronomically higher, and each chain intended to pierce through Lucy with lethal intent. "I have to avenge the people who died for my dream, I have to stay alive so my mother …so that's why…" She drew her hand back, a bright white glow emanating from it.

"I can't fall either! You know that!" Lucy was flying through the sky, slashing at the incoming chains to cut them down. It was exceedingly more difficult than last time. She noticed Emmeraude's patience was growing thin, that she was rushing. But so was Lucy. She honestly wasn't sure how much longer she could hold this level of power, but she had to for as long as she could. "Everyone's counting on me…I have to protect my friends and family…so that's why…" Lucy realized that she couldn't evade these chains forever. With the blade shining bright, she dove down, preparing to strike Emmeraude herself.

"I HAVE TO WIN, NO MATTER THE COST!" Both women proclaimed their resolve at the same time. Lucy swung her blade and Emmeraude brought her hand forward. The result of these two powers colliding was a cataclysmic explosion that annihilated their battlefield. What was once a desolate field soon turned into a gigantic crater with both women inside of it.

Lucy fell to a knee, panting and heaving heavily. Due to the explosion, most of her armor cracked and some of it came off. The sword was still intact, but she was starting to feel the exhaustion pile up. Her injuries and the amount of magic she used thus far started to take its toll. "Ah…haaah…."

"On a knee already?" Emmeraude scoffed as the smoke around her cleared. As one would expect, she was still on both legs. Due to using her hand to attack, there was a large gash on it, blood dripping down her limb and onto the ground below. "I know how you Fairies work. I don't know what it is about being cornered that empowers you so much…but you're easy prey if someone pushes past that."

"No way…!" Lucy's eyes went wide. After all that, Emmeraude was still…!?

"Princess…" Virgo rushed over to Lucy, prepared to defend her from Emmeraude's wrath.

"Now then…it's time I…" Emmeraude was going to continue, but she stopped. Her legs gave out and she fell to a knee. The instant she did, her eyes went wide in shock. "...I…"

" _She fell to a knee…!?"_ This was unprecedented! This was proof that Lucy was making progress against the woman who became her demon.

* * *

"On a knee…" Mii looked just a shocked as Emmeraude.

"YEAH!" Cana threw a fist into the air. "Finally making some progress! At this rate, she'll finally go down! Take out that monster, Lucy!"

"Finally?" Mii turned to Cana. "Huh…I guess Em's had a pretty big impact on you guys if you think of her as infallible."

Cana tilted her head curiously. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Don't get me wrong, Em's really strong and she can take a lot of punishment. Considering she's been a part of the world's strongest armies', it's only natural. If there's one thing about her that you'd never guess, it's that she is Ashnard's child. The strength she gives off is almost similar to his own. It's so impressive that among the mages of the Spriggan 12, she's only outpaced by two of them." Mii crossed her arms, staring at Emmeraude as she and Lucy both needed time to get back onto their feet. "She's strong…sometimes too strong."

"Huh? Why do you sound like you pity her all of a sudden!? Don't you forget what she's done!?" Cana snapped.

"I told you, didn't I?" Mii held a nonchalant expression. "I've known Em practically my whole life. And I can tell you one thing…I've only seen her fall to a knee once…and she wasn't happy about it…"

* * *

[Flashback]

In order to become a member of Pergrande's Commandants, one had to undergo a test of sorts. The tests varied between person, testing their strengths and weaknesses to see if they were worthy of rising to the top of the military. In Emmeraude's case, she had to face off against one of Pergrande's 4 Generals: Rubicante. Ashnard and Nercon, the King and Queen were watching while a teenage Mii was sneaking about. Emmeraude was on a knee, panting and breathing hard after an intense fight. Rubicante stood over her, his cloak of flame wavering in the wind. "…I see. So this is the extent of your strength."

Emmeraude clenched her hand into a fist, glaring up at the General. "I'm not…finished…"

"Your strength is admirable." Rubicante said. "I can see why many people were whispering about your potential among the ranks of Pergrande's finest. What do you think, Your Majesty?" The man veiled in flames turned to Ashnard.

"…Such strength." Ashnard said with a nod. "I see no reason not to give her the rank. Most would fall at your feet, but she's shown exceptional resilience. It reminds me in my own, in a sense."

"Hmm, but she'd never be as strong as you, my dear." Nercon pointed out. "Nonetheless…I have to give credit where it is due. You can expect your new role very soon, but for now, you are dismissed." The Queen waved Emmeraude off.

"…" Emmeraude remained silent. Nercon was belittling her for some reason, she just knew it. It took all she had to not glare into Ashnard's soul. This situation…she absolutely hated it. But for now she did as she was told, standing up and limping off to head to the infirmary. As she walked, that's when Mii appeared next to her.

"Wow! That was so cool, Em!" The teen bounced around. "No one's ever lasted that long against Rubicante before, nor have they even stayed conscious! You're really strong!" And right after Mii said that, Emmeraude punched a hole in the wall, seething with rage. The action caused Mii to gasp.

"…Strong? Don't make me laugh, Koryuji." Emmeraude spat, fuming with anger. "That was a pathetic display in front of him. I fell to a knee…how disgraceful. That's a sign of weakness…" If she were going to aim for the world, she couldn't be seen bending a knee to anyone in battle. To make matters worse, the symbol of her disdain watched her fall. The strength she inherited from him…she had to use it to take him down. At this rate, she'd never…

"Em…?" Mii tilted her head curiously.

"…Never again." Emmeraude regained her composure, staring at her bloodied hand. "I will never bend my knee to anyone. No matter how much pain I suffer, I will endure it and raise my head high, as any ruler should." As she said this, she began to walk off once more.

"…Hm…" Mii crossed her arms. "I don't know why she's so upset, but…"

[End Flashback.]

* * *

"I didn't understand at that time, but Em's put a lot of pressure on herself with her 'dream' and all…" Mii explained. "It's kind of funny…while I try to ignore pain; she always faces it and pushes forward. That's why no matter what you've all thrown at her, she has to stay standing. It's her will as Queen after all. She's done a good job at making you all think she's hard to put down, which is partially true. But if I had to guess, I'd say that everything she's dealt with since this final battle started is finally catching up to her."

* * *

" _I'm…on a knee…"_ It had been so long since Emmeraude fell to a knee before someone. Not since that day. Her bloodied hand gripped the dirt and her aura began to waver around her once again, her expression shifting to a much more violent one. _"What sort of damn twist of fate is this!?"_ Why did she have to fall to a knee to _this_ person!? After all this time…

Back when she fought Team Natsu in Mercurius' Throne room, the group was astounded that Emmeraude was still standing after all the heavy blows they landed on her. While they stared at her in shock and awe, she had but one thing in mind. _"My body is on fire…my legs are going to give out at any moment and I feel my conscious fading….But I have to push forward! I've almost won! All I have to do is attack one more time and I can win I refuse to bow to these lowly worms who don't know their place!"_

And recently, between clashing with Gildarts, her brief scuffle with Mii, and taking Fairy Glitter. Everyone was amazed that she showed such resilience after all of these events. But what was she thinking at the time of Fairy Glitter? While she said it was no more than being slapped on the wrist that was…partially a lie. _"Tch…that spell hit harder than I thought it would. It stung, but I can still walk no problems…"_

"Princess, are you all right?" Virgo asked while helping Lucy to her feet.

"Y-Yeah…" Lucy needed to lean on Virgo for support. Her entire body was on fire, screaming for her to stop this fight, but she had to ignore it for now. She was finally making progress against Emmeraude. "I have to keep going…" She told the maid, who was clearly concerned for her. _"Ever since that day where we first met…she's been nothing but a demon for me. Hunting me down, putting my friends at risk, and so many other unforgivable actions! I can't lose here! Even if it kills me, I refuse to let her walk all over me again!"_ Lucy's resolve was set in stone. She was the first to make it to her feet while Emmeraude still seemed to be in shock. "What's the matter? Can't handle being brought down to reality from that high horse of yours, Emmeraude?"

"…." Emmeraude remained silent, her bloodied hand grabbing a fistful of dirt. "You…" There was a pause as her aura flared intensely, more violently than before. The look in her eyes changed to that of extreme murderous intent. She was already planning on killing Lucy, but after falling to a knee, feeling her pride wounded more than her own body… "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?" After asking this, her aura exploded and rose skyward.

"Yup, she's pissed…!" Mii remarked from the cliff side.

"Gaaaah…!" Lucy was barely holding her ground against this intense pressure.

"Why it always _you_? No matter how many times I step on you, you crawl your way back up in front of me!" It was so damn annoying! "Ever since the day we met, you've been nothing but a constant thorn in my side!" Sure, Emmeraude had mostly gotten over her grudge, but now that this was happening, she was infuriated. After making her way back to her feet, she started sprinting towards Lucy.

"Why is it always me!? You really have no idea what sort of hell I've been through ever since we met, do you!?" Lucy yelled as a golden aura flared around her body. She refused to be intimidated by Emmeraude anymore and met her halfway. Once again, their blades clashed, causing a resounding shockwave to boom out. "I was dying, bringing harm to people I knew and cared about, and I almost killed the people closest to me. And what did you do? You glossed it over as a 'necessary' sacrifice for your stupid idea of a perfect peaceful world! Let me tell you something, Emmeraude: this world isn't perfect! But so what!? Just because you don't agree with how things are doesn't mean you have the right to change it by force. A perfect world to me is having people who love and support you every day. Things may get rough, but as long as you have those bonds, anything is possible!"

"So what!?" Emmeraude growled while the two of them were right back where they started, slashing at each other, only to fail by either missing or parrying the other's blade. "I've travelled all across this continent, this world and I've seen people who don't have those things. People who suffer daily, struggling to get by day to day, if they can even manage that." The woman tightened her grip on her chain, now brutally swinging it at Lucy's chest. This rage induced blow was a hit, shattering the armor and cutting deep enough to draw blood. "You could never understand!"

"AAAH!" That hurt a lot. Lucy's cry of pain was brief and she staggered back, her body trembling from the sharp wound inflicted on her. She could feel the blood on her body, but despite this, she shook her head and kept her expression firm. "I…I've seen it. Earlier on this trip, I've seen the people who suffered. There are people here who still adore you for what you've done for them, I can't deny that. But…that's not important right now. Because no matter what you plan to do for this world, I can never forgive you for what you've done to my family. Forget what you've put me through, but you destroyed our home and threatened all of them. That's something I can never forgive no matter who you are!"

There it was. That attitude. The world was falling apart, yet these 'guilds' had the audacity to put _themselves_ over people who were suffering! She was branded a villain for trying to help these people at the expense of a few people. Emmeraude began to visibly shake in anger – anger that Lucy was actively putting down her life's ambition. "I see that we'll never see eye to eye on this. Your selfish ambitions and shortsighted nature is everything I despise about this corrupted world of ours!" As she said that, she swung her chain once more, this time imbuing crash magic with it.

"What's wrong with wanting to protect the people closest to you!?" Lucy took a desperate dive to the side to avoid the incoming chain. Good thing she did as the ground was completely destroyed from the attack. After dodging, she made use of the small time frame it took for Emmeraude to draw her weapon back, flying forward while pointing her sword forward, a bright blue glow emanating from it. "If protecting my comrades is considered evil to the entire world, then I'll fight the entire world! Because more than anything, a world without Fairy Tail is a world I refuse to live in again! Starlight Cataclysm!" Lucy flew past Emmeraude, piercing her with her longsword in the process. As Lucy passed her, Emmeraude recoiled backwards before a powerful pillar of blue light erupted shortly after. She slid to a halt, immediately turning to look at the aftermath of the eruption. It was becoming more and more difficult to keep up. She was already on her last legs, but she just had to keep pushing!

As the pillar of light faded, Emmeraude was shakily on two legs, refusing to bend her knee to anyone. A hand was on her side, her clothing stained red from the serious wounds that Lucy managed to inflict. Despite this, Emmeraude refused to yield to this woman of all people. "This war is only happening because of your guild. Don't you understand, there is no peace so long as your guild exists! That world without Fairy Tail was the most peaceful era this world's ever seen, and do you know why? You're all a magnet for chaos and destruction, life and death." Multiple black magic seals began to form in the air, all of them radiating dangerous levels of magic power. "Decisive Saber!"

Oh no. Lucy remembered this attack all too well – it was the same move that nearly cost Team Natsu their lives when they battled Emmeraude one year ago. The seals began to release powerful bolts of black lightning that dropped down on the area, decimating the crater they did battle in. Lucy had no choice but to deftly fly away from the bolts of lightning; however the more she moved the more she realized that this was a tactical setup! She was suddenly trapped between several bolts of this black lightning, while an even bigger one prepared to smite her from above. Left with little options she held the sword up as a brilliant light emanated from the blade. The clouds began to tear open as the targeted area was enveloped in a circular pillar of light. "Galaxia Blade!" Not an offensive technique by any means. The light from this attack was meant to instead dispel spells that were of ill intent, meaning the Decisive Saber was rendered null. "No matter what happens…I will always stick by Fairy Tail…"

"You don't care about this world at all then." Emmeraude narrowed her eyes before rearing her chain back, now sprinting forward to end this once and for all.

It was so strange. Lucy realized that there was something wrong with this. How Emmeraude was so open. Was it the heat and exhaustion of the battle? Regardless, this was her chance to end things! Lucy made use of her speed, flying forward while pointing her longsword out. Emmeraude didn't have the chance to swing as Lucy impaled the sword right into the woman's side, intentionally missing anything vital since Lucy didn't want that sort of blood on her hands. "It's over…"

Emmeraude let out a grunt of pain. There was a pause before multiple chains emerged from the ground, piercing Lucy in various locations. The blonde let out a cry of pain as some of these chains entered old wounds from prior battles. "You're right…this is over…." Though blood dripped from her lips, she swore that same smirk as usual. "It was a little risky I admit…but this was the only plan I could come up with to cease your movements and keep you still! Because I knew you wouldn't kill me even if I left myself wide open…" She said this, though she did take a sword to the side, which did hurt like hell. But, as Mii mentioned, Emmeraude's persona thrived off of appearing strong at all times no matter what.

"Y-You…" Lucy was trying to pull the blade out of Emmeraude's side. While she did manage to do this, it was about all she could manage as her movements were incredibly restrained.

"Princess…!" Virgo cried out in worry.

"We all have weaknesses…and your guild's weakness is your inability to take a life. Unfortunately for you, I don't have that problem!" That's when the entire area around them turned pure white. At this point, any and all magic used by the opposition was instantly crumbled to nothing. "Killing Field!"

"Virgo, get out of here!" She commanded, but that was the only thing she could voice at the moment. Due to the nature of the incoming spell, Lucy was unable to force Virgo's gate close. After that, there was nothing Lucy could do. The entire field flashed white as numerous explosions took place. Lucy's cry of pain filled the white void.

* * *

"LUUUCY!" Cana cried out, only to have to shield her eyes from the light.

"Ngh…" Mii had to close her eyes as well, unable to see anything from the bright light.

* * *

"…" As the light faded, Emmeraude placed a hand on her bleeding side. She had many injuries she needed tending to…but that could wait. She was too anxious to see if she was finally able to put an end to the pest that plagued her for so long. The light died down and the sight was…broken pieces of armor falling from Lucy's body, along with blood dripping from her wounds. But that wasn't the surprising part. What was truly surprising as Virgo. The maid wrapped her arms around Lucy, using her own body to shield her master from the deadly Killing Field. "…What…?"

"V-Virgo…?" Lucy could only look at her wounded spirit with shock.

"…I…I couldn't do anything to help you in the battle…but I couldn't stand by and watch you get killed…" Virgo offered a weak smile as her form started to fade. "…Please, Princess…you must finish this…for everyone's sake…" As her voice trailed off, her critically wounded body returning to the Spirit World.

"Virgo…" Lucy felt the tears well up in her eyes. Virgo very well saved her life right there. She did take the brunt of the attack. Her legs felt weak, her arms trembled, and her consciousness was fading fast. But this battle was about to end one way or another. The armor around her body cracked and shattered, leaving her body mostly exposed except for a few select places, but that wasn't going to stop her. She still had the Star Dress, which meant she could still fight. "..I promise…I'll end this!" She held her blade tightly, scowling at Emmeraude. "You've hurt far too many people that I care about. I won't let this go on any longer!"

Virgo's actions caused Emmeraude to pause. It reminded her of Sophie one year ago. That alone was enough to keep her resolve burning. "I agree. Let's close the curtain on this act of ours."

Lucy flew forward once again, putting every ounce of her body and soul into her attacks. She felt herself running on empty, meaning she had to win by any means right now. There was only one spell she had left she could make use of in a moment like this.

"Survey the heavens, open the heavens!

All the stars, far and wide, show me thy appearance.

With such shine."

"This spell again!? I won't let you cast it!" Emmeraude swung her chain whip sword forward, catching Lucy in the side with its sharp end. It hurt, but Lucy had to fight through the pain. Emmeraude followed up with a kick, but Lucy ducked and used her own momentum to kick Emmeraude in the jaw, causing her to stagger back. "Ugh…!"

As the incantation began, the entire area around them began to darken considerably. Multiple star-like lights began to appear around them, and the longsword that Lucy was using.

"Oh Tetrabiblos…

I am the ruler of the stars…

Open thy malevolent gate…"

"HAAAH!" Emmeraude recovered, swinging her fist right against Lucy's cheek This caused Lucy to gasp in pain, but no matter what, she had to continue the incantation. She was almost done. This was her gambit!

"Oh 88 stars of heaven…

SHINE!"

It was too late on Emmeraude's end. A blanket of darkness covered the area and the 88 stars…didn't explode. Instead, the power of the stars transferred into Lucy's longsword, and she now used this chance to escape into the air. Within the darkness, a golden light shone brightly, radiating with every ounce of power she could muster from borrowing the Celestial Spirit King's body. This was her all or nothing. "URANO METRIA BLADE!" It was all a ploy from the beginning. Lucy never intended to cast the spell itself, for she didn't believe it would be enough to defeat Emmeraude. That's why she fused it with the Sword Magic she was using from the Spirit King. The power surging from this sword was enough to split even heaven itself. A straightforward, direct approach, much like Natsu would do. In these final seconds of this long awaited clash, she was thinking purely of what he would do. It was easy. Put it all on the line.

"So…this was your plan all along…" Emmeraude drew her chain back, allowing darkness and crash magic to flow around her weapon. An outline of a large blade formed, equal in size to what Lucy was using. "But you are absolutely right. This last attack will decide it all!"

"THIS IS THE END!" Lucy and Emmeraude both screamed at the same time. There was no more need for words. Emmeraude swung her new blade forward, clashing with Lucy's Urano Metria Blade. The result was a widespread explosion of light and darkness that filled the crater they fought in. A large pillar of golden light and darkness erupted into the sky, completely drowning out any sounds in its destructive wake.

* * *

"….." Mii couldn't say a word after all that.

"Lucy…! Come on…stand up…!" Cana pleaded.

* * *

As the light settled down, the one left standing was…neither of them. Lucy was on her back, while Emmeraude was on her stomach. The two of them were both critically injured from that final clash. Small pools of crimson formed around their bodies, but neither of them were dead. Emmeraude's chain whip sword was destroyed in the blast, while the longsword Lucy used was just out of arm's reach for the both of them. Lucy's armor was completely shattered, while Emmeraude looked just as rough. A battle with no clear, decisive winner was…well, a draw. Nothing more, nothing less. "Ngh…" Lucy groaned, trying to move a muscle, but it was no use. Her body just wasn't responding to her. They both just lied there for a few minutes, fighting the urge to slip into an unconscious state.

"Ugh…" Emmeraude let out a quiet groan. It had been a long time since she felt pain like this. The pain of hardly being unable to move. "You're so…incredibly stubborn…"

"I can…say the same about you…" Lucy grit her teeth. She was completely spent. Moving was useless. But Natsu was waiting for her. "How's the ground feel?" She said with a bit of attitude. This clearly wasn't the result Emmeraude thought would happen, so in a way, she was knocked off of that high horse of hers. That thought alone drove her battered body to slowly push up. As she lifted her head up, she saw something fatal – Emmeraude doing the same thing. "How are you still moving…!?"

"Because I swore to my daughter…and my comrades…that I wouldn't fall…before achieving my dreams…" Emmeraude placed her hands on the ground, very slowly pushing herself up. The process itself made her body ache, but she had to remain strong. "My mother is waiting for me as well. S-So I cannot let anything stand in the way of that…I must settle things…"

"N-Natsu's waiting for me…so I can't let you…" It was a sudden race against time. Both women were struggling to pull themselves out of the deep grave they dug together. "He's in danger, so I have to return to his side…it's as simple as that."

"It must be nice for you…" Emmeraude scoffed, now on her hands and knees. Blood and sweat dripped from her body and her breaths were ragged and heavy.

It was a strange moment of clarity after these two just got done beating the shit out of each other. Lucy realized that ultimately, their current ambitions weren't different on paper. Emmeraude was fighting for her mother, while Lucy fought for her comrades. The way they went about it and what they were willing to do were similar, yet different. But that didn't mean they would ever forgive each other. "Emmeraude…you're…"

"I don't…want to hear any of it…" Emmeraude was the first one to make it to her feet. Lucy only managed to make it to her hands and knees. She lost the battle of speed, and could only stare with widened eyes as Emmeraude grabbed the longsword, shakily holding it in front of her.

"Revenge isn't going to fix anything!" Lucy shouted. "It won't bring Sophie back, it won't bring your comrades back either…!"

"You're right, it won't." Emmeraude admitted. "But…as I said before, I can't look back on what's already happened. I have to look forward. A fall doesn't mark the end of a dream – it's the steps that come after that truly determines your character. That's why…I'm going to start anew…" It took all she had just to hold the damn thing. It wasn't even heavy, but in her condition she was better off trying to lift a bag of bricks. "Starting my dream once more…by killing the person who started its fall. Cathartic, don't you think…?"

"STOP!" A voice sliced through the tension. A familiar voice at that. Hisui slid down the crater, practically falling over in the process. But she arrived just in the nick of time. "D-Don't do this, Emmeraude. It's not worth it!"

"P-Princess…?" Lucy couldn't believe it.

"…." Emmeraude went silent. "What are you doing here? This battlefield is extremely dangerous. Didn't you catch my hint of not to follow me?"

"I understood it." Hisui said with a firm stare. "But I couldn't let you walk into this war and do something you might regret. I know you still feel those feelings of pain and sorrow, but it's not worth killing. You're better than this, I know it."

"..." Emmeraude's arm started to shake. It wasn't just from exhaustion this time. "Stop doing this! It's not…it's not fair!" She wasn't sure how else to phrase it. Her mind was racing. Hisui was intentionally exploiting her feelings to make her hesitate. That's how she felt. "Just stop it!"

"I won't stop!" Hisui fired back. "I don't want you to do this! To fight in this war! It's not your place. I never wanted this senseless bloodshed to begin with, and it hurts me to watch you take part in it. Is this really necessary for the world you told me you wanted to create!? Can you look me in the eyes and tell me that this war is worth fighting in the grand scheme of things!? I can't stand here and watch the two of you fight to the death…"

"This war…" Emmeraude grit her teeth. "For the world I envisioned…Fairy Tail must…"

"This war was started by Alvarez! You're on the wrong side of this battle." Hisui held her ground. "I'm not asking you to switch sides, but I can't watch you fight in a battle like this. How can you make a peaceful world if you're dead!?" As the Jade Princess screamed, she started to cry. Why…why was she so attached to this woman!? A woman who did nothing but lie and take away her kingdom and her father? The memories of their time together were mostly false, and yet…she was genuinely treated as Emmeraude's daughter.

"You…can't…do this to me right now…" Emmeraude dropped the sword and let it fall to the ground.

"I don't want any more people to be hurt. I can't stand and watch; hoping things play out in a happy ending. I don't know if that can happen at this rate…" Hisui frowned. "You've done terrible things…but you've also done a lot of good as well. I've never forgotten what you've done while on the throne…or how you risked your life for me."

"Princess…" Lucy slowly looked at the Princess.

Before Emmeraude could say anything, she sensed another uninvited guest. When she turned, she saw numerous threads of string heading right for her! Her body was too exhausted to move and they were certainly aimed for her vitals. But at that moment, just before contact, Hisui moved in front of Emmeraude. The strings were as sharp as blades and pierced her in various places. Some vital, some not. "…H-HISUI…!"

"W-What just happened?!" Lucy gasped.

Kemuri strolled onto the scene with one hand in his pocket and a lit cigar in his mouth. "…Why'd you have to go and get in the way, Princess? Taking her out has never been more simple. But I have to say, that was quite the show you two put on."

"Kemuri…!?" Lucy hissed in pain.

Hisui fell over, right into Emmeraude's arms. She was still breathing, but it was slight and she was barely conscious. "You dumb child! Why on earth would you do something like that!?" Another daughter protecting her by risking her life…she couldn't handle the same type of loss twice…

"B-Because…you protected me…so I…I had to protect you…" Hisui coughed up some blood, managing a faint glare at Kemuri. "Stand down…Chairman…this is an order…"

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree on this one." Kemuri said while pointing a hand forward, string dangling from his fingertips. "It's best if I get rid of this menace before she causes trouble elsewhere. We'll get you patched up right after…if you can last that long anyway, Your Highness." After saying this, Kemuri swung his razor sharp strings right for Emmeraude, who was intent on protecting Hisui. And at that moment…

Lucy grabbed the sword, pushing her body forward to clash with Kemuri's string. It was a surprising action for all parties, Lucy included. The sword was strong so Kemuri staggered backwards before regaining his composure. If Lucy wasn't so exhausted, that might have gone much worse. "…Stand down…"

"…You're protecting her?" Kemuri quirked a brow.

"Not for her sake." Lucy clarified. "The Princess clearly told you to stand down...as long as she's here, I won't let any more blood be shed. This is out of respect for her as Princess, and because she's my friend."

At this point, Mii flew down in between Kemuri and the others. She brought Cana as well, since she was bugging her to come down all this time. "All right, I think that's enough of this."

"Yeah, back off." Cana told Kemuri. "I hate Emmeraude's guts too, but I'll stomach her for the Princess' sake."

Kemuri simply sighed, placing his hands in his pockets. "When she comes back to haunt you, don't look to me for help. I tried to end things before they started again, but if you want chaos, be my guests…" Right after saying that, his form turned into nothing more than a pile of string. A clone, so to speak, but one that carried the will of the user itself.

"Hiusi…" Emmeraude stared at the limp woman in her arms.

"Give her here, Em." Mii carefully snatched Hisui from Emmeraude. "I can stabilize her, but she's going to need actual medical treatment if she wants to survive these wounds. And no, I'm not doing this for you, Em. Well, not entirely anyway." Mii shrugged.

"Hey, are you all right…?" Cana asked Lucy.

"F-Fine…" Lucy could stand. The moment she did, the longsword finally vanished. She was out of magic. There was a moment of awkward silence as she and Emmeraude stared at one another.

"….Thank you for protecting her." Emmeraude said before starting to limp off.

"Huh? Where are you going like that?" Mii asked, somewhat concerned for Emmeraude's wellbeing.

"…I have a comrade who's going to be engaged in a very important battle. I wish to see how it turns out for myself. And it's better for her if I'm not here." Emmeraud held a hand out, creating a few chains to ease her battered body up the incline of the crater. Once reaching the top, she looked back once before continuing on.

"That woman…" Mii sighed before focusing her efforts on Hisui. "Normally I can carry two people, but her condition isn't stable enough for that. I think she takes priority too, you know?"

"What about Lucy's wounds?!" Cana pointed.

"I-I'm fine, really…!" Lucy waved her hands a bit. She had to lean on Cana for support.

"Listen, I can't heal very well to begin with!" Mii huffed. "Be thankful I'm even doing this!" As Mii said this, she released a faint light. It wasn't much, but it did help Lucy's wounds a little.

"Luuuuuuuucy!" Happy flew overhead, circling around the giant crater.

Tia stood at the edge, unsure at what she was looking at. "Whoa…what happened here? Are you okay!?"

"I-I'm perfectly fine!" Lucy said. Saying she was 'fine' was an exaggeration, but she was going with it.

Carla flew down, gently grabbing Lucy to lift her into the air. "What on earth did we miss?"

"A lot…" Lucy said with a weak smile. "But it'll be all right…"

"Cana, do you want to come with us?" Happy questioned.

Cana shook her head, staring off in the direction Emmeraude went. She didn't feel right letting her walk off like that. "No, I'm going to go back to the battlefield and see if the other's need help. You guys take care of Lucy, okay?"

"Aye!" Happy nodded.

"I'll take this one back to the Palace." Mii said while slowly lifting Hisui up. "So don't expect a lot from me." Her wings spread and she started to fly off.

Tia stared at Lucy as Carla lifted her up. "Geez…you look terrible. Almost as bad as Natsu. He's safe now, by the way. I want to hear everything that happened. I saw Emmeraude walking away and got a little worried…"

Lucy simply nodded. "Yeah…I'll tell you what happened…"

* * *

Emmeraude rested against some rubble. If someone was looking for her, she'd be all too easy to find. There a small trail of blood behind her, all from her open wounds. Between the large gash on her chest, her bleeding arm, and the stab wound on her side, it was safe to say that she wasn't feeling all that great. The woman panted heavily, placing a hand against her bleeding side. This was the weakest she'd ever felt in her life. A feeling she absolutely despised. however, because she felt so weak, she had to be strong to push through it. Strong because she was King Ashnard's kid, and such weakness was unfitting of the woman who was determined to crush that tyrant under her boot and claim the world. And yet, strong as she was, she ended up being saved from death from both of her daughters. What was wrong with protecting the people you cared about...? Nothing, but... "…Ah…ha…don't worry, Mother. I'm not…going to die. Not here. Not before I fulfill my promise to you. Just wait for me…a little longer…"

Emmeraude Verde: Down.

.

.

Next Time: Kagura vs Rahkeid


	81. Chapter 81: Kagura vs Rahkeid

Jellal, Hoteye, Midnight, Racer, Cobra, Cygnus, Meredy, and Ultear…they were all down. Despite the fact that Cygnus was able to figure out the shortcomings of August's magic, they were still completely outclassed. The King of Magic was in a completely different world from all of them. Jellal was face down against the ground in wide eyed shock. Even after all of that… "We were…completely defeated…this man…" Jellal tried to stand, but August's boot pressed firmly against his skull to force him back to the ground. "Guh…!"

"J-Jellal…" Ultear tried to stand, but her body wouldn't allow her.

"You two were once devout believers in His Majesty, were you not? Then why were you so foolish to choose a path which pit you against him?" August inquired, for he could not understand why someone would willingly stop believing in Zeref.

Jellal remained silent at first, clenching his hand into a fist. "The light…I finally was able to obtain it. The brilliant light in my heart which illuminates the darkness…" _"Erza…"_

"I feel the same way…" Ultear coughed. "I couldn't walk that dark path anymore, so I had to find something better to believe in…"

"And that 'light' is your justice?" August spat. "How utterly shallow." August's words brought surprise to them. "His Majesry reared a single son. He was a child born with a mighty power of light at his disposal."

" _Zeref…had a child!?"_ Jellal couldn't fathom this.

August turned his back and started to walk off. "However, that child never knew what it was to be loved by someone. Before long, he began to waver around the space between light and darkness. And shortly thereafter, reached a state devoid of anything. There is no good or evil in light or in darkness. It does not exist. If there is true justice in this world, it may well lie in love and naught else."

"Kuh…" Jellal grunted. _"Stand…rise to your feet! In order to protect Erza I must…!"_

And at that moment, a blast of gravity struck August's back. The King of Magic was forced forward a step, only to turn back around with a curious brow lifted. "You still stand?"

"I wasn't done with you, you decrepit fossil." Cygnus was hunched over, but he refused to yield. "Who gives a shit if Zeref had a son? The only thing that tells me is that whoever that child is, is currently fighting in this war now. You know what that makes him to me? An enemy to be put in the dirt, nothing more, nothing less. I don't give a shit if he wasn't loved, everyone I know either has dead or abusive parents, but you don't see them complaining about it."

"It's not a feeling someone like yourself could ever hope to understand. Speaking as though it means nothing is pure ignorance." August held a glare, but Cygnus just smirked.

"Like I said, everyone here's had some fucked up past with their parents in one way or another, but they've moved past it. If you're the kid of Zeref, expecting to be loved is already shooting yourself in the foot I'd say." The gravity god scoffed. "Light…dark…who cares?"

"…." August decided to let his magical presence known once more. "To mock the son of His Majesty…"

"…Don't see why you're so annoyed by this…" Cygnus' shit eating grin widened. "Unless I pushed the right button?"

"Wait a minute…" Meredy gasped. "What are you trying to say? I heard that they encountered Zeref's son up north…!"

Cobra sat up slowly, panting while staring at August. "…A man who shares the last name Dragneel…just like Natsu. He killed a Sabertooth mage…"

"I don't take pride in senseless killing as some of my other comrades. But…" August's evil glare turned to the mages before him. "If you are all willing to continue this farce, than I will properly end it this time. You mock His Majesty's child, but there is one thing you fail to understand. If he even were to be defeated, it could only be by…the hands of his mother."

"I don't recall asking about a sob story. Don't start crying when I punch your brittle bones into dust!" Cygnus said while charging recklessly at August once more.

* * *

Kagura stared up at Rahkeid, keeping her blade at the ready. "Zeref's son, you say?" She had to repeat those words, only because the idea of Zeref having a son was…not one that ever crossed her time.

"My name is Rahkeid Dragneel. The son of Zeref Dragneel." Rahkeid explained.

"Dragneel…that's…huh?" Now Yukino was even more confused. The man who killed her comrade was related to Natsu…who was also related to Zeref!?

"He's got the same last name as Natsu!" Lector said.

"Were you not aware? Natsu is my father's younger brother. I suppose that would make him my uncle." Rahkeid calmly shrugged.

"Natsu-sama is…!?" Yukino was the only one who could muster words in this situation.

"I was very much looking forward to finally meeting him in this war today. I believe I told your brute friend this as well. But how could I not? It seems my father holds him much more dear than I, after all. And that is something that cannot be forgiven, wouldn't you agree?" The White Dragneel then swiped his hand forward, releasing several blades of pleasure magic down towards Kagura.

"Blades of light…?!" Yukino wasn't entirely incorrectly.

As the blades came down, Kagura began to parry them away with strikes from her sword. For those she couldn't slash, she was forced to roll to the side to avoid them before gripping the hilt of her sword. "How long do you plan on lecturing us from your high perch. Come down and face me!" The sword was drawn, cleaving through the entire mountain that Rahkeid perched himself on.

"The whole mountain!?" Lector gasped.

"WOOOOOOW!" Frosch was in awe.

Rahkeid was unfazed, still remaining atop the mountain as it fell. The Dragneel clapped his hands, causing tendrils of pleasure magic to wrap around Kagura, soon bringing her the same fate as Yukino. "Kagura-sama…!"

Rahkeid landed, planting his hand on the ground to subject Kagura to pleasure. "I shall introduce you to the sweet nectar of pleasure as well…"

"A-Ah…." Even Kagura couldn't resist. The foreign sensation of pleasure and her legs started to go weak. Her cheeks flushed and a few moans slipped out of her mouth.

"Humans cannot possibly disobey their natural instincts." Rahkeid spoke with a hint of a smirk.

"Kagura-sama, you must resist!" Yukino tried to move, but it was no good. Her legs were weak. _"I can't even stand up…"_

Kagura's mouth opened wide and then…she brought her head forward, harshly biting down on her own tongue! The action caused blood to spurt from her mouth, but the intense pain was enough to eclipse that of pleasure, allowing her to slice through the tendrils that bound her. Accidentally biting your tongue already hurt, so the fact she willingly bit down on it…She wasn't happy about having to resort to such a tactic and the evil stare she gave the Spriggan showed it. "Haaah…haah…" The thick taste of iron was strong in her mouth.

"…." Rahkeid was shook. Orga managed to free himself from the pleasure with raw strength before he could even understand what was going on, but Kagura willed herself to do so through pain!? _"She actually bit her own tongue…!? By inflicting great pain upon herself, she was able to liberate herself from the pleasure!?"_

"What a vulgar magic you wield." The mermaid spat while holding her hand forward. Recall the mountain she just cut down. She used her gravity to crush the mountain to large pieces of debris that rocketed to the ground, smothering Rahkeid underneath the rubble.

"She totally crushed him!" Lector cheered.

Despite this, Kagura used her speed to push forward, slicing at the rubble to ensure that Rahkeid was cut down. Unfortunately for her, though her ploy was good, it wasn't fast enough. Rahkeid escaped from the rubble, but not unharmed. There was a noticeable cuton his lower left side, but he ultimately deemed it inconsequential. "Your speed is impressive."

Kagura bent her knees and took to the skies. She used her gravity once more to force the rubble into the sky to strike Rahkeid. The White Dragneel responded appropriately by releasing more blades of pleasure magic to slice through the rubble. This was part of Kagura's plan, leaping from rubble to rubble before using her gravity powers once more, now leaping high into the sky with her blade held above her head. "Taste my blade you foul fiend!"

"Oh?" Rahkeid glanced up, only to find that Kagura was falling towards him with speeds rivalling a meteor. The enhanced gravity around her body gave her the advantage in momentum and the woman delivered a fierce downward slash. She struck Rahkeid and the two of them crashed into the ground, however…Rahkeid was capable of blocking Kagura's strike with the side of his hand.

" _But…that range is Kagura-sama's ideal distance for certain victory…!"_ Yukino thought.

"…What?" Kagura believed this to be a fluke. "My blade of resentment has weakened a bit…" Due to her grudge against Jellal finally fading away, this quite possibly led to Archemeny being weaker, or so she thought. She hopped back for a moment, only to close the gap between them once more, swiftly swinging her blade for his neck. "JUDGEMENT!" And this time, Rahkeid only needed two fingers to halt her blade completely. "With two fingers…?!"

"It would appear you lot have made a horrible miscalculation after defeating several of the twelve." Rahkeid stated with a narrowing gaze. "Fluke's do exist, such as the minor injury you caused to me, but…" As Rahkeid spoke, Kagura was aiming several slashes at his person, all infused with heavy gravity. But he continued to use one hand, two fingers to parry her strikes as though they were nothing more than flies in the wind. Unlike his encounter with Bacchus, Rahkeid could read her attacks easily. "August, Elieen, and I…we are…how should I put this? Special exceptions."

Kagura said nothing. She growled while rushing at Rahkeid once more. She proved that she could pull one over on him, and she just had to do it once more! "…"

The White Dragneel's lips curled up into a sinister smile, reveling in the expression that Kagura wore. "Such a delightful expression. It is the face of one who has completely abandoned all hhope…knowing they cannot possibly defeat the enemy before them."

"I will put an end to your mocking words!" Kagura yelled while swinging once more, only for it to be proven futile as everything else. Rahkeid even went a step further and pushed his entire arm out, using his strength to force Kagura backwards.

"I don't believe you have the strength to do so. And by your expression, I believe you've reached the same conclusion as well." Rahkeid reached back before flinging the cross on his back right at Kagura. The motion was so swift, an odd second nature for the White Dragneel. "So your struggle is ultimately pointless."

As the cross came towards Kagura, she gripped her blade and swung it up, deflecting the heavy makeshift weapon into the sky. The impact was so strong she nearly lost her footing, stumbling back to the point of almost falling over. "Kuh…!"

"Kagura-sama, above you!" Yukino pointed.

"Perfect." Kagura held her hand forward, controlling the cross's center of gravity. The deadly weapon that was once aimed at her now rocketed down towards Rahkeid with killing intent.

"A crafty ploy…" Rahkeid admitted, though he was able to catch his rebounded weapon with little trouble. It was what came next that actually took him aback for a second. The gravity around him intensified immensely, forming a gigantic crater with him right at its center. He felt his legs buckle for just a split second. "Gravity…?"

This was the opening Kagura needed. Rahkeid's guard was down for a very, very small time frame. She had to use her speed to exploit this opening and bring this fight to a close with a single strike! "AAAAAAAAAAAH!" Kagura let out a battle cry while swinging her blade down, putting her very essence into the next strike. And that strike…was blocked just as easily as everything else. In the same instant of Rahkeid blocking her attack, he used his free hand to swiftly cut her side…and he cut deep.

"KAGURA-SAMA!" Yukino cried out.

Kagura's body froze and trembled. "Ah…"

"Fear not. Your pain, your suffering…before long, it will all be transformed into pure pleasure." Rahkeid simply smiled.

"I will not…" Despite the trauma her body was going through, Kagura refused to fall! Her new wound drenched her skin and kimono with crimson, but she fought on. She forced herself to hold her blade forward, aiming to stab Rahkeid in the chest! "I will not fall to you…!" It was a good last ditch effort. Kagura's tenacity almost caught Rahkeid off guard since it looked like she was about to collapse. The feeling of surprise only lasted a split second before Rahkeid blocked her strike once more.

"To fight through such suffering, such pain…truly, you deserve to experience the bliss of pleasure. But before that…according to Dimaria, you have a mark of honor right about…here." Rahkeid now aimed his hand for Kagura's stomach. He reopened an old wound and the expression of pain Kagura wore was even greater than the previous wound!

"AH…!" Kagura stumbled back a few steps, feeling her body go into shock. Her eyes were wide and pain and she fell to her knees, blood dripping from her wounds. "N-Not…there…."

"A moment ago you referred to my magic as 'vulgar' did you not? That might very well be the case, so to speak." Rahkeid closed his eyes, clasping his hands together in a prayer. "However, this can also be called 'love'. I will give you a peaceful death. One without a hint of anguish." Kagura then collapsed before Rahkeid, right onto the ground. "Let her pure white soul ascend to the free heavens."

"KAGURA-SAMA!" Yukuno cried out.

Lector and Frosch started to weep. Not even Kagura was capable of stopping this man – the man who killed Orga. "Fro's scared…" Frosch whimpered.

"How wonderful. I will dye your very despair in pure pleasure." Rahkeid said softly

As soon as he said this, more tendrils of pleasure magic began to wrap around Yukino. She was unable to even stand in her condition, and it didn't seem like she'd be getting away this time. "AAAAAH! NOOOOOOO~!" Her voice started as a helpless scream, but midway through, it just turned into moans of pleasure. Rahkeid intensified the amount of pleasure Yukino was receiving, and it was only a matter of time until she reached the peak of pleasure once…and then over, and over, and over again without pause until…one final trip to heaven would be her last.

"Y-Yukino…!" Kagura grit her teeth. Despite her wounds, she had to try and save Yukino. "I…I can't…" She couldn't move.

"Oh, worry not." Rahkeid clapped his hands together, subjecting Kagura to the same fate as Yukino. To prevent her from escaping via self-injury, he made sure that the pleasure output was at its maximum. Kagura's movements came to a halt, and all the pain she felt was replaced with pure pleasure. This euphoric feeling coursing through the bodies of Kagura and Yukino…would easily be the death of them before long. Rahkeid watched on with a heinous smile as the two women helplessly moaned before him. "Now…rise to the heavens…and your death…"

* * *

Tia led the injured Lucy to where she brought Natsu and Gray. It was a safe enclosed area where Porlyusica, Luke, Evergreen, Brandish, and Aira awaited. Natsu and Gray were unconscious while Dimaria just sat in the corner of the room. "Easy now…mind not bleeding all over me?"

"…If I could help it, I would…" Lucy said with a weak groan.

"WHOOOOA!" Luke pointed at Lucy. "What the hell happened to you!? You look even _worse_ than she does!" He then pointed to Dimaria, who scowled at his remark.

"Luke, stop doing that!" Aira chided. "But oh my word…your injuries are so grave…! What happened to you!?"

"Emmeraude…" Lucy huffed. Her vision was starting to go black. She was passing out.

"Oh my goodness…are you all right?!" Evergreen asked, clearly worried for Lucy's condition.

"Lucy…" Brandish stood up, working her magic on Lucy's wounds to shrink all of them to negligible size. This stopped Lucy from bleeding, but it didn't stop how she felt.

Aira was up next. She rushed over to Lucy and began to use her magic to heal her. "Your injuries looked severe. If you were a moment slower, you may have bled to death."

"I could feel myself passing out…" Lucy let out a small huff as Tia set her town. "Thanks, you two…"

"You shouldn't make any sudden movements. Your injuries may have been reduced in size, but the damage to your body is still prevalent." Aira warned.

"You're going to be feeling the pain for a while." Brandish said. It was all she could do to help Lucy.

"A-All right…" Lucy let out a heavy sigh before staring at Natsu and Gray. "How are they…?"

"Gray is going to be all right." Porlyusica said. "His external injuries are severe, but thanks to Aira, he's been stabilized. I've noticed something strange with Juvia's body…how it feels more like a hollow shell than a dead body, but…"

"I don't have that much magic left…" Aira said. "That's why I've decided to use what I can for healing. I did what I could for everyone here, but…"

"Not to worry, I've already taken the liberty of shrinking all of their wounds." Brandish nodded.

"Yeah, we owe her…" Luke sighed. "Dimaria over here really didn't want to stay down."

"Thank you, Brandish…" Lucy offered a small smile.

"But the real problem here is Natsu, isn't it?" Carla crossed her arms.

"Aye…" Happy nodded.

"That mass inside his body…" Brandish began. "It's now become impossible for me to alter it with my magic. In other words, it is a powerful 'something' which has completely transcended my magic power."

"This wouldn't have happened if you didn't mess with it a second time." Tia pointed out. It was a little harsh, but she did have a point. Brandish's hesitation and unwillingness to actually fight was part of this situation. "But based on what we saw…it was probably only a matter of time until it unleashed itself anyway." At least she tried to cushion the blow she delivered, but it didn't help.

"Its ability to move even while time was suspended…that pure, unbridled aggression with its killing intent laid bare. The likes of this is beyond my abilities as well. There's absolutely nothing I can do…" Porlyusica admitted.

"That thing is a demon. There's no other way I could possibly describe it." Dimaria said.

"Oh, so you're finally talking now?" Luke asked.

" _A demon…E.N.D…"_ Happy's gaze went down to the ground. He recalled that hideous form Natsu took for a few moments when fighting Gray. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. That was END's true form.

"You're wrong!" Lucy fired back. "Natsu is…!"

"And what exactly do you know about him?" Dimaria cut Lucy off with a slight smirk. "I'm just disappointed that Em was unable to cut off that pretty head of yours. They always say that blondes aren't the smartest ones…"

"You're not exactly exempt from that, you know!" Lucy pouted. "And I sure know a lot more about him than the likes of you ever could!"

"No, people don't know as much about those around them as they think. Even the ones you considered to be precious friends and comrades have a hidden side to them. Isn't that right, Randi?" Dimaria stared at Brandish, who said nothing in response.

Tia walked over to Dimaria and looked down, lifting a brow in disgust. "You really are just a petty little bitch, aren't you? Don't forget you're the one who nearly killed her because of some hurt feelings."

"Tia, don't antagonize her…even if she deserves it." Evergreen fanned herself.

"Nah…" Tia crouched down, staring Dimaria right in the eyes. "I'm feeling a little antagonistic now. I really have to thank you for the crick in my neck. Maybe I should return the favor while you're tied down and helpless." Tia's eyes gleamed with a hint of genuine malice. It had been a long time since she felt this way towards any one. "You like making people scream and cry, right?" Tia held up a knife. Not just any knife, but the same knife that Dimaria used to stab Brandish and torture Lucy.

"She picked that up!?" Luke's eyes widened.

"….." Dimaria didn't say a word. She just stared right at Tia. "…You wouldn't. You're far too goody goody."

"Oh?" Tia tilted her head, pointing the tip of the knife to Dimaria's chest, pressing it a little to make her point. "I don't know where you got that idea. I'm against senseless killing, but I don't see a reason not to take you out. I set myself on fire just to cauterize a wound just the other day; do you _really_ think I _won't_ stab you?"

"Wow…she's metal as fuck…" Luke said with a slight sweat drop. "I think she's really gonna do it too…"

"Stop." Brandish pleaded. "Mari is just talking. Her words don't bother me."

"….." Tia rolled her eyes and stood up.

What a needlessly tense situation. Lucy thought about Dimaria's words for a moment before letting out a sigh. "It may be true that Natsu is violent, rough about the edges, and generally uncooperative, but…he's as straightforward and honest as they come. Natsu has no hidden sides. That is what I believe in my heart of hearts…"

Evergreen then leaned over to Brandish, Aira, and Tia. "She's totally head over heels for him."

"Ah, that explains it." Brandish said with a deadpanned expression.

"Yup. I already knew that." Tia nodded.

"So it's love!" Aira gasped.

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I WAS GETTING AT!" A flustered Lucy said.

"Lucy, I'm gonna be honest here. The way you feel about Natsu is exactly how I feel about Ace, and you see how we are. The fact you can somehow withstand all the heart attacks he gives you is a testament to how much you care." Tia pointed out. "Granted, Natsu is an idiot, so…"

"S-STOP!" Lucy wanted to flail her arms, but she remembered that her body hurt like hell and she winced. "W-What I'm getting at is…Natsu was the reason I even joined Fairy Tail. And that's exactly why…" Before she could continue, steam started to emit from Natsu's body, causing her eyes to widen in horror.

"W-What's the meaning of this!?" Carla gasped.

"There's smoke coming from Natsu's body…!" Evergreen was taken aback.

"Oh come on, what's wrong with him NOW!?" Tia groaned. There just seemed to be way too much going on with Natsu during this war!

"NATSSSSUUU!" Happy cried.

"That steam…that ain't a good thing…" Luke mumbled. He saw similar smoke when Chelia pushed herself too far.

"This is surely coming from the mass within his body…" Porlyusica reported.

"I…I don't think my magic can even begin to fix this…" Aira placed her hands over her mouth.

"Hey, Natsu!" Lucy placed her hands on Natsu, only to immediately recoil, shivering from the contact. _"H-He's so cold…"_ "Hey NATSU! NATSU PLEASE! WAKE UP!"

* * *

Sting was lost. He had absolutely no idea where he was going. Ever since Universe One was put into play, he was separated from everyone else to god knows where. "Damn…thanks to Freed, I managed to make it this far, but…"

" _I'm going to search for Laxus!"_ Those were Freed's words after pointing Sting in the general direction of where Zera told him the guild was.

"Lecot…Rogue…everyone…just where the hell are you!?" And right as he asked this, he caught a whiff of something familiar. "Huh…? This smell, it's…"

* * *

How long had this been going on? Yukino was on the ground, her expression blank as her voice started to die. How many times had she reached the peak of pleasure, only to keep soaring higher and higher? She didn't know. She lost count. Her mind was blank, filled with nothing but the white void of pleasure. _"My mind…it's gone completely blank…"_ But it just felt so good. She was completely helpless against the desire of pleasure and had already begun to give into it completely. There was no fighting it. Rahkeid made that crystal clear. _"Sister…Kagura-sama…I…"_ Yukino had it bad, but Kagura had it worse.

Kagura couldn't say or think rationally. The intensity of the pleasure focused on her was far too much. The pleasure eclipsed her pain and she couldn't move. She made an effort to reach for her sword, but it was casually kicked away from her reach by Rahkeid. That sealed her fate. "A-Ah…."

"It won't be long now. I hope your souls have enjoyed their blissful trip to heaven." Rahkeid kept his eyes closed, praying for the souls of the Mermaid and the Tigress.

"Someone…please…" Lector pleaded. "Sting, if you're out there, please help us! You're our only hope!"

Right at that moment, a fiery wheel split through the tendrils of pleasure that bound the two women. Yukino shot up, shakily at that. "W-What was that…?"

"Huh?" Rahkeid titled his head. Before he could figure out what happened, a bone was flying right at him! He simply shoved it aside with two fingers, but his expression was that of confusion and a hint of calm irritation.

Kagura blinked slowly, trying to figure out what where she even was. One second she was on the ground, and the next she was in someone's arms!? That's when she looked up, causing her eyes to widen and her expression softened just a bit. "Y-You…"

"Whew…that was close shave." Daryan said while holding Kagura bridal style in his arms. "I thought I wasn't going to make it for a second…"

"Daryan…?" Kagura spoke softly, partially out of shock and a little bit of relief.

"Daryan-sama…!" Yukino's face lit up in a smile.

"He's not Sting…but I'm glad he showed up anyway!" Lector beamed.

"Things must really be dire here…that's the first time you've said my name like that…" Granted it was also the second time overall…at least to Daryan. "Are you guys all right?"

"I…I don't know…" Yukino admitted.

"…I…I am now…" Kagura mumbled.

"Hmmm…" Rahkeid stared at Daryan, drawing a blank on the man's identity. "Who are you exactly? Aren't you one of those Bosco mages who couldn't even stand against God Serena? This battle isn't yours to deal with."

"That's where you're wrong." Daryan's expression turned serious, a rare look for him. "This battle became ours to fight the instant you guys attacked Bosco. Not to mention, I'm still in the process of fulfilling my guild master's last wish. Those are just two out of the four reasons I have to kick that smarmy look off your face."

"Only two?" Rahkeid would humor the man, plus his curiosity was piqued.

"You then had the audacity to attack these two." Daryan explained.

"You're from Bosco; I don't see why these two in particular have you so riled up." The White Dragneel questioned.

"I am from Bosco, and I was told to fight alongside Fiore with everything I could muster, so Yukino there is an ally and a friend of mine who happened to give me some good advice." The dragon slayer gave Yukino a slight grin. "As for Kagura-chan…she means a lot to me. And I'll be damned if you make her finish before I do."

WHAT!? Why did he phrase it like that!? Kagura's cheeks flushed and if she wasn't feeling so weak at the moment, she would have throttled the shit out of him right into the ground. If looks could kill, he'd be dead. "…!" The only thing she could do was growl very angrily at him for getting far too comfortable.

"And I owe her for saving my life twice. So this time, I'm glad I have the chance to save her." Daryan quickly added. He didn't even have to look at her to know that his initial comment riled her up. But the second one was good save. Daryan then gently set Kagura down on the ground before turning back to Rahkeid, forming a several foot long bone within his hands. "One of your comrades made her cry, and now you've gone and made her bleed. That's just something I can't forgive."

"I see…" Rahkeid slowly nodded. "So this is another form of 'love' so to speak. Very well. Your emotional attachment to the woman who fell into despair has moved my heart. As a result, I shall grant you a passage to heaven even more blissful than what they've experienced. Your pure white soul will rise to heaven."

"Don't try and sweet talk me, I already told you that my heart belongs to someone else." Daryan narrowed his eyes. "Plus, just looking at you already pisses me off. You smell just like Natsu, and that's not a good thing."

"Are you sure you can fight him? You're…he's…" Kagura wasn't exactly sure what she was trying to say.

"Don't worry. I got this." Daryan gave Kagura a slight grin. Once more, he turned to Rahkeid, glaring into the White Dragneel's soul. "This is a good plot of land, and you've pretty much dug your own grave. So allow me to put the final nail in your coffin and put you to rest."

.

.

Next Time: Pleasure, Hunger, and Slumber.


	82. Chapter 82: Pleasure, Hunger, & Slumber

Natsu glanced around an empty void. He wasn't even sure where he was; the last thing he remembered was Lucy, Erza, and fighting Gray. "….What is this place…?" That's when he sensed someone behind him. "Hm? Is someone there?"

"It's me, Natsu." Said Zeref, standing right before him.

"Zeref!" Natsu needed a second to realize what was happening. Though he still had no idea what was going on, he saw Zeref and went on full out attack mode.

"Don't get any funny ideas. This is the inside of your heart." Natsu didn't listen and charged right at Zeref…! Only to tumble right through him. "And as such, I have no physical form here." The entity of Zeref said.

Natsu tumbled around, rubbing the back of his head in annoyance. "Huuuuuh? The inside of my heart?"

"Indeed. At the very least, if only while we're in here together, I have no problem if you wish to address me as 'big brother'." Zeref stated.

The very idea made Natsu scoff. "Yeah, right…"

"As much as it pains me to admit this…you are going to die soon. And it is for that very reason that I've come here now, in your last moments, to fill the gaps in your list memories." Zeref stated.

"…Huh?" Natsu's expression turned serious. He was dying? Lost memories?

"I'm referring to your memories prior to you waking up in X777." The Black Wizard added.

"I was together with Igneel!" Natsu said.

"I'm talking about before…even earlier than that." Zeref said. As he said this, a small rift appeared off to the side, displaying the images of Natsu's family – his mother and father, even Zeref. "We lived peacefully in a small, quaint village. Those two are our mother and father." The image changed again, this time to that of a dragon razing the place that used to be their home. "However, one day, the village was attacked by a dragon and completely annihilated. Father, along with mother, and you…on this day, you all lost your lives." Recalling the memory made Zeref frown.

"…." Natsu was speechless.

"But even so, I tirelessly continued my research and finally, I was able to resurrect you as my very last demon: END. Ah…I already spoke to you earlier about the particulars of what happened around that time. And so, I entrusted you to Igneel. But from that point on, your memories are likely vague and cloudy. Side effects of the Dragon Soul Ceremony, I'd say." Once again, arift appeared this one displaying Natsu and a few of the other dragon slayers when they were children. "Back then, you'd already met Gajeel and a few of the other dragon slayers."

"I what..?" Natsu tilted his head. This was strange, because he had no recollection of ever meeting the others before Fairy Tail.

"You, Gajeel. Takeru, Blues, and Waiston were a couple of rascals, always at each other's throats." Zeref explained as the image displayed those five young slayers fighting each other. "And Wendy, who could come to try and break things up, would always burst into tears. Sooner or later, I'm sure that child will end up meeting Wendy as well, so when that time comes, I want them to get along."

"Huh…?" Who was Zeref talking about now? The fact he was being so vague annoyed Natsu.

"Then we have Daryan, who often got himself into trouble trying to court women." Another brief image displayed, showing a young Daryan getting laughed at for his persistence. "Hikaru and Melanie, even the likes of Avani and formerly Evanee…you'd all met at some point as well. As for Sting and Rogue, who were around the same age as Wendy, they idolized you and Gajeel as their adopted older brothers."

"Several times a year, when our dragon parents would gather for their meetings, we'd all be seated together." It was Sting's voice.

"Sting!" Natsu turned.

"…Or so I'd like to say, but in reality, but Natsu and I have no such memories of those events." Sting continued.

"Where did Zeref…?" Natsu had his head on a swivel.

"This is the inside of your heart, ain't that right, Natsu? Your consciousness erased Zeref's presence. That's all there is to it." Sting said.

"You completely lost me." Natsu held a deadpanned expression.

"C'cmon, follow me. You'll surely arrive at your answer." Sting started to walk off.

"Answer?" Natsu didn't understand and it showed on his face.

"The true identity of what it is that lurks inside your body." Sting responded.

* * *

"Wait, what did you say?" Yukino had to back pedal a few steps. "Did you say that he smelled like Natsu-sama? Isn't that natural? If they're all a part of the same family, then…."

"Wait, hold on, what?" Daryan turned back to Yukino.

"That guy has the last name Dragneel! The same as Natsu!" Lector said.

"T-This man said that Natsu-sama is Zeref's younger brother…and he claimed to be his son." Yukino said.

"…Okay…" Daryan just nodded slowly. "I don't get it, but even if they're all a family, he shouldn't smell exactly like Natsu. Everyone has their own unique scent, parents, children, even identical twins. It would make sense for this guy to smell like Zeref if he's his kid, but he smells like Natsu. So in other words, I don't have the slightest clue about what's going on here, but someone's existence isn't making sense."

"….?" Kagura wasn't sure what was going on either. All she could gather is that Rahkeid's existence was cause for concern.

"That's because, in a sense, Natsu is also Zeref's child." Rahkeid clapped his hands together, releasing blades of pleasure magic upon Daryan.

Daryan spun the bone in his hands, using it as a makeshift shield to deflect the incoming blades. Once he did that, he bent his knees and shot forward, rearing the weapon back before swinging it towards Rahkeid's skull, only for it to be blocked by two fingers. "…Huh."

"You won't be able to defeat me." Rahkeid stated.

"You know, you give off this holy vibe, but I can smell the darkness coming right off of ya. You probably really are Zeref's kid." Daryan then jumped back, allowing iron to coat the boat in his grip. "Bonemerang!" He then flung the bone forward, allowing it to soar through the air. His arm was Rahkeid and no one else.

Rahkeid lifted a hand up and brought it down, chopping the iron clad bone in half, allowing its pieces to fly right past him. "You can bring as many people as you'd like, it won't make a difference."

"Heh…" Daryan smirked, charging at Rahkeid once more. The broken bone that was now split into two started to rebound regardless, returning to the sender.

"Hm…?" Rahkeid glanced back, swaying his body to avoid the return trip. But right as he did this, Daryan was already upon him.

"Bone Rush!" The skeletal dragon swung both bones forward, colliding dead on against Rahkeid's chest. The impact was strong enough to kick Rahkeid off his feet and send him flying backwards! "I'm not done with you yet!" Daryan pursued while his cheeks inflated. "Skeletal Dragon's ROAR!" Exhaling, the dragon slayer unleashed a funnel of bone shrapnel right at Rahkeid.

"I see…" Rahkeid was admittedly caught off guard. He didn't expect someone who appeared so injured to put up a fight, least of all a buffoon such as him. The White Dragneel caught his footing, now using his cross as a shield to defend against the oral attack aimed at him.

"Skeletal Iron Dragons'…TALON!" Daryan was now above, coating his leg in iron. Flipping, the dragon slayer aimed his foot right for Rahkeid's skull, but the White Dragneel was easily capable of blocking this strike with his forearm, although the force behind Daryan's impact did leave him standing in a small crater. The dragon slayer flipped once more, extending his arm forward. "And Iron Fist!" The bones in his arm extended, allowing him to close whatever distance remained.

Rahkeid, however, was able to avoid the incoming strike by leaning to the side. As he did this, he flicked the cross on his back once more, intending to strike Daryan's heart. At that moment, the dragon slayer shifted his own body to the side, causing the cross to graze his shoulder. Just as Daryan evaded, Rahkeid took a swift step forward to place his palm on Daryan's chest. "Even pain can be converted to pleasure. Allow me to give you a taste." A potent blast of pleasure magic was unleashed point blank, consuming Daryan while throwing him backwards.

"Gaaaah!" Daryan cried out, somehow managing to stick the landing. "Shit…" It hurt…! And then it felt really good!? That wasn't good! "Huh…? What the…?"

"Converting pain into pleasure allows for a more blissful trip to heaven. Eventually, when your body sustains too much damage, you will be lulled into a pleasure filled dream…one which you will not wake up from." Rahkeid clarified.

"Daryan-sama, are you all right?!" Yukino asked. "His magic is…"

"Really weird…" Daryan attempted to shrug off this weird sensation. Once again, he summoned another bone to wield in his grasp. Flames ignited around his body, signifying the activation of his Skeletal Flame dual mode. Unlike the other First generation dragon slayers, he hadn't even touched upon Dragon Force, so had to rely on the magic he consumed from Natsu and Gajeel during the Grand Magic Games all those years ago. But he wasn't an S class for nothing. "Skeletal Flame Dragan's Infernal Dance!" Once again, he rushed Rahkeid, delivering a series of swift, fiery strikes with the weapon in his grasp.

"…" Kagura clenched her hand into a fist, cursing herself for feeling so weak. Her legs were shaky from the assault of pleasure, and her body was sore from her two near grave injuries. The mermaid's gaze was focused on the dragon slayer and his opponent. _"He always plays the fool, but when it comes to battle…"_ Even so, Kagura was concerned…not for Daryan, no, never, absolutely not! It was just…she couldn't help but worry about his injuries. She had to stitch one up herself, and he nearly got stabbed in the heart. It was strange. Daryan was an anomaly, a constant thorn in her side, no matter what she said or did, she just couldn't get rid of him. At the same time, she couldn't ignore the concern she felt for him. Not after their time together one year ago. He was the one who convinced her to look at her scar in a different light. When they first met, she utterly despised him, but now? She….she didn't know. Or perhaps she did, but opted to ignore it. _"…You idiot…if you get wounded like that again, I'll kill you before he can…so don't you dare…"_

"What are you?" Daryan questioned while aiming strike after strike, only for Rahkeid to either block or dodge all of them with only a hint of effort. Daryan's offense in his condition was commendable to say the least. "Even your body type is exactly the same as Natsu's!"

"How is that an issue? A lot of people have similar builds…" Lector asked.

"My dragon taught me the anatomy of the human body and all its types." Daryan explained as Rahkeid stood there with his annoying smile. With the fire coating his bones, the only thing Rahkeid couldn't avoid were the small burn marks that appeared on his placid skin. "People have 'similar' builds, but no one's body is exactly the same! There are always quirks and differences in some way…but there is no difference! It's almost like…!" Before Daryan could continue, Rahkeid found an opening in his opponent's stance and thrusted his palm forward. The force behind his attack was equal to that of what nearly brought Kagura down in one strike, plus it was aimed at his injured chest. "GAH…!" Such a blow caused the dragon slayer to tumble along the ground.

"Hey…!" Kagura shouted. "I knew it…you're still hurt..."

"I'm still fine…" Daryan hunched over, keeping a slight grin on his face. He couldn't give any other expression since right now he was giving it his all to protect Kagura and Yukino.

"I find it curious what you attempted to accomplish with injuries such as those." Rahkeid clapped his hands together, now succeeding in wrapping tendrils of pleasure around Daryan's being. "Allow me to turn your lingering pain into pleasure…and give your soul a…"

"S-Stop talking already…holy shit…" Daryan groaned. This pleasure was exceedingly difficult to fight against and he could feel his mind slipping.

"Your 'special someone' has already shown me that pain can escape pleasure, therefore it will take more than simply biting your own tongue to free yourself from this." Rahkeid said. He wasn't going to allow any of his victims to escape from his pleasure that easily.

"D-Daryan-sama…!" Yukino exclaimed.

"I…I can't believe he got caught in it too…" Kagura groaned. Some savior he turned out to be! If she could stand, she'd attempt to cut him free but…it was no use. "I still can't stand…"

"I…I hate to break it to you, pal…but this sort of sensation…isn't for you to give to me…" Daryan clenched his hand into a fist and sharply turned his neck. The movement was so sudden there was a loud CRACK and he suddenly fell over, limp.

"What on earth…?" Rahkeid couldn't fathom what just happened.

"What did he just do…!?" Lector gasped.

"…" Kagura didn't say a word, because it seemed like she caught onto what was happening fairly quickly…unfortunately.

"OOOW!" Daryan cried out before his neck snapped back into place. At that instant, he allowed the bones in his fingers to sharpen and he clawed out of the pleasure, rotating his neck. "Geez…I did that way harder than I intended to."

" _Did this man just break his own neck…?!"_ First Kagura surprised him, but Daryan completely bewildered him. In fact, the Spriggan was so baffled by Daryan's actions, he didn't notice the dragon slayer before him until it was too late.

"Sticks and stones break bone, but it doesn't bother me!" One of Daryan's claws ignited in flame, while the other was steel clad iron. "Skeletal Flame Dragon's Iron Claw!" He was making the most out of the magic at his disposal. The dragon slayer violently raked his claws against Rahkeid's shielding arms, cutting deep into the Spriggan's skin with enough force to draw blood and force him backwards. It wasn't the direct hit he wanted, but this was a start!

"W-What was all that…?" Yukino had a mini heart attack!

"It's been a while, but I guess I can explain again." Daryan said while straightening his posture. "Due to the nature of my magic, I can exploit the bones in my body…it still kinda hurts, but you're not gonna off me by breaking my bones."

"You're such a fool…" Kagura shook her head.

"Now it's time to bring this to an end!" Daryan pushed forward, confident in his ability to wrap things up. The moment he brought his hand up…was the instant Rahkeid swiped his hand forward calmly. Daryan realized he was in trouble and shifted his body, which was honestly a terrible move to anyone watching. Instead of taking a hit in an already injured area, he opted to take a new injury, receiving a harsh cut along his lower right side. "Gah…!"

"To go to such lengths just to escape but one of your humanly desires…" Rahkeid held a smile despite his injuries. "It is clear that you are incredibly outmatched. But how strange…you allowed me to inflict even greater damage upon you. Do you perhaps enjoy pain more than pleasure?"

Daryan was bleeding in a few places now, but he placed a hand over his stitched injury. "Kagura-chan went through the trouble of patching this wound up for me…so I can't let you ruin all that work."

"Wha…?" He knew about that!? Kagura was gonna have to find Alex and 'talk' to her about this later. More importantly, she didn't understand why he thought that was worth taking an even more grave injury! Everything he did was just making her upset for one reason or another. "Stop fooling around."

"Yeah yeah…" Dayran lifted a hand up. "So if your magic works well on the living, let's see how well it does with the dead! Arise!" On that cue, multiple skeleton soldiers rose from the ground around Rahkeid, all of them preparing to lunge at him.

"Don't be so foolish." Rahkeid swung his cross around to destroy the skeletons soldiers before they could even come close to him. After this, he flung it at Daryan, landing a direct blow against the man's chest. It was practically the same technique he used to kill Orga, although Daryan's stubbornness and luck allowed him to life. The pointed tip of the cross did pierce into the man's already injured chest, but it missed his heart.

"Gaaaah!" Daryan cried out before falling to a knee, forcing the bloodied cross from his chest. "Ngh…"

"Don't you dare die…" Kagura said in a low tone. "What do you think you're doing?"

"It was a valiant effort, I will admit." Rahkeid now stood over the exhausted Daryan. "But you must have known that you stood no chance against me from the start, no? Hence why I don't understand throwing yourself into losing battle."

"I told you, didn't I…?" Daryan glared up at his opponent while speaking between breaths. "…I had to protect them…and….I was also stalling."

"Stalling…?" Rahkeid lifted a brow. At that moment, he noticed a figure rapidly closing the distance. He brought up his injured arms, grimacing slightly in pain as Sting's foot collided against it, causing him to slide back.

"I can't help but be fashionably late!" Sting roared. By his side was Hiruka, Daryan's Exceed.

"Sting!"

"Master Sting!" Yukino and Lector's expressions lit up.

"Daryan!" Hiruka was so happy to see his partner alive.

"Took you both long enough…" Daryan said with a weak chuckle. "I could smell you two coming, so I just had to hold him off…"

"…Almost getting yourself killed because of your idiocy…" Kagura added.

Sting turned to his comrades to see if they were okay, then he gave Rahkeid a death glare. "…So, it's you. The one who killed my comrade."

"Oh…I vaguely remember you." Rahkeid's calm expression remained. More ants to be stepped on as he saw it. "The commander of this country's forces up north, yes? That defeated expression you wore during your crucifixion was hard to forget."

Sting clenched his hand into a fist, his body visible trembling in anger. His white aura flared around his body as he immediately entered his White Drive. "So you have the nerve to try and bring harm to even more of my comrades. Not only that, but you have the audacity to smell like Natsu as well!?"

Daryan slowly stood up, wincing from his injuries. "Yeah, it's pretty messed up actually…"

"I don't care what the story is. This asshole is going down!" Sting declared.

"You can gather as many as you wish, it will never be enough." Rahkeid only needed one sensation to combat all the mages that challenged him today, Sting would be no different. A simple clap of his hands caused blades of pleasure magic to shoot out towards the White Dragon…who then began to eat them as they came by. Out of all the things he'd seen today, this was by far the strangest. This was the first person who actually ate his magic!

"Anything white or light doesn't work on me…but that's probably not the same for you, huh!?" Sting said while cupping his hands together, a bright white light forming in the empty space between his palms. "Thanks for the meal, though! It was good. Now allow me to return the favor! Holy Ray!" The guild master of Sabertooth threw his hands forward, unleashing destructive rays of light that rained down upon Rahkeid, destroying part of the ground as a result.

Rahkeid shielded himself from the attack with his arms, but before the smoke could even dissipate, Sting was already in his face with a cocky smirk. "…!"

Sting pressed his hand against Rahkeid's stomach, using his momentum to carry the Spriggan away as a potent orb of white light appeared in the palm of his hand. "HOLY NOVA!" Sting carried Rahkeid away before the orb of light turned into a gigantic beam that pushed the White Dragneel backwards.

"Gaaah!" Now Rahkeid was starting to feel it. One injury from Kagura, though slight, began to burn in pain; the injuries from Daryan were more severe and made it difficult to protect himself with a barebones defense, and now here was Sting, hitting extremely hard, likely due to the fuel he unintentionally gave him.

"HAAAH!" Daryan slammed his fist into the ground. This prompted a bone coated in iron to rise up from underneath Rahkeid during his unwanted flight. This rising 'pillar' struck the Spriggan in the back, lifting him into the air. "Don't give this bastard an inch!"

"I never planned to!" Sting said while bending his knees to take to the skies, a silver aura mixing in with his white one. The White Silver dragon made his appearance and he launched himself far above Rahkeid while inhaling. "White Dragon's Silver Cry!" The white dragon exhaled, unleashing a massive funnel of white and silver magic from his mouth. This connected against Rahkeid, resulting in a large dome explosion that spanned out for several meters.

Rahkeid was somewhat damaged after an attack like that. As he fell to the ground, he flipped and recognized the situation. "What troublesome opponents…however…" A wry grin stretched on his lips as he landed, swiping two fingers across the sky as several holy talismans appeared. A magic circle formed under Sting and…

Grumble. Just as Sting landed, he felt his stomach roar. "Hoh…?"

"Master Sting?" Yukino asked.

"You cannot possibly resist the sensation of hunger." Rahkeid stated confidently. All this time he simply needed the desire of pleasure to give these mages an extreme uphill battle, but he had no issue revealing the next card in his deck.

"H-He was holding back on us!?" The realization made Daryan feel…pretty weak. He had a near impossible time keeping up against pleasure, but now Rahkeid could manifest the sensation of hunger too!? In fact…his stomach growled loudly and he started to feel it. "Oh…"

Sting placed his hands on his stomach. It continued to rumble and the hunger pains rocked his body. It took all Sting had just to stand up. "Ahh…I can…barely move a muscle." His body felt so weak. There wasn't a damn thing he could do as Rahkeid tossed his cross once more, impacting Sting just as he did Daryan – a direct blow to the chest. "GAAAAAH!" Sting's eyes widened from the pain. His body flew backwards, and then his gaze turned to Lector.

"Sting…!" The red exceed cried in worry for his best friend.

"Lector…!" Sting gasped. Suddenly, what was a cat…turned into drumstick with cat ears.

"Sting…? Sting…!" Lector continued to call out to his friend.

There was a crazed look in Sting's eyes as he slowly approached Lector. The sensation of starvation drove Sting to have hallucinations. "You sure look tasty…" The white dragon mumbled, drool beginning to spill from his lower lip.

"Sting! Snap out of it!" Lector pleaded.

To Sting, Yukino was an ice cream pop. "Whatever is the matter, Master Sting!?"

"Hey…quick giving me those strange looks…I get enough of those already…" Said Kagura, who took the appearance of a snack. The dragon slayer panted heavily before picking Lector up, and began to bite into him! But all Sting could see was meat and he desperately needed food!

"Eat to your heart's content." Rahkeid said with a calm smile.

"STING! CUT THAT OUT, IT'S ME!" Lector pleaded. Sting was munching on his head with his sharp teeth and drew blood! "YOUR OLD PAL LECTOR!"

"NO, YOU'RE MEAT! DELICIOUS MEAT!" Sting yelled excitedly.

"Open your eyes!" Kagura exclaimed. She had to try and move before this situation got any worse! The instant she moved, she turned to see Yukino pull down part of her kimono to expose her shoulder before promptly chomping down on it. "Yukino!?"

Yukino held the same delirious look in her eyes. The sensation of hunger spread fast, and those near Rahkeid felt nothing but famine. "I'm hungry…so very hungry…"

"Super hungry…" Hiruka walked over to Frosch and began to bite on his tail, drooling all the while. "Gotta eat all this meat…"

Even Kagura could not resist. Her eyes turned hazed and crazed and she started to lean into Yukino's shoulder. "Yuki…no…food…." And she then bit down, hard enough to draw blood. Right now, they didn't see people. They only saw food. Even Lector ended up munching on Sting!

"Kagura-chan…everyone…" Daryan was on his knees, arms wrapped around his stomach as it growled loudly. It seemed that he was especially hungry, and it took all he had to avoid going crazy like everyone else. "You gotta…ugh…"

Rahkeid watched on with a pleased smile. This was far easier than actually having to do battle. It was his fault for underestimating the enemy to begin with, Emmeraude did make mention of not doing that. But in the end it didn't matter to him, for they were bound to end up dead one way or another. This way, they'd be doing themselves in. "The world of mortals is full of nothing but desires. Now perish, as you devour one another to death."

Even though Frosch's tail was getting munched on by Hiruka, the Exceed didn't budge. When Rahkeid noticed this, he stared in bewilderment. What sort of willpower did this tiny cat possess to not even move at this level of starvation!? "…Fro's really hungry, but he always eats his meals together with Rouge, so he'll be patient."

"…." Well, it looked like the desire for hunger couldn't win _everyone_ over. The White Dragneel glanced at Daryan, who was struggling to hold himself together. "What was it about protecting you mentioned earlier? Here you are, unable to even stand due to hunger. If you're so willing to protect that woman, why don't you allow her to consume you? Or, if you wish to set her free, give into your hunger and devour her. It would be fitting if you were the one to finish her by eating her, based on your response from earlier."

That was intentional, wasn't it? Is what Daryan wanted to say, but even talking would put him at too much risk. "Ngh…I…" Even worse for him? Kagura just happened to look like a bone, his favorite snack. The others around him resembled either meat or some sort of treat, but…

"Although you wield a unique magic, consumption must be difficult for you in a crisis. There is no iron, no flames, and the only bones that you can feast upon now are…those of your comrades. So please, enjoy the buffet before you." And just like that, even Daryan succumbed to the hunger.

"Kagura-chan…" The skeletal dragon slowly began crawling towards Kagura.

This was bad. At this rate everyone was going to kill each other. Sting was the first person who realized this and forcibly pried himself away from Lector's head. "AAAAAAAH!"

"I'm starvin' as well…but, if it's you, Sting, then I…" Lector seemed to realize what was going on. But it was hard to control himself.

"Sorry about this, Lector!" Sting said while smashing his fist against Lector's skull to knock him out. "Yukino, Kagura, Hiruka and Daryan! You too, Frosch! He had to do the same to everyone else. Sting knocked the others out to prevent them from eating each other like some sort of rabid cannibals. After doing this, Sting was panting heavily, but managed to make his way to his feet. "I had no choice but to do that! To keep all of them from falling victim to your hunger!"

"Oh?" Rahkeid quirked a brow. "In that case, what are you planning on doing about your own hunger?"

Sting then rushed forward…as fast as a hungry person could, but he still roared nonetheless. "I'LL MAKE YOU MY MAIN COURSE, YOU BASTARD!" He swung…only to whiff. Honestly, he didn't even have the strength to throw a straight punch and Rahkeid simply had to step to the side before bringing his elbow down on the slayer's back, crushing him into the ground. "GUAH!"

"Look at you. So hungry that you can't even muster up the strength for a single punch…" Rahkeid stared down at Sting.

"Even so…!" Sting attempted to try again, aiming for an uppercut…that never came. Rahkeid slashed against his side with the swiftest of motions. "GAAAH!"

"How utterly futile." Rahkeid sighed.

"I'm Sabertooth's master!" Sting exclaimed.

"Sabertooth? Never heard of it." At that moment, Rahkeid's cross came down to impale the fallen Sting's shoulder. All Sting could do was let out a cry of pain at his second crucifixion. "You're not even a member of Fairy Tail, so I would ask you not to intrude…if you know what's good for you. Unless you're aiming to join your brutish friend in heaven above?" The White Dragneel stared down at Sting, the guild master before him while driving his cross even deeper into the slayer's body, causing him to yelp out in pain. "Being a 'master', or a commander means looking out for those around you, does it not? Yet, you've allowed one of your closest comrades to fall, all because you've intruded upon a war that isn't your battle to fight. Leading with emotion…how utterly foolish."

Those words cause dark shadow to form under Sting's eyes. Even now, this bastard had the audacity to talk about Orga like that? Sting may have failed to protect one of his own back then, but… "The whole reason I'm intruding…is for Fairy Tail's sake!" Mustering what little strength he could, Sting grabbed the cross in his shoulder and forcibly pried it out of him, tossing it to the side while standing back up. "IT'S FOR NATSU'S SAKE, DAMN IT! AND NOW IT'S FOR ORGA'S TOO!"

"In that case, there is no cause for concern. Natsu's soul will soon be set free as well. Because I've long since decided that I shall be the one to kill him." Rahkeid kept his stoic expression.

At that moment, an iron bone flew past Rahkeid's cheek, causing him to lift a brow. "Hm?"

Daryan was back on his feet, though he was struggling just to stand. "You're not killing anyone else…"

"Your struggle is admirable, but ultimately pointless." Rahkeid clasped his hands together. There was no better time to wrap things up than right now.

Yukino then vanished. In her place, a wounded Rogue appeared. "Rogue!?" Sting was taken aback. "This must be the Lady's territory, but…!?"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm running on empty here to. I'm here as a special delivery from the Lady." Rogue said while holding something in his free hand. It was a bone. Where did he get that? From the remains of Arcturus' clash with the revived Bradman! After being told about it, Minerva had an inkling that something like this would be helpful in some way. Since this was her territory now, she knew exactly who was where. "Daryan, this is for you!" The shadow dragon said while tossing the skeletal dragon a bone. "Now Sting, eat me!"

"Food!?" Daryan's eyes lit up while grabbing the bone, but when he did, it was brimming with curse power. "What…!? I can't eat this!? It's not even magic…!"

"…?!" Rahkeid wasn't expecting Rogue to appear from thin air like this.

"Rogue, you…!?" Sting began.

As Sting hesitated, Rogue palmed the ground, sending the remainder of his magic towards Sting. The shadows crawled along the ground, rushing towards the white dragon. "You're hungry, aren't you? Eat it, all of my remaining magic!"

"You know I can't just eat magic of a different property!" Sting grimaced, but he had no choice as it was all flooding towards him whether he could eat it or not. "Guess I've got no choice…!" Sting conceded, consuming Rogue's shadows as they flowed into his mouth.

"It's do or die…!" Daryan could feel the curse power radiating off of this one object. It wasn't going to mix well with his magic, but he had no choice but to chow down! Kagura was still in danger, and he couldn't say he returned the favor of saving her life until this battle was over!

While the two slayers enjoyed their meals, more talismans began to flow around Rahkeid. "All humans have three primal desires: sexual desires, hunger, and the desire for slumber. So the final desire which I shall bestow…is that of sleep. However, the sleep that I grant is, unfortunately, eternal." The people before him had so much energy, it was time for them to take a permanent nap.

"QUIT RUNNIN' YOUR MOUTH!" Sting roared as a black and white aura exploded around his body. Right at this point, Rogue dropped to the ground, but he did so with a grin."

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Daryan let out his own battle cry as a strange purple aura erupted around his being.

I can't stand that damn smell of yours!" Sting glared at Rahkeid with eyes full of disdain.

"And I cannot stand the fact that pathetic weaklings like you are still drawing breath." The Spriggan said with a glare of his own.

The left side of Sting's body was enveloped in darkness, Rogue's shadows perfectly blending in with his light. In a strange twist of irony, Sting had become the White Shadow Dragon. "Rogue, lend me your strength!"

As for Daryan, his form changed drastically. Skeletal horns protruded from his forehead, and his form looked skinner. In fact, he looked almost like the skeleton of a dragon, but the power radiating from his was near frightening! This was the birth of the Cursed Dragon. The purple aura from Daryan was ghastly and gave a 'chill of death' to anything nearby. "I said I was gonna protect Kagura-chan, and I meant it! I'm not gonna let you stand in my way either, so the only one going to sleep is you!"

"Fight on, White Shadow Dragon…" Rogue said with a soft grin.

At this point, Kagura was somewhat conscious. She could hear everything that Daryan was saying, and it just upset her. He kept saying how she saved his life, but that was a stretch as far as she was concerned. Going so far on a limb just for her…why? She'd never understand. And yet, she was also staring in awe at his form. "….."

"I'm all fired up!" Sting yelled.

"Allow me to introduce you to the infallible magic of desire: R.I.P." Rahkeid stated with a sinister smile.

* * *

"Huh…? That power…?" Magnus started to look around. "It almost feels like…"

"Is that Daryan!?" Alex gasped.

"What on earth is he doing…?" Shadowlore turned in the direction he sensed the power. "If he's putting out power like that in his condition, then…"

"The first thing he does when he shows up is nearly dying? Ugh…!" Alex groaned. "Come on, we have to go!"

* * *

"I've been chasing behind Natsu as long as I can remember…" Sting said while sliding into a stance. "And right now, you're in the way, you bastard!"

"Yeah, I owe that guy a rematch anyway!" Daryan said.

"With this very hand, I will purify Natsu's soul once and for all. People as weak and insignificant as you hardly warrant my time or energy." Yet, here he was, preparing to unleash the ultimate desire upon them.

Sting was the first one to lead the charge, leaping towards Rahkeid with killing intent. "Then have a taste of mine and Rogue's combined power of the spirit of Sabertooth!" Sting was much faster than Rahkeid expected, thus allowing Sting to slam him with a white magic infused punch! The impact caused Rahkeid to fly backwards.

As he flew, the Spriggan regained his balance, bringing his hand down to release multiple talismans upon Sting. They'd either cause hunger, sleep, or another inescapable pleasurable sensation. Sting would never know, because he easily dismissed them with a swing of his own hand, dispersing them before they could touch him. This caused Rahkeid's eyes to widen. "They vanished?!"

"Your white magic is offset by Sting's own…and…" Rogue said.

"ROGUE'S SHADOWS WILL ANNHILATE YOU!" Sting declared with a wide grin, now swinging a shadow infused fist to Rahkeid's face to force him to stagger back.

"And then…" Kagura trailed off.

"MY GRAVEYARD WILL BURY YOU!" Daryan jumped down from above, slamming his fists into the ground. This prompted multiple sharp bones to rise from the ground all at once, piercing Rahkeid in various locations due to the intensity and sheer number. This finally allowed him to relish in the sweet sound of this arrogant bastard in pain.

"And if I combined our powers together…!" Sting pointed both hands forward, unleashing a dual beam of light and shadows that consumed the Spriggan, throwing him backwards even further. "We're unstoppable!"

What a nasty combination. With an annoyed grunt, the White Dragneel landed on his feet, only to see that Daryan was in front of him! "…!"

"Cursed Dragon's Blade!" Daryan swung his arm forward, the extremity taking the form of a sharp bone blade. He just narrowly missed slicing Rahkeid's chest, and that narrow miss was as close as he was going to get. All of his blows were swiftly evaded until the Spriggan countered by palming his chest with enough force to send him flying, but as Daryan flew backwards…

"White Shadow Dragon's Roar!" Sting exhaled, unleashing a potent funnel of light and shadows directly at Rahkeid. The roar paved its warpath along the destroyed ground, intending to sweep the Spriggan away in its destruction.

Rahkeid held his palm out, halting the blast in its entirety. The power behind it did cause him to slide back, but he was able to escape such a strong attack with only a burned palm. "Combine as many powers as you'd like, it matters not. You cannot possibly resist the final desire. _**The Eternal Sleep of Death: R.I.P!"**_ As Rahkeid made his incantation, a strange aura flowed from him, and as soon as it did, everyone was struck with a heavy wave of drowsiness.

"…!?" Sting's eyes went wide for a moment before growing heavy. "Kuh…?"

"This is…?" Rogue could hardly fight the sensation. "I'm being overcome by drowsiness…"

"Shit…" Daryan held his head, struggling to keep his eyes open. Things were going so well!

"The moment you close your eyes will be your very last." Rahkeid stated. This wasn't good.

"DAMN IIIIIIIIIIT!" Sting screamed, beginning to ruthlessly punch at his own wound, hoping that the pain would jolt him awake. They were so close, he could feel victory! He couldn't go down like this! "WAKE UP! WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP!"

"Come on! Stay awake you idiot!" Daryan was doing the same thing, striking all his wounds in hopes that the pain could help him. "Not now…! Don't…fall asleep now…"

Rahkeid watched on with an evil smile. "Humans cannot possibly defy their desires. Not even Acnologia can. And consequently, I am the mage who can seize victory against Acnologia himself."

Sting felt too tired to do anything. He slowly stopped hitting himself and looked on at Rogue. "Rogue…."

"Sting…! Enter the shadow…!" Rogue told his partner. "If you're within the shadows, all your senses will be sharpened! It should dispel your drowsiness, if only for a moment."

"I appreciate the last second advice, but how do I do that…?" Sting's voice trailed off. He was getting sleepier and sleepier by the second.

"Feel the gravity. To the point that you can feel your feel and the ground becoming one…!" Rogue told him.

"Gravity….gravity…!" That was grant and all, but how the hell was Sting supposed to do that on a whim!?

"If it is gravity you seek, then let me be of assistance." As this point, Kagura could finally pull herself up, although it was to a knee, and she had to use her sword as a support. "I shall sink you into the ground by force!"

"Whooa…!" Sting ended up slipping right into the ground, and into his own shadow!

"GAAAH!" Daryan was also crushed into the ground by force of gravity, but it didn't help him at all. "Why me…!?" Recall his earlier remark. There was no way Kagura was going to let that slide, and this was her way of throttling him since he was out of arm's reach.

"That's it!" Rogue grinned.

Sting fell into the shadows, now having the chance to experience what was essentially Rogue's second home. "So this is the world within the shadows…" A slow grin crept onto Sting's lips. "He wasn't kidding. I can feel all of my senses being sharpened to their limits. All right!" Now Sting began to swiftly move across the ground as a shadow, rapidly closing the distance between him and Rahkeid.

There was only one problem… "You're right in plain view." Rahkeid lifted his hand up, preparing to meet Sting the instant he emerged from the shadows to finish him off. "O, pure white soul! Ascend to the free heavens!" Sting was just about to launch himself out of the ground and right into Rahkeid's killing blow. But the instant Rahkeid drew his hand back…his entire body stiffened up. _"W-What's this…!? I…I cannot move a muscle!?"_

"Heh…" Daryan smirked while pulling his head up from the ground. Judging by Rahkeid's expression, it seemed the trap he laid finally worked. "About time it took effect on you! Ever since we started fighting, I've been using my bones to fire off at your body's weak points!" Daryan did have the ability to fire off thin, yet powerful bones that were imperceptible to the naked eye. After all, this was one of the things he used to cheat back in the Grand Magic Games a few years ago, and now he was making much better use of this. "And you never even noticed, and I'm glad you didn't! NOW STING! PUT HIM TO BED!"

"This is…!?" Rahkeid's eyes were wide in horror. His body was in a state of paralysis as Sting launched from the ground.

And with Daryan's assistance, Rahkeid was naught but a sitting duck! "Try this on for size! Mine, Rogue, Daryan, and Kagura-san's combined technique!"

"You're including me, too?" Kagura quickly asked. It was unexpected, but nice to be included as well.

"This one's for you too, Orga! Lend me your strength!" Sting then emerged from the shadows while sliding past Rahkeid, thin beams of light and shadows shooting from his fingers, piercing Rahkeid from various angles. "WHITE SHADOW DRAGON'S ROUGH SILK!"

"AAAAAAAAAAH!" Rahkeid let out a scream of pain as the various beams of light and darkness ran through his body. There wasn't a single thing he could do as blood spurted from every single wound he received, and he fell to the ground on his back helplessly, defeated. "Father….."

After a victory like that, Rogue, grinned, Kagura held a faint smile, and Daryan and Sting were panting heavily after all the work they just put in. "The only one going to sleep around here is you." Sting said. "Orga…I hope you can rest peacefully now…"

"You've made your bed…now lie in it." Daryan's lips curled into a confident smirk.

10 of the Spriggan 12 had been defeated…

Now, only two remained: its strongest man, and its strongest woman…

* * *

Back at the Fairy Tail guild, Zeref sat on a table, silently lamenting something. He didn't say a word, but his expression turned sullen for one reason or another. Who knows what was on his mind…

* * *

"This is bad! His body temeperature just keeps plummeting!" Porlysica gasped.

"Natsu! Hang in there!" Happy pleaded before looking at Luke. "Didn't you copy his fire magic!? Can't you use it to keep him warm!?"

Luke slowly shook his head. "Sorry…I burnt up all my magic putting Dimaria down…" As proof of this, he tried to conjure up flame, but he could only manage weak embers instead.

Left with no other option… "Lucy, hurry up and strip." The doctor commanded.

Lucy's face lit up. "W-WHY!?"

"It's our last resort…all we can do is attempt to raise his body temperature. We can only pray that another's warmth and feelings will bring about a miracle…" It was all the old woman could come up with. They were out of options.

Lucy was silent for only a second before… "I'll do it."

"Wow, no hesitation…" Tia tilted her head.

"Psh, how ridiculous." Dimaria scoffed. "Another's warmth and feelings? It seems to me that his flames are dying, and at this point, there's nothing you can do."

"Man, for someone who stops time, you really don't know when to stop talking do you? Do you have a mute button!?" Luke groaned.

"I'll make one." Tia walked over to Dimaria and slowly raised her hand.

"Zeref…" Natsu muttered in his unconscious state. His voice caused all heads to turn to him. "Zeref…I will…defeat…zeref."

"Natsu, you don't have to think about that anymore." Happy's body shook as the tears fell from his eyes." Please, Natsu! Just let it go already. If you kill Zeref…I know…then you'll die too…" Those words caught everyone off guard. "…I…I don't…"

"What…Happy, what did you just…!?" Evergreen suttered, unable to find the words.

"What…what do you mean by that!?" Lucy demanded to know.

Happy then hugged Natsu, wailing the whole time. "Dear god, please…save Natsu! I'm begging you! I…I can't take this anymore!" The Exceed wept.

"If Zeref is defeated…Natsu will die?!" Lucy stared at Natsu, unable to believe what she was hearing. Meanwhile, Gray was conscious…but he didn't say a word. He was just listening in on everything that was being said. And that was when…

An explosion of purple flame blew away the nearby wall. "KYAHAHAHAHA!"

"That laugh…!" Lucy hugged Natsu's cold body, staring at the hole in the wall.

As the dust and debris settled, who else would show up but Prometheus and Pandora. "So, his flames are dying, are they? It's about time. I was getting bored waiting for him to keel over and die! But now he's easy pickings!"

Pandora floated beside Prometheus, her usual stoic expression present. "We've come to retrieve the soul of E.N.D. You shall not stop us."

.

.

Next Time: Flower Circle.


	83. Chapter 83: Flower Circle

"How long are you planning on taking me, Sting?" Natsu asked the person in front of him. It felt like they'd been walking for an eternity.

"Huh?" Rogue turned around. "I'm Rogue."

"WHAT!?" Natsu yelled. Why did people keep coming and going!? "WHEN THE HELL DID YOU!?"

"I told you already, did I not? This is the world within your heart." Rogue sighed. How many times did he have to repeat this until Natsu understood?

"Well, if this really is my heart then quit changing the identity of the tour guide!" Natsu groaned.

"That just goes to show how terrible your attention span is, don't you think?" Rogue fired back before changing the subject. "That scarf of yours…you are aware it's made of Ingeel's scales, correct?"

"Of course!" Natsu grinned while holding up his treasured scarf.

"So tell me…why exactly is a scarf made of Igneel's _red_ scales _white_ in appearance?" Rogue asked. That question literally never crossed Natsu's mind and it showed on his face.

"Y…You've actually god a point there!" The Salamander pointed.

"You didn't even think to question it until now, I see." Rogue shrugged. "When dragon scales are separated from the body of the dragon, their pigment becomes faint."

"Well, whaddya know…" Natsu learned something new…as he was practically lying in his death bed in reality.

"However, that's not what's important here…" The imaginary shadow dragon said. "When the scales of a dragon are removed and their pigment fades, they are able to be touched by humans. Surely you didn't actually believe that Igneel took the out to knit a human sized scarf with his own two hands, did you?"

"HUH!? YOU MEAN HE DIDN'T?!" Natsu gasped. As he did this, another image appeared this one of a woman who bore a striking resemblance to Lucy and she was knitting Natsu's scarf. "Lucy!?"

"The one who actually knitted that scarf for you was a woman named Anna. Although I'm sure that has long since faded into the recesses of your memory." Rogue's voice changed to Zeref's as the Black Wizard appeared once more. "A striking resemblance, isn't it? To your friend, that is?"

"Zeref…" Natsu turned once more.

"Anna was such a kindhearted woman. She was especially gifted at taking care of others. Now then, your 'death' has drawn near. The final answer is just a little further ahead…"

* * *

After the fight against Rahkeid, Sting and Daryan reverted back to their normal states. Kagura was seated near Daryan, looking over his injuries with an annoyed glare. "I honestly can't believe you."

"What?" Daryan was on his back, so all he could really do was look up at Kagura.

"Taking an even worse injury just to preserve your stitches…" Kagura narrowed her eyes at the dragon slayer. "I really don't get you…spouting all that nonsense during the fight while nearly getting killed. You really are an idiot."

To those harsh words, Daryan let out a weak chuckle. "Well…I had to. I couldn't say I repaid the favor unless we won. I'm just glad that you're okay."

"…" There it was again. That weird feeling she got only when around him. Kagura let out a sigh and turned her head away. "Everything you said and did upset me immensely."

Daryan slowly sat up, giving Kagura a concerned look. "How are your injuries? Judging by from how hard that guy hit, I know you've gotta be sore too. Also, you bit your tongue!? That's crazy..!"

"Says the idiot who broke his own neck…" Kagura fired back.

Sting weakly turned to Rogue, the two of them watching the interaction in front of them. "…What exactly are we looking at?"

"An old married couple, maybe…?" Rogue suggested. Kagura happened to overhear this and the gravity around him intensified just enough to make his already uncomfortable position that much more unbearable. "Guh…!"

At that moment, Minerva and Yukino rushed into the area. "Sting, Rogue! Are you two unharmed?"

"Everyone…!" Yukino gasped.

"Lady…Yukino…" Sting was sure glad to see them.

"Forgive me…I can't even stand up." Rogue couldn't move.

Yukino's gaze briefly turned to the defeated Rahkeid. "It seems the battle has finally been decided…is everyone all right?"

"Seen better days…" Daryan admitted.

"Sting, buddy!" Lector regained conscious and hugged his partner.

"Roooooooogue!" Frosch said happily.

"Daryan!" Hiruka woke with a wide grin.

"You really hung in there too! Great job!" Sting told the Exceed.

"I was pretty much helpless there though, yup." Lector admitted.

"Fro's gonna eat together with Rogue!" Frosch said with glee.

"Y…Yeah…" Rogue nodded. "…Wait, what are you talking about."

"Daryan! That was so cool!" Hiruka hopped up and down. "That form was like, 'whoa' and that guy was like 'what'!? And Kagura was like 'wow'!" Hiruka chattered endlessly, unintentionally exposing Kagura a little in the process. "Also, she totally smiled at the end, I saw it…!"

"Wait, I missed that!? I was so into beating down that asshole I didn't even think…" Daryan gasped. At that moment, both he and Hiruka were put into the ground again via gravity.

Yukino found herself laughing at the situation. Even after a battle like that, everyone's spirits were high. "Ahaha…I think they're all okay."

"By the way…" Kagura turned her attention to Sorano, who had been unconscious the whole time. "This person seems to be having quite the pleasant sleep, but who exactly are they?"

Sorano was face down, ass up, a grin on her face as her body shook a little. "Ah, no…not there…" As Kagura said, she seemed to be having a pleasant dream.

"Ah! I completely forgot about her…!" Lector said. "I've seen her around here and there, but I don't actually know who she is…

"That's…erm…." Once again, Yukino was embarrassed. Sorano was making it really hard to introduce her properly.

"Daryan…!" Alex and the others came rushing by. "There you are!"

"Oh, hey guys…" Daryan weakly waved to the others.

"The first thing you do when you show up again is nearly die? That's such a Daryan thing to do." Yakuza shook his head.

"I mean…what else was I supposed to do? I was asleep when the whole country became all…weird!" Daryan defended himself. "But we were able to take care of things."

"Yeah, Daryan protected Kagura just like he said he would!" Hiruka puffed his chest out, speaking smugly on Daryan's behalf.

"….He foolishly put himself at risk." Kagura said. "But more importantly…I believe you and I had an agreement, did we not?" The mermaid's gaze shifted to Alex, who now felt the fear of god instilled into her being.

"YOU LET IT SLIP!?" The red head panicked while staring at Daryan. All she could see was an ominous glow around Kagura's body which signified that Alex was probably about to die. "I-I can explain…!"

"You don't have to explain anything…" Kagura stood up, taking a step towards Alex.

"Someone help she's gonna kill me!" Alex yelped.

"Wow, she's upset…what happened exactly?" Magnus stared at Shadowlore.

"She's embarrassed because we know she's at least worried for Daryan." Shadowlore held up that cursed OTP book of his. "I don't know why she's been resisting it; everything I write in this book eventually comes true. Then again…I was not expecting her to kiss Erza like that. So he may have some competition…but then again, she did seem really insistent about saying it meant nothing when Daryan crumbled."

"Wait, she did _what_?" Yakuza's blue eyes turned to Shadowlore in shock. "What the heck did you people do in Hargeon?"

Record scratch. All eyes turned to Kagura after Shadowlore dropped that bit of information. Minerva lifted a brow and folded her arms under her chest. "I'm sorry, you did _what_ to Erza? Kissed her?" The Tigress had to make sure she heard that correctly.

They remembered that!? The serious expression Kagura had was immediately replaced with a flustered one, her cheeks turning a bright red hue and she waved her hands. "N-No! It's not what you think! I was just…passing a message on a-and…!"

"Oh…I'm not judging…" Minerva turned her head to the side.

"N-No, really! It's really not what you're thinking!" Kagura panicked.

Meanwhile, Daryan was just staring. He was enamored with that flustered expression. _"She's so cute…."_

At that moment, Kagura happened to turn and noticed his expression. The two ended up staring at one another before she comically palmed at his face to force his head to turn in another direction. "Q-Quit giving me that weird look!"

"Gah! But it's adorable!" And as Daryan said that, she only pushed him further away. Who wasn't laughing at a situation like this?

"Hahaha…" Sting just laughed at the situation before him. "Man…I'm running on empty. I've got nothing left in the tank. The rest is in your hands…."

"Yeah…" Rogue continued. "They're all yours, Fairy Tail."

Considering how the topic shifted to Erza, Kagura couldn't help but wonder how the scarlet knight was faring now. She hadn't seen her since the sky lit up. _"Erza…don't die on me…"_

* * *

"We've come for the soul of E.N.D." Pandora said, staring right at Natsu.

"Shit…! I totally forgot about these two…" Tia cursed. With everything that had gone on, she completely forgot that Prometheus and Pandora were on the prowl.

"Who are these two!?" Porlyusica asked.

"Trouble!" Lucy held onto Natsu's cold body, trying to protect him from the duo of chaos and balance. "These two are the ones who really killed Juvia…"

"Kyahahahaha!" Prometheus' heinous cackle filled the air. "Waiting around for this guy to slump over was so boring! We've passed up so many delicious souls on the way, but I did make sure to reap the fallen after that strange light."

"The light of Fairy Law." Pandora corrected. "Also…a commendable effort you all have put up thus far. Lucy fought valiantly against Emmeraude, while the rest of you did well in bringing down Dimaria and the others. Only two Spriggan remain now…its strongest man, August, and its strongest women, Elieen."

"I really must thank you, Brandish." Prometheus' grin widened as he stared at the land demolisher. "You turned him into a perfect sitting duck, ripe for the reaping!"

"…." Brandish was completely silent. Did Prometheus really wait all this time just for Natsu's soul? "Prometheus…Pandora…I ask that you both stand down. These people are of no threat to you in their current condition. There's no need for any more bloodshed."

"You're absolutely right, Brandish." Prometheus' evil smile only widened. "They're not threats. They're all delicious morsels!" The Grim Reaper drew his scythe back, lunging at the most vulnerable person in the room: Dimaria. "KYAHAHA! C'MERE DIMARIA!"

"…!" Dimaria wasn't expecting Prometheus to lunge at her of all people. Just before the Reaper could attack, Tia was the one who defended Dimaria with her scepter and just in the nick of time. "Eh? Well, it looks like you are too good a person after all."

"Tia!" Lucy and Evergreen yelled.

Tia was struggling against Prometheus, gritting her teeth while attempting to hold her ground. "D-Don't get the wrong idea! I'm really not doing this for you! If you haven't noticed, he's been attacking people indiscriminately. If he gets your soul, he gets your magic, and then we'd all really be dead!" The water mage had a point. Luke was the only one around who could fight in frozen time, but that was so long as he had magic…and he didn't have any.

"Oi, Brandish! Can't you do something about them! Shrink them or something!" Luke said.

Brandish tried, but it was at that moment she saw it: two overwhelming auras radiating from Prometheus and Pandora both. "I…I…can't. Earlier during this war I would have been able to, but their strength has evolved far past something my magic can deal with. How strong have these two been getting since the war began…?"

"That's not good…" Aira mumbled. "We have to keep Natsu safe!"

"That's the least of our concerns." Carla said while mustering up the magic to transform. Her previous injury from Dimaria still hadn't completely healed, but they didn't have the luxury of waiting anymore. "In our conditions, we're fighting an uphill battle!"

"She said it…ah!" Tia was finally pushed back and her back hit the nearest wall, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Tia!" Lucy tried to move, only to stop and groan from her injuries. Though Brandish and Aira took care of her external wounds, her body was still recoiling from her clash with Emmeraude. "Agh…"

"You mustn't move!" Aira said while rushing to Tia's side. "Your condition is just as bad as Gray and Natsu's!"

"Focus on keeping that idiot warm." Luke groaned.

"This is bad…" Evergreen looked around at everyone. They were all in terrible condition… "Wait, don't tell me…"

"That's right." Pandora nodded slowly. "We've been biding our time for this moment. Prometheus wanted to fight you at full strength, but I suggested it was better to wait until you all were exhausted from your battles. Getting wrapped up in those fights would have been a little more trouble than it was worth at the time, but now…Prometheus has rounded up such a large number of souls, and his power has increased by taking the souls of the fallen."

Dimaria grit her teeth. She was suddenly realizing how twisted these two were. "I thought you were our allies in this war!? Randi's act of sparing these people is one thing, but you've actively been killing people on our side, just like with Neinhart!"

"I CRAVE CHOAS!" Prometheus yelled. That proclamation alone caused everyone's eyes to widen. At this moment, they could see Prometheus for what he was: pure malice. "I don't care about who lives or dies in this war! I only want the chaos that the battle brings! It makes me stronger and stronger!" A purple aura flared around the Grim Reaper and his eyes flashed a bright crimson. "Death, chaos…I want it all."

"W-What the hell is this guy…?" Tia took a small step back before steeling herself. All this fighting was taking its toll on her body and magic, and she wasn't sure if she could continue to do so much longer. But right now, they really didn't have a choice. A golden light shone around her body and she entered her Queen's Armor once more, pointing her scepter forward. "And what about you? If you're balance, shouldn't you be stopping his chaos from consuming everything!? There's no balance in this one sided slaughter! Aren't you supposed to be his leash!?" Something about this wasn't right to her now that she thought about it.

Pandora tilted her head slowly. "As Prometheus does, so do I. It is my duty to ensure that he does not go too far. In this war, there is chaos – the only way to balance that chaos is to end the war as soon as possible…no matter the cost. That is why the sides of those who fall do not matter. Because once we are strong enough…we will go for Zeref's soul and end this war." If their actions weren't surprising enough, their end game certainly was.

"Y…You're going after the Emperor's soul!?" Brandish gasped. "But…"

"It is the swiftest course of action for this war to truly end. Zeref's attention has solely been on this war for the longest time, so he has no recognized our plans. He may be immortal, but even he has a soul. Once that soul is in Prometheus' possession, he will be nothing more than an empty husk, just like that woman over there." She pointed to Juvia's corpse.

"You two…you two are insane…" Dimaria grit her teeth, clicking them together as she usually did. Brandish's betrayal was one thing, but this was on a completely different level.

"Aren't you a demon that Zeref made!? Why would you betray him!?" Lucy asked.

To this, Prometheus' lips curled up in a maniacal grin. "It's true that he's created demons who could kill him…but when did I ever say he made me? All I said is that I was a commander in his army." Oh. There it was.

"Sea Dragon's Roar!" Tia pointed her scepter forward, releasing a gigantic dragon of water right at Prometheus and Pandora. Due to the sudden nature of the attack, the duo was caught within its wake and thrown a distance away. "Lucy, strip and keep Natsu warm! We have no choice but to fight these guys!" Tia and Evergreen nodded to each other and pushed ahead.

"I'll be there as support…!" Aira weakly stood up and ran out.

"…." Brandish wasn't sure what to do. This situation was extremely bad. Dimaria and herself were at risk here as well. The silence between the two of them made it clear how bad things were.

"Damn it…" Luke cursed, now regretting that he was out of magic.

* * *

Promtheus and Pandora tumbled out of the building. Pandora's apathetic expression was still present while Prometheus smirked. "Oh yeah! I knew you would struggle until your last breath! COME ON THEN!"

Evergreen's wings sprouted and she flew into the air, drawing her fan back before swiping it forward, releasing multiple bullets of Fairy Magic down upon the two foes. "Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!"

"Futile." Pandora pointed her scepter forward, releasing an elemental volley to match and overwhelm the Fairy.

"Agh!" Evergreen could only cross her arms against such a vicious attack. The blasts were even that big, but they were doing so much damage as they pelted against her frame. "This power is…!"

Tia held her ground as a magic circle formed underneath her feet. "Dyna Wave!" The woman then aimed several roundhouse kicks at nothing but the open air. Each kick caused a powerful tidal wave to spawn, each one larger than the last. Her aim was to crush Prometheus and Pandora with this water and drag them under. "Drown!"

"KYAHAHAHA!" Prometheus' heinous laugh filled the air as he brought his scythe forward, cleaving through each wave as though they were nothing! The tip of his scythe then shone brightly and he swung it forward, releasing a crescent beam that soared through the air and right towards Tia.

"How!?" Tia brought up her scepter as a defense. A barrier of water formed around her body to soften the blow, but she was ultimately thrown off her feet and fell back.

"Tia!" Evergreen was going to assist, but Prometheus' scythe came right at her head, and she narrowly avoided decapitation. The force behind the swing was so strong; the Fairy felt a cold sweat drop bead down her forehead. The next thing she did was move back to gain space, panting just from that near death experience.

"I really can't keep this up for much longer…" Tia coughed while standing up, only to be met by Pandora's scepter to her face. "…!"

"You're afraid again, aren't you?" Pandora asked calmly, her red eyes staring intently into Tia's. "That's why you've been fighting so hard, isn't it? Because you fear that everything you've gained over the last two years will amount to nothing. You'll lose your new friends, your brother…even your lover once again…and that is why you fight."

"Why won't you just leave me alone!?" Tia went to strike, but halted with Pandora's scepter charged with lightning. Unless she was donning the Lightning variant of her armor, she was still highly susceptible to the element. "Ah…!"

"I have never taken a life. It would disrupt the balance. We are simply going about ending the war in our own way…" Pandora trailed off.

"LEAVE MY SISTER ALONE!" Jack Corvus flew in; wicked flames spewing from his talons The younger sibling aimed a claw at Pandora, who redirected her staff to block the strike.

"Jack!?" Tia's eyes widened at her brother's arrival.

"Ace told me to find you, and I'm glad he did!" Jack gathered violet flames within his palm and threw them down at Pandora. "Because now I can burn these assholes for their sneak attack! Wicked Blaze!"

Pandora narrowed her eyes and swung her scepter, batting away the Wicked Blaze easily. She then closed the gap between herself and Jack, bringing her weapon down on his armored skull to stun him, then followed up by batting him away into the ground. "Do not try and fight us. We are much stronger than you two are now."

"Jack…!" Tia reached out for her brother, but winced due to her prior injuries.

"Elemental Blast." Pandora held her weapon forward, gathering the elements of fire, wind, lightning, and ice around the scepter's tip. A gigantic sphere formed and was then shot towards Jack Corvus with the intent of finishing him off.

"Oh no…!" Evergreen would have tried to stop it, but Prometheus nearly came after her head again, causing her to retreat.

"Shit…" Jack coughed. Pandora hit harder than he expected. If it wasn't for his helmet, that blow to the head just might have killed him right then and there. But he was still extremely dazed and open.

"JACK!" Tia cried.

There was an explosion near Jack, causing all to go silent. Every element flew off in different directions…but that silence was cut short as the various elements that sprayed out in all directions began to funnel back into itself, leaving everyone confused. "Command T: Reduction." It was Brandish, standing in front of Jack with her hands cupped at her sides. She shrunk the explosion and held it within her palms.

"Brandish…?" Tia's eyes were wide.

"Huh…?" Jack blinked a few times. He was a little out of the loop, but he was pretty sure the enemy just saved him.

"Brandish? What are you doing with that thing? Put it down before you hurt yourself." Prometheus taunted.

"Are you assisting the enemy? Betrayal?" Pandora questioned.

"…I am a citizen of Alvarez and one of its strongest mages." Brandish said as her hair created a shade over her eyes. "Earlier, I had doubts about what I should be doing in this war…and I still have these doubts. But you two…you two are something else entirely. The real betrayal lies within the two of you. Attacking your own allies and even taking the lives of some of the 12. Therefore, the act of treason lies with you. I still have no intentions of siding with the enemy; however, as a member of the Spriggan 12, it lies with me to take care of those who would dare betrayal the kingdom." This was her answer. In the face of a bigger threat, she would fight against that over the bloodshed this war was causing.

"KYAHAHAHA!" Prometheus only laughed as usual. "That's fine with me! We were gonna take your soul, too! This just makes things all the more interesting!"

"Treating this war like a game is something I can no longer do." Brandish held her hands forward, now expanding the size of the explosion within her hands. "Command T: Magnification!" The explosion grew exponentially. It was already plenty powerful on its own, but now it was magnified to a greater scale, easily sweeping Prometheus and Pandora in its wake.

"KYAHAHAGAAAH!" The Grim Reaper's laugh was cut short as he was swallowed within the explosion along with Pandora.

"You're going to fight with us!?" Carla asked.

"…They are traitors to the Emperor…and they intend to kill everyone." Brandish replied. "I cannot let these two do as they please.

"It's going to be an uphill battle…" Evergreen said. "We're really in no condition to be fighting…"

"That doesn't matter." Tia said while panting softly. "We have to beat them somehow. If not, they're gonna kill us all anyway. Who knows the power they can cause with all our souls…"

"He's also been feeding off the souls of the Spriggan who have already fallen, adding their power to his own…" Brandish reported. It made sense why her magic failed to affect either of them.

"Who cares…!" Jack spat. "We just gotta do it, right!? Let me burn them!"

"I'll try my best to support you all…" Aira held a weak smile. All this fighting was really taking its toll. Prometheus was a clever predator, waiting for when they were too weak to fight back properly. Running wasn't an option, so they had to fight or die.

"Kehehehe…" As the smoke cleared, Prometheus and Pandora were revealed to have some injuries from Brandish's attack. "I love the spirit you're all showing. I think it's time we kick things up a notch, Pandora!"

"…?" Pandora tilted her head. "Whatever do you mean…?"

"I've had this idea for a while now…." Prometheus trailed off.

* * *

Erza's feet slid across the ground as she violently swung her sword right for Elieen's chest, letting out a roaring battle cry in the process. "HAAAAAAAAH!" She swung with all her might, only for her initial strike to be blocked by the Scarlet Despair's scepter. Even with Wendy supporting everyone in the back, Elieen proved to be a mighty opponent. Erza tried against and again, failing to hit her mark. Elieen then aimed the sharp end of her scepter at Erza's skull, but Titania was swift enough to evade it by leaning back, and as she did so, she summoned a sword within the grip of her left foot, swinging it at Elieen.

Elieen's face did display a hint of surprise at this. Yet, despite Erza's tactics, she was still capable of parrying away her daughter's attacks. Erza was eventually forced to slide back after numerous slashes, and that's when Cynthia jumped in with fire and wind blazing wildly around her arms. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Slash!" The girl twisted her body in a counterclockwise rotation, unleashing an infernal torrent of wind and flames to consume Elieen in its blazing wake.

"Oh? Now that's some power…you're a unique one…" She took note of this and her scepter shone brightly, releasing a moderately sized blast of magic to counter Cynthia's attack. The result was a powerful explosion that shook the earth. She then used her air compression magic to create a gigantic sphere right on top of Cynthia.

"Cynthia, look out!" Wendy cried.

"Ah…!" The omega dragon crossed her arms, letting out a grunt of pain as the sphere exploded on her body, sending her flying back.

"Cynthia!" Wendy gasped.

Takeru emerged from Elieen's shadow in his Shadow Drive, lunging forward to attempt and rake at her exposed side. "Shadow Dragon's Claw!"

Elieen sensed his presence even before he emerged. The instant Takeru made his movement; the Scarlet Despair shifted her body to the side, allowing him to pass right by her. Just as he did, her scepter lit up in bright light and she violently swung it upwards, colliding against Takeru's stomach. "I know your types all too well. Hiding in the shadows, attempting to prey for an opening. It won't work against me, Shadow Dragon." Elieen then flung her scepter up, shooting Takeru into the air. By clenching her fist, she caused an explosion with the eclipse mage right in the middle of it. All one could hear was Takeru's cry of pain as he descended from the sky and hit the ground violently.

"Tak…!" Selene narrowed her eyes before coating her body in diamonds, now lunging at Elieen headfirst. "Diamond Dragon's Armored Horn!"

"Diamonds, hm?" The Spriggan lifted a brow with an amused smile. Her hand began to give off an ominous shine and she pointed it forward. "Did you know that diamonds are, in fact, breakable?"

Selene's diamond armor shone brightly, throwing her off guard for a second. "Huh!?" And the next thing she knew, her own diamonds exploded on her! "GAAH!" The impact shattered her diamonds, causing her momentum to come to a complete halt and she hit the ground. "W-What is this woman…!? And why does she smell like a…"

Even with Wendy's support, everyone was having a hard time. They had yet to even make a mark on her! Erza tried once more, lunging at Elieen with a flurry of flips and slashes, using swords held within her hands and feet to attack. But even with her high speed movements, she failed to land a hit and slid back. At that moment, Elieen clenched her hand into a fist, causing an explosion directly under Erza's feet to consume her. Erza rose from the explosion while shifting into her Heaven's Wheel armor, manifesting dozens of blades to aid her. Titania flew past Elieen while slashing at her, her blades following suit. "Heaven's Wheel: Blumentblatt!" The attack was so strong a cloud of dust formed around Elieen.

"Have we done it!?" Wendy asked.

"I hope…" Cynthia was back on her feet, shaking off the previous impact.

"No…she's not an opponent who'd go down just from that." Erza said.

"No kidding…who the hell is she!?" Takeru groaned.

"I see…" Elieen's voice came from the smoke. "You launch indiscriminate slashing attacks by means of innumerable blades. Being able to control such a large number of swords is no small feat. I applaud you." And she clapped her hands in a condescending manner. The fact Elieen was unfazed by the attack was not the surprising part. What was truly surprising was that every single sword Erza threw was positioned in the ground around Elieen, taking the shape of a Flower Circle. "For that, you have earned a Flower Circle!" And for those who were unaware of what this was, it was essentially a gold star for a job well done.

"Not only did she manage to fend off Erza's attack, but she even managed to do that!? I can't believe it…" Wendy's jaw dropped.

"What's going on here…?" Cynthia questioned.

"She's screwing with me." Erza growled.

"I think she's screwing with all of us…" Selene added.

"And yet, even after being strengthened by that girl, is this the best you can muster, Erza? My comrade told me that you were a miracle worker, but I've yet to see such things happen yet." Elieen tilted her head.

"Identify yourself, you fiend!" Erza demanded. Elieen's tone was dripping with familiarity, and it bothered Erza because she didn't know this woman! At least…she thought so. But there was a very, very faint tug at the back of her head.

"You've still yet to figure it out…? No, in reality, you've vaguely begun to realize. You simply refuse to acknowledge it…" Elieen sighed.

Erza began to change back into her regular armor, all while screaming at Elieen. "I know nothing of the likes of you!"

Erza said this, but Wendy and Cynthia already began to pick up no it. _"Her resemblances to Erza aren't just limited to her facial features. Even their scents are similar!"_ Wendy thought.

" _What's going on here?! The only explanation I can think of is…"_ Cynthia trailed off.

"I am your mother." Elieen finally decided to reveal it to Erza. This bomb caught everyone off guard.

"HUH!?" Takeru pointed at Elieen. "That's your mo-"

"THAT'S A LIE!" Erza screamed. "I was completely alone in Rosemary! I never had a parent, not even in my dreams!"

Cynthia watched this back and forth, feeling a strange tug at her heart. Now that Elieen confirmed it, Cynthia could see it. This was in fact Erza's mom… "….."

"And yet, here stands your parent, right before your very eyes. It is I…" Elieen's eyes narrowed just slightly.

"There is but one person in this world whom I can call my parent: Master, who has been there for me my whole life!" And now that parent was gone…but Erza absolutely refused to have this woman, an enemy, call herself her parent.

"Erza…" Cynthia muttered.

"I was told you may act like this…" Elieen shrugged her shoulders. "I don't particularly mind, though. In truth, I'm rather indifferent to the fact that I have a daughter. I was under the impression that you had long since perished until recently, so…" Elieen trailed off, drinking in everyone's expressions. "But the fact that Fate has led us to meet under these circumstances is truly unfortunate for you."

Erza's gaze narrowed to a death glare. "If someone attacks my guild, regardless of who they may be…in my eyes, they're nothing but an enemy."

"Well said." Elieen could agree to that. The irony is that they were both on the same page when it came to fighting one another. "When someone dares to defy our Alvarez Empire, I can only see them as another bug that needs to be squashed. Even if that someone happens to be my own child." There was a deathly silence filling the air as Elieen and Erza stared at one another. "Em wasn't so happy when I told her about this. As mother, I could understand her sentiments, but such feelings have long since vanished…"

Speaking of Emmeraude…that woman somehow managed to make it to the site of the battle, but she was out of sight and resting against some rubble. She had no intentions of trying to fight, but it was as she said earlier…she wanted to watch Elieen confront Erza. "…."

"However…it would be pitiable if you simply die in blissful ignorance of the secret of your birth…" Elieen smirked.

"Secret?" Wendy asked.

"What's she saying?" Selene turned to the Spriggan.

"I have no interest in such tales." Erza spat.

"No, I think this is pretty important." Takeru shook his head. "Her scent is…not right for what she's supposed to be."

"I said I have no interest!" Erza yelled at well…everyone. She didn't mean to, but with the recent turn of events, she wasn't exactly emotionally stable. It took all she had to keep it together, but Elieen had some weird effect on her mental state.

"Oh, don't be so cold. We've finally be reunited under these fateful circumstances. So the least you can do is indulge me, don't you think?" Elieen sounded like she was asking, but…

"SILENCE!" Erza drew a sword, now lunging forward. She had enough of this nonsense and…Elieen was suddenly right in her face.

"My full name is Elieen Belserion. The former Queen of Dragons." Elieen told her child with a devious look.

* * *

Bradman's form long since faded, but not before leaving Arcturus some parting words. Words that the demon couldn't get out of his head. _**"Prometheus and Pandora…the Grim Reaper and Goddess of Balance. Prometheus is not of His Majesty's creations…he is his own separate entity who thrives on Chaos itself. As for Pandora…she was meant to keep this demon in check as a Scion of Lord Ahkersam. But…something happened many years ago. The two who were to duel to the death became partners. An unforeseeable change in fate that tipped the scales…"**_

"Shit…" Arcturus cursed under his breath.

* * *

"What was this idea you had?" Pandora asked.

"Kehehehe….take my scythe, and give me your scepter." Prometheus smirked. This idea was…rather farfetched. But….

"…If you insist…" Pandora simply nodded. The two of them traded weapons, and that's when it happened. There was no way that Pandora or Prometheus would know what they had just done, but large pillars of magical energy exploded from around the both of them!

"What the hell!?" Jack covered his eyes. "What is all this!?"

"Even more power!?" Carla groaned. They were areadly in a bind as is!

"Ke…ehehehe…KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" That voice…that laugh…it wasn't Prometheus. As the pillar of purple light faded, Pandora was the first one to be revealed. Her eyes were a bright crimson and held a crazed look, her body armor broke off, only covering a select few places as purple markings appeared all along her skin, and she held Prometheus' scythe in her grip. Although this was her first time holding the weapon, it appeared that she was extremely adept with it. "I can feel it…the chaotic energies stirring and overflowing inside me~!" Pandora hugged herself while letting out a moan.

"…Oh Pandora…" Prometheus' usually loud voice was calm and quiet. His attire was similar to a white suit and the crazed look he usually had turned into an apathetic one. "I can tell you've been waiting to lash out all this time, so I hope you can make good use of those chaotic energies." In his hands was Pandora's scepter, a weapon brimming with a soothing aura that could calm even this mad demon.

While everyone was in shock, Pandora relished in their expressions and cackled loudly while swinging the scythe around. "I can't wait…TO CUT THEIR FUCKING HEADS OFF!"

.

.

Next Time: Prometheus Titan and Pandora Calamity.


	84. Chapter 84: Pandora Calamity

Prometheus Titan and Pandora Calamity. It only took a mere whim from Prometheus' formerly chaotic mind for these two to end up like this. Prometheus was calm and collected, while Pandora was overflowing with chaos. "Aahhhhh~" Pandora let out a breath moan, hugging herself as the chaos in her body felt like pure ecstasy. "Prometheus~. Your chaotic energy is filling me to the brim, I don't know if I can handle it!" As the Goddess of Chaos spoke, she hugged her own trembling body.

"Uh…." Jack blinked a few times. "What the fuck am I looking at…?"

"This kind of behavior isn't for your eyes…or ears…" Tia slowly covered her brother's eyes. If she had more hands, she'd cover his ears too. This was extremely off putting and she wasn't sure how to react.

"Somehow, they've become completely different people…" Brandish narrowed her eyes. "Their personalities have shifted to complete opposites. Not only that…but their power has further increased…"

"So not only are they stronger, but they're crazier now?" Carla asked.

"No…I think the only crazy one is her…" Evergreen narrowed her eyes at Pandora Calamity. "The look in her eyes…"

"Pandora has now become the Grim Reaper…although I suppose it would be more fitting to call her the Goddess of Chaos. I have to admit, I didn't expect this to happen when requesting to switch weapons." Prometheus let out a quiet sigh. It was unnerving to see the two of them acting so differently.

"Kyahahaha!" Pandora cackled. It was very off putting to hear a usually soft and apathetic voice erupt into such maniacal laughter. "This feels great! All this power surging through me, it's driving me crazy!" The woman clenched her hand into a fist, unleashing a potent bolt of black lightning that dropped down onto the area. Unfortunately for her, she was still getting accustomed to this sensation so she missed horribly; despite this, she grinned nonetheless. "Oooh…I have tingles…~"

"I think she's getting off on this…" Tia grumbled.

"There's so much power…is this how you feel all time, Prometheus!? How can you contain it? It's driving me wild!" Pandora swung the scythe once, the raw power behind it splitting the air itself.

"It's simple. You let it run rampant…and if things get too much, I'll be sure to intervene and keep the balance, as you do." Prometheus held the scepter forward, allowing it to charge with lightning. "While you adjust to the power of the Reaper's Toll, I will handle the opposition and open the way for the reaping of END's soul. I'll even allow you to do the honors. Thunder Snake." From the scepter, several bolts of elongated lightning shot forth.

"Guess we're doing this!" Tia grit her teeth while pushing forward, making use of the lightning variant of her Queen's armor, donning the blade of electricity that came with it. Using her sword as a lightning rod, she drew in the incoming bolts of electricity to charge her own attack. "Thunderbolt Blade!" The woman yelled, swinging her sword right into Prometheus' side. There was an explosion of lightning, and when it cleared…

Prometheus' attire turned yellow, giving off an electric aura. "I'm afraid you'll have to do better than that." The Demon of Balance spoke calmly. Just before impact, his elemental affinity turned to that of lightning, thus mitigating the damage Tia would have dealt.

"You're kidding me!" Tia jumped back.

"Once more!" Evergreen swung her fan forward, releasing more bullets of Fairy Magic. Thanks to Brandish, the bullets immediately grew in size to become large spheres, now raining down upon Prometheus and Pandora violently.

"We must keep them at bay at any cost." Brandish said.

"I'm still getting used to this, but standing around won't get me anywhere! Ready or not, here I come!" Despite being slammed by these piercing spheres, Pandora's new crazed attitude allowed her to recklessly fly forward, cutting through the incoming Machine Gun with the scythe. "Water Slicer!" With the power of the Reaper's Toll now at her disposal, she was capable of using magic from the souls that Prometheus himself reaped. Juvia's magic was no exception and she was shamelessly using it to unleash a powerful crescent of water down at her foes.

"Mad Fire!" Jack held his hands forward, unleashing multiple streams of wicked flames to collide with the water attack. The two opposing elements exploded in steam, and that's when Jack got an idea. "I need an opening! If I can land just one hit on them, we might be able to beat these fuckers!"

"Watch your language!" Tia chided her younger brother, but then realized what he was getting at. "Of course!"

"What's going on here?" Brandish asked while picking up a few small pieces of rubble, tossing them forward only to magnify their size. These near mountains of boulders fell upon Prometheus and Pandora, although it only served to distract them.

"My magic sucks the energy right out of you if it's a direct hit. It doesn't matter what your abilities are – magic, curse, whatever! You'll be drained the moment these flames touch you, and there's no way these two are an exception!" As Jack spoke, purple flames erupted from his talons. "They can block my long range attacks with ease, so…"

"I can help with that!" Aira said. "I have a spell that can amplify the intensity of flames…but with the amount of magic I have left, I won't be able to sustain it for long."

"Then that's our plan!" Tia exclaimed while pointing her sword forward, generating both water and electricity within it. "Hydro Storm!" Pointing the sword forward, a shocking vortex of water and lightning exploded from the blade's tip, spiraling through the air before catching Prometheus in its wake. Not even he could defend against this and was swept away. "Who do we focus on first!?"

"The crazy one." Brandish decided.

Just as Brandish decided that, there was Pandora coming down from above, aiming to take the Spriggan's head right off. "C'MERE BRANDISH!" The woman yelled, swinging the scythe for Brandish's neck. While the woman was capable of dodging this blow, Pandora pursued with dark violet flames around her palm. "Skull Flare!" Her palm went directly into Brandish's stomach and exploded right after, throwing the Land Demolisher backwards quite violently.

"Agh…" Brandish placed a hand on her stomach, wincing from the pain. Normally she could take a blow like that easily, but just like everyone else, she was already injured. Plus…

"Ooooooh?" Pandora lifted a brow, slowly floating around Brandish to stalk her prey. "That's right…you got stabbed, didn't you? You can shrink your wounds, but it still hurts all the same, huuuuuh~? Kehehehe…" The woman snickered, relishing in Brandish's expression. "It's always fun when wounded animals put up a struggle…it makes the hunt all the more satisfying."

At that moment, Tia came in with a flying kick to knock Pandora away, letting out a silent groan in the process. "Can you just screw off already…!?" If they made it out of this fight alive, she'd definitely be out of magic. She was already running on fumes….

Pandora flipped around after Tia's attack, continuing to laugh to herself. "We could've done this the easy way. But then it wouldn't have been fun at all, huh?" The goddess then descended to the ground, scythe first. Tia jumped to the side to avoid the scythe as it stabbed into the ground, but Pandora rode this momentum, swinging around the handle of the weapon to kick Tia in the chest and knock her back again.

Prometheus floated in the air while dusting himself off. "They can struggle all they wish, it will all be futile in the end. We will get what we've come for…"

"I'm not sure what's worse, the calm girl going crazy, or the crazy guy staying calm…" Evergreen muttered. Either way, this situation wasn't looking good for them.

* * *

Lucy had no choice but to stay behind. She was the only one who could try and keep Natsu body warm with her own. A blanket was draped over the two of them and she watched his face carefully. "Natsu…please wake up soon…"

"He's not going to…" Dimaria scoffed. "The chance that we all die here is pretty high…unfortunately…"

"Those two…their hunting skills are frightening…" Porlyusica sighed. "They're doing all they can to fight, but…"

"Shit…" Luke felt so helpless. "I can't even do anything but get in the way…" He had no magic left, so what could he manage aside from getting in the way.

"…" Gray still said nothing. Nobody even knew he was awake at this point. Honestly, what was even the point of him letting them know anyway? He was too injured to really do anything. But he lied there, taking in everything that was going on around him. In a sense, they were in this situation because he allowed his fleeting rage to get the better of him. It was just as Dimaria said, the chances of them all dying right here to Prometheus and Pandora were extremely high…

* * *

"Just give me an opening already…" Jack was biding his time, watching as the others dueled against Prometheus and Pandora. These two were frighteningly strong with their chaos and order dynamic going around. He just needed one hit, even a small graze to be effective against them.

Prometheus swung the scepter in his grasp around before pointing it down at the ground. "Elemental Volley." The scepter unleashed multiple elemental blasts down upon his foes, large explosions occurring with contact on the ground. Unfortunately for him, Brandish was tampering with the potency of his attacks, reducing the explosions to nothing more than insignificant bursts of magic. "How troublesome. Her magic may not be able to work on us directly; however she is still capable of interfering with our attacks…"

"Let me try something then!" Pandora floated down as water and black lightning began to swirl around her lower body. "Water Jigsaw!" The Goddess of Chaos flew forward, aiming to strike Brandish with this attack. Instead, she dealt with Tia's blade, but Tia could hardly muster the strength to keep her ground and was ultimately blown back.

"Kyaaaaah!" Tia cried out while tumbling along the ground.

"NOW!" Pandora inhaled, making use of the eight elements that God Serena prided himself on. "Roar of the Dragon God!" The woman exhaled, unleashing a violent funnel of various elements towards Brandish with full intentions to consume her.

Brandish held her hands out, palms colliding with the blast. She slid back a great deal before slowly managing to compress the large funnel into her palms once again, but it was taking a little longer than she would have liked. "This level of power…"

"Fairy Bomb: Gremlin!" Evergreen dropped a potent bomb of Fairy Dust on Pandora, watching it explode directly onto her.

"AAAAH~" Pandora screamed, but it wasn't exactly in pain. "It hurts! Hit me more~!"

"What is wrong with her…?" Evergreen spoke with a slight sweat drop. Pandora's attitude left her open to a potent blast of fire from Prometheus, sending the Fairy rocketing down to the ground and to a nearby wall.

"Clear the way." Brandish demanded before pointing her hand forward. That blast she compressed was once again magnified tenfold, covering an incredibly large radius as everything in the immediate area was completely swallowed up. The attack trailed for miles on end before slowly dispersing. As it cleared, her eyes widened to see that even though it was a direct hit, they still took that attack rather well. "…Impossible…"

"Even after an attack like that!?" Carla gasped.

"Moderate damage sustained…" Prometheus rotated his shoulder.

Pandora was hugging herself once again, unable to contain the chaotic energy flowing in and out of her body. "OOooooooh, I wish they would just hurry up and let me reap them!"

" _Please, stop this!"_

That was…a voice, right? Pandora glanced around curiously, looking around for the owner of said voice. "…Huh?"

"Whatever is the matter?" Prometheus asked.

"…I heard a voice. Did no one else hear that!?" Pandora was going crazy, as if she wasn't already. "Am I going insane!?"

"A voice? Ah, that must be…" Before Prometheus could continue, he happened to glance up, where a gargantuan sphere of water overtook the entire sky. "This is…"

This was all Tia. She was generating the last of her magic power to create an opening. It helped that Prometheus and Pandora were distracted just long enough for her to conjure this up. It was huge, and this was not even with Brandish's assistance. "DROWN! BLUE EARTH!" This sphere of water dropped down violently, exploding in a vicious tidal wave.

Prometheus hastily created a barrier around himself and Pandora to protect them from the incoming tidal wave. They didn't have a viable defense for this otherwise, and the raging waters rapidly threw them around even while in the barrier. "Such magic power…I didn't expect her to be able to muster an attack like this…"

"LET ME OUT!" Pandora yelled, preparing to cleave the barrier around them. She wanted to attack, not defend!

"They're trapped…!" Tia collapsed onto her knees, pointing at her brother. "Do it now!"

"HAAAAAH!" Purple flames erupted around Jack as he gathered a large amount of magic within is body. "Fire Boost!" As the name implied, this spell amplified the intensity of his fire based spells. That was only the beginning, as the clouds above gained a violet tint to them and the air around them started to heat up. "And now…EXCINTION METEOR!" From the purple clouds above, multiple meteors began to rain down, causing nothing but destruction when colliding with the ground. A series of earth shaking explosions occurred, causing the surrounding area to tremble violently from Jack's power. Each individual meteor was increased in power due to his Fire Boost, leaving nothing but ruin in its wake.

* * *

"What's going on out there!?" Lucy asked while clinging to Natsu.

"I hope they're okay out there…" Porlyusica mumbled.

* * *

Jack was panting heavily after unleashing such a large scale attack. "I…I know that hit them. I felt it."

"I didn't know you had a spell like that in your arsenal…" Tia stared at her younger brother in awe.

"It takes a lot…I don't think I have much magic left now, but it was worth it…" The younger sibling smirked cockily.

"Such power…" Evergreen had forgotten how strong these two really were. She was thankful they weren't enemies anymore.

"But did it work?" Carla asked the real question. As the smoke cleared….Prometheus was still standing, but it was clear that he didn't escape the attack unharmed at all. As for Pandora…she was on the ground on all fours. "Did you get one!?"

Prometheus narrowed his eyes. "…That was quite the attack…" To make matters worse, he could feel his energy slowly beginning to sap away. That was the delicious side effect of Wicked Flame magic. "…I see. An attack like that may not have finished us off, but it will drain away our energy if we don't act fast. Pandora…?"

Pandora was panting and heaving heavily, a cold sweat beading down her forehead. "Ahhh…haaaa…"

"Pandora…?" Prometheus repeated himself. He took a step forward, only for his form to flash. It appeared as though this new 'form' of his only lasted but so long. "I see…it must be wearing off…"

The same could be said for Pandora. Her form was flashing back to normal, but…she didn't look okay. "The voices…they won't stop…" The woman said with a low tone. "Kill…kill…KILL KILL!" And yet, as she screamed this, tears began running down her cheeks. She noticed this and paused for a moment. "Huh…? Why am I crying…?"

"W-What's going on with her…?" Tia took a slight step back.

"I…I….AAAAAAAAAH!" Screaming, the goddess of chaos caused a pillar of energy to erupt from around her, shooting high into the sky. The crazed look in her eyes intensified and that torn scream turned into a maniacal laughter.

"I think we just opened Pandora's Box…" Aira gulped.

"KYAHAHAHAHAHA!" Cackling, Pandora emerged from the pillar and swung the scythe down; releasing a crescent slash so fast no one had the time to react to it. Instead they were all knocked off their feet and blown backwards.

"She is out of control…" Brandish mentioned while slowly sitting up. "If we don't stop her now…"

"How are we going to stop her…!?" Tia asked. She was literally out of magic. As strong as her resolve to carry on was, that didn't help the shortage of magic she had.

Pandora's eyes rapidly glanced around the area until they landed upon Prometheus. She dragged her tongue along her lower lip and flew towards her partner. "Prometheus~! Let me have your soul!"

"Pardon…?" Prometheus was taken aback by this request, but he suddenly found himself using the scepter to defend against the scythe. The collision of weaponry caused a shockwave to boom out in the sky. "P-Pandora, you must come to your senses…!"

"But Prometheus! We could die in this war, you know? If I have your soul, we can stay together for an eternity evermore!" Pandora's crazed look surpassed even Prometheus' usual expression. It was clear that the woman turned into a yandere somehow and she would stop at nothing to claim her partner's soul. "It's what the souls want! Every single soul you've reaped…they're all talking to me…!" Her tone shifted from excitement to horror all the same. "It's pushing me to the edge!"

"The Reaper's Toll…" Prometheus knew exactly what was going on. Somehow, he managed to give Pandora the slip and push her away. However, this action made the woman frown.

"…you…you pushed me away?" Tilting her head, her gaze went past those who opposed them and back to the unconscious Natsu. "Do you not want me? Well….that's okay. If I got END's soul, would you want me then?" Without waiting for a response, Pandora dove past everyone and made a beeline for Natsu! She landed in front of Natsu and Lucy, her eyes glowing an insane crimson.

"Shit, look out!" Jack yelled.

Pandora's hand gave off a ghastly purple aura and she slowly reached for Natsu. "Gimmegimmegimmie…."

"Eeep!" Lucy held onto Natsu, trying to position her body to shield his from Pandora's greedy grip.

"LEAVE NATSU ALONE!" Happy flew forward, colliding with Pandora's face. The impact sent the both of them recoiling backwards.

"Get outta here…!" He may not have had magic, but Luke still could move! He mustered what strength he could and shoulder tackled Pandora, but she didn't exactly budge. "…Oh."

"Oh, what's that?" Pandora tilted her head. She was talking to someone, but no one present. "I should eliminate everyone? That would bring this war to a swift end. Yeah, yeah! Okay, let's fucking do it!" The Goddess of Chaos then flew from the building and into the sky, swinging the scythe around as a manifestation of chaos itself began to swirl around in the air around her. The sky darkened considerably and an ominous aura filled the air.

* * *

"…?" Zeref had to look out the window again. He could see chaos taking a physical form somewhere in the distance. "…Prometheus? No…that's not him. Could it Pandora? But then…"

* * *

"Hey, I don't like where this is going…!" Luke told the others.

"What is she doing?!" Tia asked, as if anyone had a clue.

"She's going to eliminate everything on the battlefield." Prometheus explained calmly. "…It appears that I've made a grave error."

"A grave error!? Now you're admitting that you made a mistake!?" Tia groaned.

"This has been Pandora's first time experiencing the Reaper's Toll…my chaotic mind thought it would be humorous to see what would happen if she got a taste of chaos. She was able to control herself for a few moments, but it seems that is no longer the case. As the Grim Reaper, the souls of those I reap wail and speak to me. I've long since tuned them out, however…"

"You're a fucking idiot, you know that!? What made you think she would be able to handle all of that chaos? She didn't look like she even smiled and now she's insane!" Jack berated the enemy.

Prometheus let out a quiet sigh, hissing quietly in pain due to the Wicked Flames. "I acknowledge my mistake. Between the overflowing chaotic energy, the souls of the damned whispering in her ear, and now the magical drain from your magic…she is suffering a mental collapse. A collapse that may end this war in a way no one expected. All of the chaotic energy she's expending must be released somewhere…"

"Is there a way to stop her?" Brandish immediately asked. It was rare for her to be so serious, but the situation called for it. This wasn't the time to take the easy way out, unfortunately. "My magic doesn't affect either of you directly."

"I will stop her." Prometheus then started to fly towards Pandora and the cyclone of chaos that surrounded her. "I must rectify my mistake in putting her in danger!" The first stint of emotion he showed while in this Titan form was to Pandora.

"So we're just gonna sit here and watch as the enemy tries to stop the enemy?!" Jack looked to the others, because this didn't seem right at all. If Prometheus failed, they died, if he succeeded, they died! Unless a miracle happened, they were screwed in this moment, or the moments that followed it.

Tia's visor was focused on Pandora. There was so much going on, but she was able to get a read on Pandora. "Her vitals are off the charts. All that chaos inside of her is shutting down everything in her body…Jack's previous attack didn't help either, but how were we supposed to know she'd fly off the handle like this!?"

Prometheus collided against the twister of chaos, slowly fighting his way through. It was difficult only because the effect of the Wicked Flames took its toll on him, making him weaker and weaker by the second. But he could deal with that later, because right now Pandora was in critical condition. "Pandora, you must listen to me…!"

Pandora's hands were on her head and she was trembling. The tears just wouldn't stop and for the first time in her existence she was…afraid. "They won't stop talking! They keep yelling at me, crying at me! I have to make it stop! MAKE IT STOOOOOOOOP!" The chaotic impulses were getting the better of her, causing the twister around her to increase tenfold The clouds overhead began to roar lowly and the earth itself was breaking apart from the sheer power she was letting off. The situation was growing worse with each passing second and it didn't look like there was a happy ending in sight. Pandora Calamity really was going to end everything around her, if only because she couldn't control the chaos. She was flashing between her Calamity form and her regular self, but the tempest of discord around her was forcing her to remain in this chaotic mindset; meanwhile, Prometheus was already reverting back to normal. The box was open and nothing but calamity spewed out from it. "Prometheus…help me…" The girl weakly whimpered.

* * *

[Flashback]

Hundreds of years ago. Chaos and Order went hand in hand. In the old times, there wasn't much people could do but be victim to the whims of chaos…which is why there needed to be balance. That balance was Pandora, the scion of Lord Ankhersam himself. The god above saw the world through her eyes. As the chaos and discord in Earthland grew stronger, she too would rise in strength to accommodate for this. The root of chaos itself was unknown, however, there was one being she constantly found herself clashing against: Prometheus. A demon with no remorse for life or order. He just craved destruction and death due to his epithet as Grim Reaper. In one particular battle, Pandora emerged victorious, now pointing her scepter at the defeated demon. "…You have lost. There must always be balance in the world."

"Kyahahaha…" Even though he was beaten, Prometheus sat up and laughed the situation away. "So what are you gonna do then!? Kill me off and fill the world with your precious 'order'!? Don't make me laugh! That just leads to a boring world."

"…" Pandora didn't respond at first.

"Is that what your 'God' told you to do?" Prometheus inquired. Even though this situation wasn't in his favor, he'd continue to poke the bear. "Life and death is a cycle. I represent death…but if you kill me, perhaps you'd be the symbol of death then, too…" Now he was pondering this. "You know what, you can kill me! I wanna see what that stoic face of your looks like when it succumbs to the euphoria of chaos!"

"…I have never taken a life." Pandora stated. "Although I represent balance, I do not represent life. They are not one in the same. My role is to ensure that chaos never wins…that is all."

"That's so boring." Prometheus spat. "You need a little excitement in your life!" Of course, when he said that, Pandora nearly stabbed her scepter through his chest.

"Silence." The Goddess was irritated, though you wouldn't guess by her unchanging expression. "You are nothing but a plague on this world. But if I were to kill you, I would become no better. So I will allow you to life if only to understand that you will never beat me."

"Kyahaha…such a black and white approach." Prometheus grunted, but kept his smile all the same.

At this moment, Zeref walked onto the scene, curiously at that. "Life and death…chaos and order…they aren't one in the same. You are right about that."

"Huh?" Pandora turned. She recognized this man as the one who bore the 'curse' of Ankhersam.

"Who the hell are you?" Prometheus questioned.

"By continuing in this conflict, you're only adding onto the chaos you've sworn to dispel." Zeref told Pandora. "Surely there is some other way to avoid this constant conflict. I understand that you're not a protector of life…Pandora, was it?"

"This is the nature of the world." Pandora responded. "When chaos rises, I will be there to quell it. You are such a being…tampering with life and death as though they are toys. That is why you are cursed."

"Indeed I am. But I've been searching for a way to die." Zeref responded with a smile. His obsidian gaze then glanced at Prometheus. "You may have the potential to kill me in the future…although; I'm not sure about that either. It's just a passing thought. I am immortal, and your method of killing leaves much to be desired…"

"What was that!?" Prometheus took offense to this. "I'll cut your head off!"

"I welcome you to try. I still won't die." Zeref responded before turning to Pandora. "Although you may not represent life itself, you uphold the order to protect it from chaos. Isn't that close enough? Isn't that what your mission is? So I have a proposal for the both of you. Why don't you join me and look at this world in a different light?"

"Join you?" Prometheus scoffed. "Sure."

"You agreed just like that?" Pandora lifted a brow. "…I cannot allow you to go with this man."

"Then join me." Prometheus smirked. The proposal from the both of them caught Pandora off guard for a moment. "We're just going to keep fighting, aren't we? At this rate…I'll get bored of it. So Chaos and Order should be a team instead of opposing each other! You only know of the world of chaos, but you don't know anything else about the world like I do, huh? That's why you always have that empty look on your face! Are you okay with trying to protect a world you don't even understand!?"

"…." Pandora tilted her head slowly. They both did have a point…she was just acting on an instinct implanted into her. She didn't know anything else about the world other than what she was told to do. "...The moment the two of you become a threat, I will do everything in my power to destroy you."

To those words, Zeref kept a smile. "I would expect nothing less. But I don't think you have anything to worry about. Simply follow me. I have something I'd like to show you both..."

It was ironic...Zeref was the reason these two met and became a tag team, and years later, he became a threat worth putting down. A threat that Chaos and Order would work together to subdue.

" _I didn't realize it back then…but he'd already begun to influence me…"_

* * *

" _I am a creature of contradiction. I was supposed to represent balance and the will of My Lord but…somehow, I allowed myself to get wrapped into things with Prometheus. Over the years we've been together, a strange feeling bubbled up in my chest. It was a feeling I couldn't explain, nor did I want to feel, so I tried to ignore it. And yet, because of that feeling, we've remained together longer than I ever expected. Perhaps that feeling is why I trust him more than anything…these impulses, these thoughts…they were the chaos blooming in my heart. Perhaps the chaos stemmed from the thought of these feelings not being returned…the lack of balance that could break my heart…so that's why, I..."_ Pandora was wrapped in her own thoughts. She was so absorbed in herself that she never noticed Prometheus making contact with her in his regular form. By the time she did, her eyes widened and all of that chaotic energy collapsed on itself, resulting in a large explosion that shook the sky.

"Gah…!" Everyone down blow was still caught within the explosion's intensity, nearly flying backwards as a result.

"He…he did it? Now we still have to fight again…!" Jack groaned. This was great…

"But they took the brunt of that explosion; they might be down just from that…" Aira said this, although it might have been wishful thinking…

As the smoke cleared, Pandora was down. She was back to normal, face down in the dirt with multiple bruises and cuts on her person. Her scepter was back in her hands, but the one to worry about was Prometheus. He was hunched over, panting heavily with his scythe in his grip, cackling manically. "KYAHAHA! Now that this is over with, I can…!"

"…Prometheus…" Pandora mumbled in her unconscious state.

Prometheus immediately turned and stared at Pandora for a long time. To see her like this...it was his fault she ended up like this. He could have continued this fight and potentially reaped everyone's soul, but... He pushed a crazy power upon her that she never had any chance of hoping to control. His chaotic impulses nearly got her killed...and because of that, he put his scythe away and walked towards Pandora, lifting her into his arms bridal style. "...This is our loss."

"Huh...?" Brandish tilted her head.

"We lose." Prometheus reiterated before pointing at Tia. "...You remember that deal we made, right? Well...I'm going to honor it."

"Huh!?" Tia's eyes widened. "You're actually gonna keep your word!?"

"...One soul of the fallen has been returned, likely by Pandora already. I'm only doing this because this is what she would have wanted. The rest of the souls stay with me, and only me! But next time we see you, we're going to kill you!" The Grim Reaper made this abundantly clear before beginning to carry Pandora off.

"W...What just happened...?" Jack blinked several times.

"...I don't think you'd understand. You're too young." Evergreen said while fanning herself. Somehow, they managed to survive.

"Pandora returned a soul...?" Tia tilted her head curiously. The annoying part about all of this is that it was so vague! Who's soul got to rest in peace? Why not all of them!? Damn it.

"...The miracle of love..." Aira muttered. A power that could upset the balance...while also bringing a serene calm to even the most chaotic of souls. Prometheus and Pandora were more than they appeared at first glance. Despite being a Goddess and a Demon, they were perhaps more human than anything else. And that was why...they cherished each other the way they did.

Prometheus and Pandora: Down.

.

.

Next Time: I Am You, You Are Me.


	85. Chapter 85: I Am You, You Are Me

"The Queen of Dragons!?" Takeru pointed at Elieen. "That doesn't explain anything, especially your scent!"

Elieen's eyes narrowed for a moment, bringing her hand up to close it. "Shush, child. I will explain everything. So I advise you to sit quietly and listen."

Selene then clasped her hand over Takeru's mouth. "…Continue on…"

"…" Erza held a glare the whole time. She already made it clear that she had no interest in this tale, yet she was outvoted by the Dragon Slayers. Even though she held no interest, it was clear that Elieen's story was vital in filling in the last remaining gaps in the history of dragons and dragon slayers. Only because of this did she remain silent.

* * *

[Flashback]

400 years ago, the Dragnov Kingdom. In this time, or rather, this kingdom, humans and dragons lived peacefully with one another. The entire world was not in as much harmony as one would think. Two guards were discussing the happenings of the world outside their castle. "I heard the humans on the western continent were attacked yet again."

"By dragons, eh?"

"It would appear the dragons of the west do not possess the same level of intelligence, unfortunately." The voice of a dragon nearly startled the two soldiers.

"Ah, the Dragon of Virtue, Belserion!"

"So you've returned from your observational journey!"

The dragon known as Belserion brought a hand to his chin, pondering something while delivering his report. "Indeed. The situation in the west has become much more worrisome than I had anticipated. Is Slieen here as well?"

"Yes, sir. Her Majesty the Queen is in the courtyard."

After being told where Elieen was, the dragon made his way to see her. On the way, one could see just how strong the unity between humans and dragons was. Swing sets were attached to the tails of many dragons, and children were happily swinging back and forth from them. Soon, the dragon found who he was looking for and greeted her with a smile. "Elieen."

Elieen was currently carrying a bundle of flowers in her hands. Her attire was much different than it was 400 years later. When spotting Belserion, her lips curved up to a smile. "Belserion! You've finally returned!" Although she noticed his expression immediately, bringing cause for concern. "You look troubled, judging by your expression. Is something amiss?"

Belserion remained silent for a moment. "The dragons of the West are attacking and devouring the humans. Before long, they will surely descend upon our beloved Ishgar. It may well already be too late to stop them." Being the bearer of bad news was never a job anyone wanted, least of all a dragon that held a strong sense of responsibility towards protecting humans.

Hearing this news caused Elieen to frown. The thought of a war approaching… "The mere idea of dragons eating humans…it's unthinkable."

"We must not allow that ideology to take root in Ishgar." Belserion said with a firm stare. "We've come this far walking alongside the humans as allies."

"Yes." Elieen said in agreement. "Humans, as well, have been able to advance this far thanks ot the Dragons' knowledge and power. From the very beginning, humans and dragons have proven that they're more than capable of coexisting, and yet…if the reckless behavior of the western dragons was to traverse the seas and make its way here…would the trusting relationship humans and dragons have worked so hard to build here become broken and tarnished?" The woman expressed her worries. She too valued the unity between humans and dragons.

Belserion's foot pressed against the ground firmly. "I shall not allow that to happen. We will protect all humans!" His declaration was clear, as was his resolve. Under no circumstances would he allow the humans to be harmed.

[End flashback]

* * *

"This was the beginning of the war that would later become known as the Dragon King Festival. Yes, it was a war that was brought about by the kindness of Dragons." Elieen explained, and her words had everyone shaken.

"400 years, you say!? But your appearance is…!?" Erza gasped.

Elieen turned her back, glancing over her shoulder. "Not to worry, little by little, everything will be explained. Now is where things start to get interesting, Erza…and that goes for the cute little dragon slayers as well. And her too, I suppose…" The 'her' was in reference to Cynthia. Her dragon slaying magic was unique compared to the others, and it was something that intrigued Elieen.

"Us…?" Wendy tilted her head.

"You suppose?" Cynthia narrowed her eyes.

* * *

[Flashback]

" _Mine was a country in which humans and dragons peacefully coexisted and walked alongside one another for generations. In Ishgar, many such countries existed during that era."_

Elieen was surrounded by a large crowd, holding a wooden stick in her hands, while staring down at a blade placed down on two stone blocks. Elieen swung the stick down, snapping the steel blade in two. "Hah!"

"WHOOOA!

"AN IRON SWORD WAS CLEAVED IN HALF BY A WOODEN STICK!?"

"Your Majesty! What is this sorcery!"

The crowd was in awe at Elieen's display. To her, it was quite simple. "This is called enchantment. I can grant the stick a level of hardness that surpasses iron, temporarily heightening its destructive capabilities.

"AMAZING!"

"This will make the dragons even more powerful!"

"The war will be over in a flash!"

The praise was appreciated, but Elieen herself felt differently on the matter. She wished that there wasn't a war to begin with; however, there was nothing they could do now but fight. "…."

" _However, the flow of the war was not favorable for us. In addition to the enemy's sheer numbers, we were also put at a disadvantage due to the small faction of Ishgar dragons who were opposed to coexisting with humans and going to war against their own kind. The Dragon who strongly opposed going to war was named…Dhegensea. He refused to aid our efforts, and instead began gathering the dragons who shared the same idea, moving them to some secluded land…"_

"I will not fight in this war." The Black Dragon held his stance against Belserion. "Coexisting with humans is one thing, but I refuse to take up arms against my own kin."

"They will try and destroy this land, Dhegensea!" Belserion said. "They are mindlessly killing the dragons on this side. Why do you refuse to fight?!"

"Because Fate has decreed so." Dhegensea and Fate. He was always a stickler about the whims of Fate, and nothing could sway him from this. "Fate decrees that humans will gain a power they have no business wielding, and dive into the depths of insanity because of it."

"You and fate….will you never learn?" Belserion growled. "What of the other dragons. Do you all intend to sit by and watch as blood is shed?!"

"We will do no such thing." Dhegensea scoffed as he started to walk off. "I will lead those who do not wish to fight to a peaceful land…where we will go into hiding and bide our time until the war is over."

"So you are running away…?" The wounded Belserion narrowed his gaze.

"I am doing what I must for the survival of dragons, for their lives far outweigh that of humans." The Black Dragon said.

"…" Elieen happened to walk into the room at that time, watching the two dragons argue. "Humans and dragons…they can accomplish much together. Even win this war…"

"That's enough." Dhegensea wanted to hear no more. The thought of humans and dragons fighting together against dragons sickened him. The irony of it would not come to him until much later, but for now, he was stubbornly firm in his decision. "I will be leaving, taking those who do not wish to fight with me." As he departed, he held a staring contest with Elieen. "…You will learn the curse of the power you intend to unleash…and only then will you realize your mistake." And with those words hanging in the air, he left, not to appear again for another 400 years…

A wounded Belserion had no choice but to deliver the worst news to Elieen. The war was not kind to Ishgar or its dragon warriors. "We will lose…"

"…I…I see…" Elieen's gaze lowered to the ground.

"My desire to protect our humans friends has not wavered, even in these circumstances…" The dragon let out a heavy exhale. "No matter how many of my compatriots fall in battle, I shall not budge an inch."

Despite his condition, he was still willing to go so far for humans. "Why…why would you go so far for we humans?" Elieen asked.

"I told you, did I not?" Belserion let out a soft chuckle. "Of the story of how my life was saved long by your now deceased predecessor."

"No, Belserion. I believe you have more than repaid that debt." Elieen told him. "You attend to me and provide me council. You continue to fight and put your life on the line for humans. There must be more to it."

"Elieen, until I keep you safe from any and all dangers, I can't even imagine my debt being fully repaid. I swear on this life of mine, that…"

"Belserion." Elieen cut him off, leaving him confused. "Let me join with you and fight as well."

"What nonsense are you spouting!?" The dragon gasped, clearly shocked by her proposal. "Your enemies are not follow humans, but _dragons_! Even if you were to form a massive battalion of humans, their power would pale in comparison to even a lone dragon!"

"I've come up with an idea. A secret art of sorts. Your power…" Elieen stared up to Belserion with a firm gaze. "The power of a dragon. Could you not attach it to me?"

What…what did she just suggest? Belserion was in shock at what Elieen proposed. "Bestow a dragon's power…unto a human!?"

"A power which I could fight against the evil dragons…the power of a Dragon Slayer!"

[End flashback]

* * *

"Wha…?" Wendy's eyes grew wide in shock. Not just hers, but Cynthia, Selene, and Takeru were all wide eyed at the bomb Elieen dropped on them so casually.

"Huh….?" Cynthia needed a moment.

"You mean to tell me that you invented Dragon Slayer magic!?" Erza gasped.

"You're kidding me…" Selene held her hands over her mouth.

"So that's why…" No wonder Takeru was so bothered by this woman.

"That is correct." Elieen said with a slight smirk. "I am the mother of all dragon slayers."

* * *

After the battle with Prometheus and Pandora, the group could focus on Natsu's recovery. Those who fought were exhausted due to narrowly escaping that battle alive. Tia stood over Lucy, a somewhat concerned look on her face. "…How is he?"

"He's still so cold…" Lucy frowned. Her cheeks were still flushed since her naked body was against Natsu's own, but she was desperate enough to do anything to keep him alive.

Even Happy was helping now. He hugged Natsu's arm, furiously rubbing his paws up and down his skin to generate friction and hopefully heat. "Please, open your eyes!"

.

.

"The one who originally invented dragon slaying was a lady named Elieen, or so I was told by Anna." Wendy told Natsu.

"WNEDY!? WHEN THE HELL DID YOU!?" Seriously, Natsu was getting tired of people coming and going, or just straight up changing identities.

"It's all coming from your own heart, dimwit. Quit acting so shocked at every little thing." Gajeel scoffed, appearing alongside Wendy.

"Seriously, dude…you gotta work on your attention span." Daryan was digging in his ear while staring at Natsu.

"Even I could keep up with everything." Blues added.

Okay, this was getting annoying. "It's just one thing after another with you guys! I thought you were supposed to tell me about the cause of what's got me on my death bed, or something!" Natsu growled.

"How the hell am I supposed to know that?!" Gajeel groaned. "All of this is a guide that you conjured up yourself in order to help jog that crappy memory of yours!"

"Come on, slowpoke…" Selene was pointing ahead to the bright light not too far away.

"It's up here, Dragneel. Just remember that if you die, I'll kill you." Takeru shook his head. Melanie and Hikaru were also pointing ahead.

"It's just up ahead, Natsu!" Wendy said. Meanwhile, Natsu was feeling pretty grumpy about the whole thing.

* * *

"One could argue that the plan to grant humans the power to fight against dragons was a resounding success. It not only marked the birth of many dragon slayers, but the tides of the war finally turned in our favor." Elieen continued on. Her knowledge continued to have everyone taken aback.

* * *

[Flashback]

" _However, that enormous power began to gnaw away at the human vessels that housed them. There were those who could not contain their powers and were driven to an uncontrollable rampage. Others were stricken with an extreme sickness caused by the large gap between a dragon's visual acuity and the perception of a human's semicircular canals. And in others still…."_

"Lady Elieen…" A guard hesitantly spoke up. "Forgive my rudness, but…your face…"

"What?" Elieen hadn't noticed. She didn't realize that her skin began to break away, revealing the scales of a dragon underneath.

" _The seed that would begin to spout within their bodies…the Dragon Seed. It would mark the final moments of dragon slayers as humans, and begin their irreversible transformation into a dragon. And at that time, you were already growing in my womb, Erza…"_

Fast forward until the war ended. As Elieen stated, the newfound power of Dragon Slayers tilted the war vastly in Ishgar's favor, but…

" _Your father was a general from a neighboring country. Our union was what you'd call a 'political marriage', having occurred during times of strife when fellow humans were locked in territorial disputes. He and I had marched on many a battlefield together. We even cared for the ailing Belserion in his final hours. With the appearance of Acnologia, the war ended abruptly with no clear winner or loser. As if to mock the countless deceased, the victor was Acnologia alone."_

One week after the war ended…

"NOT ANOTHER STEP, MONSTER!" Erza's father yelled at Elieen. By this point, her transformation into a dragon was noticeable to all around her, thus instilling fear into everyone. "OR I SHALL CUT YOU DOWN!"

Elieen's face was half covered in scales. She was desperately trying to convince everyone that she would be all right… "It is I, Elieen! My face will surely heal, so please!"

"This wench will surely become the same as Acnologia!" Elieen's husband yelled. "The remaining dragons in Ishgar have already fled to some other island!" Meaning that if another Acnologia appeared, humans would be done for. This caused people to scream in horror.

"No, I will not!" Elieen objected. "I love the dragons deeply…!"

"And that makes you the enemy of all humanity!" The man cut her off. "Now seize this foul dragon woman and banish her to the dungeons!"

"Stop this, I beg of you! I am pregnant with your chi..!"

"THE CHILD OF A MONSTER IS NO CHILD OF MINE!"

Pure shock. The fact he yelled those words at her stunned Elieen, and she was apprehended and brought to the dungeon. That was the beginning of it all. _"To say my life from then on was miserable would be an understatement. Torture, beatings, humiliation…"_ She went through it all, and yet…

As Elieen lie on the cold stone floor, she wrapped her arms around her stomach. Her body was mostly covered in scales at this point, but that didn't matter. There was but one thing on her mind for these last three years. "Don't you worry…no matter the cost…I will definitely protect you…"

That's when he appeared. The man known as Erza's father. In this story, he had no name, because in the end, he was insignificant. "Dragon-bitch." The man spat. "The day of your execution has been decided."

"Please…" Elieen weakly lifted her head up. "I beseech you…if nothing else, spare my child."

"I've had quite enough of your lies." The man snarled, opening the cell to walk inside. "You mean to tell me this 'child' has been in your womb now for _three_ years!? UTTER NONSENSE!"

"That is because I have cast magic on it!" Elieen explained. "I cannot possibly give birth in such horrid and squalor conditions!"

"THERE IS NO CHILD!" Screaming, the man drew his blade, standing over Elieen. There was no possible way the child in Elieen's womb could remain there for three whole years. "OR SHALL I CUT OPEN YOUR STOMACH AND NOW PROVE IT TO YOU!?"

"NO! PLEASE!" Elieen tried to struggle. In truth, her struggle was weak if only because she was trying not to hurt anyone. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" She shrieked as the blade cute along the side of her stomach, drawing blood. At that instant, wings spread from Elieen's body and she breathed heavily, giving the man an inhumane stare. If there was one thing you didn't do, it was mess with a mother and her unborn child…and now, he incurred the ire of a woman gone dragon.

"Y…YOU FI…" Whatever he was going to say didn't matter. There was an explosion that turned everyone's heads.

"W-What is that sound!?"

"It came from the baol!" Several more explosions occurred, and soon there was Elieen, standing in her full dragon glory. "A dragon!?" A single roar utterly decimated the area.

"I AM A HUMAN! A HUMAN! I DESTEST THIS BODY! I WANT MY HUMAN BODY BACK!" She cried, wailing and screaming as she flew off into the distance. "Someone….anyone…help me…" The city became ruins in a single attack, and right after that, Elieen flew off from the scene, never to be seen again…for 400 years.

" _And so…hundreds of years passed with you in my womb. I continued to the depths of the mountains where humans dared not tread, I searched endlessly for a way to lift the curse from my body. And then one day…I came across His Majesty…"_

Zeref happened to be walking through the mountains, spotting a dragon of all things. "Now this is a rare sight…to think a dragon still existed in this land."

"Who are you!?" Elieen snapped.

"Ah…pardon me…you are human, are you not?" Zeref questioned.

" _He was an unparalleled genius in the art of magic. What I was unable to accomplish in hundreds of years…"_ In a matter of moments, Elieen's dragon form faded, and her human body returned. _"He achieved in mere moments."_

Elieen couldn't believe it. After 400 years, she had her human body back. She was so happy she could cry. "I'm human…! I've regained my human form! AAAAH! I…I've finally…"

Well…while Zeref's trick did work, there was one catch. The woman before him was so happy; he hated to be the bearer of bad news. "Only in appearance. It is regrettable, but you've long since…"

Regrettable? She was human again, so what did it matter?! "No, not at all! I…" The woman turned to the nearby lake, basking in her own reflection. "Returning to this form is more than enough. I'm happy beyond words!"

" _However…tragedy came shortly thereafter…"_

Now that she had her human body back, it was time to eat. Elieen went to the nearest town to put food in her stomach, but… "…I…cannot taste anything." No…no, this wasn't right. She began stuffing food down her throat, nearly choking in the process, and yet… "I EAT AND EAT! BUT THERE'S NO FLAVOR AT ALL!"

That was only the beginning. When night came, she lied on the ground for hours and hours. _"Icantsleep, icantsleep, icantsleep…"_ This one thought plagued her throughout the night. She sat up with the blanket wrapped around her body. "It itches…it's cold…it hurts…what is this I'm feeling!? I…all I want is to become a normal human once more!" She was being driven insane. It was then that Zeref's words stuck in her mind.

" _You have long since…"_

No. No! This couldn't be! "I'M A HUMAN! HUMAN! I'M HUMAN!" And once again, Elieen was struck with the same dilemma that haunted her for 400 years. It was made worse by the fact that humanity was within her grasp…it felt as though Fate continuously mocked her. The words of Dhegensea now came back into her mind, which only fueled her mental dive into insanity. This was her curse for trying to save everyone back then!? "All I want is to give birth to this child as a human…a human…?" A lightbulb went off in her head. "Human…there is a human inside me. Life…human…a human body…" That's when she had her idea…an idea that her insanity guided her towards. "If I could just enchant myself into the unborn baby within me…I could finally get my hands on an authentic human body!" She could see the light, and she was reaching out to it. "A new existence…a new body, a new life…I am you, and you are me. Let us become one…my child…."

[End flashback]

* * *

That was the end of Elieen's tale – a tale that shocked everyone listening. The dragon slayers were taken aback, and Erza's expression was unchanged. Meanwhile, Emmeraude, who was listening in from her hiding spot, felt the story strike a chord in her heart, and if that was the case, then… "But it was a failure." Elieen shrugged. "Casting enchantment magic on my own child was a fool's errand. It was impossible. And so, I lost all interest in you, and threw you away like the worthless trash you were in the back allies of a small, dirty little village."

"And that village was Rosemary, was it not?" Erza asked.

"I've long since forgotten." Elieen held a dismissive tone.

"Erza…." Wendy began.

Erza held her arm out to stop Wendy. "I'm all right. I suppose I have no choice but to expression my thanks to you for bringing me into this world."

"Please, I need no gratitude from _trash_." Elieen scoffed.

As soon as she said this, Wendy went right into Dragon Force. "How could you say such things to your only daughter!?" It irritated her to no end. Every mother she knew, even Emmeraude, held some sort of affection for their child. But this…? This was…

"…She's mad…" As Takeru spoke, the shadows intensified around his body, black markings crawling along his skin to signify the activation of his own Dragon Force. Selene followed suit, gray scales forming along her skin.

"…." Cynthia couldn't say a word. Flames roared around her with red scales appearing on her body. "I can't believe this…"

Erza's body started to change as well. "One more thing…I'm equally grateful that you threw me away." She donned the Rabbit Armor, donning the red and black blades. "Thanks to that, I was able to meet my true family. Even though you're my real mother, I will annihilate anyone who dares block my path to my guild.

"…" Emmeraude said not a word. The moment of truth was approaching.

"Me too…" Elieen smiled slightly. I thought that, maybe if I told you about our past, my child, my feelings towards you may have changed. Such a shame. None of my feelings will change." Elieen pointed her hand forward with an antagonistic smile, creating an explosion that almost caught Erza, but she was fast enough to evade it. With her speed, Erza rapidly closed the gap between them and brought her twin swords down, but they were easily blocked by Elieen's favored scepter. "Do you really think that you can defeat the queen of a country by merely using magical powers."

"We've done it before." Erza said in reference to Emmeraude. "And I believe we can do it again…because I have family and allies by my side."

Right at that moment, Cynthia and Wendy both kicked off. The two of them soared through the sky, closing the gap between them and Elieen in an instant. Wendy took to the left, while Cynthia took to the right. "Omega Flame Sky Dragon's Wing Slash!" The two girls exclaimed in unison as 'wings' of their element appeared along their arms, cutting Elieen's sides with their attacks.

Elieen was aware that these two often acted as one, but dealing with it in person was a completely different story. The two dragon slayers managed to distract Elieen for just a moment. "Guh…!"

With this opening, Erza swung both of her swords across Elieen's stomach in an X formation. "Black and Red Twin Blades!" The vicious cross slash succeeded in creating a noticeable gash on the Scarlet Despair's skin. The force behind the attack was also more than enough to send her skidding backwards.

"Uaaaaah!" Elieen cried out in…pain!?

As Elieen slid back, Takeru dove into the shadows to appear to her right, emerging only to point his hand down at the ground under her. "Shadow Dragon's Eruption!" The ground swelled and a rising geyser of shadows emerged to consume Elieen. The Spriggan was caught within the rising shadows for a moment before back flipping into the sky.

Right as Elieen went skyward; Selene was already there with her diamond coated leg reared back. "Diamond Dragon's Talon!" The diamond dragon swung her leg down, aiming for Elieen's temple. Unfortunately for her, all she got was the scepter, which didn't even break. The force of her kick did send Elieen rocketing to the ground, where she ultimately caught herself.

Upon landing, Elieen held a displeased expression. "You manage to hurt…me…"

"I'm sympathetic to your past…" Wendy began. "But I can't forgive someone who doesn't even love their own child! Even Emmeraude has shown to be a better mother than you!"

Those words just caused Elieen to smile. "O small Dragon Slayer…and her companions…you heard me talking about the Dragon's Seed, didn't you? It's in the three of you, too…"

"Yes…" Wendy nodded. "But it was my mother who kept it suppressed over the years."

"The same goes for me." Selene said.

"…." Takeru was silent.

"What…?" Elieen's eyes went wide. Their transformation was…surpressed?!

"It was so that we wouldn't turn into dragons…" Wendy explained.

"The same is likely for Natsu as well…" Erza added.

"Then what about her!?" Elieen pointed to Cynthia. "What is she!?"

"M-Me…?" Cynthia pointed to herself.

"You…you're an abnormality!" The Spriggan pointed her scepter at Cynthia. "What _are_ you? I can tell just by looking at you that you aren't even human anymore."

"…" Those words struck a chord in Cynthia.

"In a sense, you're just like me…I can sense that your transformation into a dragon was only halfway complete. Your dragon slaying magic isn't like anything I've ever seen before, there's a demon lurking inside you, and there also remains another entity as well…You are far from normal." Elieen then tilted her head. "I can also sense the aura of death around you as well…"

Cynthia certainly felt exposed after all of that. "…My father found the flames of a dragon and modified it…and two years ago, I was bitten by a dragon that caused the Dragonification process. It stopped, but I know I haven't exactly been the same sense…"

" _As for that other person, that would be me."_ Verona spoke up with Cynthia's mouth, turning heads since she had been quiet for an extremely long time. _"It seems a lot has gone on over these last 400 years…"_

"I see…" Elieen then pointed her hand forward. "You are a cluttered mess, and yet…you house so much power. A unique dragon…a demon…and that woman, Verona Partheon…despite this, we share some capability…" There was fierce glow from Elieen's hand, a strange force pushing Cynthia backwards.

"Eeep…!" Cynthia crossed her arms as she was thrown back.

"Cynthia…!" Wendy and Erza exclaimed.

"…I-I'm okay…" Cynthia rubbed her head and…felt nothing? "Verona…?" Nothing. No response. It was weird…Cynthia's held felt clear and empty. For once, her head was her own again. "What did you…?"

"I enchanted her out of your body. I specialize at detaching enchantments." Elieen explained. "She is her own person after all…wherever she ends up now doesn't matter, but I couldn't stand having her around. Now…for a dragon slayer without a dragon, tell me how you stopped the dragonfication!"

"…The Isle of the Dragons…" Cynthia mumbled, though Wendy stood in front of her.

"I don't think you need to answer her question." Selene said while balling her hand into a fist. "It doesn't matter for her now. She's too far gone."

"…I see." Elieen understood now. "So the dragons sealed themselves inside your bodies and stopped the growth of the Dragon Seed. In her case, the fabled Mystic Water on that coward's island halted her complete transformation into a dragon. Belserion, who gave me this power, died on the battlefield. I took over his name…I promised I'd avenge him….but…to think that there was a way to prevent the dragonification…" Elieen's temper…snapped. "THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Screaming, she pointed her scepter forward, unleashing a potent blast that blew everyone away in separate directions. "GIVE ME MY LIFE BACK! I DON'T NEED THIS BODY!"

Erza stepped forward, preparing to dart at Elieen once more with Cynthia, Takeru, and Selene by her side. "I'll return the favor then! WENDY!"

"Understood!" Wendy held her hands out, supporting everyone once more. "Physical ability raise: Deus Eques!" A bright light shone from Wendy's body, enhancing Cynthia, Erza, Takeru, and Selene. With this enchantment fueling them, they were prepared to strike!

"Pretty clever." Elieen smirked. In a battle of enchantment, however, she would not lose. "Detaching enchantment, Deus Zero." By using this, she could easily remove the buff Wendy provided, but then…!

"Counterbalance the effects of Deus Zero with Deus Zero!" Wendy could play that same game! By using the same spell Elieen used, they effectively canceled each other out! With the two negatives gone, that only left the positive remaining.

Elieen was taken aback by Wendy's advanced repertoire. "What?! She's able to use such an advanced technique…!?" That surprise then turned…into hope. Hope for her, and a small smirk drew itself on her lips.

Erza let out a roaring battle cry, merging the two swords into one, fueled by Wendy's buff. "THIS IS THE END!" Titania exclaimed, slamming her joint blade right into Elieen's skull. Cynthia's fist went right to Elieen's wounded stomach, while Takeru and Selene sent their legs to her sides. All four hits connected at once, causing a deafening shockwave to boom out from around them. Surely, no one could survive after taking a joint attack like that. Erza held her stance, never taking her gaze of Elieen, even as her torn hat fell to the ground.

Blood dripped from Elieen's forehead and she simply held a smile. "I understood, Erza. The truth about enchantment. You were just a bay, and we're relatives. That's why I failed. But…is it really impossible to enchant one's personality into another body? The answer is no. However, there must be compatibility between them…"

"She's still talking!?" Selene growled.

"What is she talking about?!" Takeru asked the real question.

"…" Never had Cynthia felt her stomach drop so suddenly. It churned and she turned her head to Wendy immediately. "NO-!" She dropped what she was doing and immediately began rushing towards Wendy.

"Who would have thought that one day…" Eileen's body let out a strange light and her hand trembled. "That the young body of a both a dragon slayer and enchanter would appear right before my eyes."

Suddenly, the others realized why Cynthia was making a beeline towards Wendy. "NO!" Erza screamed.

"She's not…!" The purple eyes of Selene widened in horror.

"Stop her!" Takeru yelled, but it was far too late. The process needed only a few seconds.

This was beyond anything Emmeraude had ever seen before. The surprise was written all over her face. "…"

"Cyn…" Wendy reached out for Cynthia, but at that moment, her body stopped moving. It was no longer in her control.

Wendy's body convulsed and that strange light appeared around her body. Cynthia didn't even have the chance to get close as wind exploded from Elieen's new body, preventing her from closing the distance. At that moment, Elieen's previous corpse collapsed on the spot. "Ooooooh…how long I was waiting for this moment! My magic power has decreased somewhat, but it's no problem…."

"WENDY!" Erza screamed. No one could utter a word. All they could do was stare in horror at the sight before them.

"New body, new life…" Elieen's new body stepped forward. "Elieen has been born anew…" The enemy in front of them now…was a witch with a demon in her heart. Wendy Marvel was no more. The girl who stood before them was now…

Wendy Belserion.

.

.

Next Time: Wendy Belserion.


	86. Chapter 86: Wendy Belserion

_Thump thump._

Cynthia's heart was rapidly thumping against her chest. She couldn't even breathe after what just happened. There stood Elieen, now in Wendy's body. Erza, Selene, and Takeru were also in shock, but it was nothing compared to the horror that Cynthia was experiencing. "A-Ah…."

"New body…my body…" Elieen hummed while taking in her new vessel.

"No way….." Erza couldn't begin to fathom what was in front of her.

"Wendy…?" Selene's purple eyes were wide in shock.

"Is she…?" Takeru wasn't sure what to think. One second, Elieen was talking, then her body dropped, and now Wendy was acting all strange…

"Injury on the left thigh…there are so many bruises all over this whole body…" Elieen listed off the initial issues with her new body. "My magic power is also lower…however, this is no problem. I can still move, and I can still fight…"

 _Thumpthump._ Cynthia's heartrate increased dramatically. The sound drowned out everything. She could hear Elieen talking, but the words went in one ear and out the other. All she could do was stare as the memories of her and Wendy's time together flashed in her mind. From the moment Cynthia woke up for the first in time Fairy Tail, to everything they'd been through over the years. The ups, the downs, the pain, the happiness, the tears…and their promise. That ring on Cynthia's finger was their promise to make it through this war together. And now she was just supposed to accept that Wendy was just…gone? Just like that?

" _A perfect fit! It was meant to be! Thank you for being by my side all this time, Cynthia. You mean the world to me."_

"Hm…?" Elieen dug into her dress pocket, pulling out some small bangle of sorts. One that happened to read 'Friends Forever' on it. That bracelet was one Wendy never parted with ever since Cynthia gave it to her. "What's this little trinket? I won't need this…" With her petite hand, she crushed the bracelet and let the broken pieces fall to the ground. It was a physical representation of her breaking Cynthia's heart. Right as she did that, something else caught her attention. She placed her hands on chest with an amused smile. "What? These breasts are so cute…"

"DON'T TOUCH THOSE!" Cynthia suddenly screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "THEY'RE NOT YOURS! THAT BODY ISN'T YOURS! GIVE HER BACK! GIVE HER BAAAACK!" Darkened red flames exploded around the girl's body and she suddenly lunged towards Elieen.

"CYNTHIA!" Erza cried out.

"Oh?" Elieen lifted a brow as Cynthia charged her with reckless abandon. Cynthia swung a blazing fist right at Elieen's face, but that's when something interesting happened. Elieen's new body moved on its own, a subconscious movement she was unaware of, allowing her to evade the incoming strike with ease, firing back with a fierce kick to Cynthia's gut, wind exploding from it shortly after impact.

"Gaaaaah!" That impact sent Cynthia tumbling along the ground, coming to a halt with a shocked expression.

"Now that's interesting…." Elieen glanced at her body once more. "I reacted to you without even thinking about it. It must be a second nature to this body…I suppose I can make this work."

Cynthai grit her teeth and pushed forward once more. Even though she tried so hard to keep her emotions in check, all of that flew out the window with this unprecedented situation. It wasn't like before where Wendy was out of control, Wendy was just…gone. "I'll kick you out of her body if I have to!" Cynthia yelled once more, cheeks inflating to inhumane levels before. "Roar! Roar! Roar!" She exhaled multiple times, sending multiple funnels of crimson flame towards Elieen.

"That other body is nothing more than a sack of meat." Elieen explained while deftly hopping from one pile of rubble to the next, evading the incoming roars that scorched the land in its warpath. "As for the ego of the girl who once inhabited this body, it's no more. Her name was Wendy, was it? Since I've now become this girl herself, I have been reborn as Wendy Belserion!"

"YOU ARE NOT WENDY!" Screaming, Cynthia took to the air and swung her leg down violently at Elieen's skull, though her impact was blocked by Elieen's arm, which was enhanced by an enchantment to mitigate the damage. Even still, a crater formed from the raw power Cynthia had behind her blow. She never exited Dragon Force after all, and despite this, there was a mixture of both rage and sadness in her eyes.

"Are you upset that I didn't choose you?" Elieen questioned. "I admit, you and I have some compatibility but your body is far too much of a cluttered mess. Meanwhile, this girl is the human I've always wanted to be!" She then pointed her hand forward, engulfing Cynthia in a massive blast that blew the girl backwards. "Oh? Her magic power isn't as low as I originally thought…she has quite a bit of untapped potential. It will be no issue for me to pull it out…"

Nobody was going to sit around and watch this anymore. Takeru dove into the shadows, slithering across the ground only to emerge directly behind Elieen, hand drawn back as darkness formed around it. "Shadow Dragon's-" Before he could attack. Elieen snapped back, her foot colliding against his cheek as an explosion of wind followed suit, blowing the shadow dragon backwards a considerable distance. "Gaaaaah!"

"Tak!" Selene narrowed her purple eyes. This situation was complete madness, but they had to fight back. It may have been Elieen in Wendy's body, but it wasn't Wendy… "Diamond Dragon's Roar!" Selene exhaled, releasing a potent funnel of diamond shrapnel right at Elieen.

"As unique as your element is…" Elieen lifted her up, a whirlwind shooting up right in the middle of the incoming roar's flight path. This completely diverted the roar into the sky where it dispersed into harmless nothing. "It's simply no good." If there was one thing Elieen was enjoying about this new body, it was how surprisingly strong and fast it was! In the next instant, Elieen was before Selene, swinging her arms to unleash a Sky Dragon's Wing Attack upon the diamond slayer, capturing her within the raging whirlwinds to blow her away, a cry of pain escaping her in the process.

It all happened so fast. By the time Erza's feet started moving, Elieen had already struck both Selene and Takeru. "Don't be silly! Cease this ridiculousness and get out of Wendy this instant!"

Elieen turned to Erza, scoffing at the notion. "You really are a brainless girl, aren't you? This is not some kind of possession." Before Erza could move any closer, Elieen was already in front of her, swinging her leg at Erza's gut. Her new legs were pretty strong and she enjoyed testing them out. "How many times until you understand, I became this girl herself! Sorry, but Mom has just been rejuvenated!"

Erza was on a knee after that gut kick. It was hard for her to attack Wendy's body even if it was Elieen residing in it. "You…"

"It's weird if this cute little girl has a daughter, isn't it?" Elieen questioned with a sinister smile crossing those once innocent lips. "Therefore, I have to erase your existence." She pointed a hand forward, engulfing Erza in another widespread blast that easily blew her away. The frightening part about all of this is that Elieen was using Wendy's strength as she mentioned before. Everything she was doing was something Wendy herself could have done if she realized it sooner. The only thing that carried over in this new body was her knowledge of enchantment spells, and since Wendy clearly showed how adept she was in those spells, Elieen lost nothing but some magic power. Not to mention…she hadn't even used Dragon Force yet. "So this is Sky Dragon Slaying magic…this is wonderful!"

Cynthia shook her head slowly. Attacking Elieen in Wendy's body was the hardest thing she ever had to do, but she swore that she'd kick this woman out if it was the last thing she did. Cynthia charged at Elieen once again, swinging right for her chest, but it was a miss. "That magic isn't yours either! I'm telling you this one last time; get out of Wendy's body right now!"

"Didn't you get the memo? I am Wendy now." Elieen smirked. "Your flames, however…as unique as they are, they feel lukewarm to this new body of mine. It's very clear that you and this body have some history together…so I wonder." As the wind picked up around Elieen, crimson flames started to mix in with the wind around her. A second nature told her to kick things up a notch, now making use of Omega Flame Sky. "Oh…? So that's why."

Cynthia's eyes went wide as Elieen made use Wendy's dual mode. "Y-You…"

"She's getting too much mileage off of her body…" Takeru grunted. "She's weaker than she was before, so if we can kill…"

"Tak…!" Selene cut her eyes at the shadow dragon.

"This is our only chance!" Takeru exclaimed.

"I won't allow it!" Erza yelled. "Wendy isn't dead! We aren't handing her over to that woman that easily!"

"Let's see…" Elieen began to inhale, wind and omega flames gathering within her mouth in a miniature vortex. "I didn't realize this little one had so much power!" Just a she lurched forward and exhaled, releasing a gigantic vortex of wind and omega flames shot from her mouth. The roar was so large; it swept everyone away in its fierce wake, leaving a trail in the earth from how power it was. "This is wonderful!" There were no words to describe the feeling of elation that graced Elieen in these moments. She felt young, she felt human, she felt _**alive**_.

"So much strength…!" Erza groaned while gripping onto her merged blade. "Wendy, please…!"

Cynthia should have known that her fire was essentially ineffective like this. The girl eventually caught herself and brown scales started to form over the red ones. Her eye color changed from blue to brown to signify the activation of her Earth Flame dual mode, and with a battle cry she lunged at Elieen, swinging her leg at her side, but it was countered by Elieen's own kick. The pressure between the two of them sent the trifecta of earth, wind, and fire exploding all around them. "Tch…!"

"For someone so angry, you're certainly holding back quite a bit…" Elieen pointed out with a taunting smile. She knew how to press buttons and enraged Cynthia even further. The two of them were then exchanging blows while sprinting across the ruined battlefield. They were both fast, appearing as blurs and multiple elemental explosions occurred in various spots. Unfortunately for Cynthia, there were a few things Wendy had over her – one of them being speed. It took everything Cynthia had just to barely keep up with Elieen, and even then, she was far outpaced in a serious battle. Elieen's leg collided against the opposing dragon slayer's cheek, causing her to spin out of control; a follow up was delivered to the back of Cynthia's neck, crushing her into the ground with such force she bounced, and as her body rebounded, Elieen placed her hand on Cynthia's chest and smile. "I must thank you for making my new body so strong. You have my sincere thanks." Following this statement, a potent burst of wind and omega flames carried Cynthia away with a cry of pain. Right after this, she left a fierce blow to her side. "Guh!?"

It was Takeru. He bided his time, taking advantage of Elieen dealing with Cynthia before moving in to strike. Just as he made impact, half of his body lit up in white light, now making use of his own White Shadow mode. "White Shadow Dragon's Iron Fist!" Following the initial impact, a powerful burst of light and shadows erupted from his fist, blowing Elieen away in the process for a direct hit.

"You…!" Elieen let out a cry of pain as she was forced in the opposite direction. During her flight, she noticed that Selene was waiting for her, preparing to capture her in some sort of diamond prison to escape her. A clever plot at first glance, but Elieen wasn't going to fall victim to this. As she flipped in the air, wind exploded from her palms to shoot her upwards and out of Selene's clutches. "Do you think I would fall victim to a trick such as that?!" She then swung her hand down, compressing the air to form a gigantic sphere of wind and flames that materialized right in front of Selene.

"Crap!" It was so sudden; the diamond dragon had little choice but to cross her arms as that was the only defense she could muster in time. The sphere exploded violently, consuming the slayer in its destructive wake,

As soon as Elieen landed, her focused turn to Takeru, who was already sprinting in her direction with another attack in mind. Elieen's lips curved upward and she took off, making the absolute most of her new speed as 'wings' of wind appeared along her arms. She beat Takeru to the punch, slashing at his side with the move Wendy used on her prior. "It seems this body is just too fast for all of you keep up with."

"Guh…!" Takeru felt a large gash form on his side, blood spurting out from the direct hit. Anyone who knew Wendy knew that she lacked aggression in most combat situations which was a combat flaw she needed to fix, but this wasn't Wendy Marvell anymore. It was Wendy Belserion (as far as the woman herself was concerned), and she had absolutely no issues being aggressive.

As Elieen continued to dart forward, there was Erza in her path, gripping her sword tightly. "If you don't get out of Wendy this instant…!"

"What will you do?" Elieen continued to sprint right at Erza. "Will you do it? Will you swing that sword at me?" She was getting closer and closer, rearing her arm back for what was going to be a brutal punch. Erza didn't have a lot of time to decide with the speed she was up against.

"…" Erza brought her sword up as Elieen drew near and she swung it down…halfheartedly. She couldn't do it. The swing itself was devastating, but the resolve behind it was lacking. As a result, Elieen was easily able to slip past Erza's strike and punch her right in the chest, a powerful torrent of wind and omega flames following suit. "Aaaaaaaah!" So much power. Erza rolled along the ground before ultimately lying on her side, recoiling from the hit.

"This is too wonderful. I love this body so much!" Elieen swiped her hand once more, creating another blast that focused solely on Erza, easily blowing her away with its destructive power. It was only natural that Elieen's animosity was focused on Erza. In order to fully become Wendy Belserion, she first needed to destroy the people that were standing here before her. There was no hesitation in her actions. Wendy Marvell was completely driven out of what was once her own body.

Cynthia panted heavily. The situation was continuing to spiral out of everyone's control. Elieen was fully in control of the battle for several reasons: Erza was hesitating, Cynthia's attributes were subconsciously engraved into Wendy's body, which Elieen was making use of, and she was simply too experienced and adept at using Wendy's magic to repel Takeru and Selene, who were the only two who had no issues pushing against Elieen herself. _"Wendy's always been faster than me, but I…I can slow her movements…!"_ The omega dragon placed her hands on the ground, causing the earth to quake. "Geo Rumble!" The earth began to shift unevenly, cracking as multiple plateaus formed all around. What was once a mostly flat field turned into an uneven terrain. The rising earth was also meant to strike Elieen, but she avoided that much with Wendy's speed.

"What is this…?" Elieen was hopping around to avoid being caught within the shaking earth. The worst thing about of this is…she felt a little sick for some reason. The ground violently trembling like this caused her body to weaken a little. "This is…?" Motion Sickness. Every Dragon Slayer's weakness. The shifting of the ground subconsciously reminded her of transportation and… "I…I don't…feel so great…" She tried to hold her hand up to cast a spell, but Cynthia was already closing in.

"Sword Horn!" Cynthia rammed her skull right into Elieen's gut. This was a blow that knocked the wind out of the Spriggan, causing her to recoil and fly backwards. Even though she finally scored a hit…Cynthia hated this. She hated every single second of this situation. The entire time this battle went on, she couldn't stop the tears falling.

"Guh…" Elieen was recoiling from the hit, but she stood back up with a grin. "That was quite a blow…" Before she could continue, crimson flames erupted from her body, scorching her momentarily. Elieen winced for a moment before the passive effect of her dual mode came into play, rendering the Flame Body curse of Cynthia's null and void. "I can see it in your eyes. How much you hate me in these very moments…" The wind around Elieen began to pick up once more, only to flare up intensely as the woman's blue hair shifted to a vibrant pink shade, her brown eyes also lighting up in the same color. Now Elieen was making use of Wendy's Dragon Force. It didn't take her very long to get accustomed to her new body at all. She was right at home.

"Cynthia, don't do it…!" Erza warned. Elieen was setting Cynthia up and she knew it. But what else was she supposed to do? Erza herself could barely muster the will to swing her sword.

Cynthia clenched her hand into a fist, the scales around her body fading away in favor of red, demonic markings. These markings crawled around her skin and the temperature in the immediate area skyrocketed as Cynthia entered her Demon Drive. "That body doesn't belong to you…"

"But even if you were to somehow remove me from it, it would become no better than the sack of meat over there." Elieen pointed to the disgusting body that was once her own. "Even so…you're more than welcome to try. I see the fire in your eyes…you're willing to do what must be done, aren't you? So come on then!"

"I swear I'll kick you out!" Cynthia screamed while leaping towards Elieen. The two met in the middle, a fierce shockwave of fire and wind booming out. Both girls were locked in close combat, which is what Cynthia normally excelled in, but against Elieen…she wasn't used to such aggressive actions from Wendy's body.

The heatwave these two produced was nearly unbearable. Takeru had to shield himself to prevent from being blown away. "If we're lucky, maybe they'll kill each other…"

"Don't speak like that!" Erza cut her eyes at Takeru, meanwhile she held an anxious gaze while watching Cynthia fight. As hard as this was on her, she knew for a fact that this was even harder than Cynthia.

"Omega Fire Demon's Rage!"

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

Both attacks were unleashed at point blank range, causing a widespread explosion that annihilated some of the leveled earth around the two of them. Both girls were sent flying back, though Elieen was able to catch herself with an elegant flip, while Cynthia had to dig her fingers in the dirt to slow her momentum. "Hm…" Elieen hummed.

Cynthia came to a halt and allowed her wings to spread out once more. Demonic flames, focused around her hand, taking the shape of a claw. "….I'll do it."

"What!?" Erza's eyes widened. "Cynthia…!"

"Cynthia?!" Selene and Takeru were also taken aback. It was surprising enough to see Cynthia hit Wendy's body, but to go beyond that!?

This just made Elieen giggle. "Oh?" Elieen drew her hand back as well, the wind focusing to a sharp claw. It was ironic how these two were mirroring one another. "I welcome you to try. Will you take your anger, your hatred, your scorn, and unleash it all upon me to rend me from this body? Come on then, _Cynthia._ "

That tone. The way Elieen spoke using Wendy's voice…the way she used Wendy's body for her own selfish ambitions…Cynthia couldn't take it! "RAAAAAH!" Roaring at the top of her lungs, Cynthia dove right at Elieen, rearing her claw back with violent intent. Elieen didn't say a word, but she also reared her hand back, not budging an inch as Cynthia drew closer. Soon, the two both moved and there was dead silence as another fierce heatwave blew out. The sight before the others had them stunned into silence.

"No way…" Selene gasped.

Droplets of crimson dropped onto the ground. Cynthia's claw stopped right in front of Elieen's chest, just over her heart….while Elieen's own claw dug deep into the girl's side. The thing was, Elieen didn't beat Cynthia to the punch, nor was Cynthia stopped when Elieen hit her. Cynthia stopped on her own. "You know what else I see in your eyes? The love you have for this body. Your sadness, your rage…"

"…." Cynthia's mouth hung open in shock. She couldn't even muster any sound except the pained noises.

"You talked a big game, but you never had any intentions of killing this body from the start, did you? You were just trying to fool yourself into thinking you could." Elieen tilted her head curiously. Cynthia's answer wasn't required, because she already knew the truth. A strange light started to flow around Cynthia as a sinister grin crept on Elieen's lips once more. "Detachment enchantment: Heal Block. The air of death around you is strong…so how about we permanently fix this, hm? Now healing magic won't be working on you…so when you go down, you'll stay down this time, won't you, _Cynthia_?" There was that tone again. Elieen couldn't help but relish in the despair on Cynthia's face. "Dying by this body's hand must be so hard for you. But don't worry, you won't have to suffer anymore." Right after she said this, a point blank, powerful blast was unleashed from the hand that was inside Cynthia. The blast pierced right through the girl's side and continued on for a few yards.

"AAAAAAH!" Cynthia let out a cry of pain as she was forced from Elieen's hand. Cynthia's body tumbled along the ground, blood leaking out from what was nearly a hole in her side. Eventually she came to a halt, her eyes wide in shock, and her was body completely frozen in shock as a small pool of crimson formed around her. The markings on her body receded and she just lied there in a growing puddle of her own blood. "….."

"CYNTHIA!" Erza immediately rushed over to Cynthia's side, only to be interrupted by a blast of wind. "Augh!"

"The game is over." Elieen stated.

"This is a game to you?!" Titania slowly attempted to push herself up, but the damage being dealt made that difficult.

"White Shadow Dragon's Roar!" Takeru pointed his head forward, unleashing a potent funnel of light and shadows directly at Elieen. If Wendy really was in there somewhere, then there was all too high a chance that she would've stopped from injuring Cynthia so gravely. But since it didn't happen, Takeru was now 100% convinced that Wendy was gone, and this was their only chance to kill Elieen.

Elieen pointed her hand forward, creating an enchantment to stop the incoming roar before it could reach her. It was an invisible barrier that held the attack off, much to the shadow dragon's annoyance. "This is a game. Thanks to you all, I've adjusted to this new body already. I'll have to explain to His Majesty what's happened when I return, but thank you allowing me this chance." Elieen then swiped her hand once, several spheres of wind and omega flames appearing around him. These orbs moved in a clockwise rotation, rapidly closing the distance before all converging on Takeru where they exploded violently.

"GAAAAH!" Takeru cried out

"Secret Art Revision…" Selene muttered as long, curved blades of diamond formed at her wrists. The diamond dragon began spinning in place, conjuring a rotating vortex of shadows that matched her spinning movements. This twister rapidly spread out, enveloping Elieen within this vortex of shadows. While Elieen was briefly caught within the darkness, thousands of dark purple blades of diamond were released from Selene's wrists and into the darkness with full intentions to impale the girl trapped within. She didn't particularly enjoy doing something like this to Wendy's body, but she and Takeru reluctantly accepted that this was the enemy before them now. "Dark Hurricane!"

"Oh…?" Elieen crossed her arms as she was caught within the hurricane of darkness. It didn't take her very long to realize that this was only the beginning. Sharp blades began to shoot out from various angles in attempt to impale her. While she was able to dodge, the blades did graze her skin. "Going for the kill? I'm afraid you'll have to up the ante. Physical ability raise: Deus Eques!" A bright white light shrouded Elieen's body as she increased her attributes. In the next instant, she appeared outside of the twister's range with her arms crossed in a crouched position. Shortly after she emerged, a violent twister of wind and omega flames erupted from the eye of the shadow hurricane, catching Selene within its scorching wake.

"AAAAAH!" Selene ended up falling to the ground, clenching one eye shut. "What the hell is going on here…was Wendy really that strong all this time!?"

"Such power for an enchanter…" Elieen stared at her petite hand. "Yet, she was far too passive." The girl then started to float into the air, wind aiding in her ascent over everyone else.

"Wendy, please, drive her out!" Erza yelled while beginning to sprint forward.

"How many times must I repeat myself? This girl's ego is dead!" Elieen laughed.

There was a small incline that led to Elieen's position in the air. Erza darted along hill while drawing her combined blade backwards. "I WON'T HAND WENDY OVER TO YOU!" Erza drew her sword backwards, preparing to strike with all her might.

Elieen simply stared at Erza, a wry grin on her lips. "Do you dare…to kill this body? Will you follow through?"

The only way to win was to kill Wendy. The instant Erza finally realized this…

" _It is a pain of parting with those who you love…you can bury such feelings in your friends. Come to Fairy Tail…"_ It was Erza who was there for Wendy when Cait Shelter was no more. Even though Cynthia and Wendy were extremely close, Erza was the big sister that Wendy always wanted…and Wendy was the little sister Erza was glad to have. They charged together in battle, they fought together, had so many memories…

" _This time, let us be the ones to protect you."_

Those were Wendy's words. Erza never doubted their determination to protect her, and she swore to herself she'd protect them and yet…Cynthia was down and bleeding out, while Wendy was just erased. Even though she _knew_ the person in front of her wasn't Wendy…Erza couldn't swing. Last time was a halfhearted attempt to fight back, but now she couldn't even muster the willpower to swing her sword and she hesitated – no, she didn't even swing. "…"

"HAHAHAHA!" Elieen knew this is how things would turn out. Wind wrapped around her hand and she slashed against Erza's face, sending her daughter tumbling down the incline. Elieen then brought her hand up as an evil smile formed on her lips. "Enchant the armor! EXPLOSION!"

Erza's armor began to shine brightly. There was nothing she could do as the armor she donned betrayed her, exploding violently while utterly annihilating the incline she was on. "UAAAAAA!" Titania's body helplessly fell to the ground. "Ngh…"

Cynthia was down, Erza couldn't move, Takeru was struggling to stand, and Selene was on a knee. In Elieen's eyes, this battle was over. "I believe it's time to close the curtain on this charade…" The high enchanter lifted a hand into the sky, wisps of winds and omega flames beginning to form above her. The accumulation of wind and fire turned into a gigantic sphere that rivaled the size of a meteor with its sheer power. The temperature in the area skyrocketed while the wind whipped wildly.

"An attack like that…" Selene bared her fangs. She didn't like their chances against something like that in their condition.

"Goodbye!" Elieen didn't waste any time. It was time to erase everything that kept 'Elieen' tied to this world so she could officially move on as 'Wendy'. There was nothing to stop the sphere as it crashed into the earth, resulting in a widespread explosion of heat that covered everything within a few kilometer radius. Even though Emmeraude could hardly move, she still had the magic to muster a barrier of darkness to protect herself from the aftermath of the explosion. Elieen's brown eyes watched with glee as the smoke began to clear…her eyes went wide in shock. Everyone was fine!?

"The damage is low!?" Erza was shocked.

"What the…" Selene was unscathed despite that massive explosion. She glanced at Cynthia for a moment to see that she was unharmed from it as well.

"What happened!?" Takeru asked the million jewel question.

"Increasing all attribute resistances: Deus Corona." That voice caught everyone's attention. "If we are fellow enchanters, then maybe I can do it too…" Elieen's former body stood up, hunched over. "It took me quite long, but…it's me, everyone. I'm Wendy."

"WENDY!?" Erza's jaw dropped. She was both shocked but elated to know that Wendy was still alive!

"No way…!" Takeru gasped.

"She was always a stubborn one…" Selene managed to crack a slight smile. Counting a Fairy Tail mage out? What was she thinking? They always found a way to come back when you least expected it.

"These breasts are so heavy…" Wendy groaned while squeezing her chest. The reason she hunched over wasn't because of the damage's done to Elieen's former body; it was because she was unaccustomed to having big breasts and her sense of balance was off because of it. Plus, her back kind of hurt…

"IMPOSSIBLE…!" Elieen was both horrified and shocked. "It can't be! That kid was able to enchant herself into my body!?" Compatibility worked both ways. If Elieen was compatible with Wendy's body, then it was only natural that the opposite was true.

Wendy then held her hands apart, a sphere of magic forming between her palms. "Your magic power is incredible. But you will regret entering my body…and I'm going to make you regret using my body to hurt my family and friends. Everyone, get down!" Wendy yelled while chucking the sphere forward. Takeru, Selene, and Erza all dove to the side as the sphere of enchantment magic right at Elieen.

Elieen could only hold her ground, pointing her arms forward to brace for the sphere that came at her. She was able to stop it, but she was sliding back across the ground too fast for her liking. "Kuh…! S-She's pushing me away!?"

Wendy then swiped her hand to the side. "Detachment enchantment."

"Wha…!?" Elieen felt it. A pulse in her body. For a moment, she nearly lost control of her body and one could see her 'spirit' just outside of Wendy's body. "Are you trying to pull me out of your body!?"

"Exactly." Wendy said with a slight smirk. "Now that I'm in your body, I'm stronger than you now."

What the hell was this girl…? "Who the hell…?" Elieen couldn't even fathom what was happening right now.

Wendy increased the intensity of her enchantment, pushing Elieen back even further. "GIVE ME BACK MY BODY! It's good to know how it is to have big breasts, but I kept living in this little body of mine!"

"DAMN YOOOOOOOU!" Elieen screamed at the top of her lungs, now using one hand to violently claw at her own side! It was desperation. She just got her new body, her new life! Wendy Marvell wasn't supposed to exist anymore, yet this brat had the AUDACITY to try and pull away her new life from her!? She absolutely couldn't have that. She refused! REFUSED! She was not going to hand this body over even if it killed her! She was human now and absolutely no one was going to take that away from her!

"What the?!" Erza gasped.

"She's mad!" Selene glared.

"Talk about a sore loser…!" Takeru had to keep his eyes shielded from the intense light from Wendy's efforts.

"EVEN NOW, YOU WANT THIS BODY BACK!?" Elieen held a desperate, evil smile on her lips. She continued to raked at her own side, the wound getting deeper and deeper, blood soaking her hand. "I WON'T GIVE IT TO YOU! NOT WHEN I FINALLY OBTAINED IT! _**I WILL NEVER GIVE IT BACK!**_ "

"Wounds on my body are proof that I was alive!" Wendy yelled. "They're like an order for fighting for Fairy Tail! I don't care how scarred my body will become! Inside this body are the memories of the precious people I met! Fairy Tail, Cynthia, Chelia…all my friends. I made those memories with this body!"

" _ **YOU CAN'T HAVE THIS BODY BACK!"**_ Elieen shrieked, barely managing to keep Wendy at bay. She'd kill herself if it meant never having to relent this body! As the wound got deeper and deeper, she suddenly felt her hands being restrained. "WHAT!?"

"I told you, didn't I…?" Cynthia's voice was weak, but her grip was surprisingly strong. "One way or another…I'd get you out of her body."

"Cynthia!?" Erza gasped. How did she get there so fast…!? Wait, no…that wasn't it. Nobody noticed it until Cynthia appeared, but Wendy was pushing Elieen back towards Cynthia as she was standing back up!

Elieen's eyes were wide and she glanced back at Cynthia. "How!? HOW ARE YOU STILL MOVING!?" One look at Cynthia's face and you could see how badly she was holding up, but despite that, there was a fire alight in those blue eyes of hers. One could even see the trail of blood behind Cynthia, but there was something more important…that wound of hers. Cynthia's entire midsection was charred black to cauterize the grave injury and close it for the most part. It was insane, but there was really nothing Cynthia wouldn't do when it came to her family. "Y…You burned your own body that severely!?"

Cynthia didn't want to hear it. Her expression showed how weak she felt, but the ironclad grip she had on Elieen betrayed that look. "Using Wendy's body to hurt me, Erza, Selene, and Takeru…" That was just the first offense, but the one Cynthia truly could never forgive? "And then trying to kill yourself in that body!? I WILL NEVER FORGIVE THAT!"

Wendy's lips curved up into a slight smile. Now, Elieen had no defense. _"Thank you Cynthia…"_

"NOW GET OUT OF HER BODY!"

"NOW GET OUT OF MY BODY!"

Wendy and Cynthia exclaimed this at the same time, just as the light shining in the area intensified. "DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN!" Elieen cursed when the light enveloped everything.

"WENDY! CYNTHIA!" Erza's voice carried nothing but concern for the two of them.

The slight slowly faded and…everyone was back where they should have been. Elieen was standing in complete and utter shock over the events that just transpired, while Wendy and Cynthia were hunched over. Wendy was bleeding a lot from Elieen's unintentional parting gift, but she was back in her body. "Erza-san…Cynthia…everyone…" Wendy weakly said as her body was forced out of Dragon Force due to her injuries. Unfortunately she couldn't stand anymore, and neither could Cynthia. The two of them collapsed side by side.

"Wendy! You're back!" Erza was more than happy about this.

"These two…" Selene let out a sigh of relief.

"Geez…only Fairy Tail…" That was not a compliment either. Takeru thought the situation was made a lot more difficult than it needed to be, but…it worked out. Somehow.

"Yes…" Wendy was on the verge of passing out. "Can we…leave the rest to you…?"

"I'm sorry…" Cynthia's eyes were slowly closing, her consciousness slipping away from her with how grave her injuries were. "I can't fight anymore…"

Erza remained silent for a moment as a golden glow wrapped around her body. It was time to done her Clear Heart Armor. Whatever magic she had remaining, she'd focus completely on offense. And now that Elieen was now longer in possession of Wendy's body, Erza saw absolutely no reason to hold back anymore. "….Selene, Takeru, can you two still fight?"

"Yeah." Selene stood up, purple eyes glaring at Elieen.

"Count on it." Takeru said with a slight nod.

With their answers, Erza turned to the girls, giving them their answer before their consciousness escaped them. "Of course you two can." Then, her glared was fixated on Elieen. "I'll make sure to finish this."

There were no words in any language to describe Elieen's anger. Enraged, angered, irritated, furious, livid, furious…all of them were understatements. There may have been no words, but Elieen's scowl said it all for her. How dare these people snatch away her humanity when it was within her grasp!? How dare they…HOW DARE THEY!? Connected by scarlet bonds and black hatred…the climax of this mother and daughter was about to reach its conclusion one way or another. _**"YOU FUCKING BRATS!"**_

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Next Time: Show Me Your Smile.


	87. Chapter 87: Show Me Your Smile

Wendy and Cynthia were down for the count. This left Erza, Selene, and Takeru against a pissed off Elieen. With her Cleart Heart Armor, Erza held her sword tightly. "Wendy…Cynthia. I promise you that we'll finish this soon."

"Soon, you said?" Elieen was amused, but her expression didn't show it. "I wonder if you can even make me laugh." The Spriggan then threw her hand to the side as she generated the magic power for a massive explosion. "A 400 YEAR OLD LIVING BEING IS BEFORE YOU!" The woman screamed just as the explosion took place, covering a huge radius, but the three before her were narrowly able of escaping without injury.

"Your age doesn't mean a damn thing!" Selene barked.

"All it means is that you're old!" Takeru shot.

How annoying! Elieen closed her hand, causing beams of magic to literally manifest from thin air. These beams were fast and there were plenty to spare. Erza and the others had to flip and parry them away to avoid being hit. It was clear that Elieen was trying to kill them before, but now she was coming at them with raw, unadulterated killing intent. "I had been protecting you for 400 years! YOU ARE A NATSY LITTLE GIRL WHO WAS NOT EVEN USEFUL WHEN YOU WERE BORN! YOU INTEND TO INTERFERE WITH MY HAPPINESS EVEN NOW!?"

Erza slid backwards along the ground before sprinting forward once more. "I understand your misery, but…" Titania leapt forward, swinging her sword at Elieen's side. Its blunt force was matched only by the woman's arm. "I CANNOT LOSE!"

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MY MISERY!?" Elieen screamed while swinging her arm at Erza, who defended with her sword. Even so, the raw power Elieen had was not to be underestimated. Erza flew backwards but she caught herself, tossing her sword into the air to bring out the Ten Commandments Spear. It was on Silfarion, and the speed boost allowed her to close the gap between fast. Once close, Erza shifted the spear to the Explosion head, which resulted in a powerful explosion against Elieen's already injured gut. "GAAAH!"

As Elieen tumbled backwards, Selene was setting up another one of her secret arts. A plethora of diamond weapons appeared all around the Spriggan, their sharpened points all aimed at her. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art! Gleaming Essence: Riot!" On her command, the diamond weapons began to plunge towards Elieen. The diamond dragon already had a trick up her sleeve in case Elieen, decided to move, which she did try, but…

Diamonds glued Elieen's feet to the ground. There was a brief moment of surprise until the weapons crashed down on her. The moment they did, an explosion occurred from Elieen's palm, shattering the diamonds around her. "WHAT DO ANY OF YOU KNOW ABOUT MY MISERY!? YOU'RE ALL JUST UNGRATEFUL FUCKING BRATS!" The woman then pointed her hand at Elieen, a condensed beam of magic blowing the diamond dragon away.

Just as Selene was blown away, Takeru emerged from the depths of the shadows, slamming his glowing hand into Elieen's exposed side. "White Shadow Dragon's Unholy Nova!" From his hand, a potent blast of light and shadows erupted and enveloped Elieen. He was hoping that he'd push her back, but instead her hand gripped his face and an explosion occurred as she physically drove him into the ground. "Ugh!"

At that moment, Erza's blade came back down and she grabbed it while rushing at Elieen once again. What did she know about Elieen's misery? "I got caught in the village where you threw me away. For many years, it was caught in the heinous actions of a cult. My misery is not as unpleasant as yours, but at that time, I kept thinking of the precious ones I loved. And thanks to that, I became who I am now!" Erza's words only further increased Elieen's rage. Despite that, Titania would push forward. "Painful moments were overcome because I have friends! THAT IS A BEAUTIFUL THING!"

Elieen's scowl could not grow any deeper, but if it could, it would. "I HATE YOUR PRESENCE AND ALL. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A GOOD THIING THAT I HAD GIVEN BIRTH TO YOU!" As Elieen screamed, scales started to appear on her face and her eyes changed. _**"DIE DIE DIE! DISSAPPEAR! OOOOOOOOOOH!"**_ The aura around the woman shifted completely.

"Wha-?!" Erza didn't understand what was happening.

"She's…!" It finally hit Takeru. Even though he listened closely to Elieen's story, there was one thing that always bothered him about her scent. Now that her body was completely changing, he finally understood. "Shit! GET BACK!"

Elieen's body was halfway through its transformation. Her hands turned into sharp claws and she swung at Erza, causing her to tumble along the ground. "Ugh!" She did manage to halt herself, but the sight before her was one she was never expecting to see. There stood Elieen, now in her full dragon glory.

"She turned into a dragon!?" Selene's eyes nearly popped out of her head. She knew Elieen was a dragon based on her story, but to see a human actually turn dragon like this…

"Damn it…now it all makes sense." Takeru growled. "She went crazy because despite having a human body, she was always a dragon. Her human form was a wolf in sheep's clothing!" Luckily for these three, however, this wasn't their first time dealing with a dragon.

"She's swinging, look out!" Selene warned as Elieen's claw came right at Erza. Thanks to Selene's warning, Erza was just narrowly able to avoid a blow that could have easily shattered all the bones in her body.

"Tch…!" Erza flipped and landed on her feet. What she wouldn't give to have another use of the Eternal Sword right about now…but that didn't matter. She was going to have to make due with her current arsenal, and luckily she had two dragon slayers on her side. "Can you two break her scales!?"

"Probably…" Takeru admitted. He wasn't entirely sure. The issue here was that Elieen was radiating an aura that outmatched even the dragons on the Isle. It there was a chance she may have been just as strong as Dhegensea himself like this… "But I'm a dragon slayer, so I'm going to slay this dragon!"

"Right!" Selene nodded in agreement. She was the first one to act, exhaling a potent gray funnel right at Elieen's chest. "Diamond Dragon's Roar!"

"You dragon slayers are fools! I am your mother, do you truly think I don't know how this works!?" Elieen brought a wing forward, using this to shield against Selene's roar. As soon as the roar dispersed, Elieen's claw dug into the ground and a bright light seeped out from the many cracks in the broken earth.

"Incoming! Erza yelled. There wasn't much they could do about the entire ground exploding, thus shooting all of them into the air violently. "Aaaaah!" Elieen then focused her attention on Erza, her tail violently swinging down towards Titania. There was contact and Erza was crushed into the ground…or so Elieen thought. At the last second, Selene was capable of conjuring a diamond shield around Erza to shield her from Elieen's crushing attack. "Ah…"

Takeru emerged from the shadows, leaping into the sky and at Elieen's back, a blade of darkness and light materializing into his hands. "White Shadow Dragon's Blade!" Takeru swung this sword down, managing to graze Elieen's upper back. Unfortunately for him, before the cutting motion was complete, Elieen brought another claw forward to backhand Takeru away. He shielded this with the entirety of his arm and…that was a mistake. "…!" Takeru's eyes widened in pain as hit the ground. _"My arm…she broke it in a single strike…!? My leg too…"_ He bit his tongue to prevent from crying out in pain, but anyone could tell that he was not okay after an impact like that.

"Tak!" Selene cried out in worry.

Elieen didn't even bother inhaling. She simply opened her mouth, a potent blast of magic escaping her maw. It made a beeline for Takeru, utterly annihilating everything in its path. "Shit…!" Takeru wasn't going to be able to move in time…!

But that's when Erza dove forward, using the Silfarion's speed boost to reach Takeru, grab him, and dive out of the way just in the nick of time. It wasn't the most graceful save, so the two of them were tumbling along the ground as the devastating blast carried on for miles on end. "Now we're even." Erza told Takeru, knowing full well he was going to be unhappy with the notion of 'owing' a Fairy. Now, Erza switched the spear to Rune Save and charged forward once more.

"Why won't you just stay out of my way!?" Elieen roared angrily, her wings expanding as several orbs of magic appeared around her. These orbs then began to fire relentless beams of raw magic at Erza, attempting to force her into submission with this never ending bombardment.

"Because you are blocking the path to my guild! You harmed my comrades! It doesn't matter if you're a human, dragon, demon, or even a god! I will take down anyone who stands against Fairy Tail!" Erza yelled while swinging the spear around, using its magic slicing properties to clear a path for herself.

"You ungrateful brat! I WILL KILL YOU!" Elieen actually inhaled this time. If she was capable of releasing such a potent blast with a simple exhale, then what was coming was truly cataclysmic. The dragon then lurched her head forward, the blast she unleashed dwarfing the one from seconds ago.

" _Here it comes…!"_ Erza prepared herself, lunging forward while pointing Rune Save ahead of her. The blast of magic before her was simply too large to completely cut, which is why Erza focused on making a path towards Elieen. The outer edges of the magic completely burned away at her already injured body, but she fought through the pain and made a risky gambit. Just as she neared Elieen, she focused a large amount of the spear's magic into the Explosion spear; since the Ten Commandments Spear worked on its own reservoir of magic, she could afford to take this risk with it. "My spear will open the way!" And just as she neared Elieen's mouth, a bright white light took the place of an explosion. "AAAGH!" Erza was sent flying back as a result.

"Guh!" Elieen's head snapped somewhat to the left, causing her to growl in annoyance.

Erza landed harshly on the ground, letting out a grunt of pain. The Ten Commandments spear was badly damaged after that explosion. The damage dealt to Elieen wasn't as great as she hoped, and she realized that she wasn't going to get much more mileage out of her spear before it broke. That was the least of her worries as Elieen's large hand came down to flatten Erza. "…!"

"Don't just sit there!" Selene scolded, her form dipping into the darkness to snatch Erza, dive into the shadows, and emerge not too far away. "Stop trying to do this by yourself!" The diamond dragon glared at Selene. With a dragon, her forte, in their presence, it was only natural she felt the need to get it through Erza's thick skull. "Tak and I can seriously wound her, then you can finish her off, got it!?" Selene then turned to Elieen, bending her knees while shooting forward. "Diamond Dragon's Armored Horn!" The diamond dragon slammed her sharpened skull right into Elieen's chest, the impact having some effect, but…

"Just because you can strike my scales…doesn't mean you have the power to completely break through them!" That being said, being hit by this powerful Dragon Slaying did hurt a bit. Not enough to stop Elieen, though. Elieen's hand was alight in magic and she smashed it against Selene's frame, a powerful explosion blowing the diamond dragon backwards.

"GAAAH!" Before Selene could even fly too far, Elieen's tail quickly followed up to crush the girl into the ground! Selene's purple eyes went wide as her body completely stopped moving after that. Her diamond durability allowed her to survive such a blow, but she didn't take it well. "I can't…move…?" Her body went into shock. A few bones were broken, but for the most part she was…alive. Even so, her condition was not great.

"Damn it…" Takeru was lopsided. With his left arm and leg broken, he couldn't even support himself, let alone aim a proper attack.

"Selene…!" Erza grit her teeth. This situation was rapidly spiraling out of their control. Thanks to Selene and Takeru, Elieen had a few noticeable open wounds on her body. If Erza could get close and exploit them. As she thought about what to do, she just noticed Elieen's claw coming at her again. There was no time to dodge and Erza brought her sword up as a weak defense for the crushing power that sent her flying back several yards. "ACK!"

"Now the three of you shouldn't be able to move anymore." Elieen looked down at all three of them. Takeru could barely stand and Selene's body stopped responding to her all together.

As for Erza…she lied on the ground, panting heavily. At the last second before impact, Selene was able to use her diamonds to benefit Erza. Normally, Selene used her diamonds to entrap her foes within their usually unbreakable grip…but that didn't mean she couldn't use them to protect someone either. A shield of diamond appeared around Erza, and though Elieen broke it, it absorbed most of the blunt force, leaving Erza with fractured bones instead of completely broken ones. She could still move…maybe, probably. She was slowly managing something, but despite that, this battle seemed decided in Elieen's eyes.

"As Sage Dragon, I can even amplify the power of my enchantments. To surpass even High Enchant…Master Enchant." Elieen stared down at the trio who opposed her. Erza was still trying to move despite all odds. How futile it all was. "Everything on the earth, sky and in the see…I have the power to transcend it all. Enchant into Heavenly Body…" There was a twinkle in the skies above. If it was visible from their location, then…

" _I can barely move…"_ Erza placed her hands on the ground, slowly pushing herself. One wrong movement, one wrong impact, and every single bone in her body would give out and shatter. _"Selene saved my life, but I can't do anything like this…"_

"NOT EVEN A LAST VESTIGE OF YOUR EXISTANCE WILL REMAIN, ERZAAAAA!" Elieen roared to heaven itself. "DEUS SAMA!" From the depths of space…a gigantic meteor was descending towards Earthland…directly towards the sight of this battle.

Takeru stared up at the clouds as they swirled around. His eyes were wide in both shock and horror. To think that any being was capable of this… "Oh no…"

"I-It's coming right at us…" Selene groaned while staring up at the sky.

Erza was in shocked awe. _"I-It's even greater than Jellal's magic! If that hits me, I'll die without a doubt…no, not only me…everyone here will…"_ Her gaze went to Cynthia and Wendy, the two of them still unconscious. Selene and Takeru weren't down yet, but asking them to fight was a lot. Erza was the only one who could do something about this. Her body slowly stood up, but if she jumped at that meteor the wrong way, she would break. ….That didn't matter. Because this war wasn't about what she could or couldn't do. Right now, she _had_ to do something! If she didn't everyone and everything around was going to die and she absolutely could not allow that to happen! "If you two can still move, please, help me!"

"Stop yelling at me, damn it…" Takeru groaned while glancing at Selene. They may not have been able to help deal with the meteor itself, but if Erza believed she could, they'd take a chance on her only this once. "Serena!"

"R-Right…!" Even though Selene couldn't move, that didn't stop her from conjuring diamonds where she wished. A large pillar of diamond emerged from under Erza's feet and rocketed high into the sky. "Tak…!"

"White Shadow Dragon's…Eruption!" At the apex of the pillar of diamonds, Takeru focused his shadows at the tip of the pillar, creating a holy explosion to shoot Erza further into the air.

Just as Takeru did that, Erza used the Ten Commandments Spear's Explosion spear to push herself even faster! Now, Erza was rocketing into the sky to meet the meteor head on! A golden light wrapped around her body once more and she brought out the strongest armor and weapon in her arsenal to go along with what became the Saint Spear Revalt: The Armor of Nagakami. With both spears in her hands, Erza Scarlet felt as though she was prepared to face this challenge head on. "I HAVE TO DO THIS!"

What…what was she doing!? Elieen's jaw dropped at Erza's actions. "She's going straight at the meteorite?! How stupid can she be!?" Surely, no human could be that stupid! "There's no way that a mere human can stop the meteorite!?" It was pure suicide. Not only was this meteor incredibly powerful, but anyone could see that Erza's body was at the verge of shattering. If she failed, her body would break and she would die instantly along with everyone else behind her. Hell, even _if_ she somehow managed to succeed, there was no guarantee that she'd even survive the inevitable explosion! It would take a miracle for her to even survive that!

As Erza flew towards the meteor, her grip on both weapons tightly. She only had once chance. If she messed up, she was dead. If she failed, everyone behind her was dead. But the fear of losing everyone didn't make her hesitate. It was that very fear that strengthened her resolve. In this war, even if they didn't get along, every guild in the country became allies. They were protecting each other, helping each other fight against these monsters who far surpassed them. That's why she had to protect everyone! "At some point, people started to call me Titania. To be honest, I never cared what others were calling me, but…if you are the Queen of Dragons, then being the Queen of Fairies isn't so bad." A slight smirk appeared on Erza's lips as everyone could only watch her fly towards the face of adversity. "A queen is someone who loves and protects everyone! EVEN IF MY BODY IS TORN TO PIECES, I'LL PROTECT THEM ALL! MASTER! PLEASE LEND ME YOUR POWER!"

Emmeraude scowled at Erza's words. How convenient of her to say such a thing when it fit her. "…."

Elieen…she didn't know how to feel. To see Erza flying at this with such conviction. It struck a strange chord in her heart that she thought had long since vanished. _"What…what is my daughter doing…?"_ She didn't even realize it, but that was the first time since this encounter that she genuinely referred to Erza as her daughter.

The golden light around Erza's body intensified, coming from both the Saint Spear, and the spear that accompanied the Armor of Nagakami. As the Queen of Fairies neared the meteor, she held both spears forward. "NAGAKAMI: STARLIGHT!" The two spears collided against the meteorite, resulting in a massive explosion. The meteor was destroyed, large pieces of its debris now falling from the sky, crashing sporadically on the area below.

" _To do such a thing…impossible!"_ Elieen gasped. It was at this moment that Elieen finally understood why Emmeraude called her daughter a miracle worker. To destroy a meteor of that caliber was nothing short of miraculous.

"Guh…!" Erza didn't make it out of that explosion unscathed. The two spears and the armor she used were completely destroyed in the powerful explosion. But despite this, she continued to fall, a determined glare on her face as she once again donned her Clear Heart Armor. There was a single blade in her hands, the same blade that helped her cut through many foes and obstacles in her path before. She would open the way to her guild with this sword alone! "PREPARE YOURSELF!" Erza screamed as she fell from the sky.

"Even though you managed to destroy that meteor, you can't slash through dragon scales, ERZA!" Elieen roared, and she had a point. What was Erza going to do with that measly sword? Unforuntately for Elieen, she was so focused on Erza's actions, she forgot about the two dragon slayers who _could_ break through her scales.

"NOW!" Takeru may not have been able to move as well as he wanted, but he could still use magic, and since Elieen was briefly distracted, it was time to unload everything he had on her! An overly large magic circle formed above the dragon, forming the White Eclipse insignia. This insignia pulsed with a white light before dropping down a gargantuan beam of shadow dragon slaying, morphing into a dragon's head mid-descent to drop down on Elieen and force her into the ground. "Dragon slaying secret art: Eternal Eclipse!"

Just as Takeru acted, so did Selene. She forced herself onto all fours, her adamant tenacity shining through at this pivotal moment. A magic circle formed underneath Elieen just as Takeru created one above her. "Gleaming Essence: Adamant Graveyard!" The Sage Dragon had the pleasure of being at the center of the magic seal as shadows seeped up, beginning to stretch across the field as dark purple diamond beams stemmed from the circle. These beams were extremely sharp and shot out for lethal damage against the dragon before them, rising up to strike her exposed underbelly; while Takeru's secret art attacked her from above.

Sandwiched between these two attacks, Elieen could only roar in agony. These dragon slayers…when did they get so strong!? Wendy, Cynthia, Selene, and Takeru…their power was admittedly amazing, and this was coming from the Mother of all Dragon Slayers. "RAAAAAAAH!" Elieen's pained roar shook the earth as blood leaked from several wounds. Not yet…NOT YET!

"Erza, now…!" Selene yelled in a demanding tone as her body returned to normal. That one spell took every ounce of magic she had left. If they were going to finish this, it had to be right now.

"You better not miss either!" Takeru exclaimed as his body was forced back to its normal state.

"If that's all you were capable of, then this is over!" Elieen turned back to face Erza. A wounded dragon was an extremely dangerous foe, so if they failed, they were dead. As far as Elieen was concerned, this battle was over, but all they managed to do was enrage her!

At that moment, Wendy slowly regained consciousness and lifted her hand up. She was vaguely aware of the situation and knew what it was she had to do. The Sky Dragon weakly held her hand up as a soft light emanated from her palm. "I can…enchant Dragon Slaying into Erza-san's sword…" There was a light around Wendy, Cynthia, Selene, and Takeru as she enchanted their magic into Erza's blade.

Erza's sword was now ablaze with wind, omega fire, diamonds, and shadows. It was no Eternal Sword, but for this moment, it was more than enough. Elieen let out a disgruntled gasp at Wendy's abilities. Even now, this little girl continued to vex her!? "WHA-!?"

"THIS IS THE END!" Erza roared while swinging her sword down, starting at Elieen's neck, and cleaving all the way down to her torso and stomach! With four different types of dragon slaying flaring around her blade, the damage dealt was astronomical, and Elieen's scream of pain made this abundantly clear as well. But the moment Erza hit the ground…her body broke. Every single bone in her body, except her right hand, was broken from that impact, and she dropped her sword in the process. "Ah…AAAAAAAAAH!" That sort of pain wasn't something she could ignore either.

"GAAAAAAAAH!" Elieen roared as her dragon body started to collapse. The damage was so severe; she was forced back into her 'human' form.

"Erza-san…" Wendy groaned. She couldn't move.

"Ngh…" Cynthia started to regain consciousness. But due to her injuries, moving wasn't going to be happening anytime soon.

"Shit…" Takeru cursed. Even after all of that…after unleashing every single ace in their sleeve, Elieen was the only one still standing. To make matters worse, the sword that Erza dropped happened to land near the Spriggan's feet.

"No…" Selene tried to move, but…

"Stop this crap…little girl…" Even though Elieen was still standing, to say she was standing firm was an overstatement. She was trembling, panting heavily as blood leaked from various wounds. With shaky legs, Elieen approached Erza, pointing the sword at her neck. "It's over. Just give up already." There was nothing anyone could do. Wendy and Selene couldn't move, Cynthia was barely conscious, and Takeru was out of magic. And yet, despite this grave situation…Erza smiled. A smile that caused Elieen to pause for a split second…

* * *

[Flashback]

Elieen had just given birth to her child in the middle of the forest where no one was around. She rested against a tree after doing so. Even for someone like her, child birth was not an easy task and she was exhausted after it. The woman wrapped the newborn in a towel and stared down at her. "Thank goodness, it's a girl. My new body…my new life." The woman's eyes turned deranged. This was the moment she was waiting for. The desperation of longing to be human pushed her to use her own newborn as her new life. "If I can enchant my whole personality into this child, I will sure bid farewell to this cursed body. I have been waiting for 400 years to experience this moment…now, become my vessel…" The child she protected for 400 years was finally going to…

She laughed.

Elieen stopped immediately. Why did she stop!? This was everything she ever wanted, right!? "Why are you laughing…?" The woman asked as the baby continued to laugh. Her body began to tremble. "Why…I have endured 400 years of suffering, you know! DO NOT MAKE ME HESITATE NOW!" She screamed at the newborn as tears streamed down her cheeks. This was her child. The child she was adamant in protecting even when her life was a living hell. Nothing mattered to Elieen more than the child growing in her womb. "This is undoubtedly the truth! This is…my child…I have…always loved her…don't laugh…DON'T LAUGH AT ME!"

[End flashback.]

* * *

"DON'T LAUGH!" Elieen screamed.

Emmeraude's expression softened as Elieen began to scream at Erza. "Elieen…you…" _"While we're different, you and I are very much the same…despite all the strength in the world, we still…"_

Erza could only move her right hand. "Not yet." That hand was going to support the weight of her entire body as she pushed herself forward, the sword in Elieen's grasp stabbing through her shoulder and lower left pectoral. "I AM NOT GIVING UP!" Erza didn't know the meaning of those words. You could break her body, take away all her senses but there was one thing about Erza Scarlet that always remained true no matter the circumstances. She never, ever gave up. Erza forced her body up, ramming her skull into Elieen's chin. That was all she could muster as she hit the ground right after, while Elieen actually flew back from the impact.

"Erza-san…!" Wendy's voice was weak.

"She really doesn't know when to quit…" Selene coughed.

And yet…Elieen still managed to hold other ground. A sinister smile crossing her lips. "Not yet. This is a very sweet checkmate."

"Damn it…we lost…" Takeru hated to admit this. But despite all of their efforts, Alvarez's strongest woman, Elieen Belserion, was still standing while they were all on the ground. This was a decisive loss for all five of them.

"I-Is it…the end…?" Cynthia slowly tilted her gaze up.

"W-Where'd the sword go…?" Selene asked.

"It's right here." Elieen held the sword out. She then lifted the blade and…..stabbed herself in the stomach. Her actions caused confusion and shock for everyone watching. "How pitiful. I, the strongest woman of Alvarez…I cannot kill her. My only daughter." She then fell onto her knees with the sword still in her stomach.

" _We're still mothers…"_ Emmeraude's thought process continued. Even though her thoughts appeared calm, there was still shock written on her face. Elieen and Emmeraude had one strong point of commonality. They were mothers with daughters. From the very beginning, despite Elieen's initial attitude, Emmeraude honestly believed that Elieen would never be able to go through with the act of killing her only daughter. "….." The Empress turned her head away. How odd…her and Elieen only really had interaction during this war. Yet, Emmeraude felt her own heart ripping apart at Elieen's actions. After she regained her motivation, she and Elieen got along fairly well. Emmeraude understood this feeling of loss, for it happened just one year ago too. It was the feeling of losing a friend.

"W-Wh…why…?" Erza asked.

"I don't know." Elieen said earnestly. I also wonder why. The truth is…I…I really had to stop enchanting myself into you. You were just born…I chose to discard you before I went crazy. …W-Whatever I say, you probably won't believe it…" She lied earlier. Elieen claimed that they had no compatibility, which is why she threw Erza away, but it was in fact the opposite. As mother and daughter, they were very compatible. But Elieen's first, only, and most important action as Erza's mother…was saving her newborn daughter from herself. How ironic it was, that nearly 20 years later, she would be doing the same thing once again. As her consciousness began to fade, Elieen began to wonder…who was she trying to fool with her callous attitude towards Erza. Those around her? Her daughter…or just herself…? "It's because of your laugh…I wonder if I can still…remember it…clearly…" Elieen Belserion collapsed onto the ground, a content smile on her face. She didn't regret her decision. The only thing she regretted…was being unable to be in Erza's life. But it looked like Erza had a good life despite that. So in the end, Elieen was confident she made the right choice to give her away. What mother could possibly do something like that? But Elieen was also Alvarez's strongest woman. She didn't have the luxury of just walking away from a fight. So between herself and her daughter, well…the choice was obvious. In fact, that choice began bubbling in her mind during her discussion with Emmeraude earlier. She used her last motherly moments to protect her daughter's future. "I have always loved you…"

Erza's expression softened at Elieen's words. Even though they were battling to the death, even though this was a battle that they lost, Elieen still put her first. Relation by blood did not make one family, it was the bonds between them that made it so. Erza and Elieen did not have a single thread between them, at least, that's what the both of them thought when this battle began. But now, Erza could see it. The very thin thread that connected them together as family. "Farewell, Mother…"

11 members of the Spriggan 12 were down. There was now only one who remained…and that one happened to be…

.

.

Next Time: The Strongest Wizard.


	88. Chapter 88: The Strongest Wizard

There were no words after Elieen's actions. All anyone could do was just lie there and take it all in. Before she was Alvarez's strongest woman, she was a mother first. She made that clear with her final actions. "Farewell…Mother…" Erza mumbled under her breath. She understood Elieen's sacrifice…

Wendy slowly crawled over to Erza. Standing up was not easy for anyone at the moment. "Erza-san…"

"Wendy…are you okay…?" Erza kept herself propped up on her right hand. "What about Cynthia too!?"

"She's all right…" Wendy held a soft smile to her half-conscious partner. When Elieen was forced out of Wendy's body, it negated the Heal Block enchantment, so Wendy was able to heal Cynthia's grave injuries. "I'm all right too. I'll be healing everyone, but first…are you okay…?"

"I am all right." Erza said.

"You don't look all right." Selene pointed out. With the tense situation over, she could sit up, but groaned while doing so. Her entire body ached.

"N-No…I didn't just mean your physical condition…" Which, by the way, was still horrible. Wendy was aware of this and started to heal Erza first since her condition was more serious than Selene and Takeru's, but she would get to them as soon as she could.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Don't worry." Erza let out a soft groan as Wendy's magic did its work. "Thank you, Wendy. Thank you too, Selene, Takeru."

"…Tch." Even though they survived, Takeru wasn't happy about that turn of events. Most could argue that surviving a battle like that was a victory, but…this was a hollow victory at best. Takeru was upset because they were utterly defeated. The only thing that saved them was Elieen's maternal instincts as a mother. He understood this and he was angry at their inability…his inability to finish her off. "I don't think I need to explain how lucky we were."

"Mmm…" Cynthia sat up. She took a glance at the charred black skin of hers, knowing full well that a scar of some kind was going to form when it was fully healed. More importantly, she stared at Elieen's corpse. That's when she noticed something, but it was so faint, and she was semi-conscious, that she wasn't sure if it was all in her head. "Huh…? Is she…" And then she caught something else! Her nose twitched and her head turned in the direction of a few pieces of rubble. "…Is that…?"

"She might have been a miserable person, but despite that, my only parent is Master Makarov." Erza stated.

"Master…" Cynthia's gaze went down. She shook her head, slowly sliding across the ground to make her way to Erza and Wendy. "Hey, Erza? Uhm…"

"…By the way. Something was bothering me a little while ago." Wendy began. "I couldn't smell Master on the battlefield. I thought it could be due to the various smells around here, but…"

Ah…that's right. Wendy and Cynthia didn't know. Erza looked down before sitting up, feeling well enough to wrap her arms around both Cynthia and Wendy. The two girls were uncertain of what spurred this action. "It's okay…I'm here…" The way her voice cracked…that explained it all for them.

"I-It can't be…" Wendy started to cry.

"N-No…not him too…" Cynthia already felt the tears streaming down her cheeks.

So that's what happened. That light earlier. Selene understood and her gaze went to the ground. She didn't have any personal feelings for Fairy Tail's guild master, but even she knew that this war had gone on far too long. Many people on both sides were losing their lives and people important to them. "This war is almost over. I can feel it."

"…We just have to push forward a little more." Takeru groaned. Unfortunately, he was running on empty. "I'm not gonna die before this is over…"

Emmeraude remained hidden behind the rubble. She placed a hand on her chest and released a melancholy sigh. "Farewell, Elieen…"

* * *

Natsu continued to wander about within his heart. Everyone who was around simply vanished, which was pretty annoying. "Huh? Wendy, Gajeel? Where are you…?" People either changed identities, or vanished altogether. He just couldn't catch a break could he?

"The Dragon Seed. That is the identity of what's inside your body." The familiar voice caused Natsu to turn. The white void of his heart soon turned into a volcanic landscape. "IT grows with the darkness that Dragon Slayers carry, soon causing the Dragonification." The voice came from Igneel, who now stood in front of Natsu. "However. I stopped that growth."

"Igneel…" Natsu paused. It had been so long since he'd seen the dragon who raised him.

"That seed shouldn't be growing anymore." Igneel said.

"Maybe it's because you left my body?" Natsu suggested.

"No, that is not the case." Igneel said. "There's one more seed inside your body. It's called the Demon Seed. That seed is proof that you are END. Those two seeds are trying to fuse together, that's what happening inside your body right now."

"So that's why I'm dying…?" Natsu asked.

"Yes. You're dying." Igneel regretted to say.

"…" Natsu couldn't say a word. So it was true…he was dying… "There are so many things I wanted to do. Not to mention, I still have to defeat Zeref and Acnologia…" The depression hit Natsu hard. All the things he wanted to do…he wouldn't be able to…and then Igneel's fist hit his head. "OUCH! What the hell was that for!? I'm feeling a little depressed right now, you know!"

"Are you willing to hear the entirety of the story?" Igneel asked while holding up two fingers. "I told you that the fusion of those two seeds is the cause. Don't try to fuse them. Choose one."

"Fuse them, you said? But how…?" Natsu tilted his head. How was he supposed to make a choice like that?

"Strengthen your will and decided for yourself. Are you dragon, or demon?" Igneel asked.

Now Natsu realized what it was Zeref told him before. This was the decision the Black Wizard was eluding to a while ago.

" _You will be forced to choose. Will you let it live, or will you kill it? The choice is yours to make."_

"Dragon or demon…?" Natsu folded his arms over his chest.

"What is your answer, Natsu?" Ingeel questioned.

"Hold on!" Natsu turned his gaze up to the King of Fire Dragon's. "It's not all about which one I choose, it's about what I am too! I am human! I am Natsu Dragneel!" That was his answer! He wasn't END, nor was he a dragon. He was human. That's how he always saw himself, and no circumstance would convince him otherwise.

"Well, who would've guessed that you'd come up with the right answer." Igneel could breathe a little easier now. "You were resurrected by the power of a demon, and then you were raised by a dragon. But That was his answer! He wasn't END, nor was he a dragon. He was human. That's how he always saw himself, and no circumstance would convince him otherwise.

"Well, who would've guessed that you'd come up with the right answer." Igneel could breathe a little easier now. "You were resurrected by the power of a demon, and then you were raised by a dragon. That problem made those two seeds bigger. But you _are_ human."

The area around Natsu began to shine brightly. "Dad…"

"Now, go forth once more, on your own two feet. You have things you need to do, don't you?" This was Igneel's final question.

"Yeah!" Natsu spoke with a grin. He still had things to do. He had to see this through to the end, no matter what.

* * *

Natsu shot awake. His body sat up and his eyes were wide. "NATSU!" Lucy immediately shouted in joy, her body shuddering from happiness.

"NATSU!" Happy clung to Natsu's arm.

Lucy then wrapped her arms around Natsu, nearly sobbing at the close call. "YOU IDIOT! DON'T MAKE ME—US WORRY LIKE THAT!"

"I-If you didn't wake up, I would…" Happy trailed off.

"…Why are you naked?" Was literally the first thing Natsu asked upon waking up.

Oh. Right. Lucy covered her chest and wrapped the blanket around herself. "I-It's not what it looks like!"

"She was trying to keep you warm." Tia walked into the room with her arms crossed. It was taking all she had not to smile at Natsu's awakening. Instead, she forced a scowl and leaned against the wall. "Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you!? You've nearly died three times over the course of this entire war. If you collapse one more time, I'm leaving you to die."

"She's saying that, but she was super worried about you the whole time…" Lucy said with a snicker.

Tia heard this and her cheeks flared up. "I WAS NOT WORRIED!" Ah, there was the tsundere that everyone knew and loved.

"He's awake?!" Luke poked his head into the room. "Damn, he really is stubborn…"

"I'm so glad…!" Aira clasped her hands together.

"How are you feeling?" Porlysica asked while stepping into the room.

"I feel great!" Natsu said with an honest smile. "I can do this."

"But Natsu, if you defeat Zeref, you'll…" Lucy trailed off.

"HAPPY! You told her!?" Natsu couldn't believe it.

"The cat blabbed all about it." Jack scoffed. "Also, if you died before I kicked your ass again, then you'd be a lot weaker than I thought!"

"Don't worry. I'll be okay." Natsu spoke with a smile. The confidence he had was strange considering the circumstance. "A lot of things happened in my heart. I was told to believe in myself as a human, so don't worry!"

Nobody had a clue what Natsu was talking about. The confusion was pretty noticeable. "I…don't really get it…" Lucy admitted.

"Oh, by the way…where are Gray and Erza? I don't really remember it much, but I feel like I've done a bad thing to them…" Natsu asked.

"Gray is resting in the next room. Erza was fighting…" Happy answered.

"I see…" Natsu then turned to Lucy one more time. "You smell like Emmeraude…."

"Huh!?" Lucy took offense to that at first, but then she realized Natsu was referring to something else. "Oh, that's right. You were unconscious when it happened. Emmeraude and I fought."

"All by yourself!?" Natsu was surprised and felt like he let Lucy down a little. He swore that he wouldn't let her face Emmeraude alone, but…

"Don't frown." Lucy said with a soft smile. "I faced her by myself because I had to protect you and Gray. It was a rough fight, but in the end it was a draw. I had to…break Loke's key in order to use the power of the Celestial Spirit King. He put himself on the line for me."

"Loke…" Natsu stared at the ground.

"By the way, what happened to her?" Happy asked Lucy. With everything that went on, no one had the chance to ask what happened with Emmeraude.

"After our fight, the Princess appeared to stop us from taking it any further." Lucy explained. "Kemuri appeared to try and kill Emmeraude, but the Princess got in the way. After that…I don't know what came over me, but I actually saved Emmeraude."

"You're the reason she's still limping!?" Tia pinched the bridge of her nose. But she wasn't mad at Lucy, far from it. "…Ah…I guess I can't blame you."

"I had to do something." Lucy admitted while rubbing the back of her neck. "After we fought, we both just lied there for a few minutes. I can't say I forgive her for what she's done to me or to everyone else but…I can't explain it either. Anyway, Mii and Cana arrived to chase Kemuri off, and then she left."

Natsu held a smile. "You faced her on your own…I knew you could. If we were together, I think we could've beaten her."

Lucy's lips curved up to a smile. "Mhm!" That's when Lucy remembered something that Emmeraude told her and she frowned. "Oh, right…Emmeraude said that…"

At that moment, a bright white light started to shine throughout Fiore itself. "What's going on!?" Natsu asked.

"This light is the same as the previous one…!" Happy pointed out. Elieen was the one who cast Universe One, and now that she was down…

* * *

Cygnus, Jellal, Cobra, and Ultear were the only ones still conscious after the initial assault from August, who was now the only Spriggan remaining. "Old men don't have that much stamina, we can rush him!"

"A poor, ignorant statement." August pointed his staff forward, unleashing a potent blast of magic towards the four who stood before him. The beam caused them all to jump in separate directions, and it was simply up to August to divide and conquer. Cyngus and Ultear were the biggest threats to him, so it only made sense he focused on them. August turned his attention to Ultear, the easiest target, but just as he did.

"Abyss Break!" Jellal swiped his hand across the ground, causing it to crack and split apart under August's feet. The Spriggan had no choice but to jump back, only because he had no intentions being caught in the ground falling apart.

As soon as August landed, Ultear sent her orb flying directly at him. He pointed his staff forward, shooting the orb down before it could touch him. That was a distraction, as multiple versions of Ultear's orb appeared in the skies above him. "Flash Forward!" The time mage yelled, commanding every orb in the sky to crash down onto August.

"And Fall!" Cygnus amplified the gravity around the falling orbs tenfold. This caused them to hit the ground with such force that craters formed. August was unable to escape the orbs in this manner and let out a grunt as they fell upon his body. Despite his old age, he was showing his durability as he escaped from such bombardment with only a few bruises. But it was damage. "I knew it!"

"You may have figured it out, but it won't do the likes of you any good." August said with firm conviction.

Cobra leapt forward, making use of all the noises within the battlefield to perfectly capture them within his palm. "Sound Palm!" He was going to absolutely crush August with the sound of war. But, as one would expect, the sound was completely negated by the nature of August's magic. Cobra was then blown away by the sound he intended to use, letting out a pained cry in the process.

"You don't stand a chance." August said, only to feel his body be forced to the side as Cygnus kicked him on the abdomen with gravity. "Guh…!"

"Doesn't matter how good you are at copying magic…but copy mages can only copy one magic at a time! You're just pretty fast at it, but that won't help you anymore!" Cygnus then threw his fist forward, a powerful wave of golden gravity imploding from it. This caused the ground to sink in, a deep crater forming. August copied Cygnus' gravity magic to prevent from being effected, but that's when Cygnus grinned as Solar God Slaying formed on his fist. "Solar God's Shining Blow!" He swung right at August's face, but the impact was blocked with his staff. "Damn!" So close.

Jellal then emerged above the crater, nine blades of heavenly body appeared around him and he shot them all forward. "Nine Thunder Stars!" These blades soared towards August with full intentions of running him through. While it was true August could nullify and copy magic instantly, he could only copy and negate one magic at a time. The quickness of it gave the illusion that nothing would work at first glance, but if you assaulted him fast enough…

August glanced at the incoming Nine Thunder Stars, now copying Jellal's magic to make use of Meteor and fly from the crater in the earth. Cygnus scowled and immediately pursued. "Where do you think you're going!?" The last remaining Spriggan then pointed his staff down, unleashing a widespread blast that consumed Cygnus and Jellal, blowing them backwards from its sheer power. "Gah…!"

August landed back on the ground, only to see something greeting him. Ultear used her time magic on Cygnus' blade, Rebellion. Multiple copies of his sword appeared all around him, only to fly with full intentions of running him through. The strongest wizard swung his staff around with precision, parrying the incoming swords while evading those he could not. It was then that Cygnus emerged once more, gripping a blade while closing the little distance between himself and August. "…!"

"GOT YOU!" Cygnus roared, finally managing to land a clean cut on August's side after this massive uphill battle. The first direct hit and it drew blood as well. It took all this time, but they were finally managing to make a little bit of progress against the King of Magic. If they could somehow keep this up, they might actually win! That's what Cygnus was thinking since he was on the high of landing a clean hit.

"Agh…!" August let out a grunt of pain. The gash was noticeable and damage was dealt. "…It would appear that you're getting carried away…" August's aura made itself known. It was oppressive, more so than any other Spriggan thus far. He stabbed his staff into the ground, the earth illuminating before a widespread eruption caught Cygnus, Jellal, Cobra, and Ultear within its destructive wake.

"Ugh…" Ultear coughed after such an attack. "He's still so strong…"

"Come…we can do this…" Cygnus groaned while trying to push himself up.

August was prepared to use another attack while these fools were down, but that's when the light began to shine throughout Fiore as a whole. He stopped, because this only meant one thing. "…So, Elieen is down."

* * *

"The effects of Universe One are disappearing. This country will return to its natural state…" Zeref held a bit of a frown. Even Elieen ended up falling, had she? He could only imagine by what means.

* * *

"Hold onto me properly!" Gajeel told Levy.

"Got it!" Levy said, clinging onto Gajeel with no intentions of letting him go again.

"Everyone, please hold each other's hands!" Mavis shouted, grabbing onto people. Last time, Universe One caught everyone off guard. This time, the best way to be prepared for it was to hold onto everyone nearby. "Sidney, this is no time to stand around! You must hold onto someone!"

"…" Sidney didn't say a word.

"If you think Sidney's gonna hold someone's hand, you're barking up the wrong tree…" Reve shook his head. "He'd rather get lost…"

"Everyone hold on!" Ace said.

* * *

Mii was halfway to bringing Hisui back to the palace. The best Mii could do was use her slight healing magic to ensure the Princess' injuries were fatal. Of course, nothing was simple for the angel in the final stages of this war. Because the light began to shine and she just groaned. "Oh come on…"

* * *

Universe One dispersed, and everything in Fiore was back where it belonged. Magnolia returned to its former glory. Lucy looked around, realizing the location they were in. "This…this is my room!" It was just her, Natsu, and Happy now.

"You're right." Natsu grinned while taking a few steps forward. "Starting from the beginning, we'll take the same path…TO FAIRY TAIL!"

"AYE SIR!" Happy exclaimed. It was clear that the war against Alvarez was rapidly drawing to a close, but that didn't mean they could let their guards down yet. They still had to push ahead with everything they had.

* * *

"We're back!" Max smiled.

"It's Magnolia!" Warren grinned.

"So we're in this town again now…" Taya crossed her arms, glancing around for her fellow Eclipse members.

They may have been in Magnolia again, but they weren't alone. Far from it. Bickslow pointed an arm forward, commanding his dolls to attack the soldiers that still filled the town. "Don't let your guard down! We still have enemies to take down!"

"First Master, give us your orders!" Freed yelled while cutting down several soldiers.

Mavis was up once again. Some people were still scattered from Fiore reforming itself, but she could work with the numbers they had now. "Use your knowledge of the terrain to your advantage! Find where you can fight at ease and pay attention to the enemies behind you!"

Laxus stared ahead. The Fairy Tail guild building wasn't too far away and he carried Makarov in his arms. "Gramps…we've almost made it. I'm taking you back to the guild. To our home."

"HO HO HO HO HO!" That laugh…

"Wait…" Lisanna looked around. "That laugh…!" She remembered it all too well.

Jigan King. The man slowly appeared from around a corner, staring down Fairy Tail's forces with a condescending grin. "Well well well, what have we here!? It's been quite some time, Fairy Tail!"

"You've gotta be kidding me…" Laxus scowled. "This asswipe again?"

"But how!? Isn't he dead!?" Elfman questioned.

Mavis legitimately forgot about King. He was the only one who had yet to do anything thus far except laugh and mock everyone. "He was brought back by Prometheus. But if I recall correctly, you weren't even meant to battle…"

"Correct Mavis!" King laughed while shrugging his shoulders. "Originally, I had no place on the battlefield, for my talents were needed by Emperor Spriggan, Zeref's personal use. I'm no common soldier to die on the battlefield, even Zeref acknowledged this!"

"I forgot how annoying this guy was…" Reve scoffed. King's ego far surpassed Reve's, which made the situation ironic.

"I must say, though. I am very impressed! I never would have imagined that you would make it this far against the Alvarez Empire!" King spread his arms apart. "But you know what they say. It doesn't matter how many ants there are…you're all still ants." As King spoke, an ominous aura began to flare around his body. There was a certain aspect about King that was forgotten… "And because of this, it now falls upon me to clean up the mess that Alvarez has made!"

"W-Was he this strong before…?" Laki asked.

"The Reaper's Toll!" King explained. "Because my soul has been resurrected from the depths of hell by the Grim Reaper, my power continues to grow along with his! Even though my 'puppeteer' has withdrawn from the battle, my soul lives on it. It's clear that he wishes for me to destroy you all, which is an easy task for someone such as myself." Despite the fact that King had been sitting on his ass doing nothing, simply being affiliated to Prometheus' Reaper's Toll allowed him to grow astronomically stronger in proportion to the souls he reaped. "I will not permit to you to return to that building of yours, because I'm going to stop you right here!"

" _This is bad…!"_ Mavis didn't realize that King would be such a threat again. She remembered the conversation about him still having Acnologia's power and…

"WING BLADE!" Ace came flying in, slamming right into the King the moment he turned around.

"GUUH!" King cried out as he was tossed into a nearby building with the intensity Ace was packing.

"Missile Barrage!" Spade jumped forward, a plethora of red and blue magic seals forming in front of him. Missiles flew out from the seals and exploded against the building with a powerful electrical discharge.

King emerged from the building with a wry grin. "Oh ho ho! I've been waiting for you all to show up and-" There was no time for him to gloat. He turned only to see Heartless' heel coming at him. He managed to block the strike, but Heartless was strong and it showed as he was sent rocketing towards the ground, though he managed to stick the landing. "Is the whole family here?"

"STRONG SWING!" Club Strong brought his club down on King, but King was faster than Strong, and easily evaded the strike by leaping to the side. Strong's club caused a shockwave to travel along the stone rode, which eventually caused a few buildings in the distance to collapse.

"Diamond cutter!" Diamond emerged from King's left, attempting to slash at his side with a diamond sword. She whiffed, but the strike was dangerously close.

King landed and dusted himself off, laughing at those who stood before him. "Ah…so my 'family' has come back to face me once again. I've been waiting for this encounter since your betrayal one year ago!" When King shifted his gaze, he saw Joker standing in the corner. "You've even turned Joker against me I see…"

"I had a feeling we'd be seeing your ugly mug here again…" Ace clenched his hand into a fist…but also grinned. "I've been waiting."

Daigo appeared, ushering those of Fairy Tail to move on ahead. "You all move out. This is our battle."

"Of course. Thank you!" Mavis nodded and began to rush off with everyone else.

"Guys…!" Jack and Tia rushed onto the scene. Although they were out of magic and it was clear since they weren't wearing their armors. "Shit…it's that asshole…" Jack cursed.

"King!?" Tia snarled.

"Everyone's here! How wonderful!" King stroked his mustache. "Ho ho ho…how long has it been since that fateful day?"

"The day we realized we were more than pawns in your stupid game?" Diamond asked while lifting a brow.

"Or the day your ambition spiraled into destruction?" Heartless quipped.

"Oh ho?" King chuckled. "My ambition never died. My ambition is to great to die!"

"Your ambition is bullshit!" Tia shouted. "It always has, and it always will be!"

"Yeah, even I can see that!" Strong yelled.

"You're not needed in this world anymore, King." Spade glared at King.

"Is this how you treat me?" King pretended to sigh. A blue aura wavered around his body, blue and black scales steadily forming along his skin. "I took you all in…I raised you…I treated you as though you were my family. But in the end, you were all nothing more than garbage! I never needed any of you, I just needed myself!" Wings sprouted from his back and his eyes gained a reptilian gaze.

"No, King." Heartless took a step forward. "Dealer has become much more than you. It is as Spade said, you're no longer needed in this world. The one who is garbage…is you."

Magic power exploded from around King, who wasted no time flaunting the power of Acnologia for his pseudo dragon form. He was only using half of its power, because he firmly believed that this would be enough to stop reformed Dealer in its tracks. "You all were always beneath me! These years have made all of you gone soft! That's why I'll be sure to remind you of your place in the hierarchy of this world! BOWING TO ME, JIGAN KING!"

* * *

Natsu and Lucy got fitted in clothes again. When exciting Lucy's apartment, they saw that Mangolia was back to normal. "Magnolia's back, but…where is everyone?"

"Carla, Porlyusica, Luke, Ever, Tia, Jack, and Aira aren't here…" Happy glanced around.

"We are here." Brandish said, holding a tiny Dimaria in her hand. It was the best way to keep her restrained in case she got any ideas.

"Brandish!" Lucy was sure glad to see her.

"….." Dimaria didn't say anything. But then Natsu leaned in and she got war flashbacks of what happened. The woman was frightened and let out a shriek. "EEEEEK!"

"Sorry, I don't really remember but…apparently I overdid it." Natsu said with a slight smile. He genuinely remembered nothing after passing out while Lucy fought Brandish.

"D-DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!" Dimaria shrieked, kicking and screaming while in Brandish's hold.

"I am sure it happened when she tried to kill Lucy…" Brandish said.

"HELP ME, RANDI!" Dimaria pleaded.

She'd help. Brandish lifted her free hand and waved while making her way off. "Well then, we shall take our leave."

"Where are you going?" Lucy asked.

"I don't plan on becoming an enemy, so don't worry. Well, although I don't intend to become an ally." Was Brandish's response. She needed to do a lot of thinking. Her last action as a member of the Spriggan 12 was fighting against Prometheus and Pandora after all.

"I see…" Lucy's lips then curved to a smile. "See you again."

"….What a drag." Brandish sighed. But as she departed with Dimaria in hand, there was a small smile on her lips.

Shortly after Brandish left, Evergreen, Carla, Aira, and Porlyusica rushed to the scene. "Natsu! Lucy!" Evergreen called to them.

"Ever!" Natsu grinned. "Glad to see you guys are all right."

"We have a problem!" Carla said. "We were looking for Gray, but he's gone! We couldn't find him!"

"It's suicide to move around with your body in that condition!" Porlyusica said.

"If he pushes himself too far, he'll drop dead…" Aira frowned. "But, there was another issue too. Juvia is also gone."

That news shocked everyone. "What?! Juvia's gone?!" Lucy's eyes widened. "But how can that be!? She's dead, isn't she…? A corpse can't get up and walk…!"

Before they could discuss the situation further, a bell tolled and the air shook. "What's that sound…?" Happy looked around.

"Look!" Carla pointed to Kardia Cathedral.

"Someone's standing on top of it…" Natsu's gaze narrowed.

The one standing at the top of the Catherdral was none other than August. The strongest Wizard within the Spriggan 12. "So, I am the last Spriggan left? Children of His Majesty! The proud 12! Let's devote our souls and bodies to His Majesty!"

"W-What is this magical power!?" Someone asked.

"The ground…and even the sky is quaking!"

" _I wish to meet with you again…"_ Brandish thought to herself. "But it won't happen. Not when you provoke the anger in August…"

"I, as a Child of His Majesty…will exterminate the enemy with all of your souls." August said while staring down at everyone.

"I think he's going to destroy the whole city…!" Mirajane gasped.

"Does he really not care whose friend or foe anymore!?" Shadowlore groaned.

"This is why no one likes old people!" Zelos scoffed.

August was prepared to destroy the entirety of Magnolia. But that's when he sensed a presence above him rapidly coming down as well. When he looked up, he found himself narrowly blocking a punch from Gildarts Clive with his staff. Even though he shielded the blow, the building underneath him crumbled and he was geninuely taken off guard by the raw power behind Gildarts' blow. "…!"

"Whoops! I destroyed the church!" Gildarts grinned as both he and August hit the ground.

"It's Gildarts!" Many people began cheering at Gildarts' intervention.

August fired a beam from his staff, only for Gildarts to block it and divert the beam elsewhere. The ace of Fairy Tail then swung at August's face, but he blocked it once again, only to slide back. "Leave him to us." Gildarts said.

"Us?" August curiously wondered. He sensed another presence behind him and turned, just narrowly evading a fierce axe kick from Sidney Castle, the Ace of White Eclipse. "The ghost…!"

"There's Sidney!" Kuro said with a wide grin. "I knew he wasn't going to get lost!"

"We got this." Gildarts said with a wide grin. The two strongest mages in Fiore vs Alvarez's strongest wizard.

With Gildarts and Sidney on the case, there was nothing to worry about! The resounding cheer of the people let Natsu know this as well. And now that there wasn't anything to worry about, he began sprinting off. "Let's go to Zeref's place!"

"Aye sir!" Happy followed without question.

"What about Gray and Juvia!?" Lucy asked while following behind Natsu.

"Don't worry! I know where Gray is. I'm guessing that Gray went to face Zeref!" Natsu scowled. He didn't know what Gray was thinking, but he had to get there as soon as possible.

* * *

The Fairy Tail guild hall was empty, save for Zeref, who was quietly seated. Yajeel went to find Ajeel, while Emerald got so worried she rushed out to find Emmeraude. The doors of the guild were wide open. "Who would've guessed that you'd be the first one to arrive here." Zeref chuckled slightly while speaking to the person at the door. "I expected to see Jellal or Laxus. Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed. Oh well…I'm sorry about this, Natsu…"

Gray weakly leaned against the open door, a wry grin forced onto his lips. "Would you mind leaving? You're sitting in my spot."

.

.

Next Time: Fate Will Burn.


	89. Chapter 89: Fate Will Burn

Gildarts and Sidney faced off against August, Dealer squared off against King, Gray confronted Zeref, and Natsu, who held the key to everything, rushed to the scene as fast as he possibly could. Zeref sat comfortably on his chair while giving Gray a small smile. "Gray, Natsu's best friend. Your parents were killed by Deliora, the demon I created. Defeating this monster took your master's life. You must despise me, right?" This wasn't their first meeting, but this was the first time they were having a one on one conversation.

"I'm surprised. You know quite a lot about people you're not interested in." Gray scoffed while slowly making his way inside the guild as the first person to officially return home.

"Know thy enemy." Zeref responded. "Lucy Heartfilia, the descent of my friend, Anna. A cheerful, positive person who's had a great impact on Natsu's upbringing. The incident last year may still weigh heavily on her and has cast a dark shadow in her heart. This led to a rather…interesting relationship with one of my army's strongest: Emmeraude. It's intriguing how fate spins its wheel. Even your friend from the Pergrande Army can be considered an enemy of mine. After all, Fate has quite the hold on her, wouldn't you say?" And the tight grip of Fate was something Zeref knew all too well.

"Tch…" Gray sucked his teeth.

"Happy, Natsu's partner. They all share a very strong bond and trust each other. Erza, Wendy, Cynthia, Gajeel…I know every major opponent of mine." Zeref went on.

"I know every major opponent of _mine_." Gray fired back.

"I guess so." Zeref shrugged.

"What are you really aiming for?" Gray asked, huffing a bit due to his injuries.

"Do you really need an answer?" Zeref's lips curled up to a malicious grin. "I want Mavis' magical power. You want to protect her. Isn't that enough of a reason to fight?"

"You have a huge armor and the power of immortality. Why do you need the abilities of the First?" Gray asked again. He knew Zeref wanted Fairy Heart, but he wanted to hear the reason why from the Black Wizard himself.

"To defeat Acnologia." Zeref answered honestly. "If that were my goal, would you lend me a hand?"

"That's not funny." Gray scowled. He wasn't here for jokes.

"But that's the truth. In the end, I'll be able to defeat even Acnologia. That's why I commanded Prometheus to bring King back from the grave, so I could test the power of Fairy Heart on him. But you know, my true goal isn't such an insignificant feat." There was more…?

* * *

Within the ruins of Kardia Cathedral, Gildarts and Sidney prepared to take on August. Gildarts was the first one to strike, throwing off his cape before sprinting at the King of Magic. He threw a punch at August's face, but the old man sidestepped the blow. He quickly followed up with a backhanded strike which August narrowly leaned away from. "Tch…" August then brought his staff forward to strike Gildart's stomach, but the Ace of Fairy Tail was fast enough to slip behind him.

"Behind you!" Gildarts yelled as his hand shone a bright white, imbued with crash magic. He threw his hand forward, releasing a white net that caught August and literally broke him into pieces. Gildarts smirked, believing the battle to be over just like that.

The pieces of August scattered and fell to the ground, but he soon reconstructed himself. "Well well…quite amusing magic you have."

"Haaah!?" Gildarts gasped.

"…" Sidney crossed his arms at the display of August's magic.

"You're kidding me!?" Gildarts gasped. In the next instant, the pieces of August flew across the air before the King of Magic fully reconstructed his form, now slamming his fist into the Ace's gut to send him flying into some rubble. "GAH!"

"You cannot win against me." August said firmly. Right after he said that, Sidney made his move, firing off tombstones from the palm of his hand. The numbers were large and August had no choice but to evade them. Since it was a physical manifestation of Sidney's magic, he could not copy this attack in particular. Sidney of course took note of this and elected to keep the offensive pressure.

In a puff of smoke, Sidney vanished, only to appear on August's right. The Ace of White Eclipse aimed his fist right for August's stomach, attempting his infamous gut punch. There was no magic in the blow, only his raw power. Unfortunately, August wasn't going to fall victim to a move that almost felled God Serena. The King of Magic brought his arm forward to block the strike, a shockwave booming out from these two monsters colliding. "…"

"You cannot win against me either." August made that perfectly clear before swinging his staff at Sidney's chest. Sidney's body became transparent at the moment of impact, allowing the staff to faze right through him. Just as August finished his motion, Sidney reared his leg back, swinging for August's neck. Once again, August was capable of blocking this hit with his free hand; however he slid back a great distance. When he looked up, Sidney was coming down for another kick aimed for his head. August swung his staff to intercept, forcing Sidney to leap back as well. As soon as Sidney jumped away, several blasts of magic were released from his weapon. Sidney had no time to dodge, so he could only block as the blasts exploded on his body.

"You say we can't win, but it looks like you've been wounded already! I wonder how that happened!" Gildarts emerged from the smoke of the explosion, drawing his arm back once again. This punch was imbued with Crash Magic, and he swung it right at August's face. This time, August made use of his magic to negate Gildarts' and copy it once again, now throwing his own crash magic infused punch that clashed with Gildarts' own. "Huh!?" Gildarts realized something was wrong, however before he could question it, he was blown backwards once again. "Oof!"

"Luck exists in this world; however it is naught before absolute power." August stated. The lucky blow that Cygnus landed against him was not going to happen a second time.

Sidney emerged from the smoke, somewhat damaged from August's attack, but fine overall. The ghost mage placed foot on the ground, a magic circle forming before him. "Resurrection: Monster's Ball." From the seal, ghosts, werewolves, and vampires all emerged and began to rush August down! If the ghosts made contact with August, they'd completely seal his magic for a few moments, if the werewolves reached him, they'd simply tear into his flesh, and if the vampire made contact, they'd suck away his magic. Sidney was pulling out all the stops because he knew exactly what it was they were dealing with.

"Your magic is unique, isn't it? Ghost mages exist in this world, but none quite like you." August stated while staring down the creatures that hunted him down. His staff lit up in light magic and he brought it down, releasing multiple beams of light that purged the ghosts before him. "This ghost magic of yours has gravely affected your body. I knew it at a single glance." Next were the werewolves, who hunted in packs. They all jumped him from various angles and he resorted to pure power to take care of them, stabbing them with his staff while his free hand batted them away. The werewolves did manage to lightly graze him with their claws, but it was miniscule damage. Finally, the vampire was met with a harsh blast of heat magic that incinerated it. "Such paltry tricks won't work on me." And in the next instant…August vanished the same way Sidney did, only to appear in front of him.

"…!" Sidney crossed his arms, anticipating a strong blow. August unleashed a potent blast of raw magic in Sidney's direction from point blank range, throwing the ghost mage off his feet and into a building. Sidney grunted quietly only to shake off the impact and stand back up. "I see what's going on here."

August was about to strike once more, but several cards then fell down from above. He jumped away as the cards exploded and landed elsewhere. "Hm?"

"You say they can't beat you, but making the impossible possible is my old man's specialty!" Cana said with a wide grin, allowing a few cards to drop to the ground. "As Sidney, I know he's pretty strong too, but Gildarts takes the cake." She wouldn't waste this chance to voice her thoughts either.

"CANA, NO!" Gildarts screamed. "DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!" August was far too dangerous a foe for Cana to take on. Plus, Cana was still wounded from her fight with Emmeraude earlier.

"He's right." Sidney stated bluntly. "Go away. You're only going to get in the way."

Stay back? "Hell no!" Cana yelled. "I'm a part of this war just like everyone else. And I'm definitely not going to listen to _you_ barking orders at me!" The card mage objected, defying both Sidney and her father's demand to stand out of the fight. She was determined to fight just like all the others, and saw no reason to stand back.

"Father and Daughter…?" August made the connection and…something snapped inside of him. A malicious grin crept onto his lips. "Hmm…father and daughter…"

* * *

Jack, Daigo, and Tia had no choice but to stay back as the others dealt with King. King was the first one to start their battle by exhaling, unleashing a potent roar in the direction of those who opposed him. "Once I finish all of you, I'll move onto that guild and destroy your new friends! Then the world will have no choice but to bow down its new king!"

Heartless held her hand forward, a heart barrier forming in front of everyone. It was strong enough to withstand the roar for a little bit, but the heart ultimately shattered and sent her skidding backwards with moderate damage. Despite this she drew several cards, merging them into one before taking a leap forward. "Air Cannon!" A potent burst of wind exploded from the palm of her hand. This blast nearly took King off his feet, but he was capable of holding his ground.

Not that he could fly off even if he wanted to, for multiple vines crept up from the depths of the earth and wrapped around his ankles. "Oh ho…?"

It was Strong's doing. Even though he hardly actually used his magic, he was still a rather adept plant mage. Strong then held a large walnut in his palm and tossed it into the air, rearing his signature club back. "Let's see how you feel after this one! STRONG CRUSH!" Strong's club smashed the walnut, bringing both it and his weapon down on King where a massive explosion occurred. There was a deep crater at the point of impact and Strong attempted to withdraw his club, but found he couldn't. "Huh!?"

King held onto Strong's club with one hand, laughing manically. "Ho ho ho! All brawns and no brain! Still the same as ever, Strong!" He then forced the club from Strong's hand and threw it at him, carrying the large male away and through a building.

"Strong!" Tia yelled worriedly.

Ace took to the air after that, donning his Lightning Ace armor. "ELEMENTAL BLADE!" It was the enhanced version of his Tunderbolt Blade, surging with fire and wind to amplify the intensity of the attack. The Ace of Dealer swung down in attempt to slice King's skull, but the dragon/human hybrid gripped onto the blade with both hands, stopping it just before hit it. "Damn it!"

"Oh ho, Ace. Are you certain you should be fighting in your condition? I can see the sweat beading down your forehead already…or is that from the fear of facing me!?" King then opened his mouth and chomped on the blade, digesting the magic within it. "There's something important I've learned about Acnologia, which only further cements the fact that I am the one to rule the world! The world of magic has no choice but to bow to the being who consumes it all!"

"A-Are you saying Acnologia eats all magic!?" Diamond's eyes widened. That explained a lot when she thought about it, even though Acnologia had only made roughly three appearances in the last few years.

"And since I have the power of Acnologia, it is proof that I AM THE KING TO RULE THIS WORLD OF MAGIC!" King roared as the aura around his body intensified.

"Ace, watch out!" Tia yelled.

Too late. King released a potent eruption that consumed Ace to send him flying backwards. "Guh…!" Grunting, Ace flipped and shifted back to his regular Acid Ace armor, groaning all the while. "I'm all right, don't worry!"

"Doesn't look like it…" Jack grumbled. But then he looked at Tia's expression and shut up. It was easy for Tia to hide her worry for other people like Natsu and all that, but when it came to Ace…she truly didn't want to lose him for a third time. "Come on, kick his ass!" This was all they could do, offer encouragement since they couldn't fight without getting in the way.

"How do you plan on fighting an almighty being that consumes magic itself!?" King laughed, drowning in the feeling of superiority. Oh, how he longed missed this.

"Physical trauma still works." Spade said in a low tone. "I don't think you're aware of this, King…but Acnologia himself is missing an arm. How do you think that happened?"

"…Pardon?" King tilted his head.

"He had a limb snatched right from under him by another dragon." Spade explained. "So it only stands to reason that the same is true for you!"

"…HO HO HO HO HO!" King cackled. "The mighty King of Dragons lost his arm!? That's wonderful! It only proves that I am truly the King this world deserves!"

"Wasn't your tail cut off!?" Diamond groaned while preparing to strike.

"You mean this!?" Just as Diamond mentioned the tail, it emerged from King's backside to strike Diamond and Heartless in the side, knocking them down with ease. "Ah, that felt amazing." And right after that, he found himself catching a punch from Dread Joker of all people. "Ah, Joker…you were my favorite creation. Why have they corrupted you so?"

"I act now only in the interest of Dealer, and you are not in those interests anymore." Joker responded bluntly.

"I suppose that was to be expected. They despite the King, yet they yearn for his toys all the same. No matter. When I destroy them, I'll simply take you back!" King brought his free hand forward to punch Joker into the ground, but that fist was caught, much to his surprise. The two were now in a deadlock, but this only made King grin. "My finest creation indeed! Stockpiling my strength to add onto your own! But will it be enough for you!?" As King went on and on, he didn't notice Spade putting his plan into work. Two magic seals formed on King's back, and a building nearby. Magnet magic came into play, forcefully pulling King backwards. "Huh!?"

"Dread Lazer!" Joker pointed his hand forward, unleashing a potent blast of red energy at King to push him back even faster.

"Magnet Slash!" A red sword of lightning formed on Spade's arm and he lunged forward, cutting into King's back with the blade. An explosion of lightning followed suit, but King's condition was known immediately as he took to the air, spreading his wings to remain above everyone else as usual.

"Ho ho ho! Surely you can do better than that, can't you? I'm merely getting warmed up! Meanwhile, you all look like you're at the end of your rope." King's bared his fangs with a sinister smirk. How he enjoyed this far too much…

* * *

Zeref told Gray his true ambitions. Gray could not believe what he was told and stared at Zeref in shock. "What the…!?"

"You're the first one to hear it." Zeref stood up from his seat. "I haven't told anyone from the 12 of this, not even Invel. Of course, I couldn't tell Emmeraude either. I doubt she would lend me a hand if she knew the true scope of my plan."

"…" What could Gray even say about any of this?

"Mavis' magic power, Fairy Heart, is far too powerful." Zeref said.

"Are you really going to…? No, it's impossible." Gray shook his head. The world of magic was vast and filled with endless possibilities, but a line had to be drawn somewhere, right? This had to be over that line.

"Do you have any idea why I told you this?" Zeref inquired. "Natsu is heading here right now. But first, you will die. When Natsu arrives, he will look upon the dead body of his dearest friend. He will be sad. And furious." The Black Wizard wore an evil smile. "This is my last chance to fight against Natsu with all he's got. You will be the catalyst that will unleash his power."

"When Natsu arrives, there won't be anything of you left." Gray scowled in response.

An ominous aura flowed from around Zeref as he spread his arms apart. "It's futile. I'm immortal. No one can kill me. But if you somehow managed to kill me, Natsu will…"

"Yeah, I know." Gray said. He recalled the conversation back when Natsu was unconscious.

"Oh, so you already knew that Natsu is END?" Zeref was a little surprised, but ultimately it meant nothing right now.

"Natsu is Natsu." Gray replied. "I wanted to blame someone for the deaths of my parents, Ur, and Juvia…and that 'someone' was END. But now knowing that it's Natsu, I care more about those who are still alive." The ice maker clenched his hand into a fist, staring right at Zeref. "I don't care what they are. They are my friends."

"You will lose them." Zeref retorted. "Whether you kill me or die yourself."

"I won't let that happen." Gray took a step forward, a chilling aura flowing around his being. The temperature in the guild rapidly plummeted. The ice around him…this was far different from his usual spells. What was he planning!? "That's why I have a way to defeat you."

"Don't you understand?" How many times would Zeref have to repeat himself? "If I die, Natsu…"

"There is a way to defeat you without killing you." Gray crossed his arms over one another. "Iced Shell." He hadn't thought about using this spell for a long time. It only crossed his mind for a fleeting moment once – last year, when they fought Lambda-Emmeraude. But that was it.

"This magic…in exchange for the user's life…" Zeref's eyes widened. Was Gray serious about this!?

"I was saved by others many times. I know that this life doesn't belong to only me. I can't die too easily for everyone's sake…" Natsu, Ur, Ultear, Juvia, and his own parents. They all saved his life at one point or another. Gray realized what he was doing. If the others knew he sacrificed himself they would be heartbroken. But he couldn't allow that to happen either.

"T-This magic power…Lost Attribute!?" Zeref began to sweat. It was true that he couldn't die through normal means, but this? This was a threat to him.

"That's right. No one has to remember me. I'll erase my existence from my friend's memories. I'LL TURN MY EXISTENCE AND MEMORY INTO MAGIC! LOST ICED SHELL!"

"Where did he…!?" It wasn't called Lost Attribute without reason. The magic was rare and Zeref hadn't a clue where Gray obtained it.

Avatar. That half a year with them did prove fruitful for him in more ways than one. Gray learned of the Lost Attribute, ironically, from Prometheus and Pandora. Did they foresee something like this happening aligning with their end game? Who knew. But right now, Gray was going to use it. "Damn it…I wanted to see it. Although it's my job, I've obtained many things…the power of the magic enhanced by Lost Attribute is hundreds of times stronger than normal…"

"At the price of that, the user vanishes as well!" Zeref added.

"You're talking about the fact that I'll disappear from everyone's memories? I'm well aware!" Gray exclaimed. "That way, no one will be sad! There's more than enough tears already!" Ice erupted from around Gray and began to encapsulate Zeref.

He was freezing over. No matter what Zeref tried, his body wouldn't move! "I can't…move my body…"

"THIS IS THE END, ZEREF!" Gray screamed at the top of his lungs. He was going to end this war here and now!

"Your life! Even if you disappear from existence, this ice magic only seals the opponent! It won't kill me!" Zeref growled.

"If I kill you, Natsu will die too! THAT'S WHY I'M SEALING YOU FOR ETERNITY!" Gray yelled as the ice intensified.

"There is no eternity!" Zeref yelled. "Eventually this ice will melt and I will be revived!"

"But until that time comes, we'll be able to obtain peace, right!?" Gray spoke with a smirk. This was checkmate. "IT'S FAIRY TAIL'S WIN!" As the ice continued, Zeref was slowly being frozen over. At the same time, so was Gray, His body began to crack and if he continued, he'd shatter into nothing. But he was prepared for it. As he began to fade, he saw Ur and Juvia in the white void of his mind.

" _Gray… a guy like you…you can't give up on living…"_ Ur told him.

" _Gray-sama! Please stop this madness!"_ Juvia pleaded.

" _Sorry. I've already made my decision. There was no other way…"_ Gray told the both of them. _"Until the very end…thank you Ur…and you too, Juvia…"_

" _Stop it."_

" _STOP IT!"_

"STOOOOOOOOOP IIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" Natsu roared while pulling Gray's arm back, shoving the ice maker's face into the ground to force him to stop the spell. The flames Natsu released countered the ice Gray used, resulting in a stalemate that ended the Lost Iced Shell.

"Natsu…" Gray groaned.

"So you came…" Zeref spoke with a smile.

"You bastard…did you forget!? I already stopped you from using that spell once!" Natsu leaned over Gray, who was having a hard time getting his words together.

"I…I was blinded by emotion. Our friends, and you…I tried to kill all you guys." Gray shook his head. "THERE'S NO LONGER A PLACE FOR ME IN THE GUILD! SO…!"

"IN THAT WAY, I'M THE SAME WAY AS YOU!" Natsu yelled. He felt the same way as Gray. He tried to kill his own comrades, that was unforgivable. "Hey Gray…." The fire dragon turned his gaze to his friend, tears streaming down his cheeks. "We're friends, aren't we….?"

Gray couldn't say a word. "…."

"Don't die…" Natsu pleaded. Happy and Lucy could only watch from the guild's entrance. "STOP THINKING ABOUT DYING! LIVE! YOU HAVE TO!" He yelled before wiping his eyes with his arm. "Dammit…"

"But…even if you defeat Zeref…." Gray looked down.

"Whether you win or lose, you'll still die." Zeref smirked. "That is your cruel fate."

Fate. He was tired of hearing that word. Fate was the reason Mii wanted to die so badly, fate was the reason Dhegensea acted the way he did on the Isle…and now fate was going to be the reason he died? No. He refused. "I WON'T DIE!" Natsu declared while standing up, orange flames wildly blazing around his person as he scowled at Zeref. "FATE!? SOMETHING LIKE THAT, I'LL BURN TO ASHES! I _**WILL**_ BURN FATE!" Not just his fate, but when this was over, Mii's fate too! He already decided.

That was the Natsu everyone knew. Happy had a smile on his face, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. "Yeah…it'll definitely be fine! It's Natsu, after all!"

"Natsu…" Lucy mumbled. _"I believe in you…"_

"You'll burn your fate, huh?" How amusing. "What an interesting thought." Zeref gripped his coat and threw it off, allowing it to fall to the floor. "You see…I'm a human who has accepted his cursed fate. I know your friend, Mii, has done the same. Do you know why? It's because we have no other choice. That's why it's called 'fate'." Zeref's brown eyes turned red and he stared at Natsu. Burning fate? It was an amusing statement…but that's all it was. Natsu and Zeref stared each other down for what was going to be their third and final clash.

* * *

"Can you walk?" Wendy asked everyone. The group that fought Elieen was right in front of the Fairy Hills building after Fiore was returned to normal.

"Yes, your recovery magic is amazing." Erza said with a soft grin. She was thankful that Wendy was still here.

"Mhm…" Cynthia gave a slow nod. "My side hurts a lot, but…I can manage."

"My leg's okay." Takeru was walking, albeit with a bit of a limp. He and Selene were supporting each other.

"I can move." Selene responded.

"How's your injury, Wendy…?" Cynthia asked. Ironically, the two of them shared a serious wound on the same side of their body.

"It's okay…" It was a deep wound, but Wendy could still move. "…You know, if I had been by Master's side, then maybe…"

"No…" Erza shook her head slowly. "That magic was filled with resolve. The resolve to sacrifice one's own life." She glanced at Elieen's body one more time.

"That sort of resolve is a beautiful thing...a parent protecting their child. Your Master's resolve was the same, which is why I can't speak ill of him." Emmeraude rounded the corner of the building. She tried to stand straight, but that was difficult for even her. She used her chain magic to patch most of her wounds, but it was only a temporary fix.

"Emmeraude?!" Erza's eyes widened. "Has anyone told you that your timing is-"

"Yes, several times." Emmeraude rolled her eyes, cutting off the remark that she's heard a few times already.

"How long has she been there!?" Wendy asked.

"…I think she was watching us fight…" Cynthia placed a hand on her burned skin, hissing quietly in pain. She was leaking a lot of blood and I picked up her scent…she looks awful though. About as bad as we all do." She wasn't wrong.

"…" Emmeraude remained silent for a moment while staring at Elieen. "You aren't the only ones who've lost in this war."

"Do you intend to get in our way?" Erza asked.

"…I'm not fighting in this war anymore." Emmeraude explained. Sure she could muster the strength and magic to fight, but the will? Not after Hisui pleaded for her not to. "All I want to do now is head into Magnolia and find my mother. I know she must be worried about me. I won't stand in your way, but if you stand in my way, then…"

"No...I understand." It was a weird thing for Erza to say to Emmeraude of all people. But just this once, everyone was on the same page. This war was tiring and it made sense that no one wanted to fight anymore. But in Erza's case, this war wasn't over until everyone made it back home.

"I don't think she means any harm…" Wendy pointed out. It was a weird thing for her to say, but she couldn't sense any animosity from the Empress for once. She truly didn't have any intentions of fighting them.

"…" Cynthia finally decided to speak out. She'd rather do it now then mention it later. "Uhm, hey, guys…?" She pointed to Elieen. "I know this might not be the best time but…she's still breathing. I-It's very slight, but…"

"She's alive?" Takeru turned to Elieen's body.

"Is she…?" Emmeraude limped over to Elieen's corpse, slowly pulling the blade from her body. At the same time, multiple thin chains appeared stitch the wound shut. That was the extent of her first aid with Elieen's condition. "…I'm surprised she's still alive, but it won't be for much longer without serious treatment. I…." Before Emmeraude could continue, she felt a powerful presence rapidly closing in on them. "T-This is…"

"Wha…what is this huge magic power!?" Erza asked. She wasn't the only one who felt it and the dragon slayers were frozen stiff for a second.

The being crashed into the earth with such force, a crater nearly formed. Acnologia was within his human form, landing in a crouched position with a malicious grin stretched upon his lips. "I'm bored." The dragon said, that smile still remaining present. "I'm bored with this war…and bored with this world, Black Wizard." His arrival now after the war was nearing its conclusion only meant one thing.

They were out of time.

.

.

Next Time: Dark Future.


	90. Chapter 90: Dark Future

Acnologia. The apocalypse dragon arrived to the battle once more. Elieen managed to fend him off by use of Universe One, but now that Fiore was back to normal, there was no way to keep him at bay anymore. He was here and he was ready to cause destruction. His arrival had those around completely shaken. "…." Erza couldn't say a word; Wendy and Cynthia trembled, while Takeru and Selene just stared. _"Who is he…!? This magic power…I've felt it before…"_ It was no surprise that she didn't recognize him right away. This was the first time anyone ever laid eyes on his human form.

" _This presence…this power…there is no doubt in my mind, this is Acnologia…"_ Emmeraude thought to herself while keeping her eyes on the dragon.

Wordlessly, Acnologia began to walk towards them. Erza, the dragon slayers, and Emmeraude tensed up as his motives were unclear. He walked past them and stood over the unconscious, rapidly fading Elieen. "So it was you that gave the people the power of Dragon Slayer." Wherever he was, it was clear he wasn't so far away to not overhear Elieen's conversation. "That means you are my Mother." With his foot, he kicked Elieen onto her back. His then rose and he harshly stomped on Elieen's stomach, causing the weak woman to let out a cry of pain. "MY SIN!"

"…!" Erza's eyes were wide in shock.

"EEEK!" Wendy and Cynthia both covered their mouths, screaming in horror.

Emmeraude's facial expression soured. She wasn't ignorant to the cruelty of this world, of this dragon, but…every time Acnologia stomped on her; Elieen's cries grew weaker and weaker. _"Elieen…"_ How could she just stand there and watch a friend's body be violated like this? That was the thing. She couldn't. Not again.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Acnologia cackled madly as he desecrated Elieen's body. The sight was so horrible; there was nothing anyone could even think to do. They could only watch as Acnologia began to take another life. Every single time he appeared, he killed someone. Today would be no different. And yet, despite this…he felt something strange with each stomp. Something was blocking the impact. When he actually looked down, he saw a thick barrier of darkness around Elieen's body. "…?"

"That's enough." Emmeraude held a demanding tone. Now all eyes turned to her as she held a hand out, staring directly at Acnologia. It wasn't much, but her emerald aura wavered around her body. Although she didn't get to spend much time with Elieen, they shared a unique relationship.

"…" A human was standing up to him? Acnologia felt disgusted for a moment before actually realizing the power this single human possessed. It wasn't close to Elieen's, yet it caught his attention regardless.

"What is she doing!?" Takeru growled. Emmeraude was going to get them all killed as collateral at this rate.

"…." Selene wasn't sure what to say at first. But the look in Acnologia's eyes made it clear. Emmeraude's intervention didn't change anything. It was Acnologia, he was going to come for them once he finished, that much was clear.

"…Keh…" Acnologia smirked. There were so many things about this group that caught his attention. Yes…he was going to have so much fun with them…

* * *

Their battle began anew. Natsu and Zeref brawled it out in the middle of the Fairy Tail guild hall. With flame and darkness around their wrists, the back of the two brother's hands clashed. Natsu wore a serious expression, while Zeref flashed a hint of a smile. Their physical strength was surprisingly even, but Natsu gained the upper hand, using his power to crush Zeref into the floor! He went to follow up with his other hand, but the Black Wizard caught himself on his hands, sprang up, and swung his leg into Natsu's chest to send him crashing through a few tables and into a wall. Natsu did block the hit, but he was still sent flying backwards regardless.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried out in worry.

"Oooooow…." Natsu groaned while rubbing the back of his head.

"It's just as I thought." Zeref held a grin. "The power of Igneel is gone. You cannot win against me like that."

" _If I hadn't stopped him that time…"_ Happy began to lament his actions. Natsu so close to potentially defeating Zeref and bringing this war to a close before it truly started. Yet, he pulled Natsu away in fear of losing him.

Flames glared around Natsu's body as he stood up once more. So what if he didn't have Igneel's power within him anymore? That didn't matter because… "There's still the power of 'me'." Before they could kick things off once again, everyone in the guild felt it. "…!?"

"This magic power…!" Gray gasped.

"Wha…?" Lucy's eyes went wide.

"Although Elieen has stalled some time for us, I guess it's time…" Sighing, Zeref took a few steps forward. "Natsu. We've run out of time to play around. This is my final chance. For the future of Humanity…die."

* * *

"Oh ho…!?" King's eyes widened as he felt a power extremely similar to his own. "This sensation…!"

"You've got to be kidding me…" Daigo turned his head back to the direction of Fairy Hills. "I can't believe it…"

"Acnologia is here." Ace grit his teeth. They still had plenty on their plate, but here came an extra serving of trouble.

"He's not approaching." Joker pointed out. "He's stationed at Fairy Hills for the moment…along with a few other people. They won't last very long. It's best to cut the losses."

"Man, you really can't not be an asshole, huh…?" Jack scoffed. But he did have a point. There wasn't anything they could do about Acnologia at the moment, especially not with King standing right in front of him.

"Clearly, the world only wants the best for me." King said while standing up straight, a deranged smile on his face. Nobody liked his words, but they had to ask anyway.

"What are you talking about?" Heartless was the one who braved that front. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at King.

"Of course you wouldn't be able to see it. But I've been graced by the hands of fate herself!" King threw his hands into the air, laughing as he did so. "First, I'm brought back from the depths of the netherworld, then my strength is vastly increased simply for being around and now, the dragon of doom has graced us with his presence once more. I understand completely what it is the world is trying to tell me!" The aura around King intensified his mad grin widening. "If I can defeat Acnologia, then everyone in this world will have no choice but to bend to me. Zeref included!"

"Are you an idiot!?" Ace barked. "Just because you have _some_ of Acnologia's power doesn't mean he wouldn't cream you!

"Ho ho ho ho ho…" To that, King merely shook his head. "As always Ace, you find trees, but miss the forest! The power of a dragon and the Reaper fuel my entire body. Even that old man, August, couldn't hope to defeat me were I to unleash my true power!"

Tia sucked her teeth in annoyance. Why in the hell did they ever follow this man so loyally!? "Some things don't change…we've all moved on from what you used to be, but you're still the same." The woman spat.

"Even I'm smart enough to see the outcome of your ambition." Strong hoisted his club over his shoulder. "King. I'm gonna say this once, so I hope you're listening. You're an idiot."

"I agree with the idiot. You're an idiot." Diamond huffed.

"I don't know how you can't see how stupid this is. But at this point, you're simply a ghost that needs to be put to rest for good." Spade said as blue and red lightning charged around him.

"BAH!" King said as his wings spread out. "You will never understand my vision! It doesn't matter if you've 'moved on'! Ever since the beginning, all of you were nothing but tools for me to achieve my dream. This is my chance to finally become the King that this world deserves, and I won't let YOU INSECTS GET IN THE WAY OF MY AMBITION!" Multiple lights then began to form all around him. "ETENRAL FLARE!"

"GET DOWN!" Ace yelled while holding his arms out, creating a large barrier in front of everyone. These beams of raw, destructive magic began pouring down on the group. Ace's barrier managed to hold strong for a little bit before ultimately shattering, throwing him backwards as the chaos ensued, catching everyone in its wake. "Gaaaaah!"

"Ace!" Tia turned, only for a beam to crash into her and send her flying back. Since she was without armor, taking a hit like that hurt a lot, but she flipped to catch herself, digging her scepter into the ground to halt her momentum. "Ugh."

"Is everyone all right!?" Diamond asked.

"Been better…" Spade admitted.

Ace flipped and pointed his pistol forward. "Squall!" Clicking the trigger, multiple tornados shot from the barrel, all of them intending to sweep King away. While King was indeed swept off his feet, imagine Ace's annoyed look when King's laugh echoed loudly.

"HO HO HO!" King roared before opening his mouth, beginning to consume the raging winds that attempted to keep him trapped. "Did you fail to hear what I said earlier?! In this world of magic, I consume it all indiscriminately! That is the many powers that Acnologia has granted me!" The madman exclaimed as his stomach inflated during his meal.

"We heard you!" Spade placed a red magic seal on the ground before nodding to Joker.

"Giga Pillar!" Joker slammed his fist on the ground, causing multiple giga pillars to rise up and cut off King's flight pattern. These were physical, so in the end that King did slam into these, he would feel this.

"Foolish! I'm too powerful for you all! Even you, Joker!" King cackled as more pillars rose up. As he evaded, he failed to realize that he was actually being cooped in. As soon as he stopped, there were several pillars around him, completely cutting off all routes. "Hm!?" The only way was up, and when he went to fly, he was being held down by something. "What the?!"

"Magnet Mayhem!" Spade proudly yelled. Multiple seals of positive and negative charges formed within the pillars, rapidly changing so the magnetic pull kept King in place. "Now that you're not moving…!"

Diamond placed her hands on the ground, causing a pillar of her namesake to rise up and encapsulate King. It wasn't going to hold him for very long, but they just needed that small timeframe. "Strong! Heartless!"

A pillar vanished, Heartless and Strong now lunging towards the briefly trapped King. Heartless was making use of Diamond's Break Hammer, while Strong wielded his signature club. "You're outta here!" Strong yelled. The two swung, breaking the diamond prion while blowing King away in the process. The Break Hammer and Strong's Club held special attributes – if their target was trapped in any sort of spell, the damage dealt by these two weapons increased astronomically. Not even King was immune to this, and he was sent flying through a Giga Pillar, and then several buildings in the process.

"They got him!" Tia clasped her hands together. "Keep it up! Knock the shit out of him!" The woman said, very aggressively at that.

"As expected!" Daigo pumped a fist into the air.

"RAAAAAAH!" King's aura exploded from around him, the intensity of it completely destroying every building in a few yard radius. He then flew forward to the battlefield violently, making Strong his first target. "Do you fools think you could win with that kind of weak place?!" Strong swung at King, but he evaded it and gripped the large man's face, now dragging him through the stone road before flinging him forward, unleashing a potent blast of magic from his palm that consumed Strong, pushing him through multiple buildings before it exploded. When that explosion faded, Strong was down for the count and left in horrible condition.

"STRONG!" Diamond and Spade exclaimed with worry.

"The three of you were nothing but ants to begin with! Always useless, always failing the most simplistic of tasks!" King turned and parted his lips, unleashing a potent roar that intended to catch everyone else in its wake.

"Watch out!" Ace yelled while grabbing both Tia and Jack, diving off to the side to ensure they weren't caught in its wake.

"Whoa whoa whoa…!" Daigo just narrowly managed to hide behind Joker, who stood there and blocked the hit, but not without taking significant damage as a well.

Diamond evaded the roar by jumping off to the sky, but she didn't expect to be King's next target. When she turned, the fusion of man and dragon already had a grip on the arm that wasn't held together by ice. "…!"

"You ants, Ace, Heartless, Ace, and now even Joker. YOU'RE ALL USELESS TO ME!" King threw Diamond into the air and laughed and he brought his other hand up. This prompted a powerful explosion within Diamond right in the middle of it. The ice spirit screamed once before falling from the ground, landing harshly on her side in a similar state to Strong. "If there's one thing I've learned from your failures and betrayals, it's that if you want something done right, you must do it yourself! A king is someone who crushes all those who dare to oppose him. Even if he stands alone at his throne, that's all he needs!"

"You're…!" Spade went to attack, but he found that his side was impaled by King's tail. Blood trickled from his lips, and before he could say anything more, a potent blast from King's palm blasted Spade into a building, taking him out of the fight just like his fellow comrades. Spade, Strong, and Diamond were all out of commission, falling to King once again. "…"

"Guys…!" Tia went to check on the others, but the moment she moved, King was before her, swinging a claw to impale her chest. She would have swung her scepter, but it was too late. She braced for impact, only for Ace to intervene with his back to King, his blade hoisted over his shoulder to block the blow. "Ace…!"

"Do you wanna know why that's such a stupid sentiment!?" Ace snarled. Before he could say much more, he was overpowered and kicked away, but landed in a crouched position. His illness was really starting to get to him as his armor started to fade in and out. "…Damn it…"

"Ace!" Tia yelled.

"He's pushing himself…" Jack grunted.

"What's the matter, Ace!? Can't keep up!?" King cackled. He reared his arm back to claw at Ace, but this time, it was Heartless who stood in his way. "Oh ho?!"

"A kingless country can rule itself. A king with no subject rules naught but the hills." Heartless stared into King's eyes. "That's the type of king you would be if your plans ever came to fruition. You'd be a ruler only in title. No one would respect you."

Their words continued to aggravate them. None of them would understand. "THAT IS ENOUGH!" King's aura exploded around him once more. He was done playing games with them. Heartless, Ace, and Joker were the only ones who could really put up fight against King now, and their strength was needed. King's skin began to darken as black and blue lines started to appear all over his body. His power was skyrocketing. "TO BE A KING, YOU MUST BE STRONG! YOU MUST SIEZE WHAT YOU DESIRE WITH POWER, AND POWER ALONE!"

"I think he's going crazy again…!" Daigo pointed out.

"His power is skyrocketing…" Joker said calmly.

King's form was now shifting to that of what he used several years ago to battle the Dragon Slayers. There was no point in him holding back anymore. "In the future, I was unable to defeat Acnologia! I had no choice but to escape here and try again to claim this world that is rightfully mine! This is my chance to defeat Acnologia and claim my title as the world's ruler, and nothing can stop me! NOT YOU INSECTS, NOT ZEREF, NOT ANYONE! THIS TIME, I WILL SUCCEED! SUBMIT TO ME! OTHERWISE I WILL STAIN YOUR FUTURE IN THE DARKEST OF BLACK!"

Even though Ace was starting to reach his own limit, he pointed his sword forward at King. There was a determined look in his eyes not just from facing King, but from what was on the line here. "You are, and always will be mad. You'll never understand the difference your selfish motivation, and why we're standing here in front of you right now. You're stopping our friends from returning to their home. That alone is enough of a reason to take you down."

* * *

"Out of time, huh…" August trailed off.

"This feeling…?" Gildarts looked around.

"Could it be…" Cana began.

"Without a doubt." Sidney glanced up at the sky.

"Acnologia." August's expression shifted. "If only His Majesty absorbed the power of Fairy Heart before he came. Then this might have been a different story. King seems to be going off the rails as well…we needed more time."

"You gave up pretty quick." Gildarts stated.

"Those are the wings of darkness which obscures the future of humanity." August said.

"But you guys are already on your way to darkening the future." Gildarts pointed out. This entire war was for the extermination of mankind, so what made Alvarez and different from Acnologia?

"His Majesty is working for the sake of the future of humanity." August held a strange conviction in his voice. As stated before, August was the one who held the strongest loyalty to Zeref, and once again, it showed here.

"WHO WOULD BELIEVE THAT BULLSHIT!" Cana screamed.

"It is fine if you do not understand." August never expected anyone to. As long as he believed in Zeref, then none of it mattered. "Even if I am the only one that understands, then…"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Cana's voice continued to rise. "Even if there's justice, what you guys are really doing is conquering! You're no better than Emmeraude, and that's exactly why I can't stand you! Claiming your actions are for our benefit when all you're doing is moving on with your own selfish agenda! Because of that, many people have fallen, died, even Master…" Clenching her hand into a fist, Cana began to gather a large amount of magic energy. "We don't care about justice anymore! The precious time to be able to laugh and enjoy with your comrades is most important to us! We want to be able to laugh and cry with our families once again! That's the tomorrow we're fighting for!"

"Cana…" Gildarts stared at his daughter, in awe at her words.

"…" Sidney remained silent. Their words and sentiments didn't mean much to him. But if there was one thing he could quietly agree with, it was that Alvarez was no better than Emmeraude, or Acnologia.

"So we won't give up no matter what!" The card mage yelled as the Fairy Glitter tattoo once again appeared on her arm, "I won't flinch even if it's Acnologia, Emmeraude, or Zeref! If it's to protect our town…our guild…!"

"Don't do it." Sidney warned. "Using that spell a second time will…"

"I DON'T CARE!" Cana cut Sidney off. So what if her injured body couldn't handle it? After watching Lucy put herself on the line against Emmeraude, and everyone else's sacrifices so far, the least she could do was put forth the same amount of effort!

Cana was a fool in Sidney's eyes. However, her brashness did present a chance of opportunity. If Cana was truly going to strike August with everything she could muster, then he could make use of this. Sidney quickly clapped his hands together, eclipse magic flowing from his being. "…."

"Everyone's been fighting hard, so I have to do the same for their sake! I WILL FIGHT BACK AGAINST ANY DISASTER!" Cana yelled as a brilliant golden light shrouded the area, eclipsing anything in the immediate vicinity. She had the power to illuminate the path, and she planned to rid their world of the dark future ahead of them with this spell.

"Oooh!" Gildarts was grinning at first, proud that his daughter could muster the strength to use this spell twice. But then he realized that using this spell _twice_ within such a short period of time, and in her condition, was not wise. "Wait, Cana! You can't!"

"Fairy Magic No. 3…!" Cana pointed her hand forward, not even bothering with the incantation of the spell this time. She knew it by heart and dropped everything she had on August, a massive pillar of light dropping down from the heavens to smite the strongest member of the Spriggan 12, annihilating everything in its wake. "FAIRY GLITTER!"

And right as Cana cast, Fairy Glitter… "Eclipse Tower." Sidney mumbled while clapping his hands together. This prompted a gigantic pillar of Eclipse magic to rise up from under August, holding an even greater destructive power than Fairy Glitter since Sidney far outclassed Cana. But that wasn't the point Sidney was trying to make. Sidney was forcing August into a choice. He figured out how the King of Magic worked relatively quickly, and with this information in mind, it was up to August to decide which spell he'd rather deal with.

August was stunned. Fairy Glitter was a powerful spell, that much was certain. But against his magic, he could easily render it null. But that's when another problem came into the picture: Eclipse Tower. "…!" This wasn't good. August could nullify and copy spells instantly, however, due to the nature of copy magic, he couldn't copy two spells at the same time. While August was fast to cancel out one spell after another if they came in rapid succession, there was naught he could do against two spells of this caliber coming at him simultaneously. Both spells violently exploded against him, creating a thick cloud of smoke that shrouded the Spriggan from view.

"…." Cana's eyes went wide as the recoil hit her immediately. She grasped her right arm, hissing in pain as the limb went completely dead. "Ahhhh…"

"Cana!" Gildarts was clearly worried. The last thing he wanted was for Cana to end up having an arm like him, and right now, those chances looked fairly high.

"I-I'm fine!" Cana yelled, annoyed at his concern more than anything else. "But he's…!" The smoke cleared and August was standing tall…but he didn't escape without damage. His battle form showed signs of moderate to severe damage, but it wasn't from the Eclipse Tower. "He's still standing, even after all of that!?"

"He picked Fairy Glitter." Sidney stated.

August had no choice. Both spells were extremely powerful in their own right; however, if he allowed the Eclipse Tower to hit him, his condition would have been far more severe. The fact that Sidney forced him into a decision like this told August that the Ace of White Eclipse was by far the most dangerous opponent Fiore had to offer… "You." August turned to Cana. "Do you love your father?"

"What?" What kinda question was that!? Cana gripped her dead right arm, staring at Gildarts. "Weh…Well, I don't really feel for him…"

"That's a line, Canaaaaaaaa!" Gildarts whined.

"THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW!" Cana yelled, trying to get Gildarts back into the battle.

August then turned to Sidney. "Did you love your brother?"

"…." Sidney didn't say a word. What was the point of this question?

"I know your brother was a victim of a comrade of mine. It is a painful thing to lose a comrade…but how painful is it to lose a family member?" August stared into Sidney's eyes. He got the answer he wanted, even if Sidney's expression didn't change. As the oldest one here, his experience was unmatched. "I see." And finally, he turned to Gildarts. "And you. Do you love your daughter?"

"OF COURSE!" Gildarts said.

"Even I, who have mastered all magic which exists in the world…have one thing that I do not understand." The strongest Spriggan held a melancholy tone while tapping his staff on the ground. "The love between a parent and child. Another comrade of mine, you know her well, Emmeraude…I've seen her interactions with her mother, but I've never understood where it comes from. What is the love between a parent and child…what is the bond between a parent and child…" A malicious smirk then curled up onto August's lips. "I wouldn't dare ask this of a comrade, but tell me…if your child is to die in front of your eyes, what will your emotions be like?"

"…Huh." Suddenly, Gildarts' entire expression shifted. Veins began to throb from his forehead at August's threat. "You motherfucker…just try lying a single finger on Cana…AND I'LL SHOW YOU A SPECIAL HELL THAT PUTS _**DEATH**_ TO SHAME!" Screaming, Gildarts began to sprint at August, completely infuriated that he would even dare mention such a thing.

"He's provoking you, calm down." Sidney was never one to shout, but he made sure his voice was loud enough for Gildarts to hear. Unfortunately, Gildarts was so overcome with rage, Sidney's words went one ear and out the other.

"He's right!" Cana yelled. "You stupid…don't go falling for his bait!"

Too late. Gildarts was already swinging a rage induced punch at August, but the King of Magic caught it. "Hmph!" August then slammed Gildarts into the ground violently. "So, all children love their parents, and in turn, parents love their children? Is that right?"

Despite being thrown onto the ground, Gildarts quickly stood up to a crouched position. "YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT IT IS!" But before he could move, August already had his staff against Gildarts' chest.

"In that case…" Magic began to surge from August's staff. "Pray tell me, why was His Highness' child not loved?" And then a gigantic explosion occurred, swallowing Gildarts whole.

"GAAAAAAAH!" Gildarts cried out as he was consumed by August's attack.

"GILDARTS!" Cana tried to move, but the recoil from her arm really did make things difficult.

"Idiot." Sidney then pushed forward, swinging his leg right at August's face. The impact was blocked. The ghost mage attempted to follow up with a roaring uppercut, but he was cut off by a rising explosion of magic that threw him backwards. Sidney was also never one to let out any noises of pain; however, this attack did inflict damage and threw him back.

"Even you!?" Cana used her good arm to try and attack.

"STAY BACK, CANA!" Gildarts barked.

"How long are you going to treat me like I'm still just a kid!?" It was so annoying! Cana pulled out several cards, using her good arm to throw them forward. "I'M A GROWN WOMAN, I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW!" She proclaimed. August stared at the cards, only to hop away before they could explode against him. Cana then landed before Gildarts, scowling in his direction. "So try giving me some independence why don't you?"

"Nope." Gildarts said with a smirk. "I could never let go of my little girl."

"You say all parents love their children, but not only was His Majesty's child not loved, but the King of Pergrande did not love that of child of his either." August mentioned.

"Any parent who doesn't love their child is no parent at all!" Gildarts said, flat out.

"Why was His Majesty's child not loved…?" August continued to lament this question. A question filled with so much curiosity, it was almost...personal.

* * *

Rahkeid crawled along the ground, and weakly at that. He was still suffering from his defeat, but that didn't matter right now. Right now, at this very moment, he there was only one thing on his mind. "Father…I must…protect Father…"

* * *

"Gah!" Natsu cried out as Zeref landed a fierce punch to his cheek. Natsu recovered quickly from the blow and lifted his knee to strike Zeref in the gut, briefly winding the Black Wizard. With this opening, Natsu then inhaled for a brief moment before throwing his head forward. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

Zeref was blown back and consumed by the flames, only to expel his arms to the side, creating a barrier around his person to defend against the flames. Natsu snarled for a moment before swinging his legs down for an upside down kick, but Zeref blocked against this and the two slid back once more. "Can you handle this!?" The Black Wizard exclaimed while pointing his hand forward, unleashing a potent black beam in Natsu's direction.

Natsu quickly rolled to the side, planting his hand on the ground while bending his knees to gain momentum and shot himself forward headfirst. "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" The fire dragon rocketed at Zeref, flames coating his body as a fierce headbutt landed against his opponent' sternum. The impact was strong enough to send Zeref flying back while Natsu landed in a crouched position.

"Hmph!" Zeref flipped, landing against a support beam before shifting the momentum to his legs to shoot himself forward. Now he mimicked Natsu's move earlier, swinging his leg down to collide against his brother's cranium. Natsu jumped back to avoid it, but Zeref landed on the ground in a crouched position, pivoted on his hand, and spun with his other leg extended, crashing right it into Natsu's side to send him flying away.

" _Gray, Lucy, Happy, you're all at the guild, are you not?"_ Mavis contacted the three of them telepathically.

"First!?" Happy looked around.

" _You must leave immediately!"_ Mavis commanded.

"Huh?" Gray didn't understand.

" _I'm also nearby. Please, everyone! You must convene with me right away."_

"But Natsu…we can't just leave him here!" Lucy didn't want to leave Natsu was he was engaged in the fight of his life.

" _Believe in Natsu and in me."_ Mavis let her words hang in the air, allowing the trio to digest them. _"Hurry! Natsu's fate is completely dependent on you all!"_

Natsu swung a fiery fist at Zeref's chest, but the Black Wizard sidestepped to avoid the blow. Gray couldn't tear his eyes away from the action, but Mavis had his attention too. "What do you mean by that?"

" _I'll fill you in on the particulars after we've met up. There's a chance that the enemy is intercepting my telepathy."_ Mavis said. She couldn't afford to take any risks when the end of the war was in sight. At this point, the tide of victory could go to either side, and she couldn't allow Fiore to trip at the finish line after swearing to lead them to victory.

"Natsu's fate…?" Lucy pondered this.

Gray was the one who made the decision. He started to leave the guild while looking back at Lucy and Happy. "Let's go! We're only going to get it the way if we hang around here!"

"Aye…" Happy followed behind Gray.

Lucy stayed behind for a moment, her hand against her chest as she watched Natsu. "Natsu…don't lose." Those were her final words to him as she began to leave the guild.

Zeref threw a punch at Natsu's face, but he sidestepped it and grabbed onto Emperor Spriggan's wrist, much to his surprise. With flames blazing around his fist, Natsu swung his hand down on Zeref's skull, crushing him into the wooden floorboards. "GOT IT!" He heard Lucy loud and clear.

Immediately after being slammed, Zeref jumped back, sliding across the floor. "…What fun this is, Natsu." Fun!? "I must defeat you, here and now, or the future of humanity is doomed. And yet, I'm having so much fun."

"Huuuh!?" Natsu didn't get it. "The future of humanity?! You're to kill everyone! Quit you're yappin' already!"

"Could this be the caused by the curse of contradictions? Or is it simply my own emotions? I'm not entirely sure anymore." But as he questioned his own motivations, there was a smile on his face. A twisted smile of enjoyment. "Either way, I'm absolutely giddy."

"You…!" Natsu growled, only to be hit with a heavy wave of drowsiness. "Guh…?"

"Slumber." Rahkeid made it. When Lucy and Gray rushed out of the guild, he hid behind the open door to avoid being spotted. In their haste, they never noticed him. Now, it was time to put Natsu to rest, and free his father from the curse that was Natsu Dragneel…no, the curse that was END.

"Who the hell are you…!?" Natsu growled weakly. He felt so tired all of a sudden. Why now!?

"Rahkeid…" Zeref stared.

"Father…I made it in time." The White Dragneel said with a content smile.

"Father?!" Zeref had a son!? This was the first time Natsu was hearing of this. "Why does he smell like me!?" No, more importantly… "DAMMIT! SNAP OUT OF IT, ME! NOW'S NOT THE TIME TO BE TAKING A NAP!" Natsu shook his head violently, punched his own face, but nothing was working.

"Now, while the enemy is flustered!" Rahkeid's smile turned into an evil one. "HURRY UP AND KILL THIS HINDRANCE! AND BE RELEASED FROM THE CURSE OF YOUR YOUNGER BROTHER! _**LET HIS PURE WHITE SOUL ASCEND TO THE FREE HEAVENS!**_ "

Rahkeid was absolutely elated to finally have Natsu cornered like this. This was their first meeting and their last. Finally, his father could be free of this man! But then…why was Zeref so angry?

.

.

[Flashback]

As Precht searched for countless ways to bring Mavis back from within the crystal, he found something inside of her. "This is impossible. This reaction…life, from within Mavis' body?" Now he was at a crossroads. What on earth was he supposed to do with this? "Should I leave it as is…or kill it? Let live…or kill? Let live…or kill…let…live…" What was he supposed to do!? A child's life was on the line here and the child of a close comrade no less. How could he kill it!? But at the same time, how could he let it live, too?

[End flashback]

.

.

Zeref had enough. He pointed his hand forward and an explosion occurred from Rahkeid's chest, blowing behind him as well. Rahkeid couldn't comprehend what just happened. "WHA-!?" Why…why did his own father attack him!? Natsu hadn't the slightest clue what just happened, but all he knew was that Zeref just attacked one of his own comrades!

"Do not interrupt us." The Black Wizard snarled. He did it. He attacked the man who claimed to be his own son without any remorse and with a fatal injury no less. Thus, this brought back the question that August continued to lament.

Why was His Highness' child not loved?

.

.

Next Time: Passion.


	91. Chapter 91: Passion

The battle against August continued. Gildarts, Sidney, and Cana were making progress against the Spriggan 12's strongest wizard, but they weren't able to close anything out. That was their biggest problem thus far. Gildarts threw his arm forward, only to collide with August's staff once more. That weapon was getting a lot of mileage in this fight. "Ooooh!" Gildarts roared while trying to overpower August, but his efforts were for naught.

"Agh…" Cana winced. After using Fairy Glitter twice, her right arm wasn't going to be the same. At the moment, the limb was dead weight and dangled helplessly. That said, she wasn't going to drop out of the fight, despite knowing that Sidney thought of her as dead weight. She used her left arm to hurl a plethora of cards at August while he was dealing with Gildarts. "Tri Arrow!" Three cards were thrown forward, fire, ice, and lightning, all shooting towards August.

"…!" Another attack he couldn't handle in his usual manner. August had no choice but to jump back to avoid the explosions, but just as he did that, Sidney was on him. The Ghost mage unleashed multiple tombstones from the palm of his hand, all of them colliding against August's back that forced him to stagger forward. "Gah…!"

With this opening, Gildarts then held his hand forward. "ALL CRUSH!" A brilliant flash of crash magic erupted directly on August, taking the shape of a star with the sudden flash. Despite that, August simply used this to his advantage to create a massive explosion on Sidney. He then flew forward, striking both Gildarts and Cana to knock them away in separate directions. "Whoa!"

"Kyaaah!" Cana felt that one. She tumbled along the ground, right onto her right side. That wasn't helping her condition right now, and pushing herself up wasn't exactly easy.

" _What's going on here!?"_ Gildrats pulled himself to a knee while staring at August. _"My magic isn't working on him…neither did Eclipse Tower from Sidney, but…"_ He thought about the fight up until this point. Some of Sidney's attacks managed to connect, when Eclipse Tower and Fairy Glitter were cast at the same time, only Fairy Glitter hit, and lastly, August had yet to be hit by Cana's attacks. Oh…OH! HE understood now! The answer was in front of him the whole time.

While Gildarts had his epiphany, Cana was weakly pushing herself up on her left arm. She wasn't going to have the time to stand, as August was already rearing the sharp end of his staff backwards. "Such a thing as love between parent and child…"

"STOP IIIIIIT!" Gildarts roared, forcing himself to move in front of Cana. In his mind, there was no other option but to take the staff as it stabbed through the left side of his chest.

"GILDARTS!" Cana cried out.

"…" Sidney pulled himself up, staring at the scene before him.

"Guh…" Gildarts coughed up some blood, but managed to smirk despite his situation. "This part's already been eaten by Acnologia. It's fine. It's fine." He said, his tone lowering somewhat to reassure his daughter that he was all right.

"Stop pushing yourself already!" Cana pleaded.

"I'll do anything for my own child." Gildarts said with a grin. "It's strange, but even though I've only been thinking of myself till now…once I got a kid, everything I've worked up for has been spent on the kid." Gildarts' words caused August to lift a brow, as though he was taken aback by what was said.

"Cut the crap! You've walked away from us again anyway!" Cana scowled. Prior to this war, the last time Gildarts had been seen was during the Fight for Fiore incident, which was well over a year ago. "So much happened while you were away that we could have used your help in! Tartarus, Emmeraude…!"

"I was thinking that I'd be in your way." Gildarts admitted. "If it's okay to be with you, Papa will always be with you." He hummed.

"THAT'S ANNOYING!" Cana shrieked.

"SEE!" Gildarts shouted.

"…." Sidney wasn't being silent because he was in awe at Gildarts' words or anything. He was extremely annoyed that they were picking _now_ to have this moment. Even August wasn't doing anything. Was everyone brainless or something?

"BUT!" Gildarts then began to sprint forward. Even though this caused the staff to pierce deeper into his body, he didn't care! "I can do anything if it's for my kid! EVEN DRAGGINY OU DOWN TO HELL WITH ME!"

"GILDARTS!" Cana yelled. Was he serious!?

"RRAAAAAAAAAAH!" Gildarts had a firm grip on August's staff. He wasn't going to release it, and if August wanted to escape, he was going to have to let go. There was a malicious smile on Gildarts' face as he closed the distance between them.

"Gildarts, stop it!" Cana pleaded, but Gildarts kept pushing forward. "PLEASE STOP, DAD!"

"Your magic won't work against me, do you not realize this?" August was unfazed by Gildart's charge.

"Have you finally figured it out?" Sidney was positioning himself while Gildarts charged forward.

"You got it!" Gildarts grinned. "The instantaneous copying of magic! At the same, this nullifies the magician's magic in front of you! I was wondering what was going on! My magic wasn't working, but when faced with two powerful spells at once that should have taken you down, you were still standing. Why was this? Because you could only copy and nullify one, and you picked the stronger one! Sidney's tombstones, monsters, and Cana's cards…those aren't spells you can protect yourself from, which is why you had to dodge or risk taking damage! And without the key, you wouldn't be able to handle Lucy's spirits. You can't copy without the material!"

"About time." Sidney was waiting for Gildarts to figure it out.

"About time!? You knew about this!? Why didn't you say anything!?" Cana flung several cards at August. Since he was too busy dealing with Gildarts, he couldn't dodge these and they exploded against his body, sending him flying back. "AND YOU! DON'T GO SHOWING OFF LIKE YOU WERE GOING TO DRAG SOMEONE TO DEATH!" Seriously, was he trying to give her a heart attack!

"There shouldn't have been a need for me to say anything…" Sidney answered Cana's question while appearing in front of August, swinging a punch filled with nothing but raw strength at the Spriggan's torso. NOW he landed that infamous gut punch, causing August to violently recoil backwards with widened eyes. The impact didn't last for much longer, as August flicked his staff up, causing an explosion that threw Sidney into the air, leaving him fairly bruised as a result. "…!" He sucked his teeth in path, but the expression under his scarf was unwavering.

"I would've liked to know!" Cana shouted while watching Sidney fly.

Sidney flipped, landing on his feet in his usual stance. "You should have been the first one to figure it out. Instead, you killed your arm on a spell that only worked because he allowed it to. Reseruction: Frankenstein." A magic seal formed under Sidney's feet, giving birth to a 20 foot Frankenstein that towered over everyone else. The behemoth brought its foot up and promptly brought it down to crush August under its weight.

"I…!" Cana didn't have a defense for that one.

August was going to blast at the monster before him, but…he realized that his staff wasn't in his grip. When Cana blasted him away from Gildarts, he failed to realize that his staff left his grip! This left him defenseless and he had no choice but to bring his hands up to prevent from being crushed by the monster towering over him!

"Gildarts!" Cana turned to her father.

Gildarts was already on it. With the opening Sidney made, it was time to bring this to a close. Fiore's strongest wizards, and the strongest bond of all, love, backed their power! Gildarts began to charge forward, the card of 'love' flying behind him and off into the distance. "I won't die! FOR THE SAKE OF MY DAUGHTER'S SMILE!" To see a parent fight so valiantly for their child…August was truly taken aback by this. "YOU CAN'T COPY THE FIST OF THIS PROSTEHTIC ARM!"

* * *

[Flashback]

Ultimately, Precht decided to let the child live. But by doing this, he immediately came to another crossroads. "The child of Mavis…is Zeref the father? When did this? No, it may not seem so, but Mavis is a grown woman. That's not the problem. What to do with this child? An enormous magic power that's neither light nor dark. Was it perhaps a mistake to let it live…?"

" _Precht abandoned me. But I don't hold a grudge against him. I've learned about Zeref and Mavis from my own memories, because I had the magic power just for that. I had a tough time in my childhood. It was a struggle just to live. But the person that saved me…was Father. Father did not know about me, but it was better that way. I became Father's assistant to create a country together. Father gave me a name…"_

Zeref stood before a young boy. A boy who seemed oddly familiar. "I had some special time to spend with a certain girl. You remind me somewhat of that girl. That was during August…"

" _Why was the King's child unloved? That was because…he didn't recognize my existence…"_

[End flashback]

* * *

"Crushing evil, spreading the truth…EMPYREAN!" Gildarts swung his metallic arm at August's chest. There was nothing the King of Magic could do against such a mighty blow but take it head on, which he couldn't. There was a violent explosion of crash magic upon impact. August let out a loud cry of pain as he flew back into the rubble, taken down by the efforts of Gildarts, Sidney, and Cana.

* * *

"DIE! DIE YOU WORTHLESS VERMIN!" King took to the skies and opened his maw, unleashing a potent blast of destruction towards Ace, Heartless, and Joker.

"Dread Lazer!" Joker pointed his hand forward, unleashing a red beam of energy that clashed with King's roar. The two attacks were so powerful that they exploded on contact, shaking the very skies with their sheer power. "Missile Barrage!" Red Joker then began to release multiple missiles with no elemental affinity. They exploded against King, but didn't deal any damage. "…Not even those."

"It's all useless!" King laughed while diving down towards the trio that opposed him, clenching his hand into a fist to create a massive explosion on their location. It did succeed in catching the trio, throwing them all in separate directions. Jack, Tia, and Daigo who were watching were even thrown away from the raw power. "I am your KING! If you bow down to me, then I'll grant you a swift, painless death!"

"And who the hell would listen to you!?" The wings on Ace's armor spread out and he performed a full throttle charge at the mad King. "Wing Blade!"

King held his arms around, grasping onto Ace's wings. The momentum Ace had initially pushed him backwards, but this just caused King to grin. "I can see you sweating Ace! Still sick, are we!? You know you can't defeat me with such meager power! Maybe…maybe I should just rid this world of your precious queen! Would you be able put up a half decent fight then!?"

"Don't you dare, KING!" Ace roared. Unfortunately for Ace, he was overpowered in his state of weakness. King ripped off the wings of his armor, following with a vicious claw that violently raked across Ace's chest, cutting deep while drawing blood. "GWAH!"

"AAAAAACE!" Tia didn't care if she didn't have magic. She couldn't stand by and watch Ace die in front of her a second time!

"SIS NO!" Jack tried to reach out for her, but it was too late.

"Are you so eager to join him!?" King turned and pointed his hand forward, unleashing a beam of blue energy in her direction. A blast like that would easily evaporate anyone in its wake.

Tia's eyes went wide as there was no way for her to defend against this. She braced for impact, but didn't need to as Heartless stood in front of her, tanking the entirety of the blast much to everyone's surprise. "…!? H-Heartless?!"

"Mistress!?" Daigo's eyes were wide.

Heartless was heavily damaged after an attack like that. Blood dripped from her body and her dress was torn and tattered. Despite this, she still stood tall. "…..As long as I still breathe, I won't let you bring harm to anyone else."

"Is that a request?!" King grinned maliciously and flew forward, gripping Heartless by the face to drive her into the ground. "HO HO HO! How the mighty have fallen so, Heartless! At one point, I believed you to earnest be my right hand woman and the strongest of Dealer…but look at you now, pretending to be human! Pretending to have emotions!" Joker attempted to strike King, but King's tail proved to be a nuisance and smacked even Joker away. King then held Heartless up by her pink hair, grinning as nobody could even move, only watch. "Any last words?"

Heartless coughed a few times before weakly grabbing onto King's wrist. There was blood dripping from the various wounds on her body, but there was a strange spark in her eyes. "…I'm not human." She stated, tightening her grp on King's wrist. "In order to bring down the monster that was you, I had to throw away my humanity. I don't regret it…or rather, I can't regret it. But in the end, it paid off and you were defeated. Now that Dealer has had a chance to reform, I stand before you know a-as the new leader of this group…"

"Ho ho…" King simply laughed. "You've taken the mantle of leader of Dealer, but you make a poor one. Just look at your forces, all scattered and injured so gravely! You must be like me then, using them as pawns to achieve your own goals!"

"Never…" Heartless growled.

"Oh!? Then what do you think of them as!? Surely not companions, because you don't have the emotional capacity for that!" King mocked Heartless. "You're true to your name! You are a heartless being." It was strange though…he was brimming with energy, so why was he feeling so tired? Perhaps dealing with these ants lost its entertainment value. He had to clean up this mess before it got any worse.

"Maybe so." Heartless' lips then curled up into a slight smirk. "Even though I've lost my heart long ago, being together all of them for years…watching them make friends and move on from your oppressive grip. It's made me proud. I may not have a heart, but being around them makes fills that void. And I'm more than ready to put myself on the line for them!" Even an emotionless woman like herself wasn't immune to the feelings of those around her. Even if she couldn't fully return their emotions, she damn sure was going to try. "Right now, my name is not Heartless. For the people that have traveled this long road of redemption with me, and are fighting with me at this very moment, my name is…Clarissa Heart! I think…this is what they call passion..?" Her sweet words brought a smile to everyone's face. As she spoke, that same card of 'love' that flew out from Gildarts' pocket…the breezed carried it past Heartless and her smiling face. "Oh, and King? While you may mock my lack of humanity, right now…I think you've also completely forgotten about it."

"Excuse me!?" King snarled, using his free hand to gather magic but…he felt so tired.

"Did you forget? I'm a demon. My curse allows me to sap the vitality out of living creatures. And right now, you are alive, aren't you?" Heartless smirked. "Your hubris let me talk…and it let me nearly suck you dry." That was intentional.

"W-What?!" King pulled his hand away from Heartless. It was too late. She already drained quite a bit of the borrowed life force he was using.

The demoness drew a hand back before throwing it forward, a card with a heart symbol attaching itself to King's chest. "You may be able to consume magic, but how about my curse!? Can you eat this, King!?" At first glance, it may have seemed like Acnologia had no weaknesses, but King did. And now, Heartless just made another one. "Now that I'm feeling energized again…ACE! JOKER!" Heartless pointed to her two comrades.

"Heh!" Ace managed to stand up. It was tough for him to watch Heartless potentially bite the dust, but that was the difference between this Dealer, and the Dealer that Fairy Tail fought all those years ago. The members of this Dealer trusted one another. A black aura intensified around Ace and his armor began to change more. "Acid Ace: Battle Battalion – ONLINE!" It was now or never. Ace didn't have much left in him, so they had to bring this battle to a close now!

A similar light shrouded Joker's body. It was red and when it faded, he stood within his fully upgraded form. "Dread Joker: Red Riot – ONLINE!"

"T-This is…!?" King took a step back. Wait, why was he afraid!? He shouldn't have been! He was the king!

"Red Gaia…" Joker drew an arm back and threw it forward, unleashing a potent beam of red energy directly at King. As he did this, two magic seals formed in the sky above, both dropping equally powerful beams that sliced the area before engulfing the area in a massive explosion. "ERASER!"

"HO HO HO!" This was King's lucky break! This was all magic, all of it he happily began to consume! What fools! They just threw away their only chance at beating him! But as King ate this magic, he didn't feel any stronger. In fact, he wasn't gaining anything from it! "W-What's going on!? I should be getting my magic back!"

"That card on your chest…I've sealed your 'heart'. Any magic that benefits you is rendered null…while also leaving you vulnerable to magic as well." Heartless explained. "I doubt I could muster too large an effect on Acnologia himself, but…you aren't him. You're just a pretender."

"But if you want to have a meal so badly, let's see how you stomach this!" Ace lifted his index finger into the air, a small black sphere forming on the tip. He then threw his hand forward, causing the tiny sphere to turn into a massive black hole that consumed King within its wake.

"NO! NO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" King couldn't escape the gravitational pull of a black hole. It was far too much, even for him. "I AM YOUR KING!"

"You've just been dethroned!" Ace held his blade out, charging it with as much power as he could. "BLACK END…" Black Ace flew forward, slicing the black hole with King within the center. "GALAXY!" The Ace of Dealer appeared on the other side of the pitch black vortex, not even looking back as it exploded in a brilliant flash of light. From within the bright light, one could see King's physical body cut in two, while also fading away back to the afterlife.

"This…this can't be…happening…" King whined as his form completely vanished…

"They did it…" Jack was in awe.

Ace was immediately kicked out of his Black Battalion armor and started to tip over. However, before he hit the ground, Tia caught him in her arms with a grin. "…You were so cool out there." She said with a grin. A grin that quickly turned into the 'look'.

"Ahaha…I'm glad you thought so…" Ace coughed, but managed to wink.

"OH GROSS! SHE'S GIVING HIM THAT LOOK AGAIN!" Jack pointed.

"…Pathetic." Joker crossed his arms and returned to normal.

"Let them have their moment." Daigo said while checking up on Spade, Strong, and Diamond. They were fine, just semi-conscious. They did hear Heartless' words, and planned on teasing her about it later.

Heartless let out a shaky breath, leaning against some rubble to support herself. Being the Guildmaster of a reformed guild…it had its merits. Watching her friends now, she absolutely did not regret taking on this mantle. It gave her a sense of pride that was akin to happiness. While she couldn't identify the emotion itself, it was enough to bring a smile to her lips. "…I'm so proud of you all…"

Jigan King: Down.

* * *

"Dad, are you okay!?" Cana rushed over to Gildarts while holding onto her right arm.

"Yes. It's just my left arm that's stopped moving…" Gildarts held onto his prosthetic arm. "…What about you?" He glanced at Sidney, who looked about as bad as they did.

"I'm fine." The ghost mage said, glancing between Cana and Gildarts. How did they both end up with injured arms? Like father like daughter, one supposed.

"HEY!" Cygnus rushed over to the scene, but by then, it was already over. "What…you guys already beat him!? Damn it! I wasn't done!"

That's when the sound of shifting rubble filled the air. Sidney immediately turned and got into a stance once again. "…It's not over."

"What!?" Gildarts turned.

"It can't be!" Cana gasped. How was August still moving, even after all of that!?

"Old people really don't know when to quit...!" But Cygnus wasn't complaining! If he got to punch August again, then he was more than happy to join the fray. Unfortunately for the ecstatic gravity god, that wasn't how things were going to play out.

August rose from the rubble, panting heavily from all the damage sustained. It was true that he was defeated; however, he did not plan on going down alone. "I was born with a mighty magic power. But I've thrown it away, neglected it. And eventually reached the barrier that every living being faces, but my life was saved by His Majesty." A sinister glow appeared around August, a malicious smile crossing his lips. "That's why even if this body decays, the most powerful mage of the Spriggan 12, August…will destroy this country with his power!"

"…!" Sidney's eyes widened. For the first time, there was notciable concern on his face. He went to take a step forward, only to feel his body inflame! On instinct, his body went transparent and intangible, however…this only saved him.

"Wh…!?" Gildarts couldn't even finish before crying out in pain. "Dad…!?" Cana didn't understand what was going on.

"Ngh…!" Cygnus groaned. "Talk about being a sore loser! You lose the fight and plan to wipe out everyone!?"

"Scatter and turn to ashes…along with my body…" August rose into the air, the area around him crumbling to nothing. The entirety of Magnolia was caught within this massive power.

"W-What is this!?" Max started choking.

"I…I can't breathe…!" Warren clutched his neck.

"My body is on fire…it's about as hot as I am…!" Zelos whined while holding onto his neck. All jokes aside, this wasn't good.

"What the hell's going here…?" Taya groaned while leaning against a wall. "My blood is…boiling…"

"Is it just me...or is it getting a little _too_ hot in here...!?" Luke gasped.

* * *

As Mavis ran, she suddenly tripped and placed a hand on her chest. "Ah…!" She felt it too. She wasn't exempt from August's final ditch effort. _"A magic capable of evaporating the blood of living beings and melting the earth…is this the ancient magic Ars-Magia!?"_ This was bad. If this spell saw completion, everyone was going to die. _"Everyone, can you hear me!? This is an emergency! Make your powers go into defensive mode, this way…!"_ She couldn't finish. Her telepathic connection to everyone was cut off due to the intense heat in the air. _"I've been blocked…!"_ And then she coughed up blood. Magnolia was withering away with each passing second, and very soon, there would be nothing and no one left. _"Who…has this magical power…!?"_ Her gaze then lifted to the sky where August was. _"August was this kind of mage…!?"_

* * *

"Disappear." August said. Magnolia and everyone in it was going to melt to nothing.

This was bad. Sidney was the only one who was briefly immune to the Ars-Magia, but not for long. He had to think of something otherwise everyone was going to die. The instant he let up was the instant his magic and body burned out. He had to take August down here and now with nothing but his raw power. Sidney was willing to take that risk and clenched his hand into a fist, preparing to lunge at August with everything he could muster. "…This is it."

Gildarts wrapped his good arm around Cana, holding her close. "Stay with me, Cana! No matter what happens, I will protect you! No matter what!"

August had full intentions of completing this spell. But it was strange…he felt a familiar gaze on him. A gaze that he could not ignore. The only one who was capable of defeating His Majesty's son…was perhaps his mother. August turned to face the gaze that looked upon him, and he saw her. Mavis. No…he couldn't do it. The spell he enacted was going to take his life along with everyone in Magnolia, but he could not do it so long as she was right there. August could not take the life of his own mother. His decision was made right then and there. The spell stopped, but August's body still disappeared into nothing. At that moment, Sidney lunged to strike August down, only to strike nothing but the open air.

"W-What the hell just happened?!" Cygnus wanted some answers.

"What was that…?" Gajeel hadn't a clue as to what just occurred.

"I don't know…" Levy answered.

"…I don't know what happened, but I'm pretty pissed about all of it." Reve mentioned.

"Is everyone all right!?" Aira was rushing through the scene, rapidly glancing at people nearby. "Does anyone need medical attention!?"

"Did he exhaust all his power?" Cana asked.

"No…" Gildarts shook his head. He glanced at Sidney, who came to the same conclusion he did. "He was looking at someone while calling out…"

* * *

Mavis hadn't a clue what just happened. All she could do was speculate. _"His magic power wasn't enough? But everyone is fine…I must hurry!"_

" _At least once would be enough. At least once…to be held in your arms…mom."_

"…!" Mavis felt a familiar presence behind her. But when she turned, there was nothing. It was only there for a split second…the boy who treaded the path of neither light nor dark. The boy that simply wanted to be loved by his parents. The boy that never received love from his father; the boy never got to meet his mother. Maybe…she knew who that boy was after all. Something inside of her told her she knew.

August was down. The last member of the Spriggan 12 was defeated. The last member of Alvarez's extra forces was defeated with King. Now, all that remained was Emperor Spriggan himself.

"First!" Gray yelled to get Mavis' attention.

"Are you all right!?" Lucy was right beside him, along with Happy. "Do you know what that light was?"

"It's okay. It's no longer a threat." Mavis said. "More importantly, everyone is fighting in the southern part of the city. The enemy still has some forces left."

"But we came here because you summoned us…" Gray tilted his head. If they were nowhere near the fighting, why were they here?

"About that…" Mavis trailed off. "When I escaped from Zeref, I managed to get a hold of something." Within Mavis' hands was the Book of END.

"It's written END…" Lucy said.

"Natsu's…" Happy stared at the book.

"So you already knew." That saved Mavis some time. She gave Lucy the book. "Natsu will surely beat Zeref, and I will erase him. And when that happens, to save Natsu, we'll need the strength of everyone. So please, don't let anyone near the guild until they finish." That being said, Mavis began to run off. _"We've found it. A way to defeat Zeref…this is our last chance!"_

While Mavis ran off, Lucy, Gray, and Happy stared at the book. "Natsu's…." Before Lucy could say much more, trouble came. A few stragglers of soldiers ended up rounding the corner. "Huh!?"

"I found enemies!" A solider yelled while drawing their swords.

"They're over here!" Another yelled.

"Stragglers?!" Happy gasped.

"Shit!" Gray took his stance but…reality hit him hard. His injuries from nearly killing himself and from his battle with END began to act up. Considering he had a hard time walking to Fairy Tail, he was in no condition to walk.

"Oh no!" Lucy went to grab her whip, but then she got a harsh reminder of her condition. While her body looked fine, she was still recovering from fighting Emmeraude not too long ago. Brandish shrank her wounds and Aira healed her a little bit, but she was not in fighting condition. Far from it. This was bad…!

"HAH!" An emerald chain slashed against the soldiers. The blindsided blow caught them off guard and blew them backwards, knocking them out instantly.

"Huh!? An emerald…" Lucy started. Her gaze then went to the woman who made her presence known.

"Is that…!?" Happy began. At first glance, one would think so. But that was impossible, because the person they were thinking of was in a completely different location.

"Who the hell…" Gray began.

"You should leave the civilians out of this…" Emerald scowled at the unconscious soldiers. That's when she turned and her gaze met Lucy's. "Huh…?"

* * *

"Why…why…why Father…?" Rahkeid simply couldn't fathom why Zeref would attack him like this. Before he knew it, Zeref stomped on his wounded chest violently. "Gah!"

"I have no child." Zeref glared down at Rahkeid. Natsu could only watch as this scene played out before him.

"But…but…I'm…Father's…." Rahkeid sputtered.

"You're just a demon from the Book of Zeref." That revelation made Rahkeid cry. "An experimental body used to create Natsu, and the one that turned out the best was given the name of Dragneel, that's it." It was simple as that. Rahkeid was only a Dragneel in name because he best suited Natsu's revival. Nothing more, nothing less.

"But I'm…" Rahkeid tried to pull himself up. Honestly, it was amazing that he was even still alive after a blow like that.

"And you've disrupted the fight between Natsu and I. I was having so much fun…YOU USELESS TRASH!" Zeref then violently kicked Rahkeid in his chest once again, forcing him back down to the ground.

"GAHAH!" Rahkeid cried out.

"Stop that!" Natsu exclaimed. He didn't understand what was going on, but watching Zeref kick down his own comrade…someone who claimed to be his son, he couldn't not vocalize his objection. But that was all he was going to do.

Zeref then turned back to Natsu, his body trembling, his red eyes quaking in anticipation. "Then…let's continue, Natsu…"

"…." Rahkeid could do nothing but lie on the ground. This revelation…was everything he knew a lie? He was just a tool used for Zeref's obsession with Natsu. In the grand scheme of things…he was nothing to Zeref. "Dad…it hurts. It hurts…Dad…" They couldn't fight like this. How long was Rahkeid going to continue to whine!? Zeref slowly approached the White Dragneel, scowling at him. "Dad…stop this…"

"I don't have children." Zeref said. "I don't have a family either." Those words struck Natsu. The Black Wizard pointed his palm forward, down at Rahkeid. "YOU'RE A BOOK I CREATED! A DEMON FROM IT! GET OUT OF MY SIIIIIIIIIGHT!"

A brilliant flash of light erupted around Rahkeid. Zeref had the power to erase the books he made. It was seen with Marde Geer at the end of the Tartarus Rebirth incident, and it was being shown once again. There were tears in Rahkeid's eyes at the man he called Dad was erasing him from existence. "D-Dad…" That was his final word. Rahkeid Dragneel was erased from this world.

"You…to your own friend…" Natsu scowled.

"He was no a friend…" Zeref began to shake again. "He was not my son. I'm…" Before Zeref could finish, Natsu swung a blazing fist at Zeref's cheek, the force causing him to fly back in a spiral.

"Yes. I know you who are." Flames wisped around Natsu's being. "You're a brat who takes a Father for granted."

Zeref eventually stood back up, now lamenting his past once more. "I struggled a lot. I tried so hard to obtain happiness. But this body kills everyone that I love without mercy. I don't have a family. I could not have a family, nor happiness! I will never be forgiven!" A mad smile crossed his lips. Zeref was unhinged. All of the emotions and contradiction building up within him for the last 400 years finally split out in this destined battle with Natsu.

The Salamander began to walk forward. "This has nothing to do with family." He then gripped Zeref by the collar, staring him right in the face while shouting. "IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FORGIVENESS! YOU MAKE YOUR OWN HAPPINESS! THIS IS FAMILY!" Natsu yelled with his heart and soul. "And don't say you don't have one, when somebody who you still have bonds with is right here in front of you, _**BROTHER**_!" Brother. Natsu never thought he'd call Zeref that, but…how could he not? When Zeref claimed that he had no family whatsoever, yet all of this was happening because Zeref cared about Natsu so much to push the boundaries of life and death. He pushed it so far he was punished by God for it.

"….." Zeref didn't say a word at first, but he then smacked Natsu's arm away from him. "This was slightly surprising." A black aura then wavered around his body, that smirk of his appearing once more.

Natsu's fiery aura wavered around him once more, standing face to face with his brother as their fated battle rapidly approached his climax. "Because this is also passion."

"You're right, Natsu." Zeref said. "No…END." There was no turning back. How ironic was it…when Natsu finally called Zeref his brother, Zeref didn't see that bond at all. All Zeref saw in front of him was the demon he created to kill him after so long. The demon he was now fighting in a heated battle that determined the fate of humanity.

And what fun it was.

He was having the time of his life.

.

.

Next Time: Evil Dragon.


	92. Chapter 92: Evil Dragon

"That's enough." Emmeraude's gaze met Acnologia's. She would not stand by and watch as he violated Elieen's body so cruelly. The Empress's tone was firm and demanding.

"I agree." Erza said. How odd that the two of them would come together on this subject. "Do not violate and insult the dead."

"They're both nuts…" Takeru grumbled while shifting into a stance. He did not see them coming out of this encounter without a fight. To make matters worse, they were all worse for wear, while Acnologia was fresh.

Acnologia faced those before him, taking his foot off Elieen's body. "You have the same scent on you as this woman, little girl." He told Erza. He then glanced at Wendy and Cynthia, then Selene and Takeru. He vaguely remembered them – Cynthia especially since her magic was weird to say the least. "…Dragon slayers? These little brats wield the power of a dragon? Surely you jest."

Cynthia stood in front of Wendy, holding an arm out while glaring at the dragon before them. "…."

"Who are you, fiend!?" Erza demanded to know.

"You mean to tell me you haven't figured it out already?" Emmeraude stole a glance at Erza. "It should be obvious if you put the pieces together."

"She's right…this magic power…" There was no way Selene could ever forget it. They've only encountered Acnologia three times prior, but she could never forget this sensation of power and despair he carried with him.

"E-Erza-san, he's…" Wendy began.

Oh. Now she understood. Erza turned her glare to the dragon in front of them. "Acnologia." Now that they were aware of who he was, Acnologia grinned and pointed his hand forward, This prompted a blast to soar towards Erza. Titania's eyes widened and she attempted to move, however the recoil from her body didn't allow for swift movement. Just before the blast could connect, and emerald chain wrapped around Erza's body to forcefully tug her to the side, allowing the blast to fly off into the distance. "…!?"

"Wha…?" Cynthia blinked. "Did Emmeraude just…!?"

"…You are my comrade's daughter. I at least owe her that much." Emmeraude's eyes narrowed. "…And I don't want to owe anyone any favors." As far as Emmeraude was concerned, she didn't want to owe Lucy for saving both her and Hisui. That debt was repaid.

"Huh…?" Erza didn't understand.

"Yeah, that's great and all!" Takeru pointed. "But he's coming again!"

"KUHAHAHAHAHA!" This was going to be such a grand time! Acnologia drew his arm back, a sinister smile on his face as magic gathered around it once again. No one had the time to muster a proper defense this time, so as he threw his arm forward, the incoming blast of raw magic was…blocked. A barrier formed in front of the five wizards, curiosity of Jellal Fernandes himself.

"Jellal!?" Erza's eyes widened at his sudden appearance.

"Oh?" Emmeraude blinked.

Jellal didn't waste any time. He traced his finger along the air, several golden lights forming. "Heavenly Body Magic: Pleiades!" Lifting his arm into the air, these stars flew into the sky, only to crash back down to earth. The stars intended to crash into Acnologia, but he evaded them with several backflips. Jellal kept the pressure up, now appearing in front of the dragon with nine blades of heavenly body magic at the ready. "Nine Thunder Stars!" The blades flew forward, exploding against Acnologia and were a direct hit, sending the dragon flying backwards. He wasn't done yet! Once landing, Jellal took a familiar stance, making use of this opening. "Be judged by the seven stars! GRAND CHARIOT!" Seven pillars of light dropped down, utterly decimating the landscape and he hoped Acnologia was caught within this destruction.

"He's certainly giving it all he's got…" Emmeraude watched curiously. But to say that Jellal actually made and progress…

"KUHAHAHAHA!" Acnologia laughed as the seven pillars of light dropped down o him. In the next instant he opened his mouth and began to consume it all!

"He…ate….?" Jellal was in awe.

"The magic…?" Erza couldn't believe it. She wasn't a stranger to dragons and dragon slayers alike eating magic, but on a scale such as this!?

"What element does he…!?" Wendy began.

"Element?" Acnologia finished his snack with a grin. "I have no such thing." After saying this, the aura around his body flared up. "I am the Dragon of Demise. I devour all magic indiscriminately!" After he said this, his body transformed into his true dragon form, standing tall above everyone else. "I AM THE EVIL DRAGON, ACNOLOGIA! AND I WILL BE THE LAST DRAGON IN THIS WORLD!" His motives were still set in stone. Once he was done with the humans of this country, he was going to move onto the Isle and finish what he started.

"All magic?!" Jellal stared up at the monster before them. "Are you saying that no magic will have any effect on him?!"

"That can't be right! We beat King, didn't we!?" Selene looked to the others. "He was the same thing!"

"Aaah…ah…" Wendy was shaking. Or rather…she was trying to make a decision.

"Of all times, why did he have to show up now…!?" Takeru was gathering some magic. Since it had been a little time since their battle with Elieen, he could muster a tiny fight, but against Acnologia in this condition…they were just ants.

"And you claim _I_ have bad timing." While this wasn't the time for such quips, Emmeraude was admittedly feeling a little nervous. As much as she tried to hide it, there was a small sweat drop on the side of her face. Acnologia only just showed up and they were already out of options, mostly due to being too injured to properly fight back. "But if magic doesn't work, then…"

"His magic power is on a completely different level from when we encountered him in Tartarus…" Erza could only stare.

"We…we cannot possibly win…" Jellal didn't see a way for them to triumph against this beast.

"I have to…I have to do this…I'm a dragon slayer, so I…" Wendy clenched her hand into a fist. She had to protect them. She couldn't let them die. She was a Dragon Slayer. _This_ was her duty.

"Wendy…?" Cynthia turned to her other half.

"AAAAAAAH!" With a battle cry, Wendy's magic aura exploded around her and she instantly kicked it up to Dragon Force, immediately making use of her Dual Mode as well.

Cynthia wasn't going to question it. If Wendy was going to fight, so was she. Body be damned, she would not let Wendy fight against this monster alone. "RAAAAAAAH!" Cynthia roared as her body instantly flared into Dragon Force.

"…." Emmeraude couldn't say a word. But the fighting spirit of these two girls was something else. "…They shouldn't. It's suicide."

"WENDY, CYNTHIA, NO!" Erza screamed.

"We can't fight him right now!" Selene yelled.

"Don't be stupid! We might be Dragon Slayers, but we can't win this fight!" Not right now. Takeru and Selene realized this.

"WE HAVE TO PULL BACK!" Jellal told them.

They didn't listen. The two girls pulled their hands back and intertwined their fingers, wind and omega flames quickly gathering within their joined hands. If they wanted to fight, Acnologia was more than ready to show them what they were truly up against. The dragon brought his hand backwards, magic swirling around it. He was going to swing, and the two girls weren't going to make it in time. Erza realized this and just held her arm out in a vain attempt to save them. "WENDY! CYNTHIAAAA!"

And at that moment…a ship came crashing into Acnologia. Not just any ship, but the Christina! "GAAAH!" The dragon may have had immunity to magic itself, but a ship ramming into him at full throttle was something even he couldn't tank so easily.

"Pegasus!?" A sight for sore eyes! Probably the first and only time Erza would ever be glad to see Ichiya.

"Everyone, hurry aboard!" Ichiya told the group. "We must drive him out of Magnolia! We'll draw his attention with this ship!"

"But…" Jellal trailed off.

"THERE'S NO TIME!" Ichiya was making it a point that they were pressed for time.

"On a ship…are you serious…?" Takeru's face turned green just thinking about.

"I'd rather be sick than dead!" Selene said while pushing Takeru into the ship.

"Let's go! If we can manage to buy just a little bit of time!" Ichiya was speaking fast, too.

Jellal glanced back at Emmeraude as everyone climbed board. "…Get on the ship or don't, I don't care which."

"…Make it fast, too." Erza told the Empress.

"Oh, why thank you. I was hoping for in invitation." Emmeraude quickly strolled onto the ship and Erza was the last one to board. But to leave Elieen like that…Emmeraude wasn't exactly fond of it, but she already accepted that it was too late to help her.

"Can we really shake him off?" Erza asked Ichiya as the door began to close. The ship was taking off and began to fly into the distance.

"Don't go underestimating Christina!" Ichiya said with pride. "And what's more, if we can manage to lure Acnologia to a certain place, we may still be able to prevail! Isn't that right?" His tone…he was speaking to a third party.

"Wha!?" Jellal and Erza spoke at the same time. Unfortunately, the dragon slayers, while shocked, were also feeling sick and just groaned.

"…You have a plan?" Emmeraude quirked a brow.

"Where do you think you're doing!?" Acnologia roared. A hit and run?! Did they really think they could get away with such a tactic!?

A blonde haired woman stepped forward, a slight smile on her face. "Indeed."

Emmeraude's yellow gaze went to the woman who appeared and her eyes widened from the striking resemblance. "What the…who are you?"

"Christina, take off!" Eve yelled.

"Follow us, Acnologia!" Ren taunted the dragon.

"Captain, this way!" Hibiki and the others needed Ichiya at the helm.

"Right. For now, let's talk until we reach our destination!" Ichiya said.

"Is it really okay to have the enemy here with us!?" Jellal glared at Emmeruade. Part of him was hoping that she didn't board the ship.

Emmeraude ignored Jellal for a moment to take a glance at the interior of Christina. "Oh my…this ship is extremely well built. It might even rival some of Minstrel's finest…" The fact that she was ignoring Jellal only made him more upset.

"She isn't the enemy right now." Erza told Jellal in hopes to calm him down. She then turned to the woman in front of them. "B-but you…who are you?"

"Guys!" Jenny hummed while taking the wheel. "It's about to get a little rough~! Hold on!" Christina flew off and Acnologia was in hot pursuit!

The sudden shift caused Erza and Jellal to lose their balance. "Ah…!" And Erza fell right on top of Jellal, but Wendy was awkwardly between their bodies, but their faces were still close together. "I-I'M SORRY!" Erza immediately stood up and turned away.

"Ah…it was nothing…" Jellal said with flushed cheeks.

"…..That was the most painful thing I've ever witnessed." Emmeraude pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

The woman stared at Wendy, Takeru, and Selene. She then crouched down and placed her hands on Wendy's shoulders since she seemed to have the worst of it. "Wendy, Selene, Takeru, this ship was built with dragon slayer's embark in mind. Please calm down and take a deep breath. All four of you."

" _She knows them…?"_ Erza thought. She knew all of them but Cynthia.

Wendy shook her head slowly and calmed down. When her eyes opened… "Ah…!"

"See, no problem, right?" The woman said in a calm voice.

"Who…are you?" Cynthia tilted her head. This woman, she smelled so much like.

"No way…you're here?!" Selene's purple eyes widened.

"I didn't think you were…" Takeru knew as well. Cynthia was feeling extremely out of the loop.

"Yes! He's following us!" Ren grinned.

"Let's shake him up a bit!" Eve turned to Hibiki.

"Understood!" With a thumbs up, Hibiki turned to Jenny. "You know what to do!"

Jenny was already on it. She pulled a lever back and began to charge the cannons. "Loading the convergence magic cannon: Jupiter! Rapid Spin!" With a sharp turn of the wheel, Christina turned around to face Acnologia. "FIIIIIIRE!" The ship then unleashed a massive beam of magic that cut through the sky. It was a direct hit! "Yay! Bullseye!" Jenny's celebration was cut short since Acnologia just ate it. "…He ate it!?"

"It can be…magic is useless against him!?" Hibiki surmised. A blast like that would have severely damaged anything else.

"Switch out the ammo!" Eve said on a dime.

"I don't think it'll work, but let's fire the 120mm ammo!" Ren suggested. "Assault Pegasus!"

Multiple guns appeared on the portside and starboard sides of ship, releasing rapid fire bullets to strike Acnologia down. The dragon was a swift flier, deftly evading the gunfire. "Do you really think you'll escape from me!?" Acnologia questioned as he speed increased.

"He's flying faster!" Jenny squealed.

"Let's show him Pegasus speed! Activate the ignition to the magic propeller!" Ren commanded.

As Christina attempted to outfly Acnologia, the sudden shift once again caused Jellal and Erza to fall. This time, he fell on top of her, and Emmeraude just sighed once again. "I'm sorry!" He yelped.

"Y-You are…" Wendy stared.

"STABLIZING!" Ichiya was rapidly spinning the wheel to keep the ship balanced.

"Do you all remember me?" The woman asked with a soft smile.

"Anna-sensei!?"

"Sensei!?" Erza stared as Jellal's head was still on her chest.

"I am the ancestor of a girl you all know well. Lucy." Anna explained.

"…No wonder your face irritated me." Emmeraude crossed her arms. It was a bit of a natural instinct for her to scowl at anything Lucy related, even though she was mostly over it all. "What an ironic twist of fate that I would meet her ancestor. Next you'll tell me my mother encountered Lucy…"

"…First off, don't mind her, she's bitter," Erza said before turning to Anna. "Secondly: I don't get it!"

"I don't care who you are!" Jellal said. "But was that talk about beating Acnologia true!?"

"I know who she is. And don't rush things. I need to explain them in order." Anna said before bringing Wendy in for a hug. "You really grew, Wendy. You, Takeru, and Selene…"

"I'm still a little confused…" Wendy admitted.

"You're confused?! I'm confused!" Cynthia flailed her arms about.

"Honestly. What are you doing here?" The diamond dragon asked.

"It's a real shame what happened to Grandine and the other dragons. But what they did wasn't in vain." Anna said while embracing Wendy before moving onto Takeru and Selene. "About me. 400 years ago, I was the teacher that taught Natsu, Wendy, and the others to read. I came along with the dragons to this age through Eclipse in the year X777, all to beat Acnologia."

* * *

Lucy, Gray, and Happy could only wait for Natsu to finish. They took a seat at a bench nearby while Emerald stood in front of them. The resemblance this mother had to her daughter was so similar, the only way you could really tell them apart was the gray hairs in Emerald's hair, along with a the very few wrinkles on her face, and even then, they were hard to notice. "My name is Emerald Verde."

"Verde..?" Lucy blinked slowly. This was the first time she'd actually heard anything pertaining to Emmeraude's last name. "You…you're Emmeraude's mother, aren't you? In another language, Emmeraude also means Emerald…"

"Mhm." Emerald gave a slow nod. "And you must be the people from Fairy Tail. Em has told me a lot about you…a lot."

Gray had a slight sweat drop on his forehead. It was weird to be talking to someone who looked like Emmeraude, but had no malicious intent. "…What _has_ she said about us?"

"…I don't think we have the time for me to tell you all the things she's said about your guild." Emerald's gaze then went to Lucy. "…Especially you."

Sweat drop. "I…I see…" Lucy forced a sheepish laugh. "You don't have a vendetta against me, er, us, do you?"

To that, Emerald shook her head before staring up at the sky. "I only know of the incident from what I've heard from Em. She's my only daughter and I love her so much. When I first saw her again after so long, she cried. I could tell it was the first time since she left that she had. She's been through so much, lost so much, but she's strong. Your battle with her took its toll on the both of you, I can tell."

It was only natural for Emerald to be biased towards her own daughter. Despite that, it didn't sound like she hated Fairy Tail for what happened. Happy could only stare. "…"

"But…" Emerald trailed off, now turning her gaze back to Lucy and Gray. "I can tell that you aren't bad people either. It just so happened to be bad luck that you two opposed each other. I know I probably shouldn't say this, because Em would get really snippy with me…"

"She tends to do that…" Lucy said with a slight laugh.

"Em didn't have friends growing up…" Emerald began. "It was just her and I in the slums of the Pergrande Kingdom. She joined the military and began her efforts to try and give me a better life. As her mother, I will always support what she wants to do, because she has a good heart even if she comes off as…abrasive and…one to not let grudges go so easily."

"Why are you telling us this? I don't think she'd be very happy to hear that we're hearing this…" Lucy said with a slight sweat drop.

"I just want you to understand my daughter a little more. I know you all have a rocky relationship; however…I know that you're both good people at the end of the day. Good people who ended up facing off against one another. I know Em made some friends during her time in the military, although they're gone now. But I feel like…if she had met with someone from your guild sooner, maybe she wouldn't have had to suffer so much….and maybe she'd…" Emerald shook her head and trailed off, waving her hand with a nervous smile. "Please, don't tell her I said that. She'd get extremely cross with me."

"What are you getting at…?" Gray trailed off.

"I'm asking you to think about giving Em another chance." Emerald said.

"What?!" Gray shook his head. "Sorry, you're nice and all, but she's…!"

"She's what?" Emerald tilted her head. "If you're going to say she's your enemy, can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me that your current allies weren't also enemies at some point? What makes Em so different from everyone else that she doesn't deserve a chance just like everyone else that now fights alongside you?" She had a point, too. A good one. Gajeel, Jellal, Oracion Seis, Cosmic Star, _especially_ Dealer…oof. "I'm not asking you to forgive her right away. At least think about it, please? I just want to try and smooth things over…I'll ask her to give you a second chance as well, when I find her that is…"

Great. For some reason, it was hard to say no to this woman. It was probably because her words were nothing but genuine. Lucy let out an extremely heavy sigh while staring at Emerald. This was the mother that Emmeraude staked her beliefs on, huh? "I don't understand…you're so nice, and Emmeraude is so…"

"I know." Emerald let out a heavy sigh of her own. "She's a handful. I'm sorry for the trouble she's put you through. Although I doubt you'll ever hear an apology from her. Em is…"

* * *

"RAAAAH!" Natsu roared while landing another blazing punch against Zeref's body, sending him flying away. The battle between the two continued to heat up as they put everything on the line to stop one another.

Zeref caught himself on a knee, an insane grinning crossing his lips as a his black aura continued to flare in an unstable manner. "VERY GOOD! KEEP COMING, END! I…WILL…DESTROY YOU! AND YOU WILL DESTROY ME!"

"SAY THINGS _RIGHT_ , BROTHER!" Natsu exclaimed.

" _ **ENNNNNNNNNND!"**_ Zeref screamed. He could not see his brother anymore.

But Natsu would make him see. No matter what it took, Natsu was determined to make Zeref see the truth in front of him. "MY NAME IS _**NATSU!**_ "

* * *

"400 years ago, there was no way to defy Acnologia. That's why the dragons entrusted their hopes to the future. A future where they'd enter the bodies of the dragon slayers to come to this age."

"I heard this from my Mother…" Wendy recalled the events on the Isle. The dragons returned to aid them and told them of their plan.

"Indeed. This age is overflowing with magic power." Erza leaned against the wall. She hated sitting around and doing nothing, but right now, this was their best course of action.

"So much, in fact, that it's allowed for very devastating creations to be used." Emmeraude added. "It's no surprise that the dragons decided to come to this age."

"And taking the results into account, this plan was a success. The one who built the gates was Zeref, and I opened them." Anna said.

"Zeref!?" Jellal's jaw dropped.

"He always researched 'time' but at that point. It wasn't his wish to go to the 'past'. I think he still had hope for the future…" As Anna spoke, Ichiya made a sharp that caused everyone to brace against a wall. "The one who connected us to this era was Layla Heartfilia. She opened the entrance and I opened the exit."

"Lucy's mother!?" Erza asked.

"What joy…" Emmeraude used a chain to hold onto the wall. She was tired of stumbling around.

"If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all…" Cynthia cut her eyes at Emmeraude.

"Originally, I explained the circumstances to the ones at the exit, saying that I need to cross the gates with them to fulfill my role as their caretaker." Anna continued her explanation.

"Caretaker?" Selene narrowed her eyes.

"Yes, you all were just kids…" Anna said. "But something unpredictable happened, and after the gates were opened, you all were separated. "Natsu, Gajeel, Daryan, Blues, Selene, Takeru, Waiston…all of you. It took my five years to pinpoint your whereabouts, and even then, I couldn't find all of you. But…seeing how well you all were living in this age, I…I thought it still wasn't the right time to make contact with you. You were all just pure things…"

"Wait a minute…!" Cynthia pointed at Takeru, Selene, and Wendy. "You guys are from 400 years in the past…!?"

"I…I guess so…" Takeru honestly didn't remember any of this.

"WAIT!" Cynthia then pointed at Wendy. "…You're older than me!?"

"…I…I guess I am, technically…?" Wendy rubbed the back of her head.

Comical blue lines formed over Cynthia's head. She turned around and sulked. "…I…I see…"

"What's her problem…?" Selene whispered.

"…That's adorable." Emmeraude mused.

"While I was in search of you, I found something unthinkable. I'm not sure if it caused the incident at the gates, or something else did, but I discovered the existence of this 'thing'. As Anna spoke, a tangerine rolled across the floor. "I couldn't stand by and do nothing, so I started investigating this thing." The ship rolled and everyone nearly fell over once again. Anna braced herself on the wall. "This thing is a power remarkably huge and dangerous. Well, it's not exactly a 'power' but something similar to a universal law. The Timelaspe. It's our only hope to seal Acnologia and send him to the absolute nothingness."

* * *

[Flashback: The year X777]

Multiple shooting stars flew off into the night sky over the capital of Fiore: Crocus. A young Hisui was leaning on the balcony while looking up. "Waaah! Look at those stars!" Everyone down below could see them and it was a beautiful.

"But stars should fall down, not rise towards the sky…" A younger Arcadios realized that something was amiss about them.

"Look, there's so many of them!" Hisui pointed at the sky, completely ignoring Arcadios' deduction.

Sigh. "By the way…has anyone seen His Majesty? Where has he gone…?" The knight wondered aloud.

Toma was down below where the Eclipse Gate was. Imagine his surprise when the gate opened for the first time in generations. "The gate that has been handed through generations by our dynasty….to think that someone capable of opening it showed up." Layla was panting heavily after opening the Gate. But it worked, for a woman walked from the other side. "Wait…someone came from the gate as well!?"

Anna stepped from the gate and took a look around. "Hmmm…excuse me, but what year is this?"

"The year is X777." Layla responded with shaky breaths.

"Yes! I did it!" Anna was elated to know her plan worked. "I travelled 400 years into the future!" But wait…she realized that she was alone. "Wait! Haven't you seen several children around here as well!?"

"When the gate opened, several lights came flying out from within it." Toma explained, gesturing to the ceiling that had multiple holes in it. "They were quickly propelled towards the sky…"

Drat. "…" Anna was so distraught. The plan worked, but the dragon slayers' whereabouts were completely unknown now…

But that didn't mean the plan was dead. She simply had to find them. But for now, Anna and Layla met on a balcony that overlooked the city. "So the gate really does connect different times." Layla was rather astounded by this.

"And you opened it. Thanks for that." Layla offered a smiel.

"To you who, lives in an era of powerful Ethernano, when the sun and moon intersect, use the 12 keys to open the Gate." Layla held up a book. "It was hard for me to believe this, but my family has owned this book since before my grandmother's birth."

"Yeah. I am its author." Layla explained.

"Wait a second! I…I don't get what you're talking about…" Toma interjected.

Anna would clear it up for him. "In order to arrive in the fuure, I needed someone from this era to open the gate."

"So…you actually came from 400 years ago!?" The King questioned?

"That would be correct." The elder Heartfilia nodded.

"Though the book did not specify your reasons behind your journey." Layla mentioned. "Why exactly did you come?"

"I will explain all of that in due time." Anna said.

"I see…" Layla had no choice but to accept this answer.

"Hm…if Layla-san opened the gate now, then that must mean this era is brimming with a lot of magic power?" Toma quietly surmised.

"I don't know." Layla turned to the king. "This isn't really something that has a set value. I had a different reason. The reason why I chose to open the gate right now is my daughter, Lucy. I don't want her to carry over this responsibility. I want her to be free. That's why I decided to end the duty of the Heartfilians today."

"I see. Thank you for everything, Layla." Anna gave her descendant a smile, taking her hands with her own. "I am proud of my linage for having followed my mission. You've done a wonderful job."

"It was nothing." Layla said with a sheepish smile.

"That said, to think that 400 years later human culture would thrive so much. I was correct in assuming that Acnologia would have no interest in attacking men…." _"However, was this really the right choice? No! I musn't waver! I have to believe in the dragons' plan!"_ She had to trust them. "Now that you have fulfilled your duty, you and your family are free to live together."

"Y-Yes…" Live together. It sounded nice but Layla was already fully aware that by opening the gate, she sealed her fate. At least Lucy would be able to live…

"However, I need to get going. I need to find the children; they are integral to the plan. Well then, I'll be off." Anna waved as she departed.

"Take care!" Layla said.

"Oh, by the way, King Toma. Be sure to destroy the gate!" The last thing Anna wanted was for the gate to be misused.

"Oh, right…" Toma nodded. But of course, we all know what happened years later…

[End flashback]

* * *

"But before I had realized, she passed away just a few days later…" Anna sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"….." Emmeraude was at a crossroads. On one hand, her face said it all; 'what a surprise, a Heartfilia killing someone they came into contact with'. Erza even noticed and gave the woman a glare, but the Empress responded with a shrug and coy smile. She didn't actually _say_ it, because she was aware that this wasn't a time to take shots or be petty. On the other hand, hearing that Lucy's mother died for a cause as great as this did make her feel some type of way. Sorry? She wasn't sure, but her expression didn't change and she'd keep playing the bad guy role.

"But that power you mentioned…" Erza didn't want to get too far off track.

"Right." Anna smiled a bit. "When I investigated, I found out about this power. In this era, this power appeared at 'that place'. It's not an element. It isn't light nor darkness…it's the very essence of 'nothing' itself."

"Are you going to explain, or are you going to keep being vague?" Emmeraude quirked a brow.

"The nothing?" Jellal didn't understand either.

"Such a type of power shouldn't exist in this era, or any era for that manner. After investigating I found out what it was. The Timelaspe!" Another sharp turn of the ship and everyone staggered. "It appears that our crossing of the gate from 400 years ago caused a distortion in the fabric of time itself. Also…it seems as though someone else had manipulated time itself in some way, which only caused this 'hole' of sorts to grow even larger. Inside of this whole, there is no time nor space. Inside of it, nothing can exist." In other words, Aiden's time manipulation a while back only increased the size of the hole in space.

"Si that would include even Acnologia…!" Jellal could see the hope growing in this situation.

"Correct." Anna nodded.

"Hold a moment." Emmeraude lifted a hand up. "If something as powerful as this really existed, I find it extremely hard to believe that a single soul hadn't found out about it before." She doubted such a thing existed if she hadn't at least heard even the slightest rumor of it.

"That's because I hid it during these years somewhere." Anna explained. "You're a smart woman, aren't you? So surely you understand why I had hide it away from prying eyes, or you can at least try to." Anna wasn't ignorant to the situation of last year. She was aware of all major events due to keeping a close eye on things all around. She was waiting for this very moment after all.

"There is a dragon still following us. It wouldn't take me much effort for me to throw you to him. You're not much needed now after telling us everything you know." Emmeraude was about to snap back some more, but Erza ended up having to hold her back. Emmeraude and Heartfilia tension just wasn't going to die down that easily, it seemed.

"Hold on…" Wendy made her comment. "We opened the Gate again during the Grand Magic Games…"

"Yes, back then the hole itself did react to the gate opening." Anna then picked up the tangerine that was rolling across the ground. "But in truth, it's no bigger than this tangerine. The dragons who fought against Acnologia are now gone, the dragons on that Island won't fight unless provoked, so right here, at this very moment…this hole rests as our final hope!"

It was then that Ichiya appeared, a lacrima screen appearing to display their course of action. "Ladies and gentleman, our plan is simple! We'll swiftly dodge the Timelaspe and wait for Acnologia. Then, we'll bait Acnologia into coming after us and…MEEEEN!" The screen displayed Acnologia being swallowed by the Timelaspe.

"…This sounds too easy, do you really think it'll work?" Erza asked.

"Yeah, there's no way he'll fall for it that easily…" Selene crossed her arms. This sounded like wishful thinking at best.

"But we have to do it, don't we?" Cynthia said while glancing around.

"We just have to keep him busy…" Takeru stared out to the back, grinding his teeth in annoyance as Acnologia continued to pursue them.

"…Well, clearly she's thought everything out, so there's no way it could backfire, right?" Emmeraude's gaze turned to Anna. Despite her tone, she had no choice but to place her belief in this plan as well, because it failed, she would die along with her dream. She couldn't have that. Not yet.

"It has to work." Anna told everyone. "We have no other choice."

* * *

Natsu and Zeref were both hunched over, panting and breathing heavily as their battle raged on. They were bruised and bloodied, but they weren't done yet. At least…Natsu wasn't, but Zeref? "Is that all, END? YOU'VE BETRAYED MY EXPECATIONS!" The Black Wizard held his hand out, a strange black mist striking Natsu and began to bind him and drain away at his life. "I REALLY THOUGHT YOU WERE CAPABLE OF DESTRYOING ME!"

"GAAAAAAH!" Natsu cried out.

"BUT NOT TO WORRY! IT'LL ALL GO BACK TO HOW IT USED TO BE! If I get Mavis' power, I can return to the 'myself' of back then! THANKS TO NEO ECLIPSE!" Natsu didn't understand. "A gate that leads to neither the past nor the future; it starts everything over. It'll reset time itself. I will return back to when I was mortal."

"Is that your true goal!?" Natsu asked as his veins became visible. The magic around him was starting to consume his entire body.

"NO ONE WILL SUFFER FROM WHAT I HAVE DONE ANYMORE!" Zeref screamed. "YOU'D BE HUMAN AGAIN! ACNOLOGIA WOULD NOT GAIN ANY POWER!? WON'T THAT BE QUITE THE HAPPY ENDING?!"

"But what's gonna happen to us and everyone else!?"

"Who knows." Zeref held a dismissive tone. "Perhaps this world might disappear."

"WHO CARES IF WE SUFFERED IN THIS TIME BECAUSE OF YOU!" Natsu screamed while trying to pry himself free, but to no avail. "WE'LL STILL LIVE ON!"

Zeref merely smiled at those words. "Two keys are needed to open Neo Eclipse. The first is Mavis, and she's heading here right now. And the second one is…The Timelaspe itself!"

That's right. Anna's gambit and humanity's last hope against Acnologia had already fallen into Zeref's hand…

.

.

Next Time: I No Longer See Love


	93. Chapter 93: I No Longer See Love

The gambit against Acnologia began. In order win, they had to risk their own lives! Christina flew across the ocean with the dragon in hot pursuit. "Is he really going to follow us…?" Eve vocalized his doubt. So far things were going well, but there was no guarantee that Acnologia would continue to follow them.

"We are provoking him to follow us…" Ren could understand where Eve was coming from, though.

"Maybe I should take off my clothes!" Jenny suggested.

"According to my calculations, sexual appeal won't work on him!" Hibiki mentioned. He was right on the money too. Chances were high that Acnologia wouldn't give a flying rat's ass about some random naked human.

"Anna-sensei…" Wendy looked up to Anna. "I still really don't remember anything…"

"Neither do we…" Selene rubbed her arm.

"It's not your fault." Anna said with a soft smile. "Natsu and the rest can't remember me either, yes? It's probably because you all passed through the gate at such a young age!"

"I want to regain my memories, but…" Wendy sighed.

"Your feelings are more than enough." Anna told the dragon slayers. "You will regain your memories one day. There is an order for all things!"

"If you say so…" Takeru trailed off. "Either way, it's nice to see you again, granny."

"And it's nice to meet you!" Cynthia lifted a hand and gave a smile. She was feeling a little left out, being a dragon slayer, but not really being a part of the initial topic itself.

Erza looked on, watching the dragon slayers interact with Anna. She then turned to Jellal, who was contemplating the situation. "Don't make such a face."

"I thought that was his neutral expression." Emmeraude quipped.

"The reality is that we can't defeat Acnologia without her plan. I'm not even certain if we should trust her story or not…" The sinner trailed off.

"I do trust her!" Erza said. "Even if we don't trust her, then nothing will happen regardless. It's a gambit, but she's Lucy's ancestor, and that alone is enough of a reason to trust her."

"Ah…" Jellal smiled softly at Erza's willingness to trust Anna so easily. "There's your good side…and your weakness."

"You can pick a different time than this to flirt, you know." Emmeraude said while resting against the wall.

"What about you?" Erza turned to Emmeraude. "Your attitude suggests you don't have faith in this plan at all. Are you just going to sit and keep talking with your petty remarks?"

After that comment, Emmeraude scoffed. "I know it seems like I haven't been taking this seriously, but considering the circumstances, I've adopted a healthy skepticism towards this plan. It sounds simple on paper, but far, far too easy. Believe me or not when I say I hope this works, because this dragon is a plague on the world I wish to create and needs not to exist any longer."

Oddly enough… "…I believe you." Erza said.

"…" Jellal sighed.

"Oh, and just to be clear, I'm mostly over it." Emmeraude let out a huff and turned around, crossing her arms. "I could have said much worse earlier, but I restrained myself."

"Sure you did…" Erza muttered.

"Anna-san!" Ichiya ran forward. "We are getting close to the Timelapse!"

"Everyone! We're going to start the plan!" Anna said. Everyone glanced in her direction. It was now or never.

"Are you sure your calculations are correct, Hibiki?" Eve asked just one more time.

"Of course they are!" Hibiki said confidently. They had to be, because if they weren't…

"If we touch the Timelapse, then we're finished too, right!?" Ren asked.

"Are you sure we should be getting our ship close to something like that!?" Jenny wasn't so sure about the risk-reward here. "It can't be seen with our eyes right?"

"Even though it's a risky bet, we have no other option!" Anna told them.

"Please trust my calculations!" Hibiki pleaded.

"400 meters until the Timelapse!" Eve shouted as the ship drew closer and closer. "300…200…100!"

"Everyone, please hold onto something!" Ichiya said while spinning the wheel. "BARREL ROLLLLL! MEEEEEEN!" The Christina swerved to the left, avoiding the Timelapse just barely.

"We passed it!" Eve grinned. "The ship has suffered no damage!"

"We did it! Now get the ship closer to the surface!" Hibiki spoke with a wide smile.

"Now Acnologia has to pass through it!" Ren turned back. From the looks of it, it didn't seem like Acnologia realized his prison cell was right in front of him.

"Please touch it…" Anna pleaded.

"He's about to…!" Jenny gasped. Acnologia continued to pursue and then…a brilliant flash of light shone. It appeared as though Acnologia only noticed it at the last second, but that wasn't going to be enough. "HE TOUCHED IT!"

But victory was short lived. No…victory didn't exist at all, because Acnologia continued flying. Christina slowed down and this allowed him to catch up and grab onto the ship, causing it to shake violently. "WHAT?!" Erza gasped.

"THIS CAN'T BE!" Hibiki was in shock. Their plan went right out the window!? What happened!?"

"T-This can't be…" Anna was horrified that their plan was a dud! The Timelaspe was right there, so what happened?!

"You know, a part of me had a feeling that something like this was going to happen!" Emmeraude growled while holding onto the wall. "What happened? I thought you had everything 'figured out'?"

"NOW IS NOT THE TIME!" Erza yelled before looking at Anna. "What happened!?"

"The Timelaspe is…sealed!?" Anna couldn't believe it.

"It being sealed implies that someone found it…" Emmeraude scowled. "It seems to me that your hiding place wasn't as cleverly hidden as you thought…" She couldn't hold back now, if only because right now, they were not in a good situation. They placed their bets on Anna's plan only to come up short.

"This is bad! If we let him continue, he's going to destroy the ship!" Eve told everyone. "Damn it!"

"Why…is this happening…" Anna was so distraught that their plan failed.

"We need to find a different way!" Erza shouted.

"What different way!? We don't have time!" Takeru growled. "He's going to pull us into the ocean at this rate!"

"Ichiya, destroy the lacrima helping the dragon slayers! He is also a dragon slayer, so he won't be able to hold onto the ship!" Erza demanded.

"Of course!" Ichiya's body then puffed up to Maximum Manliness, using his beefy muscles to destroy the lacrima that aided the slayers.

"Waitwaitwait-!" Cynthia wanted to object, however as soon as the lacrima was destroyed, she, Wendy, Takeru, and Selene all slumped over in sickness.

"Nonono-!" Takeru was the same way. Unfortunately he didn't have a choice and fell on the floor immediately.

Erza caught Wendy and Cynthia, staring down at them. "I'm sorry…"

"I…It's okay…" Wendy gagged.

"I'd rather…be sick…than dead…" Selene said once again, her face green as she barely tried to hold it in.

"Ugh…!" Acnologia felt it. The motion sickness ailed him and he was forced to release the ship.

"All right, he released the ship! We should have some time now…" Ren reported.

"We may have some time, but how are we going to continue?" Jellal questioned.

'We have to forcefully open the Timelaspe and defeat Acnologia no matter what!" Anna's determined gaze return.

"We don't have much room for error." Emmeraude was stating the obvious; however it had to be said. "The ship has suffered damage, and if realizes he won't be able to grab it again, there's nothing stopping him from trying to blast us out of the sky. I'd say we'd even be lucky to have another chance. As far as he's concerned, this is a game of cat and mouse that he intends to win eventually."

"She's right…!" Eve looked over the ship's diagnostics. "He destroyed one of the rear wings!"

"I can't maintain speed! He'll catch us!" Ren reported.

Jenny grabbed onto a lever and began to pull it. "Activating the magical booster ignition!" Once she pulled the lever, the ship gained a boost in speed, shooting it ahead of Acnologia to keep the distance.

"Clever…" Acnologia admitted. They still had a few tricks up their sleeve, huh? "But as long as even a single 'dragon' exists, I'll forever hunt you down."

"Please, can I have a moment!" Anna tried to get everyone's attention.

"Is there something you can do?" Erza questioned.

"I've already told you I can open the Timelapse. There's no one better than a celestial spirit mage to open a door!" Anna's confident returned full swing. Right as this happened; Acnologia released a small roar that struck the left side of the ship, catching a few of the Blue Pegasus members in the lower decks in its wake.

"All dragons will be annihilated. They're not necessary in this world." Acnologia stated.

"…So he's not even after us, he just wants them…" Emmeraude glanced to the sick slayers. She then had an idea and started to make her way to the bridge.

"Where are you going?" Jellal didn't feel very comfortable with her going to the bridge.

"I'm going to buy us some time, what else?" Emmeraude glanced over her shoulder. "Surely you don't want to just sit idly by and wait for him to catch us, do you?" That being said, she intruded on the bridge and turned to Jenny. "Is there a reason you haven't been firing at him?"

"He destroyed our targeting system!" Jenny flailed her arms about.

"I see. Is that it over there?" Emmeraude gestured to the sparking control panel.

"Yes, but what are you…" Jenny trailed off. As soon as she confirmed it, Emmeraude walked over to the machine and placed her hand on it. Chains emerged from her wrist and dug into the machine. There was a bit of recoil but she fought through it. "Huh?"

"I see…the damage is severe…but I can work with this…" Emmeraude mumbled.

"What is she doing?" Eve turned.

"My chains detect one's magical presence and strike that way. Acnologia's presence is simply too large to ignore, and he makes a very easy target…" A smirk crossed the Empress' lips. "Now if you'll excuse me…" Being tech savvy, Emmeraude was able to make use of the 120mm cannon, now commandeering the weapon's system to fire off multiple bullets in Acnologia's direction, which he evaded just as before. They only difference between then and now is that increased accuracy. "Since he had to evade these, it only stands to reason that these bullets will inflict some type of damage on him!"

"…" Erza could only stare in awe. "…She's _actually_ helping?" She couldn't believe it.

Emmeraude turned to Erza, a deadpanned expression forming on her face, along with a comical annoyed tick mark. "What's with that dirty look? You're sorely mistaken if you think I want to die in this hellhole!" Aw. She was upset. This is what she gets for being helpful.

"…It won't be enough." Jellal stepped forward. "I'll buy us some time as well."

"Jellal…are you sure that's wise?" Erza was clearly concerned. "You might get shot…" She was implying that Emmeraude might catch him in the crossfire and call it an accident.

"It would be an accident. But I won't stop you." Emmeraude said. "If you want to commit suicide, be my guest."

* * *

"T-That's how Emmeraude was born…? I knew she was the King's child, but…!" Lucy was clearly not expecting to hear that. "That's so…horrible."

"Mhm…" Emerald nodded. "It was horrible for both Ashnard and I. I didn't know what I was going to do with her when she was born, but after seeing her face, I decided I'd brave through the troubles and raise her. She deserved that much. I know the circumstances of her birth don't excuse what she's done, but she truly does want to make the world a better place."

"…" Gray was silent. He honestly wasn't sure what to say about all of this, but he did have one question in mind. "And you haven't told her about this?"

"No…" Emerald frowned, playing with her hair out of nervous habit. "I don't know how she'd react to it."

"So this is why she loves you so much…" Lucy sighed. Getting an insight on the person who caused her so much grief wasn't how she expected to spend her time waiting for Natsu to finish his fight.

"…I've said far too much." Emerald laughed nervously. "Don't tell her I told you this before I did her. Otherwise she'll get really upset, ahahaha…"

Happy then leaned into Lucy's ear. "It's so weird…she looks just like Emmeraude, but isn't like her at all!"

"I can hear you." Emerald smiled.

"WAAAAAH!" Happy panicked.

"She's an…interesting mix of myself and her royal blood…" Emerald said. The conversation didn't go on much longer as Mii rounded the corner.

"Oh, so this is where you guys were…" Mii tilted her head at the woman who looked like Emmeraude. "Oh, hello~"

"Mii!" Lucy stood up. "How's the Princess? Is she okay?!"

"No hello?" Mii rolled her eyes before leaning against the stone wall. "Yeah she's fine. I got her back to the palace as that light showed up, and then I booked it here." The angel then turned to Emerald and gave that grin of hers. "You must be Em's mom, the source of her mom fet—er, complex."

"…You must be Mii." Emerald offered a small smile. "Em has told me a _lot_ about you."

"Oh? What has she said?" Mii was curious. Green eyes peered at the woman.

Sweat drop. "...I really shouldn't tell you. There are a lot of not nice things." The mother responded.

"…Sounds like Em." Shrugging, Mii turned the Fairy Tail trio. "Oh yeah, before I forget…I found something that belongs to you."

"Something that belongs to us…?" Lucy blinked.

Mii went back around the corner before slowly helping Juvia forward. "I found her on my way back. I nearly tripped over her." Juvia didn't say a word; her eyes were dull and it looked like she was barely holding onto life, but she was…alive. She was breathing.

"Juvia…!?" Happy's eyes went wide.

"J-J…" Gray's eyes widened. Injuries be damned, he stood up and moved to get a closer look, but Mii pulled her away. "What are you doing!?"

"What are _you_ doing?" Mii lifted a brow. "She's very weak right now; I doubt she's really even conscious. It's like she's alive but not, I don't really get it."

"Juvia…" Lucy wanted to cry. It was at that moment she remembered what Prometheus said, according to Tia. That one of the reaped souls was returned to their original body by Pandora. So that meant…

"Anyway, I'm not exactly sure what to do with her now…" Mii shrugged. "She's not heavy or anything, but…"

"It seems like she's in a coma of some sort, but there's no guarantee she'll wake up either…Set her down over there." Emerald pointed to a tree. "Gently. I'll help you."

"All right." Mii and Emerald moved to gently rest Juvia against the nearby tree. They had to do so carefully.

"…." Gray felt a wave of emotions wash over him as he stared at Juvia. After everything he put her through, did he even deserve to be a target of her affection anymore? This was even assuming that she'd regain consciousness. She was alive, but in her condition, she teetered on the edge of life and death again. As he thought about it, he could feel a few tears building up. But he wasn't the only one about to cry. When he glanced at Lucy, he saw her sobbing. "W-Whoa…Lucy?"

Between the elation of finding Juvia and now coming back to Natsu's own reality, it hit her hard. "Natsu's life as a book…it's so…" Ah, so that's what had her so upset. Gray and Happy could only stare as Lucy sobbed. "It's so sad…even if he is a normal boy, why…?"

No one could say anything. Mii glanced in Lucy's direction but didn't' say anything. Lucy eventually calmed down and rubbed her eyes. "Are you all right?" Gray asked.

"Yeah, sort of…" Lucy nodded before looking to Gray. "You're not going to destroy this book anymore, right?"

"Of course not!" Gray said." I didn't know it was Natsu's book after all."

"I have an idea!" Happy spoke up. "How about we…open the book?"

Open the book? That didn't sound like a bad idea, actually. "Lucy, listen…" Gray began, feeling the need to let them know about Zeref's endgame. But then…he remembered Mavis' words. When Natsu won, Zeref's plans wouldn't matter anymore.

"What's up?" Lucy asked.

"…No, it's nothing." Gray smirked. He had faith in Natsu. "Let's do this!"

"Right!" Lucy nodded, took the cover, and flipped it open. A brilliant light shone from the book and words started flying out in all directions.

"Whoa…..!" Mii stared.

"Oh my…" Emerald titled her head slightly.

"These words are…" Gray couldn't find the words. This wasn't what he was expecting to see when opening the book!

"Overflowing!" Happy gasped.

"What an incredible amount…" Lucy could only stare as the words continued to flow out. "These words…they're all information pertaining to Natsu. Natsu's…wait…! This is…could it be…?" Lucy noticed something…

* * *

"I am the one who found the Timelapse!" Zeref grinned. "It is filled with so much time magic, and now, all of that magic belongs to me! That is why I had to seal it! Until I manage to complete the Neo Eclipse, I cannot have anyone interfere with my plan!"

"GAAAAH! AAAAAGRH!" Natsu growled as he tried to free himself, but it just wasn't working. The darkness was swallowing him whole.

"You can't stop me, END. Not anymore!" Zeref continued to grin.

"I will stop you, Zeref!" Mavis appeared at the guild's entrance, staring at Zeref and Natsu.

"Mavis…" Now Zeref had even more of a reason to be happy. "Now the preparation for Neo Eclipse is done." Everything was falling right into place for him. This plan was his way to defy Fate, and now he had the chance to put it all into action.

"RAAAAAAAAH!" Natsu roared. This roar was more intense than anything he screamed thus far. This was the roar of a dragon. Flames exploded from Natsu's body, incinerating the darkness that held onto him. "I'm not finished yet, First! So step back!" There was a wide grin on Natsu's face, red scales covering various parts of his body and his eyes held a fierce reptilian glare. "I'M JUST GETTING FIRED UP!"

Oh? Now things were getting interesting! Zeref's grin turned into a smirk. It appeared as though their battle was far from over, at least, as far as Natsu was concerned. "The power a dragon…"

"Dragon Force…" Mavis started.

"It's useless, END." Zeref shook his head. "I wish you had the power to transform into a dragon like Acnologia…"

"I'm a human being." Natsu clenched his hand into a fist, drawing it back as a powerful blaze formed along his arm. "I have nothing to do with Acnologia. This is my father's wish!"

"Even if you're not a dragon, what exactly makes you _human_ , END?" As Zeref brought up this question, he drew his arm back, darkness forming within his hand. He'd gladly continue this fight, because his fun wasn't over yet anyway! "END!"

"I WILL BEAT YOU WITH THIS FLAME!" Natsu bellowed while pulling his arm back even further in preparation to swing. However, just before he could, Mavis stepped between them.

"PLEASE WAIT!" Mavis yelled.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, FIRST!?" Natsu asked.

"Give me a chance!" Mavis pleaded. "Give me an opportunity to talk with Zeref!" She wanted to what!? Zeref then gripped Mavis' scalp, forcefully tugging her head back so she could look at him. "Ugh!"

"What did you say?" Zeref stared down at Mavis, scowling.

"Please, listen to what I have to say, Zeref…" Mavis said while gripping his hand in a vain attempt to force him to release her. "I can save you. I can set you free from your everlasting life." Those words came as a surprise to the Black Wizard. "Have you ever thought about that? A way that I can 'beat you'?"

"It's useless." Zeref threw the notion away before even giving it a chance. "I've already tried all possible ways to die, and not even END could beat me."

"So why are you so afraid of Acnologia?" Mavis questioned.

Zeref then leaned closer, their faces inches apart. "It's horrible because even though I am incapable of dying, I cannot beat Acnologia. And that's when mankind will be doomed. In other words, in the end, all mankind will perish. Only you and I will remain. He'll toy with us day after day. I wonder how it will be, since we're both incapable of dying, we'll be his toys forever…"

"…" Natsu only stared. If Zeref even made the slightest twitch in a way he didn't like, he was going to jump.

"There's a way to end this eternity!" Mavis tried to tell him!

"Yes. And now I have it." Zeref then wrapped his free arm around Mavis' waist, ensuring that she couldn't squirm away from him. Once she was securely in his grip, it began. A bright light emanated from the both of them. "THE TRUMP CARD: NEO ECLIPSE!"

"AAAAAAAH!" Mavis shrieked in pain.

"FIRST!" Natsu yelled in worry, immediately moving to stop this.

How lucky for Zeref. Even though Elieen was incapable of extracting Fairy Heart from Mavis in time, she ended up walking right into his grasp! It was unfortunate. He didn't want Mavis harmed, which is why he needed Elieen's help to begin with. But now they were out of time. He had to obtain Fairy Heart by any means necessary, and now, he had it. Zeref's smile was a mixture of insanity and happiness. Everything was set to begin his endgame! "First, I will take your Fairy Heart!"

"STOOOOOOOOP!" Natsu screamed while closing the distance. Zeref's glare briefly went to Natsu and a shockwave pushed the Salamander backwards. "UGH!

"Zeref…!" Mavis glared up at Zeref. He still had the power to stop this; she had to let him know that!

"Mavis…" Zeref looked down at Mavis, the woman who once held his heart. "Neo Eclipse is a spell that allows one to relive their life one more time. I will go 400 years back in time. I have a family there and a cute little brother. I'll no longer be immortal there and will finally be able to die. It'll be a shame not being able to see you anymore, but…if you don't meet me, I'm sure you'll be happier. I'm sorry, Mavis."

"Ze…ref…" Mavis felt her consciousness slipping.

"Kuh…!" Natsu had no choice but to hold his ground against this pressure. He wanted to charge in and stop this from happening, but he simply could not anymore.

"But I'll promise I'll give it my all. To beat Acnologia once and for all! I promise I'll fight alongside Natsu. To protect the future of mankind." There were tears welling up in Zeref's eyes. "That's why I have to say goodbye to this world."

"Please…please don't erase this world…" Mavis begged as she started to collapse. "Because…this is the world where we met each other…" Zeref said she'd be happier if they hadn't met, but that was wrong. That was a lie. But it was too late. She couldn't voice her thoughts and Zeref allowed her to fall to the floor.

"FIRST!" Natsu rushed over to Mavis, gripping her shoulders and shaking her a little. "FIRST! HANG ON! FIRST!"

"She won't die." Zeref told Natsu. "But since I've absorbed all of her magical power, she won't be able to stand."

"YOU….!" Natsu's death glare unfazed Zeref.

"It's time…" Zeref lifted both hands into the sky. "This is…FAIRY HEART!" A powerful shockwave blasted out from the Fairy Tail guild, spreading out in all directions. The entirety of Magnolia was and everything in a several mile radius. The light faded and there stood Zeref, glowing white with a godly appearance. "Infinite magical power. The power of a god, which can overcome time." At long last, Zeref obtained the power of Fairy Heart. His lifelong ambition was finally within his grasp. All he needed to do now was clean up the final loose end standing in his way.

Nothing could stop him now.

.

.

Next Time: Zeref, The White Wizard.


	94. Chapter 94: Zeref, The White Wizard

"What was that!?" Gildarts asked while looking around.

"It came from the direction of the guild…" Cana turned to Fairy Tail's direction. The guild was in sight.

"There's a tremendous magic power coming from your guild." Sidney's eyes narrowed. He wasn't sure what he was sensing, but he knew he didn't like it.

"I'm gonna go look." Cygnus brushed aside everything and started to walk to the guild.

"Hold it, pipsqueak." Laxus said as a few others approached.

"Who you calling pipsqueak!?" Cygnus glared at Laxus. "I'll drop you right now, Dreyar!"

"Stop picking fights!" Marlene stood between Cygnus and Laxus.

"Laxus! Everyone!" Cana was glad to see them.

"The First said that no one should go near the guild." Freed reported.

"That's dumb." Luke said immediately. "Zeref's there, isn't he?"

"I kind of have to agree…" Bickslow frowned. "I have no idea what she's thinking."

"Even if I want to take him there badly…I can't. Not yet." Laxus sighed.

"Wait, if you're all here…" Cana glanced behind everyone. "Does that mean…?"

"We cleaned everything up!" Kuro gave a thumbs up. "Every remaining Alvarez troop is down for the count!"

"Yup…!" Jack Royal was finally awake after his Eclipsed Out. Had one hell of a hangover, though. "By the way, I just woke up. What happened? Did we get that sandy bastard?"

"Yeah." Reve said with a nod. "Right between the eyes."

"Which means that the Black Wizard is the only one left." Taya stared at the Fairy Tail guild. "I find it rather annoying that we're being banned from finishing things off."

"No kidding…" Elfman sighed.

"Natsu's probably fighting Zeref in there…" Lisanna stared at the guild from afar. She could sense it. "We might just get in the way…"

"I don't what you mean by 'we'," Reve scoffed at that notion. "As far as I'm concerned, this fight isn't over until Zeref is beaten."

"Prepare for the worst." Sidney told everyone. His gaze never left the building.

"That's ominous…" Evergreen shuddered.

"No, he's right…" Aira's expression turned serious. "I can sense a subtle shift in the wind. It's very foreboding and I do not like."

"I have another question." Mira spoke up. "Two, really. First…did anyone see where Zelos went?"

"Nope. Don't care." Cana shook her head. "He's probably gallivanting around somewhere. He'll show up wherever he's least wanted."

"I see…and what happened to Acnologia? His presence is gone…" Mira continued.

"I think I saw him chasing that ship from Blue Pegasus." Waiston furrowed his brows. "It was faint, but I could smell Tak and Selene on it too."

"Did they act as bait…?" Evergreen asked. That was rather dangerous considering the situation.

"Those guys…they are true men." Elfman said.

"Okay, so what about those who are missing right now?" Gildarts turned to Warren.

"I'll look for them right now." Warren said. "As far as I know, the members of Sabertooth, Mermaid Heel, Cosmic Star, and Dealer are all still somewhere in the city, albeit a little scattered about. Those from Black Phoenix, Lamia Scale, and Shaman's Haven may be here as well, or perhaps back in Port Hargeon now that Fiore is back to how it should be."

"….Everyone, please be okay…" Levy was praying for the safety of those not present right now. Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Happy, Wendy, Cynthia, and Erza…

* * *

The powerful shockwave knocked over Gray, Lucy, and the others. It probably wasn't very good for Juvia in the long run; hence why Emerald was making sure the water mage's vitals were still functioning. "Ouch…" Gray got up, bringing a hand to his head. "What the hell was that?"

"It came from the guild…!" Happy said.

"I don't know what that was, but it didn't _feel_ good." Mii sat up, rubbing the back of her head. Her hat fell off, so she put it back on.

"Your friend is still okay." Emerald reported, although the term 'okay' was being used rather loosely.

"Lucy, are you all right?" Gray asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" Lucy groaned.

"But what about those letters!?" Happy questioned.

"It seems as though they went back into the book." Lucy held Natsu's book in her hands, staring right at it. She noticed something and was now thinking about the chances of success with it…

"But what was all that…?" Gray didn't have a clue.

"A super advanced life-bonding magic," Lucy said. "If I had to guess, Natsu and this book are connected by life bonding magic. And maybe…just maybe…if we can rewrite what's written here…"

"Are you talking about rewriting all those letters!?" Gray could barely even remember a single sentence from what they even saw.

"We have to find it." The celestial mage turned to her friends. "I'm sure that's what we should do. If Natsu and this book are connected, there just might be a way to save him after all. That's what I believe."

"…Hm…" Mii stayed quiet, but her gave turned to the guild itself.

* * *

Mavis was unconscious. While she was alive, that didn't amount to much because Zeref was standing before them with his divine radiance. Zeref was now the White Wizard. He was now on par with a deity. Natsu growled while gently setting Mavis down. "First…"

"It's useless." Zeref spoke in a dismissive tone. Nothing Natsu did now would change anything.

"I have no other choice but to erase you!" Natsu scowled at Zeref.

"Erase? Me?" Those words now simply sounded like a fantasy.

"AND WHO ELSE IS HERE!?" Natsu sprang up, now sprinting towards Zeref.

"You won't be able to do that, because I'm unable as well." Zeref's tone lowered.

Natsu didn't want to hear it. He swung a blazing fist forward to strike against Zeref's chest, and it was a direct hit. Zeref, however, didn't budge, but there was a large burn mark on his chest. A mark that healed instantly after impact. "What!?" Snarling, Natsu continued his assault, flipping forward to slam a blazing leg into Zeref's neck. This was also a direct hit, the impact sending Zeref skidding across the guild floor, but just as before, any damage dealt was instantly negated.

"This is the power of Fairy Heart." Zeref stated. "The power of Dragon Force pales in comparison." The White Wizard then swung his leg at Natsu's chest, landing a direct blow.

"GAAAAH!" A single kick hurt that much!? It was minimal effort, but Natsu was violently flying back towards the guild wall at such violent speeds. The Salamander's back hit the wall and he bounced off it. Before he could even move, Zeref gripped the back of his skull and halted all momentum.

"There's nothing you can do to stop me anymore." The White Wizard whispered before violently driving Natsu's face into the floorboards, a shockwave emanating from the raw power used.

"UGH!" Natsu growled before forcing himself back up. He was far from finished! Zeref was now in close range and he used this to his advantage, quickly gathering a large amount of magic in his mouth. "Flame Dragon King's Roar!" Exhaling, the dragon slayer unleashed a potent burst of high powered flames directly onto Zeref. There was a large, focused explosion of flame and the guild shook violently. As the flames cleared, there was Zeref, still standing. His body was burned, but the burns and wounds simply vanished. "…!?" Natsu gasped. Everything he was doing was just being negated!

"Don't you understand your powerless now, END?" Zeref quietly asked while lifting a hand up. This prompted a large explosion to immediately occur under Natsu's feet. It was so fast the fire dragon didn't have time to react.

'"AAAGH!" Snarling in pain, Natsu was thrown up, and through the ceiling with how intense the explosion was. It hurt a lot, but he couldn't back down after what Zeref did to Mavis! The fire dragon flipped and allowed fire to explode from the soles of his sandals, rocketing him back down towards the White Wizard. Flames coated the entirety of his body and he added a corkscrew spin to increase the power of his incoming attack. "Sword Horn!" Natsu dove down, slamming his flaming body into Zeref's abdomen. The impact landed, causing the White Wizard to fly back through a few support beams.

"…It's all useless." There was a severe burn mark on Zeref's abdomen, but it didn't take long for it to fade away. "This power is…" Before Zeref could finish, he blinked, somewhat surprised since Natsu continued to go on the offensive.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art!" Natsu drew his arms back, a wildfire erupting around his arms. As far as he was concerned, right now, this was just like Lambda-Emmeraude. He hit him and hit him, dealing damage, but it was ultimately being healed off. This just mean he had to hit Zeref as hard as he could, as fast as he could, without giving him a chance to recover! "Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!" The son of Igneel then swung his arms forward, unleashing an unrelenting torrent of orange flames that washed over Zeref, consuming the White Wizard in its fiery wake. This ended up destroying a part of the guild, but Natsu would apologize for that later.

As the sea of flames faded, an incredibly burned Zeref was still seen standing after such a powerful attack. "END…"

This just told Natsu he needed to keep going! The wounds hadn't healed yet, so he had to finish this! "AND!" Stepping forward, the flames around his fists intensified as he closed the gap between them, now throwing a flurry of fiery punches aimed at every spot on Zeref's body. "FIRE DRAGON'S PUNCH!" Zeref didn't budge as Natsu neared, nor did he bother defending himself from this powerful onslaught. Every punch hit its mark, and Zeref let out several grunts as a result. This told Natsu he was doing damage and the final punch was a roaring uppercut to Zeref's chin that lifted him off his feet. The White Wizard landed in front of the partially destroyed wall, and this is where Natsu intended to finish things right off the bat, pouring every bit of his magic into this final blow. "FLAME DRAGON KING'S DEMOLITION FIST!" He swung for the fences, colliding against Zeref's chest. This prompted a powerful burst of flame to erupt from impact, utterly destroying a section of the guild while eliminating one of the sides of the building. But when that smoke cleared, there was nothing of Zeref left. After using such powerful attacks consecutively without pause, and his condition from their battle overall, Natsu started to pant heavily. It was a struggle for him to even stand at this point. "I'm sorry, Gramps…I destroyed the guild again…along with Zeref." So surely it had been worth it, right? That's what Natsu thought until the wall started to repair itself, then white beads of energy materialized, turning into Zeref, who reappeared, completely unfazed from Natsu's relentless assault. "H-He came back…exactly how he was…?"

"That's the Fairy Heart's power." Zeref wore a smile as he approached the exhausted Natsu slowly, a white light wrapping around his hand. "It's an infinite power. We can say it's the 'magic' that overcomes all magic." The White Wizard then stabbed his hand through Natsu's chest. There was nothing he could do about it.

"GAH…!" Blood spurted from Natsu's chest and his mouth from the mortal blow. Zeref withdrew his hand and Natsu started to collapse.

"There's one last thing I forgot to tell you." Zeref began as Natsu fell to the ground. "You don't need to apologize to Makarov, because he's already dead."

…What? Those were the last words Natsu heard as his conscious began to slip away from him. There were tears in his eyes. Such heart wrenching news…was the last thing he'd ever hear from anyone.

"I hope to meet you in heaven…" Zeref started to walk towards his destination: the front doors of Fairy Tail. Once he passed through those doors, everything he worked for would finally come to fruition. "Goodbye, Natsu."

* * *

Jellal took to the skies with Meteor, floating before Acnologia. He was going to buy everyone some time to open the gate while Emmeraude manned the 120mm cannon. Of course, all he could do was hope she didn't try and shoot him down. "Meteor." With his speed increase, he began to fly towards Acnologia, moving in sharp angles to confuse the dragon. It worked and for a moment, Acnologia couldn't follow his movements, only to growl in annoyance when the sinner struck his neck, causing the dragon more annoyance than anything.

"You must want to die!" Acnologia said while inhaling some of Jellal's magic power since he was nearby, only to unleash a potent blast of azure magic that cut through the sky. It was so large it nearly caught the ship in its wake.

"JELLAL!" Erza screamed in worry. Jellal was moving and Acnologia turned his head to follow it. The roar cut through the ocean only to explode violently, sending water flying up to the sky while splitting the sea in two. Everyone in the ship nearly collapsed from the vibrations. The sea was scarred from that single attack.

"The sea split in two…" Jenny was in awe.

"Unbelievable…" Hibiki couldn't say anything more than that.

Jellal was lucky. "I thought I could buy some time by evading his attacks, but at this rate…there will be nothing left of this world." A single attack split the ocean. After seeing such a feat, the sinner realized that there was no way he could last very long against such large scale attacks. In fact, he'd be lucky to avoid a second one.

"Why are you just floating there?" Emmeraude questioned while targeting Acnologia once more. The cannons rapid fired and the bullets flew past Jellal, soaring towards Acnologia to keep him on the defensive. The only unfortunate part about all of this is that Christina was slowly losing altitude due to the damage the rear wing took.

"The Timelaspe still isn't open!? Erza turned to Anna, who was struggling.

"I've been giving it my best effort, but it's not budging at all!" The Heartflila reported. "Is someone closing it on purpose!?" Again, this implied that someone found it. Anna could feel Emmeraude's gaze on her back only for a moment, but they both realized that this wasn't the time.

* * *

Natsu and Mavis were down. The only two people capable of stopping him no longer could, and now, he could begin walking towards Fairy Tail's front doors. "This world is over. A new one will soon begin. Let us make the door of Fairy Tail the door to the new world, by connecting this guild's door with the ravines of time." With every step he took, the guild's entrance gave off a bright light. He stood before the front doors, simply elated that his plan finally, finally came to fruition. "Once I pass through this door, this world will crumble, and my world will begin. Many have passed through this door, those setting out on a journey and those returning from one. Who could've imagined that Fairy Tail's door would be the end and the beginning of this world too. How ironic…" He couldn't help it. He simply had to muse and reflect on the legacy this guild created. "I will relive my life once more. While keeping the memories I have now. I will no longer make any mistakes. I will save this world."

* * *

Lucy opened the book a few moments ago, carefully examining the letters as they flew out once again. But then, multiple words started to explode. "The words are popping!" Happy yelled.

"Did something happen to Natsu!?" Gray asked, worriedly.

Lucy's eyes widened for a moment. "He's hurt…! He's got a serious injury somewhere!" Without wasting any time, Lucy pulled out a pen from her skirt pocket.

"And what exactly are you going to do with that?" Mii lifted a brow. If Natsu was going to bite the dust here, then…

"Do you know which part you've got to rewrite?!" Gray asked Lucy.

"Not exactly…" Lucy admitted. "But I'll start by fixing the words that just vanished."

"Fixing the words? It was all so sudden I don't even remember what those words were…" Happy stared.

"No worries. I remembered all of it." Lucy's expression was firm.

* * *

"…!" Anna gasped. She felt the gate Timelapse opening again! "The ravines have opened!"

"Really?!" Erza was more than happy to hear this.

"Although, it was not by my power. Someone else opened it, but that doesn't matter right now. The door is open." Anna said.

"Anna, look at that!" Ichiya pointed. Now that the Timelapse was open, it was visible to everyone.

"Ah, so that's what it looks like…" Emmeraude then glanced at Acnologia. "If we can see it, then…"

"What's that…?" Acnologia was curious. When the hell did that thing get there? What even was it?

"As soon as he figures out what that is, our plan is going to be ruined!" Eve warned everyone.

"What the hell do we do!?" Ren asked.

"Don't worry, I'll keep him in check!" Jellal acted brazenly, beginning a full throttle charge at Acnologia.

"STOP! THAT'S TOO DANGEROUS!" Anna exclaimed. "You'll be gone too if you touch that!"

"THERE'S NO OTHER WAY!" In one ear and out the other. Jellal closed the distance between himself and the evil dragon.

"JELLAL!" Erza screamed.

"OOOOOOH!" Jellal rammed his body into Acnologia's chest, exerting every ounce of magic in his body. This caused his aura to flare largely around his own body, but he didn't care.

"…" Emmeraude snarled, if only because she couldn't get a clear shot like this with Jellal in the way. "I can't shoot like this…" Not to mention, the ship was getting closer and closer to the ocean. Very soon, she wouldn't have access to the cannons at all. "Tell him to pull back!"

"You…the one who wants to die…" Acnologia growled while beginning to inhale Jellal's magic power. He was a dragon slayer after all, and since he consumed all magic indiscriminately this also meant he could use the magic he consumed. So imagine everyone's surprise when a golden aura started to mix in with his blue one. "Did you forget who I am!? I AM THE DARK DRAGON, ACNOLOGIA!"

"My magic power is being sucked in…" Jellal grit his teeth. He was running out of time and magic. He just needed a little more…

"LEAVE IT, JELLAL!" Erza pleaded, but he wasn't listening!

" _But…if he's touched by the timelaspe, then I'll be able to protect Erza!"_ This was the thought that fueled Jellal's actions.

"DON'T DO IT, JELLAL-KUN!" Ichiya was also pleading for him not to!

"…You idiot…" Emmeraude scowled.

"Ichiya-san! The ship is at its limit! It'll fall!" A Blue Pegasus mage reported.

"BRACE FOR IMPACT!"

The ship then crashed into the ocean. The impact was so violent it threw everyone for a loop. Emmeraude grunted as she was forced away from the now destroyed control panel, tumbling along the ground. That didn't help for her injuries. "Ugh…! Damn it…"

And then, Acnologia brought his hand forward, grasping Jellal tightly within his grip. "GAAAH!"

"I'll crush you." The dragon held a malicious grin. His grip increased and Jellal could only let out a scream of pain as his bones were being crushed by the dragon's monstrous grip.

"No…" This couldn't be happening. Was Erza really going to lose Jellal too!?

Acnologia then got an idea. The Timelapse was behind him. He glanced back, realizing that this human's ultimate goal was to push him into whatever that hole was. "Was this your plan? To shove me into that rift?"

"He noticed it!?" Jenny gasped.

"Shit…!" Ren cursed.

"How about…" Acnologia turned around, holding his arm out to the Timelaspe, preparing to fling Jellal into the void of nothingness. "I PUSH YOU INTO IT YOU WRECHED HUMAN!"

"NOOOOO!" Erza reached out for Jellal, but it was hopeless. Their plan was going to backfire and Jellal was going to die…

* * *

"This world has my gratitude…" Zeref was going to take his first steps into his new world, and the last ones of this one.

"Gramps always told me…" Natsu's voice shakily returned. "That if I were to ever pass through that door, I'd have to vow that I would return." Natsu stood up, the wound in his chest completely healed due to Lucy reworking his book. Steam flowed from his body as he stood tall. "Vow to live."

* * *

Lucy repaired every single word that was broken. Everyone could only stare at her writing prowess. "Amazing…" Gray said.

"The words are back to normal!" Happy jumped for joy! This meant that Natsu had to be okay! But then, Lucy completely seized up, black markings beginning to crawl from her right arm and along her face and chest. "Hey, Lucy what's wrong!?"

"Get a hold of yourself!" Gray's eyes widened.

"I…It looks just like when she was possessed by Lambda…" Mii's green eyes widened.

"Ah…..AHHHHHHHH!" Lucy's scream of pain was loud and she hugged herself to try and cope with the pain, but it wasn't working.

"I-Is she all right!?" Emerald asked, concerned for Lucy's wellbeing.

"HANG ON!" Gray went to touch Lucy but immediately pulled his hand back. "Hot…!"

"Did someone call for me!? My cutie senses were going off and I had to drop in!" Zelos hopped down and his eyes widened. "Lucy-chan!?"

"Now isn't the time for you!" Gray instinctively told Zelos.

"I-It's hot…" Lucy panted as visible steam was coming from her body. "Something inside my body…"

"...I know this isn't a good time, but you really should have picked better words." Mii pointed out, only to receive glares from both Gray and Emerald.

"Natsu's flame…?" Happy suggested.

"Is it a demonic flame…?" Gray questioned.

"B-But this is a clue…! Ah….maybe this magic power can…rewrite something…"

"Lucy, but you…!" Happy began.

"I'm fine…" Lucy said.

Gray immediately brought his hand forward, creating a blizzard in the surrounding area to cool Lucy off. There was no way in hell he'd let Lucy be possessed by something again. Last time there wasn't anything he could do, but this time, he was right by her side. Lucy felt the cold offset the heat and offered Gray a soft smile. "It's cold."

"Let's go save Natsu." Gray said.

"Yeah." Lucy nodded and continued to write in the book. She came across something interesting. The words were faded and they related to the power of Igneel. The Flame Dragon King mode that Natsu brought forth the other day in his second battle with Zeref. "These words…"

"It's so cold…!" Zelos whined. He didn't sign up for this!

"Just huddle near Lucy, she's kinda warm…" Mii shrugged. There was a hint of concern in her eyes, though. Lucy looking like that brought back too many memories. Perhaps it was a good thing the blonde didn't have a mirror to look at.

Emerald didn't say a word. She was a little chilly, but didn't mind braving the cold if it meant these people could save their friend. "…"

"If I can rewrite these words here…" It was a long shot, but it just might have worked. Unfortunately for Lucy, working with certain aspects of Natsu only caused the demonic flame inside of her to grow stronger. She hissed in pain as even more steam started to flow from her body, but Gray did his best efforts to offset this with his cold. "Agh…it burns, but…I have to do this! Ngggh…!"

"What are you writing?" Mii peered over Lucy's shoulder.

"I have to help Natsu in any way I can. If I can repair a wound on his body, then I should be able to help him get stronger!" Lucy continued to hiss in pain. Her entire body felt like it was on fire. Funnily enough, this still didn't quite compare to the suffering she faced when Lambda resided inside her. Because of that, she was able to withstand this pain and push forward. How long she'd be able to last was still yet to be seen, however. That flame was growing even stronger the more she worked with certain aspects of Natsu. This was her gambit. She had to believe in Natsu, and when it came to him, her belief was never in question. Finally, she touched upon what she was looking for, but as a result, the markings along her body rapidly spread and a flame exploded from her being. "NGAAAAAAH!"

"LUCY!"

* * *

Natsu breathed heavily after his revival. Zeref was admittedly shocked to see that Natsu was still standing before him. "The wounds disappeared?" Actually, now that he thought about it… _"Speaking of which, where is END's book!? No…someone rewrote it? I can't believe that a human was able to handle the demonic letters. Even so, those who tried were eventually corrupted and fell into darkness…"_ "Even if you're revived by some miracle, there's no life for the changed ones."

"Thank you, Lucy." Natsu said, ignoring Zeref completely. "Happy, Gray…I…I finally get it. Back then, that was Gramps' voice. While I was fighting Gray, everyone was going through such horrible things. They passed out, some died…everything because of me…" Natsu grit his teeth, clenching his hand into a fist. "Guh…I REMEMBERED! WHAT REASON WERE WE FIGHTING FOR ALL THIS TIME!?" Flames exploded around Natsu and he steadied his stance. "Everything is for Fairy Tail! This thought will be out final power! AND ALSO OUR GREATEST POWER!" He then lunged forward, swinging a fist at Zeref's face that landed. He followed up with another punch that caused the White Wizard to stagger back.

"How long do you intend to stand in my way!?" Zeref asked as Natsu slugged him in the face once again.

"UNTIL THE DAY THAT EVERYONE CAN LAUGH TOGETHER COMES!" Natsu screamed.

"THEN I'LL MAKE SURE THAT DAY NEVER COMES!" Zeref swung his hand up, slicing violently across Natsu's chest, causing the Salamander to let out a cry of pain.

"I'LL MAKE SURE THAT DAY IS TOMORROW!" Natsu flung himself forward, swinging his leg for a violent axe kick at Zeref's face. The White Wizard blocked the hit, but Natsu's intensity forced him to slide back. The Salamander continued his offense, gripping onto Zeref's chest. "Gripping Strike!" A violent burst of flames overtook Zeref, burning his body intensely. Damage was still being dealt, but Natsu was still unable to land a decisive blow against Zeref's new form.

"It won't work! It's all useless!" Zeref exclaimed while swiping his hand forward, sending multiple beams of black magic towards Natsu's body.

Natsu tumbled to the side to avoid the beams that would no doubt put him in critical condition once again. After staggering he regained his balance to sprint forward, flames trailing behind his arms as he 'flew' past Zeref. "Fire Dragon's Wing Slash!" A valiant effort, but a futile one as Zeref simply leapt over the attack. Natsu wasn't in Dragon Force anymore, so the force behind his attacks weakened greatly. That didn't mean he wasn't going to pour every ounce of his mind, body, and soul into this fight. For the sake of the tomorrow he yearned for so badly, he would fight with everything he could.

"Your struggle is useless! All I have to do is pass through those doors, and everything is over! I will save mankind!" Zeref declared as he flipped above Natsu, pointing his hand down to unleash a potent beam of darkness that caught Natsu in its wake.

"GUH!" Natsu crossed his arms, sliding back across the guild floors. He was trying to hold his ground, but it was a losing battle. The beam was pushing him back into the wall, where was rapidly getting cornered. "NO!" Natsu refused to accept Zeref's plan. "You're not trying to save humanity! You're only thinking of yourself! What you're doing is denying the world! Your ambitions are no better than Emmeraude's! This world isn't perfect, this world is on the brink of danger…people suffer every day. This world isn't perfect, BUT!" The flames around Natsu's body intensified as he felt a strange power coursing through him. "Being able to make it to tomorrow with those you care about is what makes life worth living! The world is too big to be changed so drastically, but it's the small changes that matter!"

"You could never understand my suffering!" Zeref pointed his hand forward, increasing the potency of his attack to swallow Natsu whole. "You speak without knowing the suffering of the one's refused by this world that you fight for so valiantly. Some people don't have the privilege to make it to tomorrow, while I've been cursed to see every frightening tomorrow that disaster has wrought for the past 400 years! I've seen everything that's happened, and I can stop it all when I step through those gates! I won't make any mistakes, I will stop Acnologia from gaining power, I will stop Verona from nearly destroying humanity, I WILL SAVE MANKIND! If this world of mistakes has to be destroyed in order for peace to bloom, then so be it!"

"That's where you're wrong!" Natsu shouted from within the darkness. It overtook him, but he refused to submit to it. "This world is not a mistake! Because this is the world…" The memories of Natsu's time in Fairy Tail flashed in his mind. From when he was a child, even to just recently. From the heated rivalry with White Eclipse, meeting Cynthia for the first time, battling the angels, fighting a life or death battle against Dealer, against Fate itself and a Dragon King, against Emmeraude. They suffered. Lucy suffered, Gray suffered, Erza suffered, Mii suffered, Wendy and Cynthia suffered, everyone around them suffered terrible physical and emotional pain…even though most of these experiences were awful, they carried the suffering with them, because it was a part of life, and they would not ignore it. They'd use it to grow even stronger. "THIS IS THE WORLD WHERE WE BELONG! BURN, _**ALL OF ME!**_ " As he proclaimed this, the Fairy Tail mark on his shoulder began to shine brightly, the flames around Natsu's body burning even hotter as he set his very essence ablaze. The temperature in the guild skyrocketed as the darkness around him was incinerated. At the same time, Natsu let out a roar that surpassed even that of an actual dragon's.

"This power…!?" Zeref pulled his hand back, eyes wide at what he was witnessing. A pillar of flame exploded to the roof of the guild, towering high into the sky. It was extremely difficult not to notice. In a sense, it was similar to the light that Lucy gave off during her confrontation against Emmeraude.

* * *

"Whoooooa!" Zelos stared at the bright orange flames off in the distance. "Look at that! Whew!"

"Is that Natsu!?" Happy's eyes widened.

"Oh my…" Emerald stared with wide eyes.

"I-It worked…!" Lucy's rise in tone was not from excitement, but from pain. But she continued to fight through it, because she wasn't done with the book yet.

"What did…" Gray could only stare at the flames.

"….." Mii was pretty impressed with that fire power. She then remembered Natsu's words. How he said he'd definitely take out Zeref and not die. She frowned, only because after what Makarov did, she had no reason to believe in him. No reason to believe in any of them.

* * *

"What is _THAT_?!" Diamond pointed to the rising pillar of flames.

"Hahaha…" Ace laughed. "That's gotta be Natsu! No one else has that kinda firepower!"

"Excuse you!" Jack snarled before turning to the pillar of flames. "That's nothing compared to me! If he's gonna unleash that kind of power, then he better fucking WIN!"

* * *

"Hoh…" Gildarts grinned at the fire emanating from the guild. "Well, you don't see that every day, now do you?"

"Is that Natsu!?" Lisanna's eyes went wide.

"Who else could it be?" Laxus said with a slight grin. "That hotheaded idiot doesn't know when to give up."

"He's trying to steal the show…" Luke grumbled.

* * *

"This power is…" Zeref stared as the flames slowly began to die down. "You didn't…"

Mavis slowly regained consciousness. Her vision was blurry, but she could see and feel Natsu's form. "It's hot…"

"I made a promise." Natsu's voice came from within the flames as they turned from orange to a vibrant blue shade, similar to the color Cynthia used only twice. "I promised that I wouldn't die. That we would make it through this war together." As the flames settled, Natsu's new form was revealed. His body…dragonized. Half of his body was covered in red dragon scales, his left arm turned into a claw while his leg turned into a talon, a horn emerged from his head, and single wing sprouted from his back. The guild was sweltering from the heat Natsu's body emitted. "I already told you before, didn't I? That I would burn fate. That I would fight for tomorrow. If you're the one who's going to stand between us and a brighter tomorrow, then I'LL BURN YOU TO ASH, BROTHER!"

This was Natsu's final stand. This was the testimony of a raging dragon.

.

.

Next Time: The Wild Dragon's Flames.


	95. Chapter 95: The Wild Dragon's Flames

Natsu and Zeref stood across from one another for their final battle; Natsu in his Dragonized state, while Zeref was the White Wizard, using a power that surpassed time itself. All he had to was step through those front doors for the Neo Eclipse to activate, but Natsu couldn't allow that to happen. To protect this world where he met everyone…he had to win. Zeref lifted a brow while raising a hand. "Are you so certain that you're still a human now?"

"I am human. But I will use this dragon's flame to beat you!" Natsu roared as he flew forward, appearing as a blur to Zeref. The White Wizard's eyes widened as Natsu slipped behind him, blue flames igniting around his fist. "Flame Dragon King's Demolition Fist!" Natsu punched Zeref's back, a potent, but focused eruption of flames exploding against the White Wizard to send him flying backwards, intentionally sending him as far away from the guild doors as possible.

"Guh!" Zeref cried out as a gigantic burn mark appeared on his back. This wound was taking a little longer to heal that the previous blows. The White Wizard flipped and regained his footing, pointing his hand forward to unleash an obsidian wave of darkness in Natsu's direction. "I won't allow you or anyone else to stand in my way anymore!"

Natsu was swept up in the wave of darkness, growling in pain as it tore into his very being. Blue flame exploded from his being to send him rocketing into the air. "Fire Dragon's…!" The flames wrapped around Natsu's body before he completely vanished from sight!

"What?!" Zeref glanced around. Where did Natsu go!?

A fiery rift opened in front of the White Wizard and Natsu's fist was the first thing to come flying out of it. "Vanishing Drive!" Natsu's flames were so hot; they allowed him to burn through space itself. A roaring uppercut slammed against Zeref's chin, sending him soaring into the air! Natsu pursed, flying above Zeref while cupping his hands together. "And Jaw!" Swinging his conjoined downward, Natsu's blazing fists struck Zeref's skull to send him crashing into the ground. He wasn't even done there! He then lifted his hands over his head, orange and blue flames forming and merging together to a multicolored fireball. "BURN!" He swung this Dazzling Blaze down, expecting it to violently explode on contact.

After Zeref hit the ground, he let out a grunt of pain from impact. Natsu was getting carried away, but he'd remind them where they stood! As the incoming blaze came his way, Zeref pointed a hand forward to unleash a large beam of darkness. This utterly annihilated the blaze and struck Natsu since was still in the air and carried him into the sky. "You can come back as many times as you wish, but it won't be enough!" Zeref then vanished, only to appear in the middle of Natsu's flightpath with his leg reared back. The White Wizard swung his leg down at the back of Natsu's neck, sending the dragonized slayer back down to ground violently where he slammed into the floor. The impact was so violent on Natsu's part; he ended up bouncing from the recoil. The White Wizard then appeared before Natsu and thrusted his hand forward, causing a shockwave that pushed Natsu back into the wall.

"GAH!" Natsu grunted as his body fell forward, suffering heavy damage just from those few attacks. Zeref's hand lit up in a white hue in preparation to impale Natsu's chest once more. However, just before he could, Natsu gripped his wrist tightly with his dragonized hand.

"What!?" Zeref tried to pull back, but Natsu's iron grip was difficult to fight against. Not only that, but the mere contact caused him to burn.

"I TOLD LUCY THAT I WASN'T GONNA LOSE!" Natsu bellowed while swinging his free hand down against Zeref's skull, an explosion of flame crushing his foe into the guild floor.

"GWAH!" Zeref cried out from the violent impact. He then jumped back, growling as his wounds started to fade. "You can hit me as hard as you want, as many times as you want, but it won't work. Fairy Heart's power is infinite. Eternal. No matter what you do, I will always come back."

"Then the solution is simple…" Natsu clenched his dragonized hand into a fist. "I'll burn it until there's nothing left."

"Your flame will not burn forever…" Zeref's white aura flared around him.

"It'll burn for as long as I need it to!" Natsu exclaimed as the flames around him grew even stronger.

* * *

Christina crashed into the ocean and everyone had to abandon ship. This was a problem for various reasons. They had no means to escape Acnologia, no means to attack him, no means to save Jellal from the dragon's grip, and no means of pushing Acnologia into the Timelapse as part of their plan. Everything was falling apart. "JELLAL!" Erza screamed.

"Everyone, get away from the ship! You're going to get caught up in the explosion!" A Pegasus member yelled.

"Aaaah…w-what do we do!?" Wendy asked while looking at Erza.

"He's gonna get shoved into the Timelapse!" Cynthia panicked. They were too far away to do anything!

"I'M COMING!" Erza didn't have a plan. She just had to save Jellal. She couldn't lose him too!

"What exactly do you plan on doing!?" Selene questioned.

"I have to save him!" That was all Erza could reply with. She was working off of pure emotion and nothing else.

"Don't be an idiot, how are you going to save him!" Takeru said while keeping himself afloat.

"If you plan on joining him, then be our guests." Emmeraude didn't exactly care if Erza chose to throw herself at death. Anyone could see that they were out of options and too far away to do anything. "If I still had my chain whip sword…" Unfortunately, that was broken in her fight with Lucy, and it was going to take quite a bit of time for her fix it. "Regardless, he deserves it for acting so brazenly."

"What will come first? Will you be crushed? Or will this have some effect on you?" Acnolgoia questioned as his grip on Jellal tightened. All the sinner could do was scream in pain, but that scream was steadily getting weaker and weaker with each passing second. It wouldn't be long before Jellal met his end one way or another. Just when it seemed as though Jellal was going to meet his head, a potent chunk of earth slammed into Acnolgoia's side. It forced him away from the Timelapse and caught everyone's attention. "Who dares!?"

"I don't know what's going on here…but I can tell that you're putting my friends and allies in danger. So I'm going to have to ask you to release him, or suffer the consequences."

"That voice…!" Cynthia's sparkled.

"That's…!" Wendy held a wide grin.

Gaia appeared in her full dragon glory, glaring at Acnologia. Based on her injuries, it was clear that she had seen better days, but she was alive and glad she wasn't too late in joining the fray. "I won't be repeating myself again, Acnologia."

"You…" Acnologia snarled at Gaia before smirking. A chance to wipe out a dragon? He'd gladly take this. Without a word, he inhaled, only to unleash a potent roar in Gaia's direction. Gaia retaliated with a roar of her own, the two destructive powers meeting in the metal for a cataclysmic explosion that caused the ocean below to trash about wildly.

"Oh, well now things are even better now that we're in the crossfire of two dragons fighting." Emmeraude rolled her eyes.

"DON'T GET NEAR THE HOLE IN THE SKY!" Cynthia shouted to Gaia.

"But we need him to get in there!" Wendy added.

Right. Gaia didn't have a clue what was going on, but she could piece a few things together. Blue Pegasus was trying to corner Acnologia with whatever that rift was, only for their ship to give out and Jellal was now at risk. "Okay…" Was all Gaia could say in response. The biggest issue right now was finding a way to free Jellal from the dragon's grip. At the very least, she now had Acnologia's attention over Jellal. She had her work cut out for her.

"You're aware he can hear you too, right?" Emmeraude glanced at the girls.

"The plan is out in the open, but that doesn't matter now." Erza could only hope that Gaia could get Jellal free.

That's when Christina started to move. "What the!?"

"The ship's moving!?"

"That thing is going to explode! Besides that, it's a wreck! How is it even moving now!"

"Things have an order to them." Anna said while taking the wheel. "Pegasus, I'm sorry1 I'm going to smash him and this whole ship into the Ravines of time!"

"Sensei!" Wendy cried out.

"That's crazy!" Eve objected.

"Are you trying to kill yourself!?" Ren asked.

"Don't be stupid!" Takeru yelled.

"Yeah, think about this!" Selene shouted.

"This is my 400 year old duty!" Anna exclaimed.

"She's delusional…" Emmeraude said. "She doesn't have a clear shot, nor does that ship have the time."

"That voice…" Gaia turned to the Pegasus ship. "Anna, is that you!?"

"Gaia, please, buy me some time! I can save him and end this!" Anna exclaimed. Unfortunately for her, the ship was on its last legs and started to fall again. The shift caused Anna to fall, and she wasn't going to be able to reach the wheel in time to keep the ship from crashing.

"It's useless! Only Pegasus members can fly Christina!" Hibiki said. That's when he realized that someone was missing…

"But even so, I…" Anna reached out for the wheel, only to stop.

"Leave the flying to me." Ichiya said.

"ICHIYA!?" The Trimens exclaimed.

"No way…" Jenny's jaw dropped. Was he serious!?"

"Ichiya…" Even Erza was taken aback by Ichiya's actions.

"I can't leave a woman with such beautiful perfume alone." The handsome man told Anna.

"…You are really a true man." Anna offered a slight smile as Christina blasted a full throttle towards Acnologia and Gaia.

"SENSEI!" Wendy yelled.

"ICHIYA!" The members of Blue Pegasus cried out.

"You aren't really giving me a lot of time here!" Gaia complained while swinging her earth coated tail at Acnologia's face. They really expected her to line him up for a perfect shot in such a short time!? There was no point complaining about it now. They needed her for this shot and she had to do her best to follow through.

"GRRR!" Acnologia snarled as Gaia's tail hit him directly. The raw force behind the blow is what made it so irritating to deal with. He then inhaled, unleashing a quick roar that struck Gaia in return.

"Ngh…!" Gaia was forced backwards, but didn't allow herself to waste too much time. The ship was rapidly approaching and she only had a few seconds at best to keep Acnologia busy. Her injuries were acting up, but she could deal with it. "You losing that arm was the best thing that ever happened!" Gaia quipped while throwing a fist at Acnologia's face, landing the blow. The impact was swiftly returned as Acnologia's own fist crashed against her chest. "Agh! Why are you so stubborn!? Why don't you just die already!?"

"I will be the last dragon." Acnologia told Gaia while opening his maw, sinking his teeth into her scaled shoulder. The sharpness of his fangs was enough to draw blood and he didn't intend on letting go. "I WILL BE THE FINAL DRAGON!"

Gaia howled in pain before taking her claws, attempting pry Acnologia's mouth open and off her shoulder. While this was an unfavorable situation for the earth dragon, she saw the silver lining. In her effort's to pry the dragon away from her, she shifted their position. She didn't think she'd have a chance to line him up, but here they were. "In a few seconds, you aren't going to exist!"

"We're right behind you, Gaia!" Anna yelled.

"LET GO OF THEM!" Ichiya had no choice but to take a shot in the dark. Due to the ship's targeting system being completely trashed, every single 120mm bullet fired was done blindly. Luck was on their side, for numerous bullets did strike Acnologia's arm. He felt this and his grip on Jellal relented, allowing the sinner to fall. As he growled in pain, he released Gaia's arm, which allowed the earth dragon to swing her tail up and smack him in the face. There was mud that shot from her tail, covering Acnologia's eyes to obscure his vision.

"You have a duty to make humans happy!" Ichiya told Jellal as the ship rapidly neared the recoiling Acnologia. "There are people you need to stay alive to protect! So leave this to us!"

"I GOT HIM!" Gaia yelled while flying forward, snatching Jellal out of the air and into her much softer grasp. But right after she grabbed him, her injuries got the best of her and she ended up reverting to her human form. "…But I don't…got me…" Now the both of them fell towards and into the sea.

With Acnologia distracted, Christina rammed right into his chest. "TAKE THIS, ACNOLOGIA!" Ichiya screamed.

"THIS IS THE END!" Anna followed suit as they forced Acnologia's body into the Timelapse. "THIS IS THE END OF THE AGE OF THE DRAGON KING!"

What!? What was this?! "This…!?" Acnologia could feel his body being sucked into the nothingness! "My body…UWAHHH! GAAAAH!" He tried to resist its pull, and normally, he might have been able to put up a fight. But with Christina forcing him back into he, even the mighty Acnologia was unable to fight against this. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" A brilliant white light flashed as everything near the Timelapse was pulled into eternal nothingness. And soon…there was nothing left.

Erza supported Jellal while Wendy and Cynthia moved to support Gaia. But their gaze never left the now open sky. Everyone was silent and the only sounds that filled the space were that of the gentle waves. "….They disappeared…" Hibiki mumbled. "Acnologia too…"

"Ichiya and Anna too…they've all gone into the ravines of time…" Ren could only stare at the empty sky.

Jenny trembled before beginning to cry. "So I guess we won, huh?" But at what cost? Jenny wasn't the only one who shed tears. Erza, Wendy, Cynthia, and Selene all let it go too. Takeru was trying his best to keep a calm expression, but that was impossible. He was barely holding it together.

"….." Emmeraude didn't say a word. She simply stared at the sky. Even though Anna was a Heartfilia, and it was clear the two of them weren't getting along…she wanted to protect the world, and managed to do just that. Acnologia's existence was a black stain on the earth that needed to be erased for a peaceful world. So honestly…she could admire Anna's willingness and determination. This was exactly the kind of word she wanted to create after all, a world where people wouldn't have to resort to sacrificing themselves to take down some greater evil. "…You weren't that unpleasant…"

* * *

Lucy was screaming in pain. The markings continued to stretch along her body as she wrote. Even Gray was having a hard time keeping things cool enough for Lucy to not suffer. "It's so hot…I'm burning…!"

"Maybe you should stop…!" Zelos suggested. "I can't have one of my favorites burning alive like this!"

"He's…not wrong." Mii said. "You look awful. At this rate."

"I'm not finished yet!" Lucy objected. "If I stop now, then I'll lose everything I-I wrote…and that will slow Natsu down, s-so I have to…ngh…" It was getting a lot harder for Lucy to keep it up. On top of that, everything that happened to her over the course of the final battle starting was catching up to her fast. The Neinhart fight, her duel against Brandish, her fight with Emmeraude; between these two fights, her condition wasn't the greatest.

"….." Emerald placed her hands together. There wasn't a lot she could do here. There was hardly anything anyone could do.

"J-Just trust me!" Lucy pleaded through choked cries of pain. "I will be okay!"

"…." Gray hated this, but he had no choice but to trust Lucy. He had to trust Lucy and believe that Natsu could wrap this fight up quickly.

"Come on, Natsu…" Happy stared at the guild from afar.

* * *

Zeref brought an arm forward, a potent spiral of darkness sweeping Natsu away from the direct hit. The dragon could only growl in pain as he was pushed backwards, but his flames roared to life once again, incinerating the magic that wrapped around him. He then lunged forward while rearing his arm back as blue flame flared wildly around his arm. Zeref could see this attack coming miles away and was prepared to swiftly evade it. But that's when he noticed the seal underneath his feet, radiating so much heat that it actually glued his feet to the floor. "What?!"

"Flame Dragon King's Firing Hammer!" Natsu swung his fist forward violently, releasing a gigantic funnel of vibrant blue flame that not only consumed Zeref, but shot past the White Wizard while destroying the wall of the guild, shooting off into the town for more collateral damage.

"How many times until you understand!?" Zeref's body was broken apart by the intense flames. But just as before, a few seconds was all he needed to reconstruct himself and anything else that was destroyed from Natsu's attack, all due to Fairy Heart's power. But there was no mistaking it; Natsu's power was even greater than before. But Zeref couldn't allow himself to be stopped here. Not when the gates to the world he envisioned was right in front of him! He then swiped his hand forward, numerous beams of darkness bombarding Natsu with no end in sight. Each beam caused the guild some destruction in its wake.

"GAAAAH!" Natsu had to cover up, yelping in pain as the beams collided against his person. They hurt, it all hurt. But just because it hurt didn't mean he was going to quit. Everything was for Fairy Tail. Everyone was aiding Fairy Tail in this war and this was the final battle of it all. It was up to Natsu to bring this to an end one way or another. The blue flames around his body intensified to burn away at the beams and took the shape of a phoenix. "Hidden Form: Exploding Phoenix Blade!" Natsu then lunged forward, slamming right into Zeref's gut, carrying the White Wizard backwards.

"GUH!" The piercing power of this blow did harm Zeref. The White Wizard dug his heels into the ground, gripping onto Natsu's shoulders to keep the dragon slayer from escaping. A white sphere then formed around of them, multiple beams of darkness piling onto the dragon slayer. "You cannot stop me! I WILL NOT BE STOPPED!"

Natsu cried out as Zeref's grip kept him from moving how he wanted. The beams slammed into his body from all angles, causing the damage dealt to rise significantly. If things continued, Natsu wouldn't be able to continue and he couldn't allow that. With one final cry of pain, he then sucked it all in and simply exhaled, unleashing a point blank roar that caused a widespread explosion within the guild. The sphere he was trapped in was incinerated and the two brothers were forced apart from one another. Natsu then took his dragonized hand, clenched it into a fist, and jumped forward, slamming it against Zeref's cheek. "I WILL STOP YOU!"

"Agh!" Zeref grunted in pain before regaining his bearings, allowing darkness to coat his hand before swinging it forward in retaliation, landing against Natsu's face. As Natsu recoiled, Zeref landed another blow before following up with a strong kick to Natsu's chest to knock him away. "You can't beat me!"

"Oof!" Tumbling, the dragon slayer rolled along the ground before halting himself in a crouched position. Heavy, weighted breaths escaped him as he stared at the foe before him. A source of infinite magic power stood between Fairy Tail and tomorrow. But something like that wasn't going to stop him. Nothing ever stopped Natsu when everyone's livelihood was at stake. In the beginning, Zeref stood as a foe that he couldn't defeat, but… "RAAAAH!" Natsu charged in yet again.

"This is the end." Zeref pointed his hand forward, encapsulating Natsu in a pitch black sphere. Natsu slammed against it due to his momentum. Before the fire dragon could even muster a defense, Zeref flicked his hand up and sent the sphere through the ceiling and into the sky. "Eternal Flash."

"…!" Unfortunately for Natsu, this sensation was akin to that of his greatest weakness: Motion Sickness. The Salamander's eyes widened as he tried to steady himself. It took all he had to stomach the sensation, and that's exactly what Zeref was aiming for. The White Wizard allowed this sphere to travel high into the sky for everyone to see, and then clenched his hand into a fist. A brilliant white flash exploded in the skies of Mangolia, blinding everyone with its divine radiance. As the light died down, Natsu's body started to fall from the sky with little to no signs of movement.

* * *

"NATSUUUUU!" Happy cried out.

"No, he's…he's okay…!" Lucy choked. The markings were only getting worse. Gray was ready to act at any moment, but the blonde shook her head while staring at the book. The longer Natsu fought, the more she was beginning to understand what she was working with. That's why, when Natsu suffered such heavy damage, the words that faded were instantly rewritten by Lucy before they popped. The same was true here, although she didn't have to worry about them popping so drastically. "He took heavy damage, but it wasn't fatal like before…! Ngh…"

"Seriously, you should step away from that book, Lucy-chan! You really don't look good…" Zelos voiced his concerns, but Lucy continued to shake her head.

"Natsu's counting on me, on us! I have to d-d-do whatever I can to help him…" Lucy's determination really shone through when it came to Natsu. In truth, she still felt awful for pushing him away back when she was with Lambda. In her mind, there was nothing she had done thus far that made up for the way she acted, which is why she had to do everything she was capable of right now to ensure that Natsu also made it to the tomorrow they all fought for.

"STOP SLACKING OFF, DUMBASS!" Gray yelled to the sky, almost certain that Natsu could hear him. "HURRY UP AND FINISH IT!"

"YEAH NATSU! YOU CAN DO IT!" Happy cupped his paws to his mouth, hoping his voice carried to Natsu's ears.

"I hope you hurry up!" Zelos yelled. "You have such a beautiful woman waiting for you, and if you take too long, I might just snatch her away from you!"

"D-Don't get ahead of yourself…" Lucy muttered. But Zelos was right about one thing. Lucy was waiting for Natsu. She was working her hardest to make sure that when Zeref was defeated, Natsu didn't go with him.

"…What a bunch of idiots…" Mii crossed her arms, refusing to participate in this dumb cheer. Was she supposed to be worried? Show faith? She wasn't going to do either. The results would speak for themselves. Whether or not Natsu kept his end of the promise didn't matter to her anymore.

"…I knew they weren't bad people at all…" Emerald said with a slight smile.

* * *

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Tia waved her fist angrily at the sky. "If you actually kick the bucket this time, I'm not attending your stupid funeral!"

"YEAH!" Jack yelled in agreement. "SO STOP FUCKING AROUND!"

"Hahaha…" Ace crossed his arms, his expression rather indifferent despite the gravity of the situation.

"I fail to see how you can smile in the situation like this…" Daigo said with a sweat drop. "He's…!"

"He's fine." Ace stated with the utmost confidence, causing all eyes to turn to him. "I haven't known him nearly as long as his friends in the guild, but I've seen him fight, and he's never once given up no matter the odds." Ace then turned to Joker. "You stomped him twice, and he always came at you even fiercer than before. When I saw that, I knew he was the type of person to never give up no matter who was standing in front of him."

"Praising a cockroach for being stubborn…that's just like you." Joker scoffed.

"So what do we do…?" Diamond asked. "Do we just stand here and hope for the best?!"

"We don't need to do any of that either." Ace's tone still held confidence. "Right now, he's fighting with everything he's got. He's got a pretty consistent track record when it counts, doesn't he?"

"Well yeah, but…" Tia puffed her cheeks out. She was worried.

"He'll be okay." Heartless spoke up. "If there's one thing I've learned when we fought against Fairy Tail, it's not that being cornered empowers them. They're empowered because they're cornered. They know exactly what's at risk, which allows them to pour their heart, body, and soul into their actions. When he and the others battled Joker, I saw it in their eyes. A fire that never dies. I believe that he is the embodiment of Fairy Tail's beliefs. Beliefs that have stayed true for years we couldn't even imagine."

"I don't really get it, but…" Strong scratched the back of his head. "We just gotta wait until he's done, right? Since he wins when it counts?"

"Hah…" Spade laughed a bit. "Well, well, Strong. I think that's the smartest thing you've ever said."

* * *

"It looks like he's in trouble…" Yakuza stared up at the sky where the light shone.

"If he dies, I swear I'll kill him." Shadowlore growled.

Kagura and Daryan were leaning against one another. They both needed the support after the Rahkeid battle, however Daryan was the one who really needed it, and Kagura didn't entirely mind helping him this time. Only this time, though. "…All that talk and he's gonna kick the bucket? No way, that's no like him."

"What makes you so certain?" Kagura glanced at Daryan.

"I'm a dragon slayer. I just kind of know these things." His statement didn't make any sense, and because of that, Kagura let him fall. "Oof!" Unfortunately, due to his injuries, he wasn't exactly getting up anytime soon either.

"I think what he's _trying_ to say is…" Alex began. "Is that there's no way he's gonna die that easily. I mean, they've all been through a lot in the past, is this really any different!? Any guild that can make Cynthia smile the way she has isn't a guild that can give up that easily!"

"…So I guess you can say we're not worried." Yakuza shrugged.

"Not at all!" Hiruka lifted a paw up. "After all, that Natsu beat Daryan of all people!"

"Y-Yeah, he's right…" Daryan attempted to pick himself up, but Kagura rolled her eyes and aided him. "Anyone who beats me isn't _allowed_ to lose! Least of all to some emo punk!"

"…" Kagura didn't say a word. It was Fairy Tail after all. They always had a habit of bringing out their best when the absolute worst was upon them. She knew this firsthand. Her gaze just went up to the sky as Natsu fell. "He's probably…already figured out what it is he needs to do." Probably? No. Knowing Fairy Tail, it was 100% certain that Natsu was aware of what he had to do next.

* * *

"Did he die?" Waiston questioned after the bright flash of light.

"Don't be an idiot." Laxus scoffed. "He wouldn't go down just like that."

"He's right!" Gildarts held a grin the whole time. "He's a stubborn one." While everyone did hold some form of grin, it was only to mask their worry. It was understandable that they'd be worried for Natsu in this situation.

"They don't look all that concerned…" Micaiah whispered.

"I think they are." Aira tilted her head slowly. "But in a situation like this, I think it's important to have a brave face."

"Come on, Natsu! Kick his ass already so we can go home!" Cana waved her good arm around frantically. It had been far too long since she had a drink.

* * *

Natsu hearing the voices down below wasn't out of the question. Yes, he could hear them. They were only fueling his desire to bring this fight, and this war to a close. The last attack just hit much harder than he hoped it would, and as a result, his body was feeling the recoil. But this pain was nothing compared to the hell that Lucy had to go through. In his mind, he still had yet to do anything to really make it up to her. He said that he wouldn't let her fight Emmeraude alone, although that's exactly what ended up happening. He couldn't allow Zeref to take this world away…to take Fairy Tail away. Natsu left for that year because he wanted to protect everyone and his guild from a foe like this. He couldn't feel that weak again. He wouldn't feel that weak ever again. It was like he said during the battle against Ikusatsunagi: they were going to win this battle, and they were going to go home. Everyone was putting every ounce of their heart, body, and soul into every fight during this war. That's why…

"I'M NOT DONE!" Natsu's roar echoed throughout all of Magnolia. The blue flames around his body flared to life once more, so intently, in fact, that they briefly took the shape of a dragon in the sky. The flames focused around Natsu's body and he dove back toward towards the guild, flying through the hole to crash right into Zeref. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: ROARING IMPACT!"

"What!?" Zeref was certain that he'd at least damaged Natsu enough to keep him from moving! Was it because someone was still tampering with his book!? That didn't matter right now. Due to the suddenness of Natsu's attack, Zeref had no choice but to cross his arms in a vain attempt to soften the blow. Natsu collided against Zeref and a massive explosion boomed out throughout the guild and the heat could be felt beyond the building, spreading out into town. "Why…!? Why do you keep standing against me!?" Zeref questioned as his burned body began to heal itself. "You have no chance of defeating me! Not now, when I stand at the cusp of starting my life over! The tomorrow you seek will be filled with nothing but pain, misery, and destruction if Acnologia is allowed to run rampant!"

"Your life isn't the only one that matters!" Natsu's damaged body pushed forward. The flames were even starting to get to him as he burned part of his body with that last attack. But he still had magic to spare, he could still move, and he could still fight. He swung a fist right at Zeref's face, putting all of his weight into it. "If I let you walk through that door, everything everyone has worked for will be destroyed! Tomorrow can bring all the pain and suffering that it wants, but that doesn't matter! SO LONG AS I HAVE MY NAKAMA, WE'LL GET THROUGH ANYTHING TOGETHER! BECAUSE AS LONG AS THERE'S A TOMORROW, THERE IS HAPPINESS!" Right as he said that, Zeref's glowing had clawed against his chest, causing him to cry out. Natsu fought through the pain and drew his right arm back, the blue flames focusing around that limb as he burned his heart, body, and soul to fuel this attack. This was his everything. This was his greatest power. "May the power of the guild turn into flames!"

"You'll never see that day! You'll never see tomorrow, or anything beyond it!" Zeref snarled while beginning to draw his arm back. "May my curse, anger, and sorrow make all darkness turn into power…"

With every ounce of power he could muster, Natsu swing his blazing fist forward. "FLAME DRAGON KING'S ROARING PUNCH!"

Zeref's hand flared with pitch black darkness. This was going to be the spell he used to put an end to Natsu and start his life over once again. "ANKOKU BAKUEUNJIN!" The two then swung their fists forward, causing a powerful shockwave that nearly destroyed the building on the spot. "WITH THIS, THIS WILL BE THE ENNNNND!"

"DISAPPPEAR!" Natsu screamed. "ZEREEEEEEEEEEF!"

"NATSUUUUUUUUU!" The two brothers shouted at the top of their lungs, the final clash between fire and darkness. The battle for the fate of the world's next tomorrow entered its climactic stage.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Natsu snarled while continuing to push with all his might.

"So hot…" Zeref gasped. He could feel his entire body burning up! "I'm getting burned!? Even my magic!? Time itself is being burned!?" A closer look revealed that Zeref wasn't the only one being burned. The blue flames were so intense; Natsu's right arm was starting to burn away, skin and all. What cost was his arm when tomorrow was just over the horizon? A small price to pay for everyone's happiness. _"These flames!? Are they Natsu's flames…!? Are they the guild's flames?!"_ Even Zeref could not comprehend the power before him. The power of this raging dragon who burned so strongly, that his very essence fueled his soul. This power…was pushing him back. He was losing ground. "Wh-What…!? NO…!"

"THE FUTURE BELONGS TO US!" Natsu's declaration could be heard throughout the entirety. They were the ones who decided their fate, not Zeref! These were the flames that would burn time, eternity, and fate. With his blazing soul, he took one final step forward to overpower Zeref with his unrelenting inferno. There was no sound of pain or anything from Zeref as he was torched to a crisp. He could only stare in wide-eyed shock at what just occurred, violently tumbling along the guild floor before coming to a halt on his back. Natsu panted heavily, grimacing as steam emitted from his now charred and useless right arm. Once the battle was over, the Dragonization faded and his body reverted back to normal. "Haaa….haaaaa….haaaaaa…."

"…I can't…move my body…" It was odd. This was an unfamiliar sensation for Zeref. The situation was…amusing. So amusing, in fact, that he let out a lighthearted chuckle. Foiled at the very, huh? So this is how Aiden, King, Dhegensea, and Emmeraude felt. "This is the first time this has happened to me. I can't believe…" He trailed off, the 'white' aura from his body fading away, reverting him back to normal. Fairy Heart was eternal, as was his body…and yet, here he was, lying on the ground defeated. "No, there's no way I'll actually die. I'll just end up healing it all away, as usual."

Natsu turned over his shoulder to Mavis, who just barely managed to stand up. "…I guess I can leave the rest to you, right, First?"

"Yes." Mavis responded weakly.

With that affirmation, Natsu waved his left hand and started to exit the guild. "I'm….I'm just tired. I want to see Happy and the others. Later, Big Bro…"

As Natsu departed, this only left Mavis and Zeref alone in the guild. The Black Wizard stared up at Mavis, unsure of what to even say now. It was just the two of them, the original, and their fate.

.

.

Next Time: The Power of Life.


	96. Chapter 96: The Power of Life

After a climactic battle within the walls of Fairy Tail, Natsu emerged victorious over Zeref. It was no easy task as the Salamander basically lost his right arm in the process. Now it was just Mavis and Zeref. The two who started all of this…and now, they'd be the two that ended it. "My body…I can't move a muscle. Did I…lose?" Zeref asked Mavis. "Natsu is really something…" There was pride in his voice. To think his younger brother would finally defeat him. It was all that he wanted, but at the same time… "But he's also foolish. I will be reincarnated as I have many times over. Even these wounds…give me a few minutes, and they'll all be healed."

"Zeref…" Mavis mumbled while standing over the fallen Black Wizard. "You've made my friends suffer. You've hurt them. I can't forgive that. As First master of Fairy Tail, as someone who has believed in the bonds of family thicker than blood, I want nothing more than to erase you from this world."

"Death by your hand doesn't sound all that bad." Zeref admitted. "But I…"

Mavis then moved to sit on top of Zeref, straddling his waist to look down on him. The action surprised him. "No. Just rest." She demanded.

"If…you really can…" Did Mavis really have a way to kill him? It was odd. He felt pretty tired at this moment. Maybe it was because he lost such a battle.

""If only, back then…if I only I had believed you more." Mavis said.

"…What…what do you mean by that?" Believed in him more? What was that supposed to mean.

"You loved me." Mavis continued, placing a hand on her chest. "As proof of it, and because of the curse of contradiction, my life was stolen away from me. But despite the fact you're under the same curse as me, I wasn't able to steal away your life."

"…." Oh. So that's what she meant. Zeref was beginning to see where Mavis was going with this.

"Some part of me must not have believed you. I didn't have enough strength to love…" The First master of Fairy Tail sighed.

"There's no need to worry about all that now." Zeref told her. "I've never been loved by anyone. I realized that your emotions towards me were not love, they were just passion."

"NO! NOT PASSION! CONTRADICITON!" Mavis corrected. "Because I met you, I learned how to use magic. Because I met you, I saved Magnolia. Because you were there, Fairy Tail was founded. You were everything I looked up to, and yet…you brought death and imprisoned my life. You hurt my friends and tried to use me to destroy Fairy Tail. I hate you so much, and yet I love you too." She was torn and it showed in her voice as it cracked. "I am the only one that can empathize with your loneliness. The only one that can understand it. My thoughts are in dissonance. I cannot calculate what I ought to do. If I loved you, I'd be able to kill you. If I truly thought of you as dead, from the depths of my heart, I'd be able to kill you. That was…my plan…and yet…"

He listened to all her words. They struck a chord in his heart somewhere. "Mavis…"

"BUT I DON'T WANT YOU TO DIE!" The woman shouted from the bottom of her heart, tears streaming down her face. "I WANT US TO STAY TOGETHER FOREVER!"

Her words made him smile. A genuine smile that hadn't been seen in so very long. "The dearer you hold a person's life, the more you steal it away from them. The curse of contradiction. So that's what it was. The answer was to be loved."

"WAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Mavis screamed and wailed. Her heart was tearing apart.

"Thank you Mavis, I'm sorry." The elder Dragneel said.

Mavis then began to bash on his chest with her petite fists. The impacts may not have been much, but each one contained her rage, her sorrow, and her love. "YOU CAN'T DIE! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU SO MUCH! YOU DESTROYED MY GUILD! YOU HURT MY FRIENDS! YOU KILLED MAKAROV!" Her fists moved faster and faster as she continued to scream at him. _**"DIE! DIE! DIE! I DON'T LOVE YOU IN THE LEAST! JUST DIE ALREADY! DON'T EVER SHOW YOUR FACE TO ME AGAIN!"**_ Her voice got lower and weaker as she started to lean closer and closer to him. "I don't love you! I don't love you! You're an enemy of my guild! You're an enemy of the world! So please…die…"

" _Don't die…"_

The woman rested her head against Zeref's chest for a moment. Then, she connected their lips, pulling back after a second. "…I'm so very happy…" Zeref said, his voice cracking as tears began to run down his cheeks. "Because of you, I'll finally be able to get some sleep." A pillar of light rose from up from around the two of them. "I wish…we could have talked more. I wish I could have made things right with Natsu."

Mavis interlocked her fingers with Zeref's own. "Take me with you, Zeref."

"No…you must, life on…" Zeref objected to this, only because he wanted to live. She deserved to.

"Do you really believe that? From the bottom of your heart?" Mavis questioned.

"Yes." Zeref nodded. But despite his objection, she wouldn't let go. "Crap…looks like the curse is taking you, too…" As he said this, the two of them started to fade away…

" _Let's go together, Zeref."_

" _Mavis. It's so warm…"_

" _Of course, silly. We're inside Fairy Tail, after all."_

" _I see. So this is what it means to die. A power that even an immortal cannot best. Love. The unifying magic…"_

And at long last, Zeref Dragneel, Emperor Spriggan…was finally down. He could rest in the afterlife after 400 long years. With that, the battle against the Alvarez Empire finally came to its conclusion…

* * *

The strange markings on Lucy's body spread everywhere. She refused to give up, but then, as she wrote, the book started to glow and the words began to flood back into it. "W-What's going on!? The words are going back into the book!?" Gray asked

"With with….everything should be fine…" Lucy huffed. It took everything she had not to scream in pain as she closed the book. "All our memories of him were written. Natsu is…the Natsu we know…"

"He's no demon…" Happy said.

"So I guess that mean's the fighting is over…?" Zelos scratched his head.

"Ngh…" Lucy hit her limit and fell over.

"Lucy!" Gray caught onto her. Her body was burning up. The fact she was even still alive was a miracle in itself.

"It's no wonder she's passing out, she was messing with that book…" Mii reached a hand out instinctively, only to pull it away.

"I thought that she'd be okay because she didn't even touch it for long, but…" Gray could fix this. There was no way he'd let Lucy be possessed by some creature here. The Devil Slaying markings formed along his body and he held onto Lucy's arm. "This time, I can help you. I'm going to destroy this demon."

Thanks to Gray's devil slaying abilities, the markings around Lucy's body instantly faded and jolted her awake. "Kahah! Ouch!" She then began coughing a lot.

"Are you okay?" Gray asked.

"Y-Yeah…thank you, Gray…" That was a close one. She wasn't sure how much longer she could last with all that heat burning her body. "I'm okay now..."

"Thank goodness." Emerald placed a hand on her chest. "I was frightened the whole time. But you looked so determined…it was strange. Even though I was worried about you, I also felt like you'd be all right…"

"The patterns on her body vanished…" Happy muttered.

"If only we were able to do something like that sooner…" Mii mumbled. She was referencing Lambda.

"Hey, look at that." Zelos pointed to the book of END as it started to vanish. He had no idea what was going on here, all he knew was that the book was connected to Natsu somehow. "It's going away.

"Zeref was defeated…" Gray smiled. This meant that Natsu won. But it also meant…

" _By the time the book disappears, Natsu will also…"_ Happy wasn't ready for it. Lucy brought him in for hug and she braced for the worst. She did her best to make sure he wouldn't disappear, but she worried that it wouldn't be enough.

The book vanished into thin air. A few moments of heavy silence lingered in the air before he started to approach. Natsu waved his left arm with a weak smile. "Yo."

"NATSUUUUUU!" Happy flew towards Natsu.

"Well, I'll be damned…" Gray smirked.

"…He didn't turn into a ghost after all!" Zelos let out a sigh of relief. Last thing he wanted was for Natsu to haunt him!

"It's over." Natsu reported.

"As expected of you." Lucy wiped the tears away before they fell.

"UAAAAAH! NATSUUU!" Happy cried, nuzzling against Natsu's cheek.

"So many tears…" Natsu laughed. "I told you that I was gonna come back, Happy!"

"They're not tears! It's just juice overflowing!" Happy objected.

"No, they're tears." Natsu shook his head. He then glanced at Mii. "I burned my fate…right to ash. Next…I'll burn yours too. So you can laugh and smile how to use to."

"…!" Mii's eyes widened at Natsu's words. The sincerity behind them is what caught her off guard. "Don't be stupid…I highly doubt you're getting out of this with just a burnt arm."

"…" That reminded him. "Hey." He turned to Lucy and Gray. "I think the First also passed away." That news came as shock to everyone excluding Zelos. Emerald could somewhat sympathize with them due to knowing how important Mavis was to Fairy Tail. "But, you guys shouldn't look so down. Because, I'm not sure, but isn't this what First wanted?"

"I see…" Gray's gaze went elsewhere.

"So that's why…Let's laugh and return to the guild with pride!" The Salamander gave his usual grin.

"Yes!" Lucy and Happy grinned.

"Yeah." Gray nodded.

"Finally! All this fighting and we can return to my favorite hangout spot!" Zelos wrapped an arm around Mii playfully, but she wasn't in the mood and shoved him away.

"…By the way…" Natsu turned to Emerald. "…Who is she, and why does she smell like Emmeraude?" He could gather that she wasn't an enemy, because Gray and Lucy weren't anymore harmed than he remembered, and she was unharmed at all.

"This is…" Lucy had a slight sweat drop. "This is Emerald, Emmeraude's mother…"

"….." It was understandable why Natsu wasn't so keen on her.

"No, it's okay!" Lucy waved a hand. "She saved Gray and I. She's much nicer than Emmeraude has been to us."

"It's true…" Gray vouched for Emerald as well. It was weird for him, but she did save them.

"Wait, this is Em-chan's mom!?" Zelos' eyes widened. "I thought it was her! But then again, that wouldn't make sense…they look so much alike."

" _Em-chan…?"_ Lucy seemed to be the only one who noticed. Knowing Zelos, it was weird…because he only said 'chan' to ladies he was on speaking terms with. She was probably overthinking things. It had been a long, long day.

"Oh, you're…" Emerald seemed to recognize him.

"Your knight in shining armor?" Zelos really did just not care about the age gap either.

Sweat drop. "I think I'm a little too old for you, and Em does not enjoy the idea of me dating." Time to focus on something else. "It's nice to meet you." Emerald bowed in front of Natsu. "I know you've all had a long fight and require some rest. I mean you know harm, and I'm sure your friends will tell you what I've asked of them. Right now, I want you to go back to your guild and enjoy your time together. I'll watch over your friend until she wakes up." She really did have that mom tone down. "I still have to find Em, but something tells me she's not even in this city…"

"Knowing Em, she'll show up when you least expect it. No doubt she's trying to rush to your side right now…which means she's definitely not here since we would've seen her already." Mii yawned. "But I'm tired too…all this fighting wore me out…"

"I thought you said you weren't helping?" Gray lifted a brow, a teasing grin forming on his lips. Now that Mii mentioned fighting, he did notice that she looked pretty beat up for someone who said they weren't going to lift a finger.

"…And if you want to be technical, I didn't. I failed what I tried to accomplish." Mii let out a quiet laugh. "I can't do anything right." There was that self-deprecation of hers.

"That's not true." Lucy shook her head.

"Yeah…" Natsu turned to Mii. "We wanted you to live, and you're still alive, right?"

"You really just won't let that go, will you?" Mii rolled her eyes. "Listen, this isn't about Mii. This is about you guys. Go home already. I'm thirsty, so I'm coming too."

"Yeah yeah…" Lucy simply nodded.

"Nnnn…." That voice. Everyone immediately turned to the location where that voice came from. Juvia slowly started to stir and her eyes opened. "Was….was Juvia…dreaming?"

"AH…!" Lucy's hands covered her mouth, the tears already beginning to well up.

"JUVIAAAA!" Happy started to cry all over again.

"…" Gray couldn't say a word. She was…alive.

"Oh my…" Emerald stared.

"Huh." Mii crossed her arms.

"Juvia-chan!" Hearts started to flow from Zelos' being.

"…?" Juvia looked around. It was taking a while for her to get her bearings. "Juvia had a strange dream…" The water mage slowly stood up, wincing due to her injuries. "Juvia was fighting her friends, which she would never do. And I…" She paused. Things got hazy. "I also had a dream of a boy and a girl, laughing together…" She seemed a little upset; because she could tell that it wasn't her and her beloved Gray. Speaking of Gray, she turned to the ice maker and offered a soft smile. "Juvia is sorry for worrying you so, Gray-sama…"

"No…" Gray fought back the tears, moving to support Juvia since he figured that was the least he could do after putting her through so much. "It's all right. I'm just…I'm just glad that you're with us again."

"Welcome back, Juvia." Natsu flashed his guild mate a grin. "Let's go home, yeah?"

This was so touching. Emerald felt like she was going to cry! At the same time, this only reaffirmed what she initially thought. If Em hadn't taken the road she did and found people like this… "So touching…"

"…Hey." Lucy turned to Emerald. "Why don't you come with us to the guild? It would be better for you to wait for her to get back in town rather than wandering around. It might still be dangerous. I can already tell she won't be too happy knowing you were with us, but I think she'd be okay with it knowing you're safe."

"I think so too." Emerald nodded. "Please, lead the way."

* * *

"Looks like he won." Ace chuckled. "Sounds about right."

"But what happened to Zeref?" Diamond asked. "If he's immortal, then…"

"There is no trace of Zeref." Joker reported. "Coincidentally, there is no trace of Fairy Tail's first master, either."

"Oh?" Heartless turned to Joker. "…I wonder what could have happened. Perhaps it had to do with that pillar of light coming from the guild." Despite her efforts…that happened between Mavis and Zeref was something she would never be able to understand.

"More importantly…does that mean the fighting is over? Emperor Spriggan is defeated, right?" Strong asked.

"…Hey, he's right!" Diamond perked up.

"Hold on." Daigo didn't want to be that guy, but he couldn't allow his comrades to celebrate too early. "Remember Acnologia's presence? We might still have to…"

"There is no trace of Acnologia either." Joker said. "I've been tracking him since he followed the Pegasus ship. A few moments ago, Acnologia simply ceased to exist. His magic signature completely vanished."

"He's gone!?" Tia's eyes widened and she suddenly jumped onto Ace, giving him a big hug like he wasn't injured. "That means we did it! We won! Yay!"

"Oof!" But Ace managed to return the hug. "I don't know how Blue Pegasus did it, but those guys are pretty good, huh?"

"The Alvarez Empire has been defeated…" Spade exhaled and collapsed on the ground. "What a battle. For a moment there, I honestly didn't think we were going to make it."

"You and me both…" Jack admitted. "But we got those bastards good! Hahahaha!"

"Spade….!" It was Spark, his little brother! He'd been sticking close to Fairy Tail during the fighting, but now that it was over, he tackled his brother on the ground. "I heard that the fighting is over! We did it! We won!"

"Haha, yes we did!" Spade patted his brother on the head. "We made it."

"I hate to imagine what would have happened to Fairy Tail if we didn't join the fray…" Heartless said. "But I am…glad that things turned out okay. Well, okay as they could have gone. People still died here…"

"Yeah…" Tia nodded slowly. "I think we should stick around a little bit until things are finally cleared up. I…I want to see them go home. But if any of you tell them I said that, then you're all getting drowned in your sleep."

"That's my Sis for ya…" Jack snickered.

"Oh, by the way…" Strong turned to Heartless. "What exactly are we supposed to call ya now? Heartless or Clarissa…?"

Heartless managed a soft smile and closed her eyes. "Whatever you're comfortable with."

"Oh, so Hear-!" Strong was then slammed into the ground by Diamond.

"You idiot! She clearly wants to be called Clarissa!" Diamond growled. "How did you not pick up the hint!?"

"WOMEN ARE CONFUSING!" Strong whined from in the dirt.

* * *

"I think it's over." Daryan said.

"What makes you sure of that?" Kagura lifted a brow. "Is it because you're a 'dragon slayer'?" As he put it last time.

"…Nah." The dragon slayer waved a hand. "More like…I can just feel it in the air, you know? The tension faded with that pillar of light. I don't hear anymore Alvarez troops, so I think this means that it's over. We won."

"Yes…" Magnus gave a firm nod. "I don't sense anything malicious in the area."

"As I said once the battle began." Shadowlore puffed his chest out proudly. "We were going to win this war."

"You never once said that." Alex quipped. "Well, not word for word."

"We won! We won!" Hiruka flew around happily.

"Good. Can we go back home after things settle down?" Yakuza brought a hand to his mouth and yawned. "I'm extremely tired after that final push."

"Mhm…" Alex nodded. Her gaze then went down to the ground. "…It's going to be so strange going back home…and not seeing Mom there to greet me…" The reality of Gaia being gone was still real for Alex. Because of that, she started to cry again. "I miss her so much…but I-I hope we did her proud! WAAAAAAAAH!" She let it all out. She couldn't cry before since they had a battle to fight, but now she could. Her heartbroken sobs filled the air around them.

"…." Kagura felt a frown tug at her lips. She stood up from her seat and walked to Alex, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I think she'd be proud of all of you for fighting the way you did. You're all alive, aren't you? So I think she'd be happy to see you smile."

"Kagura-chan…" Daryan didn't expect this! But it made him smile nonetheless.

Alex sniffled a few times before looking up at Kagura. "….." Her lips then curved into a slight smile. "You're…really nice when you want to be. No wonder Daryan likes you so much…"

"..!" Kagura quickly turned away. "You're not in the clear yet. I still owe you a lesson for letting our secret slip."

Oh right. Cue a nervous sweat drop. "I-I…!"

* * *

"So the fighting is over, is it?" Gildarts asked. He could sense that the tension in the air faded away a few minutes ago.

"Does that mean we won?!" Lisanna clasped her hands together. "We did it…"

"Yeah, we did…" Laxus looked down at Makarov. "Hear that, old man? It's finally time to take you home."

"It was a long fight…" Nab rubbed the back of his head. "Things looked bad a lot."

"No kidding…" Cana held onto her right arm. It still wasn't moving the way she wanted it too. "I need a drink."

"We'll have to fix the guild first." Mira placed a hand on her cheek. "But after that, I'm sure we'll hold a nice celebration…" Her eyes then wandered to Makarov. "And a funeral for Master. He did so much for us…I…I honestly still can't believe he's gone…"

"No one can…" Freed sighed.

"He really did all he could for us until the very end…" That was the kind of man that Elfman inspired to be. "I'll make sure to keep your memory with us, Master! So please, just…get some rest. You deserve it."

"Well, we're done here." Reve said while sliding his hands into his pockets. "Let's go back home, White Eclipse. I'm sure Selene and Tak will show up when they're done."

"You guys are leaving, just like that?" Mira asked.

"Yeah." Waiston nodded. "We had a score to settle with Alvarez, and we settled it. Plus, we managed to get you guys back to your guild. We gotta stomp you again, right?"

"When we're rested, we're coming for you!" Cygnus flexed. "Tell Natsu and Gray that I'll gladly take them both on again."

"Next year's games, we got your number." Luke scoffed.

"Always with the fighting…" Aira pinched the bridge of her nose before looking at the rookies. "Don't end up like them. They get into far too much trouble."

"R-Right…" Micaiah gave a sheepish nod.

"No promises." Kanade nodded.

"…" Reiss was quiet for a little bit. Probably because this war opened his eyes to the strong opponents out there beyond Fiore. "I'm not gonna fall behind." The native summoner said.

"You say that, but they're all adults." Jaxon crossed his arms. "And they're White Eclipse mages. They're bound to get into trouble and cause me headaches."

"I'm glad to see nothing has changed since my absence." Taya held a hint of a smile on her lips. In the end White Eclipse was always White Eclipse.

"So we're going back right?" Jin asked the others.

"Yes, I believe so." Vanya answered.

It was at that moment that Yajeel appeared, looking lost and distraught. He was aware that the people he encountered were the enemy, but he didn't care about that right now. "E-Excuse me…have you seen my grandson around here? I know he was taking part in the battle…"

"We fought too many soldiers to know." Sidney responded quickly.

"…He was a sand mage…" Yajeel trailed off. Suddenly, those of Fairy Tail stared at Reve.

"Oh, him." Reve's tone held disgust. "Sorry old man, but your grandson took one of ours. So I had to repay the favor."

"…." It was just as Yajeel feared. His grandson's wild and arrogant got the best of him. "I…I see…I was afraid this would happen…" This war was truly awful.

"I'm sorry for you loss…" Lisanna approached Yajeel. "We've all lost things that are important to us. I feel as though…this might hit you harder because Alvarez has only ever won, right? That's why we wanted to end this war as soon as possible, so both sides wouldn't lose anything else."

Lisanna was right. Both sides lost a lot. That was the ugly reality of war. But now that the war was over, the time to heal could begin. "…She's grown up so much…" Mira said quietly, proud of her younger sister and her words.

* * *

"Your right hand…" Happy stared at Natsu's burnt arm.

"It's just burned a bit." Natsu rubbed the back of his head. "It'll be okay! Wendy can heal it later." He was really tired. Hence why he was lagging behind the others.

"Look. I can see the guild." Gray looked over his shoulder while helping Juvia walk.

"It feels like forever since we've been back." Lucy let out a sigh. "I just want to relax at hme for a while. I also need to finish the manuscript for the book I was writing."

"Oh, you're writing a book?" Emerald asked. "I would love to buy a copy when you finish."

Wow, this was really weird for her. A woman who looked just like Emmeraude actually saying nice things about her. "I'll be sure to get you one!" Lucy flashed a smile.

Gray glanced at Juvia. She was doing as well as one could in her condition. "I need to apologize properly…"

"Yeah you do." Zelos quipped. He didn't know what about, but he just felt like saying it.

"Don't spoil the moment." Mii smacked Zelos in the back of the head.

"When things settle down, I wanna go out on another adventure. An adventure to find Aquarius' key! Loke's too." Lucy smiled. She'd have to tell the others what happened to Loke when things calmed down.

"I wanna go too! I love that huge fish!" Happy grinned.

"She's half-fish, half-person! Gray corrected. He didn't need to ask about what happened to Loke since he was conscious when Lucy explained it to the others.

"She's a mermaid…." Lucy sighed. "Oh yeah! Didn't you and Natsu say there was something you wanted to do?"

"Oh yeah, he was gonna propose, right?" Mii asked.

"S-Stop that!" Lucy waved her hands around.

"Aye!" Happy snickered and turned around. "Do you wanna announce it, Natsu?" Wait. Something wasn't right. Everyone else turned around and noticed it. "Natsu?"

Natsu wasn't lagging behind because he was tired. Natsu was lagging behind because he was gone. Mii blinked once before letting out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, that's what I thought…"

"Huh? Natsu? Where are you?" Happy started to look around.

"Hey…stop this stupid joke…" Gray told Natsu.

"Where did he go?" Zelos scratched the back of his head.

"He vanished without a trace?" Emerald was also looking around.

"Natsu-san…?" Juvia tried to look for him.

"I…I should have rewrote it properly…" After all that, she failed to keep Natsu from dying along with Zeref. The blonde collapsed to her knees and began to cry. In the end, she was unable to save him. "WHY!?"

"Natsu!? Where are you!?" Happy started to cry.

"It…can't be…." Gray couldn't believe it. They couldn't do it.

"NATSUUUUUU!"

* * *

Luckily for those aboard Christina, there was a small slab of rock for them to rest on. Jellal's head rested on Erza's lap and he awoke slowly. "Did I…survive?"

"It seems so." Erza looked down at him with a soft smile.

"Why…I'm…" Jellal couldn't understand.

"Because there's still something you must do." Jenny said. "You're alive because of Ichiya-san and Anna-san."

"That's why you must treasure your life." Erza told him.

"Life…" Jellal mumbled.

"Yes." Emmeraude agreed. "They both made a valiant sacrifice in your stead. It would be a shame if you were to throw that life away."

"…I didn't imagine you'd say something like that to me…" Jellal wasn't sure how to feel about that.

Gaia sat up, rubbing her head. The first thing she did was point at Emmeraude. "Why is she here?"

"She was an enemy…" Cynthia muttered.

"Right now, I'm just a neutral third party." Emmeraude told Gaia. "I want to go see my Mother. But as you can see, I was roped into fighting Acnologia. It turned out for the best, you could say."

"…" Gaia had reason to not like Emmeraude, but even she could see that the woman meant had no foul intentions for the time being.

"…." Wendy couldn't say a word. She was still trying to get over the shock of what happened. All she was able to do during their waiting time was heal Gaia. Cynthia realized this and held onto her hand to ease her somewhat.

"How are we going to get back?" That was what Selene wanted to know. Right now they were stranded. "Can you teleport all of us, Tak?"

"Eh…" Takeru shrugged. "This many people? That far away? Not likely. I could probably only manage a single trip with the magic I have too. So we're stuck here a while…"

"Give me some time." Gaia told them. "I can transform and carry everyone back. …Speaking of going back, are they okay?"

"Yes." Erza nodded. "They've all fought valiantly. They miss you dearly, too."

Gaia smiled at this. "I see. Then I should hurry up and get better, huh?"

As Wendy sat with Cynthia, she glanced up at the sky. That's where something caught her attention. There was…a crack in the sky. "….?"

"…?" Emmeraude happened to look up too. She saw it.

The crack in the sky.

The crack that slowly grew larger and larger…

.

.

Next Time: World Collapse.


	97. Chapter 97: World Collapse

"There's a crack in the sky..?" Wendy told everyone. As soon as she said that, everyone's gaze went up.

"What is that…?" Eve asked. He knew the answer already, but he prayed that someone could tell him otherwise.

"No way…it can't be…" Hibiki stared at the crack in the sky.

"He's…" There was no way. Ren didn't want to believe it.

"This can't be real…!" Jenny had despair written all over her face. "Ichiya and Anna sacrificed their lives to…" The crack began to widen.

"Please no…" Cynthia shook her head as the crack continued to widen and soon there was a whole in the sky. Through that whole, an arm broke free.

"No…" Wendy's jaw dropped. Everyone could only watch in horror as he began to free himself from the ravines of time.

"My power is overflowing…" Acnologia began to push himself out of the ravines of time. "It feels just like that time I mastered the way of the dragon slayer…" His body slowly emerged, power overflowing from him. "I have become an even more supreme king." He then flew out from the hole in the sky, his overbearing presence eclipsing everyone and everything. "Everything in this world belongs to me!"

"Fuck." That was the only world appropriate for this situation. Takeru was the one who said it. Emmeraude opened her mouth to say it, but the shadow dragon ended up beating her to the proverbial punch.

"He devoured the ravines of time!?" Jellal gasped.

"How is this possible!?" Selene's body started to shake.

"Magic does not affect him…" Emmeraude began, narrowing her eyes at the dragon above them. "But clearly the ravines of time would have sent him into everlasting nothingness…so he must have grown desperate and ate the magic within the Timelapse. This was a worst case scenario that I didn't want to bring up, but I realize now I should have voiced my skepticism…" She didn't because it wouldn't have mattered in the end. They had no other choice, and that gambit not only failed, but backfired horribly.

"This is bad….!" Gaia stood up, only to wince.

"Ooooh…so this is time magic. The power of time itself!" There were hundreds of gleaming lights that appeared besides Acnologia. "The power is overflowing so abundantly, I cannot suppress it! VANISH TO EXTINCTION, LOWLY HUMANS! ETENRAL FLARE!" These glints of light turned into nothing but manifested destruction that rained from the heavens.

"EVERYONE! EVASIVE MANUEVERS!" Erza screamed.

"WE DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF MOBLITIY!" Takeru screamed right back. The destruction struck the small island they were using. It was utterly destroyed and everyone was flung into the ocean, letting out cries of pain in the process. "GAH!" This destruction wasn't just aimed at them. Acnologia's attack went on for mile sand smiles, utterly destroying anything and everything off in the distance. His target was…the entire world.

Erza crashed into the water, beginning to sink to its depths. _"Is the world…going to end…?"_ This question lingered in her mind for only a second. She could not give up here! They had to fight! _"No! I will not allow our future to end!"_ Titania swam up to the water's surface, taking a much needed breath. Unfortunately, the destruction was still raining down and one exploded behind her, sweeping her away in a tidal wave. "IS EVERYONE ALL RIGHT!?"

"I think this situation is far from all right!" Takeru yelled.

"Shut up and survive!" Gaia barked.

"Wendy!" Cynthia was being thrashed about by the waves. She was trying so desperately to reach out to Wendy who wasn't too far away.

"Cynthia…!" Wendy also began to reach out, but that's when she was lifted into the sky by an unknown force. A brilliant light wrapped around her and she let out a piercing scream.

"WENDY!" Cynthia tried to swim, but that light soon enveloped her as well. "AH?!"

"WENDY! CYNTHIA!" Erza screamed.

"What's going on!?" Jenny needed to know.

"The time is nigh." Acnologia held a sinister grin. "I shall become the perfect dragon of extinction."

"The what?!" Erza didn't understand.

"AAAAAAAH!" Wendy and Cynthia were drawn into Acnologia's grasp, where they vanished immediately.

"NOOOOO!" Gaia cried out.

"I shall consume all dragons into the confines of my time! And then, the dragons who remain in this realm will be slaughtered by me!" Acnologia cackled. He was aware that Gaia was still present, but she was not on his priority list. Instead, he turned his palm to Selene and Takeru, enveloping them in his grasp.

"GAAAAH!" Selene screamed.

"Shiiiiiiit!" Takeru couldn't do anything about this! Both he and Selene were drawn into Acnologia just as Wendy and Cynthia were. They vanished.

"T-They're gone…." Erza's jaw dropped.

"This is the absolute worst thing that could have happened…" Emmeraude sucked her teeth. At this rate, the world really was going to be destroyed.

"KUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Acnologia's laugh echoed for miles and miles.

* * *

It happened all over Magnolia. Wherever there was a dragon slayer, they were quickly vanishing alongside the others. Laxus, Gajeel, and Waiston all felt a strange sensation before they vanished, leaving everyone confused.

"Laxus!?" Freed stared. That was all he could do.

"Gajeel!?" Levy cried out in worry.

"Waiston!?" Kuro and Reve let out their own worried noises.

"What's happening!?" Marlene was horrified at the happenings before them. Why were all the dragon slayers vanishing!?

"What's going on?!" Lisanna looked around.

* * *

"W-What the…!?" Daryan couldn't even figure out what just happened. One second he was there, and the next he was gone.

"Daryan!?" Kagura's eyes widened as Daryan was whisked away from her and the others. She reached out to grab him, but she was just shy. For some reason, it really bugged her that she just narrowly failed to grab him. "…!"

"Where'd he go?!" Alex frantically looked around. It wasn't very long after until she was whisked away as well with a scream. "AAAAAH-!"

"Alex!? Daryan!?" Hiruka gasped while looking around for his guild mates. "Where are you!? Come back, please!"

"What the hell…?" Yakuza grit his teeth.

"Oi! Come back!" Shadowlore demanded, but that wasn't doing much good in this situation.

* * *

"Leon?! Hikaru!?" Tristan attempted to reach out for the two dragon slayers before they could vanish. Unfortunately for him, it was too late and they were gone.

Things were getting worse. "Oi, Blues!" Bacchus shouted towards the water dragon as he started to disappear. There was nothing anyone could do as the slayers before them vanished into thin air!

"Melanie!" Mason called out as the brunette vanished.

"Oi, oi…!" Roy didn't have a clue as to what was happening around them, which made him extremely uncomfortable.

* * *

"Eric!?" Midnight turned around and Cobra was gone!

"What the hell is going on!?" Racer questioned.

"Sting and Rogue are…" Lector began in a panic.

"DISAPPPEARING!" Frosch cried.

* * *

"Natsu! Where are you!?" Happy asked.

"This can't be…" After all their efforts, he was still gone. Gray couldn't believe it.

"NATSUUUUUUUUU!" Lucy wailed.

* * *

Natsu landed…somewhere. "What is this place…?" He looked around, realizing he was within some type of void.

"These are the ravines of time." Acnologia's voice caused Natsu to turn around. The dragon was in his human form, staring down the final dragon slayer before him. "My world."

"You…" Natsu began. "This sensation…you're Acnologia!"

"You will be the last." Acnologia stated.

When Natsu looked around he finally noticed them. Wendy, Cynthia, Gajeel, Laxus, Cobra, Takeru, Selene, Hikaru, Melanie, Blues, Leon, Alex, Waiston, Sting, Rogue, and Daryan all held within crystals and were unconscious. "Wendy!? Gajeel!? Cynthia!? They're all…dragon slayers!?"

"By devouring the ravines of time, I have obtained time-space magic." Acnologia explained. "And as such I shall surpass time and space itself, destroy the world, and within this world of space time, I shall exterminate you all. The last of dragons. I have already killed two dragon slayers prior. Now, the rest of you will follow suit."

Natsu glared at Acnologia. He didn't see a king or anything of the sort. All he saw was the one who killed Igneel. "Quit runnin' your mouth already."

"You too." Acnologia's cape wavered. "…Shall become a human pillar here for all eternity." Just as he said this, Natsu felt himself beginning to crystalize. "Harmony…the extermination of dragons…how amusing."

"Wha-!?" He tried to pry himself free, but it was too late. Flames flared only to be snuffed out. Very soon, he'd be just like all the others. Not only that, but his right hand wasn't moving. "GUAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I CAN'T USE MY FLAMES? WHY!? GOD DAMN IIIIIIIIIIT!"

Acnologia watched Natsu's pointless struggle with a victorious grin. The grin a predator held when its prey was successfully trapped with no hope of escape. Once he had Natsu in his grip that would be the end of all dragons, and the world. "You were locked in battle with the infamous Black Wizard, after all. You should count your blessings for losing an arm, and nothing else."

* * *

"WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THEM?!" Erza screamed out to Acnologia, but he ignored her and began to fly away. "He's running away!?"

"No, he's not running away…" Emmeraude stared at the direction he was going.

"He's heading straight for…!" Hibiki gasped.

"Magnolia…YOU FIEEEEEEND!" Erza screamed once again. At that moment, the crack in the sky widened even more, releasing Ichiya and Anna from the confines of time.

"Anna!?" Jenny gasped.

"Ichiyaaaaa!" The other members of Blue Pegasus exclaimed in glee as they hit the water.

"What's going on?" Gaia asked. "Are you two alright?! Why are you even here if you plunged yourself into that hole? Wait, that didn't sound right."

"I haven't the faintest idea..." Ichiya was feeling a little groggy.

"At any way, I'm just so happy you're safe." Eve sighed.

"Thank god!" Ren said.

Anna frantically looked around, realizing that the dragon slayers were missing. "Where's Wendy and the others?!"

"I do not know! It appeared as if they were absorbed into Acnologia!" Erza reported.

"So it's as I feared…" Anna groaned. The situation was just growing from bad to worse. "As much as I'd like to celebrate our reunion, our current situation doesn't lend itself to festivities."

"For once, I can agree with you." Emmeraude said. "Devouring the ravines of time was a possibility, and considering his situation, it appears his gambit paid off."

"I never expected him to do such a thing…" Anna made a huge mistake. But it was also unavoidable. "And what's more, in compensation for such overwhelming power, he's lost any ability to control it."

"He mentioned something around those lines…" Gaia furrowed her brows. "He claimed that the power was so abundant that he couldn't suppress it."

"And now that he's unable to control this power, his body and soul have been split." Anna said.

"What?" Erza tilted her head.

"What does that even mean!?" Jellal asked.

"While his physical form is running rampant in our world, spreading destruction, his soul is dwelling within the ravines of time, attempting to maintain 'harmony'. "

"Harmony?" Ichiya didn't understand.

"He's trying to stabilize himself." Emmeraude was putting the pieces together rather quickly. "If I had to take an educated guess, he needs dragon slayers. These two are the furthest thing away from dragon slayers, hence why they were expelled from the ravines of time. Wendy, Cynthia, Takeru, and Selene are dragon slayers. If I'm right about this, then this means the other dragon slayers in the country have been sucked within the ravines of time as well."

"Correct." Anna nodded. "He intends to circulate their magic power through the ravines of time in order to stabilize his own. He has more than enough power to do so with the amount of dragon slayers now…"

"All of the dragon slayers are trapped in the ravines of time?!" Things really were getting worse and Jellal couldn't believe it. As long as the dragon slayers were trapped there, how were they even supposed to have a chance at defeating a dragon!?

Erza grabbed Anna by the shoulders. "How can we rescue them!?"

"…." As much as it pained Anna to say it, they were out of options. "There's nothing we can do…except believe in their strength."

"…Damn it…" Gaia cursed. Alex was a dragon slayer now, so there was no doubt her daughter was drawn within the ravines as well. Daryan too.

"Believe in their strength? That's the only thing we can do now?" Emmeraude scoffed at that notion. "And to think I was almost lamenting your sacrifice…" She wasn't going to blame Anna for her plan going wrong, she wasn't _that_ petty. No matter what they did, things were going to turn bleak. "I'm not going to sit here and watch this world be destroyed."

"…For once, I agree with you." Erza told Emmeraude and began to swim. "I'm going to Magnolia!"

"You're going to swim there?!" Jellal asked.

"I believe in everyone!" Erza exclaimed. "However, the Acnologia in this world is headed straight for Magnolia! If that's the case then I…!" Swimming there was going to take far too long considering the distance Christina covered. Just then, Mest appeared above her. "Mest!"

"We'll all protect Magnolia together!" Mest said. He moved to grab Erza, and just before he could use his Direct Line…Emmeraude managed to wrap a harmless chain around his leg. She was fast enough to react to Mest movements, but the action still did catch him off guard. "Huh!?" And in a flash, all three of them vanished.

* * *

"Huh?!" Lucy turned around. Mest, Erza, and Emmeraude appeared on the scene.

"Erza!" Happy was surprised to see her. Even more so to see Emmeraude! "…!"

"Em!" Emerald ran over to her daughter to give her a hug. "I was so worried about you! Oh my word, your injuries! Are you all right!?"

"Ouch…" Emmeraude did return the hug, but she was still sore from her confrontation with Lucy. "I'm fine. I'm sorry for worrying you, Mother…" She trailed off, realizing now that her mother was hanging around Fairy Tail and…company. "…Why were you with _them_ …?"

"It's a long story." Emerald smiled softly.

"Lookin' good, Em." Mii teased her about her injuries.

"There's no time!" Erza had to remind everyone that they were on a strict timer. "We'll explain everything later, just follow me!"

"Yes ma'am!" Zelos would follow without objection.

"O-Okay…" Juvia weakly nodded.

"B-But Natsu…" Lucy was still crying.

"Natsu is alive." Erza told them.

"Wait, huh?" That caught everyone's attention. "Are you sure about that?!" Gray needed to know.

"Yes." Emmeraude nodded. "I know this may seem strange, but the situation calls for us to set aside our differences for the time being." She then glanced at Lucy. "So hurry up and put on a straight face."

A few moments later, everyone within Magnolia was gathered in the square, the largest part of the town. "Hey, what's going on?!" Ace asked as everyone gathered.

"That's what we want to know!" Shadowlore exclaimed. "Daryan and Alex just freaking vanished on us!"

"Them too!?" Aira gasped. "Waiston vanished too!"

"Everyone, heed my words…" Mest was prepared to explain the situation to them.

"Hold on…!" After hearing the situation, Luke had to raise a question. "So you're telling me that the dragon slayers are within the 'ravines' of time with Acnologia's spiritual body!? What kinda shit went on while we were here?"

"So if they can just rip this 'spiritual body' a new one…" Gray trailed off.

"They've got Laxus in there with 'em! It'll be a piece of cake!" Bickslow grinned.

"Piece of cake!?" Freed had to call Bickslow out on the absurdity of how easy me made it sound. "They're against Acnologia! Every time he's appeared, we haven't been able to do anything against him!" He was right. They scraped by each and every single time Acnologia showed up. Three times he appeared in the past, and every single time he either left, or was forced to leave. The only time he left with injury was after the three way battle on the Isle against Igneel and Dhegensea.

"And although they may be alive, there's no telling what sort of condition they're in after all they've been through…" Evergreen brought up.

"…" Kagura let out a silent tsk. She knew Daryan was horribly injured, and despite how he tried to play it off…

"Wendy…Cynthia…" Carla looked down to the ground.

"E…Everything's gonna be okay!" Happy had to keep his optimism high.

"Gajeel…" Lily crossed his arms, looking out to the sky.

"Sting…" Lector frowned.

"Rogue…" Frosch already missed Rogue.

"Alex…Daryan…" Hiruka pouted.

"That's not the only problem we're facing." Minerva groaned. This situation was becoming extremely cumbersome.

"His physical body is coming straight towards us…" Midnight said.

"Physical and spiritual? I'm completely lost…" Sorano admitted. "Is Eric in there too…?"

"It's like this." Reedus brought up a painting of the situation so everyone could understand what was going on. On one side, it showed Acnologia's dragon form heading right for Magnolia, while the other displayed his human form in the ravines of time with Natsu and the others.

"So basically, this world is in a near hopeless situation…" Kagura stated.

"Don't call it hopeless!" Carla said with tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm positive that Wendy and Cynthia are fighting with everything they have! So we should do the same!"

"How would we even begin fighting against something like him now?" Zelos questioned.

"He's right." Porlyusica spoke up. "As long as the dragon slayers are in the ravines of time, we have no means of defeating dragons."

"But we can't just _not_ fight." Erza said. Sitting around, waiting to die was not on her agenda.

"Even if we can't defeat a dragon, we can at least keep it from moving." Gray suggested.

"That's right!" Juvia said. "Gray-sama, Jaxon-san, Yakuza-san, and Luke-san's ice can…!"

"Magic won't work against him." Joker cut through that idea. "King shared the same attributes, consuming any and all magic we threw at him."

"We've got nothing but mages here…and we're in a situation where magic doesn't work…" Elfman groaned.

"What are the odds…" Roy let out a laugh. It wasn't funny at all, but he wasn't the type to despair over anything.

"So will swords or physical attacks work?" Mira asked.

"Slaying a dragon with a holy sword…we wouldn't be in this situation if it were that simple." Racer joked.

"Well…it happens all the time in fairy tales…" Hoteye said.

"I guess it's worth a shot…" Midnight shrugged.

"…" Erza thought about it for a moment. There was _one_ sword that could potentially aid them, but…

"Too bad we don't have the Eternal Sword." Mii sat on a bench, swinging her legs. "If I wasn't a piece of garbage, I could probably swing that thing around and do some damage. Buuut…the Isle is way too far away. No one could get there in time."

"I take offense to that." Racer also took this as a challenge.

"You wouldn't be able to even touch it without my blessing." Mii quipped. "And even with that, it could still reject you."

"Aside from that sword, only weapons enchanted with dragon slaying magic will have an effect." As Erza recalled from the battle with Elieen.

"…" Heartless pondered it for a moment. "I have an idea."

"Do you?" Cana glanced at Heartless.

"…It may be a longshot on my end, but I think I can aid the dragon slayers from the outside." Heartless said while stroking her chin. She began pacing around because she knew what she had planned was difficult. "We battled King not too long ago. Due to the nature of my 'curse' I was able to seal his heart. It weakened him. Since King shared Acnologia's basic powers, I've constructed a card that can work. The only issue is…I'll have to apply it directly onto him."

"That's way too dangerous!" Diamond spoke up.

"I know, but we have to do something." Heartless' voice was firm. "This will not likely weaken his physical body, as I target the heart and soul."

"But it will help the dragon slayers." Royal said while taking a sip.

"If I may…" Emmeraude spoke up. She got a few looks, mostly from Fairy Tail, but ignored them since she had a hypothesis she wanted to share with everyone.

"Why is _she_ here…?" Cana rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Seriously…" Tia agreed with that question with her heart and soul. "Who invited the psycho bitch?"

Ignoring Cana and Tia, Emmeraude continued. "This may be just a mere thought, however…it is entirely possible that Acnologia is unaware of what's going on inside and outside."

"Are you going to explain what that means?" Reve lifted a brow.

"What I mean is it's possible that the body of Acnologia and the spirit of Acnologia don't know what's going on outside of their respective realms. While the Acnologia in the ravines of time may know his body is causing wanton destruction, if that's the case, then his body is unaware of what's going on outside, and vice versa. "This has become a battle on two fronts…and it hinges entirely on both sides pulling their weight. Frankly, I don't exactly want to place my trust in you all to make things work since it resulted in this last time…"

"Em…" Emerald's tone took a scolding one.

"Keeping Acnologia's spirit in check is the job for the dragon slayers." Tristan said. "I know it won't be an easy task for them, but as long as they can prevent him from achieving this 'harmony' it will allow us to work on our end.

"So we're finally fighting this thing huh!?" Bacchus laughed.

"I'm down with that." Cygnus smashed his fists together. "I'm tired of running away from this thing every time it shows up."

"While you're all riled up, which is nice…we've done nothing but discuss how to slow it down." Emmeraude mentioned.

Levy then glanced at Lucy. It looked like she was thinking. "What's wrong, Lu-chan?"

"I think…there may be one method that can work…" It sounded like Lucy had a plan. A plan to defeat Acnologia once and for all.

* * *

"AAAAAAH! URAAAAAAAAH!" Natsu continued to scream as his body was being crystallized. Nothing he could do was working and he was nearly encased just like all the others. But then, by some miracle, his right arm moved and an explosion set it free. "My hand…it moved!?" Natsu didn't understand, and it looked like Acnologia was surprised as well.

"I'll protect you with my sky magic!" Wendy said while stepping forward.

"And I'm not going to let anything bad happen to anyone anymore!" Cynthia was right beside Wendy, both of them wearing determined expressions.

"Wendy! Cynthia! How did you break out of the crystal?" Natsu asked.

"I thought I heard Carla's voice…" Wendy said while letting out a soft exhale.

"Me too." Cynthia nodded.

"As for me, I could hear Levy and Lily's." Gajeel crossed his arms.

"So you guys heard it too, eh?" Cobra chuckled.

"The voices of the people waiting for us to come home…" Sting began.

"They gave us strength." Rogue added.

"I got a beautiful lady waiting for me." Daryan said while rubbing his nose. "I gotta go back."

"Mhm!" Alex clenched her hand into a fist. "Cosmic Star is waiting!"

"We're not finished yet." Blues spoke with a smug grin.

"I'm not going to give up that easily!" Melanie stared at Acnologia.

"Yeah. I don't intend to die in this little drab place." Hikaru placed her hand on her hip.

"Everyone's waiting for us outside, fighting as hard as they can. We have to do the same." Leon stated firmly.

"This bastard killed Heather…" Waiston gave the dragon before them a death glare. "There's no way I'm letting him go with just a slap on the wrist."

"Yes." Selene and Takeru also glared at the dragon before them. "I'm tired of running away from him."

"This time, we stand here to fight." Takeru's voice was firm. It was time to stand and fight.

As everyone spoke, Natsu felt a wide grin creeping on his lips. Laxus was the last one to speak, rolling his neck. "Now then, let's get this party started, Natsu. IT'S TIME TO SLAY THIS DRAGON!"

"YEAH!"

To their rallying cry, Acnologia simply smirked. "It seems I'll have to teach you exactly why I am called the Dragon King."

.

.

Next Time: The Magic of Hope.


	98. Chapter 98: The Magic of Hope

The final battle against Acnologia was going to begin. The dragon slayers present were the only thing stopping Acnologia from achieving harmony. If he managed that, then his body and soul would become one once more, then he would truly be unstoppable. That's why it was time for them to slay this dragon, this black plague of Earthland. "LET'S GO!" Natsu roared while leading the charge. With their numbers, there was no way they could lose to him!

Wendy hung back. She was the supporter of the group and intended to use her abilities to aid everyone as best she could. Her body flared into Dragon Force along with everyone else who could muster so. Those who couldn't simply settled for their dual modes. "All ability increase enchant! Deus Eques!" A bright light extended from Wendy's body to everyone else's, augmenting all of their abilities to new heights.

"Whoa, this is awesome!" Sting said with a grin. This was the first time he'd gotten to experience Wendy's support magic and it felt amazing!

"I'm overflowing with power!" Rogue added.

"Don't underestimate our runt! Heh!" Gajeel then leapt forward, allowing his arm to morph into an iron blade coated in shadows. "Iron Shadow Dragon's Sword!" The tip of the sword stopped directly at Acnologia's chest, causing him to furrow his brows. A potent burst of shadows was released for good measure; however it didn't appear as though it had any effect! Acnologia stood there, unmoving with a smile on his face. "What!?"

Sting and Rogue jumped forward, taking advantage of Gajeel's close range. However, before the Twin Dragons could get any closer, Acnologia simply swiped his hand forward and a shockwave blew away the trio. "Gaaaah!"

As soon as Sting, Rogue, and Gajeel were thrown back, Laxus and Cobra were the next two to strike. Purple poison formed on Cobra's claw as he intended to close the distance between them. "Poison Dragon's…!"

"Lightning Dragon's…" Laxus followed suit, lighting surging around his fists. However, the two of them couldn't even get close. Acnologia simply pointed his hand forward, blowing the two of them back past Natsu.

"Laxus! Cobra!" Natsu looked back.

" _I can't hear the voice of his heart…?!"_ Cobra was taken aback. Just what exactly were they fighting!?

"NATSU!" Cynthia warned.

When Natsu turned, he just barely managed to fend off a gigantic blast from Acnologia. "Ngh…!" He blocked it, but his arms weren't looking too great after that.

"Do you know why I so vehemently attempted to destroy that Island of Dragons?" Acnologia questioned as the tip of his finger.

"Because you're a piece of shit!?" Daryan exclaimed while dropping down from above, swinging an iron bone right at Acnologia's smug face. The dragon used his arm to block this easily, and then lifted his leg to kick Daryan right in the chest, sending him tumbling backwards. "Guh!" _"Shit…what kind of hit was that!?"_ He coughed up some blood after. His prior injuries weren't helping him at all.

Right as Daryan was thrown backwards; Selene sprinted forward while using her magic to make diamonds form at Acnologia's feet to keep him from moving. "Diamond Dragon's Armored Horn!" The diamond dragon then lunged forward, slamming her sharpened cranium right into his abdomen! He didn't even so much as flinch at the blow! "Wha?"

Acnologia then raised his hand and brought it down on Selene's diamond covered body. The impact caused her to cry out and the vibrations shook her plated armor. "Magic doesn't work on me!" He laughed before unleashing a point blank blast on the diamond dragon, sending her flying backwards. She was, however, caught by Leon in midflight.

"We'll see about that! You're a dragon, so this should leave a mark!" Takeru emerged from Acnologia's shadow. Right in front of him. "Eat this, you shit! Shadow Dragon's Waxwing Flash!" The shadow dragon of White Eclipse pointed his hand right at Acnologia's face, unleashing a point black eruption of darkness.

Well…if Takeru was going to be so kind as to offer him a meal, he might as well, accept, no? Acnologia opened his mouth, consuming the shadows Takeru was so kind to release. The shadow dragon clearly wasn't expecting his words to be taken so literally and thought he had the upper hand, but he received a rude awakening as Acnologia then released a point blank roar in his face. "I appreciate the meal, vermin!"

"Guuuh!" Takeru cried out while rolling across the ground.

"Frozen Dragon's Roar!" Waiston and Hikaru exclaimed at the same time. A potent funnel of ice merged together, chilling the air within the ravines of time to an absolute standstill. The roar completely consumed Acnologia, freezing everything in its wake…everything except him. The only thing they managed to do was freeze a part of his body, and the ice ultimately shattered. But did they deal damage? Perhaps a little bit. Acnologia may have been resistance against all forms of magic, but even so, dragon slaying still had some effect against him. If that wasn't the case, they never would have beaten King.

"Shit, seriously? He's just standing there and smiling!" Waiston grunted.

"KUHAHAHAHAHA!" Laughing, Acnologia brought up a hand, creating an explosion directly on Waiston and Hikaru, sending the two of them flying in separate directions.

"Haaaah!" Melanie placed her hands on the ground, causing a geyser of water and lightning to rise up on Acnologia's direct location. "Lightning Water Dragon's Geyser!" Before the geyser could even get any leeway, Acnologia simply laughed it off. Sure, it did tingle somewhat, but the gap in their power was far too great for a single attack to affect him, even with Wendy's support. He swiped his hand, creating an invisible shockwave that pushed her backwards with great force. "Kyaaaah!"

"HEY BASTARD!" Blues exclaimed while sliding to Acnologia's left, while Leon was at his right. The geyser may not have had any effect, however it was all a ploy to allow heavier hitters to close in. "Eat this!" Blues took Acnologia's statement about magic not affecting him to heart, but a few dragons slayers had some tricks up their sleeves. Blues was one of them, fusing his magic with the slight curse power he had. "Ocean King's Iron Fist!"

"Poison Acid Dragon's Iron Fist!" Leon was still going for a full frontal approach, swinging his deadly elemental mix right at Acnologia's chest. These two attacks landed directly, and together they managed to push Acnologia back just slightly.

" _What was that?"_ That was a strange sensation. Despite that brief moment of confusion, Acnologia grinned and lifted his hand up into the sky. "Allow me to show you the gap between our powers." A golden aura flared around his body, now executing the Heavenly Body magic he consumed from Jellal. "Pleiades." Multiple stars rose into the sky, only to come crashing back down on the dragons who opposed him.

"INCOMING!" Gajeel exclaimed.

"Earth Dragon's Guard!" Alex lifted her hands up, creating a thick dome of rock and earth to protect every ally around her. The falling stars crashed onto this defensive measure, chipping away and breaking it with ease. Alex was able to muster this defense for a majority of the attack, however it soon shattered and one lone star caused an eruption that blew everyone away. "Tch!" Alex flipped, digging her heels into the ground. "If magic doesn't work on you, then stabbing you in the chest should work just fine!" She then made use of her Prototype magic, her arm turning into a sharpened, elongated whip that covered distance within the blink of an eye, attempting to stab Acnologia right through the chest. It would have worked, but Acnologia reacted far sooner than she hoped and caught her extended wrist. "Uh oh."

"Kuahahahahahaha!" Laughing once more, Acnologia decided to swing Alex around before sending her flying into a nearby crystal, and based on her cry of pain, that didn't feel good.

"Wendy, let's go!" Cynthia said sprinting forward. They were, barring Laxus, the fastest two present.

"Right!" Wendy nodded and followed Cynthia's lead, the two of them moving in an unpredictable manner to confound Acnologia.

The duo appeared a few yards to his left, their hands already evenly spaced apart as a sphere of red and blue light formed within the space between their palms. "TWIN WAVE!" There was no need for theatrics. The two of them were releasing their strongest unison raid right off the bat. The brilliant beam of red and blue light raced towards Acnologia, capturing him in its wake.

Acnologia brought his arm up to defend against this blow, but now he really knew that something was wrong! These flames…burned. He actually felt somewhat injured by these flames. They weren't magic, and they were perfectly mixed in with the wind to create a substance that he couldn't consume so haphazardly. Now he remembered Cynthia, the anomaly with a different type of dragon slaying. But that was beside the point. Acnologia moved from his position if only to close the gap between him and the two obnoxious little girls. He lifted his arm, moving to backhand the both of them, but Wendy was the one who stood in front of Cynthia. "Foolish brats!"

"Kyaaaah!" Wendy cried out as she was thrown backwards by Acnologia's sheer might.

Cynthia knew that Wendy tried to give her an opening to escape. The omega dragon bent her knees and jumped backwards, but she was intercepted as an explosion of magic caught her back and sent her crashing into the ground. "Ack..!"

"Cynthia! Wendy!" Natsu growled while sprinting forward, rearing his left arm back as flames and electricity gathered around it. "Lightning Flame Dragon King's Demolition Fist!" He swung right for Acnologia's face and there was a potent explosion of fire and lightning that followed impact. The flames cleared and Natsu's eyes widened as his fist was caught by Acnologia. "…!" Without a word, Acnologia lifted Natsu up, flung him around a bit, and then slammed him into the ground with so much force he bounced. "Ugh!"

"Did any of you ever think about my question?" Acnologia asked.

"I answered it…" Daryan stood up, wiping the blood from his mouth.

"Ignorant dragons…" With a chuckle, Acnologia lifted up his index finger. "Dhegensea firmly believed that he could hold the title of Dragon King as I drew breath. I knew where that island was, but even I was unable to reach it until it fell from the sky. Once it did, it was my chance to show him why I was called the Dragon King. In the fight between myself, Dhegensea, and Acnologia…I was the one who survived. Do you know why? Because I am the strongest dragon in the world."

* * *

" _You_ have a plan?" Emmeraude quirked a brow at Lucy's words. "Oh I'd love to hear this."

"Em…! Don't be rude." Emerald chided.

"The only reason we're in this situation is because a plan from another of her bloodline failed, Mother." Emmeraude placed her hands on her hips. Seriously, what happened to where her mother was scolding her for voicing her skepticism? Regardless, she relented and waited for Lucy's answer.

"Is she getting bossed around by her mom?" Jack asked with a snicker.

"No…" Heartless shook her head. As a mother, in a sense, she could see their relationship easily. "Her mother is keeping her in check."

Yeah, Emmeraude was making it really hard to even think about giving her a second chance. Despite that, Lucy shook her head started to speak. "I think we-" She was cut short by an explosion that happened just outside of town. Acnologia was coming.

"He's here!" Wakaba cried.

"It's Acnologia!" Macao also cried. Because Acnologia flying overhead caused mass destruction in its wake.

"And you say my timing is horrendous." Emmeraude truly could not pass that one up.

"It's attacking everything without discrimination!" Gildarts stated.

Sidney then turned to Lucy. "Your plan. Now."

"A few of us need to go ahead and make for port Hargeon!" Lucy exclaimed. "Ready a large ship!"

"Huh?" Strong scratched his head. "How the heck is a ship gonna help us now!?"

"The dragon slayer's weak point!" Rufus gasped. "Of course. As per my memory, I recall dragon slayers becoming terribly sick being on any method of transportation."

"So the goal is to get Acnologia on a boat?" Reiss questioned. It sounded way easier than it was actually going to be.

"But all that plan can do is get him to go all 'blarrrrgh' for a while," Sorano said while waving a hand. She doubted this would work.

"And during that momentary opening…" As Lucy tried to explain, an explosion nearly hit them, but they just barely managed to escape from it. "If we use that magic…!"

"Haven't you been listening!? Magic won't work!" Max yelled.

"There's one…!" Lucy said. "One magic that might work. Levy and Freed, come with me! We're going to the guild library to look for that magic!"

"I'm coming too!" Tia said. If Lucy believed in this plan, then Tia was going to do what she could to make sure it worked.

"I guess I'll come…" Mii hopped from her seat while shrugging. This wasn't Alvarez, so she felt like she could lend a hand here, granted she was already going to be in trouble if she made it back to Pergrande.

"Happy and the rest of you, make sure you follow everyone else! And try to give Heartless an opening!" Lucy commanded.

"Aye!" Happy nodded.

"Afterwards, everyone rendezvous with the group that headed to Hargeon fist. This may be dangerous, but we need a group that's going to split off and lead Acnologia to Hargeon! And also…gather as many Fairy Tail members as you can in Hargeon!" Lucy turned and started to rush to the guild.

"The…we shall take responsibility for leading him there…" Minerva said.

"What is this magic you're looking for, Lucy-sama?" Yukino asked.

"The one magic that even Acnologia couldn't break. The magic of bonds." Lucy said, and suddenly those from Fairy Tail realized what her aim was.

"The First's…" Cana trailed off.

"The one that saved of back at Tenrou..!" Bickslow finally understood.

"The absolute defense magic, one of the three great magics of Fairy Tail. Fairy Sphere!" Evergreen said.

"Defense magic?" Kuro scratched his head. "But if it's defense magic, how is that going to help?"

"Wait…" Magnus snapped his fingers. "This plan is actually ingenious. If even Acnologia could not destroy a sphere such as that, then it only stands to reason…"

"You don't mean…!" Erza was catching on.

"Are you planning to trap Acnologia inside of Fairy Sphere!?" Mira questioned."

"There's no way that could be possible…" Laki trailed off.

"We have to try!" Lucy proclaimed.

"Yeah, she's right." Luke nodded. "If that's her idea, then we've got no choice but to run with it. I don't see anyone else offering any bright ideas."

"Luke's right!" Aira clenched a hand in agreement. "We have to trust Lucy and her plan!"

"Sounds wild to me! I like it!" Bacchus exclaimed.

"I'm going to hold a very healthy amount of skepticism with this plan." Emmeraude folded her arms over her chest. "But even I know this is a do or die situation, so as much as I really, really don't want to…"

"We're going to wager everything on this final plan." Those were Lucy's last words as her group went off to the guild library.

* * *

"You didn't survive that fight because you were the strongest dragon!" Natsu immediately responded.

"He's right. You ran like a coward after you lost your arm. Dhegensea lost a leg and you didn't see him retreating!" Alex snapped.

"Hmph…" Acnologia scoffed at their words. "Right now, my physical body is already destroying the world outside of the ravines of time."

"Huh?" Wendy blinked.

"I will destroy everything and bring about the end." The dragon brought his arm up, clenching it into a fist.

"What are you trying to accomplish?" Natsu asked. What was Acnologia's endgame?

"Destruction. That is all." That was it. His goal was to bring about ruin. "KUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Just for that, you're doing all this…?" Natsu bared his fangs at the dragon before him. "This world isn't so weak that it'd be destroyed by you."

"Do you truly believe that?" Acnologia cackled.

"We're not so weak that we'd be killed by you either!" Takeru and Waiston charged forward.

"There's something I should mention, so you dragons can understand your situation…" Acnologia trailed off as the Eclipse dragons came rushing at him. Waiston swung a frozen leg at the dragon's left side, taking advantage of his missing limb. While Acnologia was able to block this, Takeru slipped in while forcing his body to enter Darkness Shadow Dragon mode, thrusting a potent sphere of darkness at Acnologia's stomach, causing a large explosion.

"They definitely got him there!" Melanie cheered.

"Gwaaaah!" Waiston was then knocked away by that same arm, tumbling along the ground.

"..!" Takeru's body stopped. For some reason, he lost complete control of his body. His eyes went wide, and suddenly, so did everyone else's.

"In order for me to achieve harmony, I need the magic of you dragon slayers to stabilize my own…" Acnologia's hand stabbed right into Takeru's chest. "But all of you aren't required for this." There was a vicious blast of magic that consumed Takeru. He couldn't even let out a cry of pain as his body simply vanished into the ravines of time. Shortly after that, there was a small rumble and Acnologia's body began to glow. "I only need seven of you."

"…!" Everyone could only stare in wide eyed shock as Takeru was gone without a word.

"TAAAAAK!" Selene cried out, the tears already flowing down her cheeks.

"…You bastard…" Waiston clenched his hand into a fist.

"Only six now." Acnologia's lips curled up into a heinous smirk.

* * *

Port Hargeon. Chelia turned as she noticed some people warping in. "Hey…someone's warping in…"

"Huh?" Sherri turned to where Chelia was looking.

"Gray? Juvia?" Lyon was confused as to why they were appearing.

"Can't you transport more of us at once?" Gray asked Mest. Two people at a time was horrendously slow considering the circumstances.

"Don't be ridiculous. If I could, I would." Mest said.

"It's all he can to bring the two of us over that distance…" Juvia was clearly feeling a little better. "Me and you, Gray-sama…the two of us~"

"What are you guys doing here?" Lyon asked while approaching the trio. "I heard the fighting was over."

"It's just beginning." Gray said. "Acnologia is coming this way."

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Alexander's eyes widened as Gray dropped such a bomb on them so casually.

"You can't just say that something like that so casually!" Milliana gasped.

"We need a boat! Please ready a large one for us!" Juvia exclaimed.

* * *

While Mest was transporting people over, Erza and a few others rode beasts to quickly get them to Hargeon while Lisanna and Mira took two the skies. "Make haste for Hargeon!" Cana yelled.

"Looking pretty slow there, Mest…"

"Quiet!" Erza said. "We're counting on you, Minerva!"

* * *

Counting on her, right. Minerva placed a hand on her hip, staring at the dragon as it flew overhead. "…Now then…how in the world are we supposed to lead him to Hargeon?"

"Look at him…" Midnight stared at the dragon.

"Wh-what on earth is this magic power…I do not recall him having strength like this…" Rufus stuttered.

"Look alive people." Reve stepped forward.

"Yes! We've got to give it our best!" Yukino said with a determined expression.

"That's right!" Lector added.

"Fro thinks so too!" Said Frosch.

"…I never signed up for any of this…" Zelos let out a heavy sigh, dropping his shoulders and his head.

* * *

In the guild library, Lucy, Levy, Freed, Happy, Carla, Tia, Lily, Levy, and Mii were frantically looking through the shelves to find the book on Fairy Sphere. Last time they casted it completely on accident, leading to the seven year time skip. Now they desperately needed to know how to use the spell if they wanted any chance of defeating Acnologia. "No! It's not on this one!" Levy said.

"Doesn't seem to be over here either!" Freed groaned.

"I can't find anything…!" Tia reported.

"Does this book really exist?" Lily asked the others.

"It must." Freed said.

"You sure about that? Cuz I'm not finding anything." Mii was using her wings to float around the library.

"It has to! We just have to keep looking!" Happy exclaimed.

"That's right!" Carla agreed.

"We've got to find it! The method to cast Fairy Sphere!" Lucy told everyone. They had to. This was their only chance.

* * *

"My attacks aren't doing at thing!" Minerva grit her teeth. Every attack she sent was just shrugged off. Acnologia didn't even acknowledge most of what was thrown at him.

"More than that, how are we supposed to lead a guy like _this_ anywhere?!" Racer asked the important questions. As it stood right now, they weren't even worth his attention!

"Indiscriminate attacks, it's almost like he doesn't care for his own life." Midnight said while watching all of the destruction around them.

Aconologia then began to inhale, and everyone knew what was coming next. "GET DOWN!" Luke exclaimed. The roar that was fired off blew through dozens of buildings, even slicing through part of the Fairy Tail building in the process.

"FAIRY TAIL!" Lector cried.

"HAPPY!" Frosch shouted.

"This is bad." Minerva was looking around at all the destruction caused by Acnologia's attacks. "We can't let him run amok in this town anymore."

"Oi! Acnologia! Come over here you big dumb lizard!" Strong yelled at the dragon while trying to catch its attention. Unfortunately for him, it just ignored him. "Are you serious!? He's not even looking at me!"

"Come to think of it, now that he's lost his sense of self, why is he here in Magnolia?" Yukino asked.

"That's a good question…" Jin began stroking his chin. "There really is no reason for him to be here, so what does he want from us?"

"Instinct." Minerva told everyone. "He's instinctively drawn here, to destroy this place. The place where mages have gathered."

Hold on a moment. "So he followed magic here?" Kagura was starting to get an idea. "The biggest he could find?"

"If that's the case…maybe we have a method of guiding him away." Reiss and the others were starting to get on the same page.

"Oi…" Royal turned to Sidney, who simply nodded and turned into a puff of smoke. With one of the largest magical auras present, Sidney planned to go ahead to help goad the dragon later.

It was then that several blasts collided against Acnologia's attention. He turned to a rooftop to see Heartless and Micaiah firing off curse beams at him. Since it wasn't magic, he could feel these. "Over here!" Micaiah taunted before glancing to Heartless. "Are you sure this is wise?"

"No." Heartless immediately replied. "But it's our only option to aid the dragon slayers. Jack, now!"

"Roger!" Jack flew down, grabbed Heartless and proceeded to fly towards Acnologia.

Acnologia was about to roar once again, but Luke foresaw this and created a huge mirror right in front of the dragon. Magic may not have been effective, but receiving a dose of your own power that you couldn't eat was always a way to rile up a dragon slayer. "Got'cha!" Snarling, Acnologia recoiled a little from its own explosive power. It was at that moment that multiple emerald chains emerged from various angles to wrap over Acnologia's body like a net.

Emerald and Emmeraude were using their chains to keep Acnologia still briefly. They weren't going to be able to restrain him for longer than even a single second at most, but every millisecond counted. "Clarissa, you better hurry!" Emmeraude barked.

"Now!" Heartless yelled. Jack threw Heartless up into the air and she prepared a card composed of her curse. She was just about to touch Acnologia, he easily broke free of the chains, sending the Verde duo flying backwards while Heartless was thrown further into the air. "Ngh…!" Acnologia noticed her and swung his left hand down, palming her with his monstrous strength to send her crashing down to the ground. "Kyaaaaah!"

"Mistress!" Daigo yelled in concern.

"Hup!" Ace dove, caught Heartless, flipped, and landed on his feet while staring down at her. "Are you okay?!"

"He broke a lot of bones…" Heartless coughed up some blood, but wore a slight smirk as she came out empty handed. "But I think…we made a fair trade." If one looked closely at Acnologia's palm, one would notice there was a heart symbol on it.

"I knew we could count on you." Ace turned to shout to the others. "SHE NAILED HIM! LET'S GET THIS BASTARD OUT OF HERE!"

"HAHAHA! ALL RIGHT!" Bacchus laughed while being the first one to garner Acnologia's attention. "OVER HERE!" Bacchus was completely drunk and every step he took caused a massive shockwave to boom out. It may have caused some collateral to the city of Magnolia, but what's important is that the power of the shockwaves caught Acnologia's attention and the dragon started to follow the magic. Each stride left an imprint that the dragon could not help but follow in his mindless state.

"It's working!" Roy exclaimed while taking the baton, making use of the largest explosives he had in his arsenal, throwing them all forward to create a line of explosions to goad the dragon forward. "Yeah, keep on moving you mindless lizard!"

Tristan then stepped forward. "If anyone wishes to go ahead to Hargeon, let me know now. I can teleport there."

* * *

The earlier attack that nearly struck the guild caused the library to shake. "Aaaaah!" Lucy cried out as she was buried under a pile of books.

"I think we're okay! He was only aiming at the surface…!" Tia reported.

"Are you guys okay!?" Freed asked.

"I think so…" Levy said.

"Where'd Lucy go?" Mii glanced around.

From the pile of books, a hand rose. "This is it! I found it!" Lucy exclaimed with a wide grin. "How to use Fairy Sphere!"

* * *

Back in Hargeon, they managed to find a ship. Asuka pointed to the Alvarez army ship. "This is the biggest one we could find."

"It's the one Alvarez left." Lyon said.

"But how in the world are we going to get Acnologia onto this thing?" Juvia asked. They had a plan, yes. But the execution itself was the troublesome part.

"I'll knock him out of the skies." Erza told everyone as she arrived with the others.

"Everyone, you've arrived!" Juvia exclaimed.

"Quit it with the crazy plans already…" Gray mumbled. Seriously, they were doing nothing but risking everyone on gambits. This was more than enough stress for an entire decade.

"But if we can't damage him with magic, then the least we can do is beat him up with physical damage, right?" Mira asked.

"We should be able to…no, I'll do it. I promise." Erza's voice held firm conviction.

"At least she's sounding convincing…" Melody rubbed her arm. Even after being told about the plan, it was understandable that she'd have some doubts.

"But that still leaves two problems…" Lisanna said.

"First," Mest began. "Whether or not Minerva and the others can actually lead Acnologia here." Mest said.

"Second, whether or not Lucy and the others will find what they're looking for in time…" Cana added. They were seriously on a time crunch here.

* * *

"White Shadow Dragon's Flash Fang!" Sting and Rogue wasted little time in using their own combination. Vibrant mix of light and shadows took the form of a widespread beam that intended consume Acnologia in its wake.

"KUHAHAHAHA!" Acnologia laughed while pointing his hand forward, unleashing a potent beam of raw magic from his palm. This beam collided with the Flash Fang before ultimately overpowering it, sending Sting and Rogue flying backwards to add onto their injuries.

As they were thrown back, Natsu then lunged forward, swinging a blazing right hook at Acnologia's face, which was easily evaded by leaning to the side. He then followed up by slamming his fist into Natsu's gut. "GUH!" That caused blood to fly from his mouth and forced him backwards.

Everyone that came at Acnologia was swiftly being put down. Acnologia elbowed Cobra as he tried to near him, following by swinging his hand at Gajeel's gut to knock him away. Wendy and Cynthia followed suit with another tag team assault, but by bringing his arm own on them with an explosion aura, he was able to take care of them. Laxus then tried to strike from behind with a lightning infused fist, but Acnologia blocked this with his hand before slamming the lightning dragon into the ground. "MAGIC DOES NOT AFFECT ME!"

"RAAAAH!" Selene roared and sprinted forward, her right arm morphing into a diamond chainsaw with sharp edges. The saw rotated and she took to the air, her rage over Takeru fueling her attack as she attempted to cut Acnologia's annoyingly smug face! "THIS IS FOR TAK!"

"KUHA!" Acnologia jumped back, watching as Selene's attack caused the ground to split in two. The dragon then held his hand out, creating an eruption of shadows to overtake Selene and throw her backwards. "You'll all be joining that dragon very soon."

"This monster…" Leon clenched his hand into a fist, his acidic aura becoming even more threatening.

"You're all in my world. You stand no chance of defeating me!" As Acnologia said this, he pointed his hand forward again…crimson flames exploded around him. This genuinely caught him off guard as the demon flames burned him. "…What?"

"So what if magic doesn't hurt you…! We're not one trick ponies!" Cynthia said while pulling herself up slowly. "You touched me and activated my Curse."

"Is that all you can muster?" While it was an annoying constant, Acnologia could handle this.

"Try the Roar of the OCEAN KING!" Blues exclaimed while parting his lips, unleashing a gigantic roar of all the water abilities at his disposal. This roar collided against Acnologia's arm, forcing him backwards slightly due to its sheer power. It was annoying that he couldn't completely consume this roar, and he was fully aware of the sinister curse that lurked within the black waters. He'd be a fool to consume that.

Just as the roar ended, Cobra slithered forward once again, attempting to blindside Acnologia but he was caught and got kicked in the gut. "GUH…!" _"That one kick…pulverized my organs…"_ Cobra had serious internal damage after a hit like that.

"Cobra!" Natsu yelled.

"Not yet, damn it!" The poison dragon growled while placing a hand on the ground. "I can't bite the dust just yet! I have my own friends too, ya know…AND I'LL DO ANYTHING TO PROTECT THEM!"

Sting propped himself on a knee. "If I don't defeat you, I won't be able to face them."

"Everyone's waiting…waiting to go back home, back over there…" Rogue added.

"And we'll be damned if you get in our way!" Daryan said while slamming his hands into the ground, causing bones coated in iron to rise up from under Acnologia's feet. "Skeletal Iron Dragon's Graveyard!"

Acnologia simply took to the air to avoid such an attack, but as he did this, Alex and Wendy were already in front of him. "You are not getting past us!" Alex yelled while drawing her fist back.

"Your legend ends today!" The sky dragon exclaimed while swinging her leg forward in time with Alex. The fusion of earth and wind caught Acnologia, forcing him back down to the ground in a crouched position.

" _What's this…?"_ That shouldn't have happened. He should have tanked that hit easily, but for some reason, he felt it. His power was…waning? Something was sucking him dry slowly, but surely. "HMPH!" Swinging his arm down, a blast of magic exploded on Alex and Wendy, crushing them into the crystalized ground. He then stood over Wendy and prepared to finish her off. If he took out the supporter, then the rest of their offense would crumble.

Cynthia dove forward, grabbing Wendy just before Acnologia's hand could kill her. The two rolled across the ground, but Cynthia came to a halt in a crouched position. "We're not letting you get your way anymore!"

"We'll break you before you break us!" Gajeel jumped into the air, pounding his fists together before morphing his dominant arm into a gigantic blade of iron and shadows. "Karma Demon: Iron God's Sword!" A blade with the power to split the heavens. Gajeel swung this blade down directly onto Acnologia's body, but unfortunately for him, the dragon caught it in the palm of his hand rather easily.

"Before I break you, was it?" Acnologia asked while squeezing on the iron blade, causing it to crack, and by proxy, Gajeel's arm.

"And now that your hand is full, what next?!" Hikaru sped forward as ice coated her legs. "Frost Dragon's Dance!" The female began swinging her legs in an elegant manner, kicking in various locations on Acnologia's body since his hand was full with Gajeel's sword. If he allowed either to get through, then it could be annoying at worst. That's why he simply exhaled, unleashing a potent blast of shadows that he obtained from Takeru to carry Hikaru away after a few kicks landed. But the instant he went to take a breath and deal with Gajeel…

Laxus and Leon came in! Red lightning surged around Laxus' dominant arm, while acid did for Leon;s. The two swung right at Acnologia's face, the crackle of thunder booming out within the ravines of time as they managed to push the dragon back a slight distance, allowing Gajeel to follow up by bringing his blade down across the dragon's chest. "I'm not letting you get anyone from the guild, you reptile shit." The lightning dragon scoffed.

"Tch..!" Seriously, what was happening!? Even though he remained leagues above these dragon slayers, they were somehow managing to push against him. Were they getting stronger as time passed, or was his power dropping that much? As far as Acnologia was concerned, this was only happening because his body and soul were in dissonance. He truly needed to slay six more of them to stabilize his magic, and then whatever was happening wouldn't be a problem. If only he knew that this was half true...

"You seem aggravated…!" Melanie pointed out.

"If that's the case, we're making progress." Natsu said while letting out a heavy exhale. "This is our last dance, Acnologia!" Three times this dragon appeared before them, sending them into a helpless despair. Now, this was their final bout.

Last?" Acnologia couldn't help but grin at those words. "We haven't even started yet. Last?! KUHAHAHAHAHAHA!" They were calling it the last dance?! To Acnologia, the dance had only just begun!

* * *

So far, the plan to lead Acnologia was working. They managed to guide him out of Magnolia and it was a steady process to lead him to Haregon. "Over here, Acnologia!" Midnight exclaimed while letting his magic explode in the forest nearby.

"Mabeth! Unleash your magic power! YES!" Hoteye yelled. "You should be able to lead him!"

Acnologia noticed and turned in the direction of the powerful aura. Just as this happened, Racer, who was carrying Sorano on his back, began a mad dance to the next location. "Sorano! Let's get to the next point while we can!"

"Hurry, Sawyer!" Soarno pointed ahead. That's when the unexpected happened. Acnologia inhaled briefly. "What?! He's attacking us!" The dragon exhaled, unleashing a funnel of shadows directly at the source of the magic aura. "Huh!? Did he have that magic a few minutes ago!?"

"Look out!" Midnight used his Reflector to deflect the incoming roar to another direction. Luckily he had his own methods of parrying magic, otherwise that could have gotten really ugly really fast. "What's going on in there…come on Eric, hold out…!"

Jin and Jaxon were up next, taking to the skies to capture Acnologia's attention. "We're over here!"

"I can't help but feel like he's going to try and shoot us down." Jaxon said. And for some reason, as he voiced his concerns, Acnologia started to attack again. "…Why did I speak?"

"Hey, down here…!" Reiss had all of his spirits summoned. It took a toll on his body for sure, but the amount of magic between him and his spirit did catch Acnologia's attention, causing him to halt his attack and stare at the huge magic power down below. Admittedly, putting himself out like this against Acnologia was a little frightening, but he had to trust that the others would carry their weight in this as well.

"Worry not! I've already memorized that he'll chase after the magic!" Rufus told Reiss while sprinting past him. They were making good time. Acnologia just let out a roar to show that he was going to hunt down this magic no matter what.

"Excluding the one outburst, this plan is working rather well!" Magnus exclaimed. "We just have to keep him like this! We're nearly there!"

"Leave the rest to us!" Minerva exclaimed. Frosch was carrying her in the air, while Lector did Yukino, and Hiruka did Kagura. "We're going straight to Hargeon from here!"

"Okay!" Yukino nodded.

"Fro's gonna do his best!" Fro shouted. He really wanted to see Rogue again, and for once, he was following the situation and putting forth his best effort.

"Me too!" Hiruka exclaimed while carrying Kagura. "We gotta see Daryan and Alex! I know they can hold him off!"

"…" Kagura kept her gaze on Acnologia. To think that the dragon slayers were really fighting against his spiritual body. She deemed the situation hopeless at first, but her outlook on it was changing.

"Are you worried?" Minerva asked while glancing back. Acnologia was trailing behind them as planned.

"Me? Worried about that idiot? Absolutely not." Kagura immediately replied. As soon as she said it, she realized that's not what Minerva was asking her.

"Uh huh…" Minerva wasn't going to say anything about this yet. More importantly, they were starting to near Hargeon.

* * *

"Hurry to Hargeon!" Lucy exclaimed. Happy was carrying her, Lily was carrying Freed, Carla was carrying Levy, and Tia reluctantly allowed Mii to carry her so long as she didn't get touchy feely.

"Aye sir!" Happy yelled.

"Levy, do you think you'll be able to read it!?" Freed questioned.

"Yeah, I think so!" Levy had the book open and was quickly scanning the pages.

"Give it your best!" Carla said.

"I can't believe they really managed to lead him…" Tia stared ahead. "Keeping him in one spot is going to be the hard part. How are we going to get him onto a ship?"

"We'll figure part out, I guess." Mii shrugged before glancing at Lucy. "Oi, are you sure you'll even be okay to cast a spell like this? You look like shit." She wasn't…wrong. Rude, but not wrong.

"I hate agreeing with her, but she's right." Tia pinched the bridge of her nose. "I can see how exhausted you are. It's written all over your face."

"It doesn't matter how I'm feeling. I have to." Was Lucy's only response. While it was true that her fight with Emmeraude ran her magic reserves low, and writing in the book of END nearly burned her alive…she had to.

* * *

"There he is!" Jet pointed at the skies above. Acnologia was rapidly closing in.

"Acnologia…" Erza stared at the dragon.

"We gotta buy some time until Lucy and the others show up!" Mira exclaimed.

Gildarts then turned to the others. "You guys! Prepare to use Fairy Sphere!"

"Prepare! How in the world…?" Macao began.

Evergreen then grabbed Elfman's hand, extending her free one to the others. "We hold hands. Come, everyone!"

"Oh-oh….." Elfman was holding her hand.

"It's a giant friendship circle? You're joking…" Reve shook his head. "Absolutely not."

"We don't have time to complain! We need everyone for this to work!" Aira grabbed Reve's hand.

"Good work, Minerva, Yukino, and Kagura!" Erza told the approaching trio.

"He's inclined to follow strong magic!" Minerva exclaimed. "Take advantage of that and lead him to the ship!" It was at that moment that three Exceeds began to fall out of the sky. "W-We're…"

"Yeah…" Lector said.

"Running a bit dry…" Yukino grunted.

"Fro too…!" Frosch whined.

"We're landing…!" Hiruka barely managed to avoid a crash landing.

"Leave the rest to me." Erza told everyone.

Minerva touched down, stumbling a few steps before regaining her footing. It was then that her gaze fell upon Alexander, who ended up staring at her. "Oh, it's you…"

"…" Alexander was about to say something, but that's when Kianna shouted.

"Look out!" The purple haired female attacked.

"This is bad, he's gonna attack!" Gildarts exclaimed. He was right. Acnologia unleashed another Eternal Flare, but his target was not the town of Hargeon.

"EVERYONE GET DOWN!" Bickslow yelled as the beams of magic ravaged…the port itself. The port and the ocean were attacked specifically, the powerful explosions destroying every single ship. The ocean was now a sea of flame and smoke.

"…No way…" Chelia's jaw hung open.

"He destroyed them all…!?" Lyon was aghast.

"You've gotta be kidding me…" Luke snarled.

"KUHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Acnologia cackled.

"Instinct…" Minerva stared at the dragon in horror. "Instinct drove him to destroy his weakness…" They were now staring at a mindless despair. A despair that surpassed hope itself. A despair that smiled at them, relishing in the fact they just might have lost every shred of hope they had left.

.

.

Next Time: Linked Hearts.


	99. Chapter 99: Linked Hearts

Acnologia brought their plan to ruin. He was not as mindless as he led everyone to believed and destroyed any and all hope of their plan working by taking out the ships in the harbor. "The boats…" Erza was stunned.

"Is there even one left?" Taya questioned while scanning the port as fast as she could. All she could see were smoke and flames.

"Just stick to the plan!" Gray said while running ahead. "I'll make a ship!"

"Huh!?" Such a statement left everyone confused.

"Oh yeah!" Romeo suddenly got it. "Molding Magic!"

"Lyon, Melody, Kuro, Tyson, help me out here! We need to make a huge ship!" Gray told the other makes present. It didn't matter what their element was, he knew that the people he asked were skilled molders and he needed their help.

"Kay!" Lyo said while following behind Gray.

"Mhm!" Melody nodded and swiftly followed the others.

"Juvia will help too!" Juvia wasn't going to let them go it alone!

"I'm helping as well!" Diamond rushed behind the molders and Juvia.

"We'll leave it to you, then!" Erza said while standing beside Mira, Reve, Sidney, Roy, Tristan, and Ace.

"We'll draw Acnologia!" Mira told the others.

"While they do that, we should continue to hold hands and heighten our magic!" Gildarts said. "So that way, as soon as Lucy arrives, we can release the spell!"

"Lucy…hurry…" Cana pleaded.

Her prayers were going to be answered soon, as Lucy and the others were just arriving at the poor. "I see Hargeon…wait, the harbor is burning!?"

"What happened!?" Tia said while staring at the flames.

"Looks like all the ships have been totaled." Mii tilted her head.

"I'll put up a Jutsu Shiki." Freed told Lucy.

"The rest is up to you, Lu-chan!" Levy exclaimed.

"And you, Happy." Lily offered Happy a slight smile.

"Good luck!" Carla told the Exceed.

"Aye!" Happy smiled at his companions as they flew off ahead.

"Do you remember, Happy?" Lucy asked as they neared the port. "Hargeon is where you, Natsu, and I met for the first time…"

"Of course!" How could Happy forget? That as the day it all started.

"Where my adventure first started!" Lucy would never, ever forget that day.

"Oi, I think I see her!" Luke pointed.

"About time, we've been waiting!" Jack huffed.

"We're ready to go!" Sherri exclaimed.

But there was also… "And it was also where…I fought Natsu." She couldn't forget that day no matter how much she tried. That stormy night where Lambda forced her to fight and try and kill Natsu. But this very moment was also going to be the most important one. This was the beginning of their do or die moment. Fairy Sphere had to work. "Once more, we'll meet Natsu here!"

* * *

The battle against Acnologia continued to go south for the Dragon Slayers. Despite Heartless' efforts to aid them, the dragon's strength still outweighed their combined efforts. Daryan tumbled along the ground before coming to a halt on a knee, panting heavily. "Hey guys…? I got a question…"

"Yeah?" Everyone responded with a groan and some variation of yes.

"Anyone else getting weird déjà vu from this…?" Daryan was referring to their battle with King, which went very similar to this one.

"Nope…I think we all have it…" Alex said.

"Okay, good, so it's not just me. Second question…how the hell did we beat him back then?" He asked the others. Because right now, the situation was looking very grim.

"Looks like this is the end of the line for you, Dragon Fools." Acnologia stood before the struggling dragon slayers. While they struggled to stand, he walked over to Hikaru and picked her up by the neck. "I cannot afford to leave even a single dragon alive. This is what it means to be a dragon slayer. The very reason for my existence!" It was at that moment a blast consumed the frost dragon, and she suffered a fate similar to Takeru. Everyone could only watch with wide eyes as the ravines of time rumbled once again, and Acnologia could feel his magic beginning to stabilize slowly, but surely. It was steadily beginning to offset whatever was draining him. Once he took five more, it would be a problem no more. "Five more."

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Leon was the first one to act, acid exploding around his entire form to the point it coated and began to corrode his entire body. Watching the death of a comrade caused the Acid of Rage to explode into being and he violently lunged at Acnologia, throwing an explosive acid punch at the dragon's chest. The punch was caught, but Acnologia did slide back a considerable distance.

"Kuhahahaha…" Acnologia was prepared to do the same to Leon, but that's when Blues jumped forward from above.

"YOU BASTARD!" The blue dragon swung his hands down, dropping a potent sphere of black water down on Acnologia. It exploded violently on impact and Acnologia released Leon, only to lunge forward and grip Blues by the face, violently dragging him along the ground. "Gaaaaaah!"

The dragon slayers held the advantage in numbers, however, all Acnologia had to do at this point was divide and conquer. They were growing weaker against his sheer might. At this rate, it would not be long until they all fell. "KUAHAHAHAHAH!"

"Blues!" Melanie allowed water and lightning to surge around her body. The jet of water exploded and she barreled forward, attempting to save her companion before he fell into Acnologia's clutches. Acnologia swung at her, but her Water Body allowed her phase through his attack and slammed a dual elemental fist at his face, with little effect. "…!"

"I existence to end all dragons!" Acnologia moved his arm from Blues to slam Melanie down into the ground. The girl let out a cry of pain, but it didn't even finish as he then kicked her into a crystal pillar, violently pursuing with the intent to finish her off.

"We're not gonna let you!" Sting shouted as he and Rogue moved to intercept Acnologia. Unfortunately for them, he was now going to make use of the magic he 'consumed' when absorbing Hikaru. The dragon turned, unleashing a roar of ice at Sting and Rogue to freeze them in their tracks. "D-DAMN IT, NOOO!" Sting roared.

It was too late for anyone else to do anything. Acnologia's claw stabbed right through Melanie's chest and the meek water dragon let out a cry of pain before she met the same fate as Takeru and Hikaru. The ravines of time trembled once more and the dragon pulled his hand back, licking his lips. "Four more."

"Shit!" Rogue cursed. They were losing ground and people! They had to bring this dragon's rampage to an end!

"What was that earlier? About the world not being so weak it would be destroyed by me?" As Acnologia asked this he lifted his hand into the air, creating a solid mass of water, shadows, and ice above the dragon slayers who challenged him. The dragon then brought his hand down on the ground, causing this mass to drop down on everyone where it exploded, sending them scattering in all directions with cries of pain. "About all of you breaking me before I break you!?"

"RAAAAH!" Leon screamed while lunging at Acnologia once again, this time for a Sword Horn. He slammed right into Acnologia's chest, the acid actually burning the dragon due to its intensity. Acnologia grit his teeth, snarling at the sensation before lifting his arm up to smash it into Leon's back, forcing the acid dragon into the ground. "UGH!"

"Flame Palm!" Cynthia appeared at Acnologia's left, now in her Demon Drive. Red demonic flames exploded from the palm of her hand. Acnologia brought his cape forward to defend against the blow, but he grit his teeth as Cynthia's cursed flames dealt noticeable damage. Acnologia went to fire a blast at her, but didn't realize that Alex's extended arm was wrapped around her body, thus pulling her back before any attack could reach her. "Wendy!"

"Hah!" Wendy was behind Acnologia, making use of a new spell. A spell that was inspired by Elieen taking over her body. She took control of the air within the ravines of time, compressing it into a gigantic mass of wind and fire and suddenly appeared on Acnologia's right. This huge sphere of atmospheric compression attempted to consume and explode on him, but Acnologia was able to use his newly acquired ice dragon slaying to freeze this sphere over before it could do any damage to him. He then crushed the sphere and let the shrapnel of ice fly out, some shards striking Wendy. "Kyaaah!"

Waiston jumped forward, snagging some of the ice within his mouth. The silver lining was that he was able to recover some lost magic. "Frozen Sky Dragon's TALON!" A fierce kick was aimed for Acnologia's skull, which was blocked by the dragon's arm. This is exactly what Waiston wanted, and it really was a blessing Acnologia only had one arm to work with.

"HAAA!" Selene slid to Acnologia's right, swinging her diamond covered leg at the dragon's jaw. It hit directly, causing Acnologia to scowl since they refused to sit down and die.

"Don't you understand by now!? All of your efforts are useless!" Acnologia gripped Waiston's leg before he could pull back, violently slamming him into Selene to send the two flying away. He then finished off this assault by pointing his arm forward; creating a huge shockwave that pushed the two dragon slayers into a crystal pillar that soon shattered. "I am the strongest dragon! You all are nothing!"

"Shut the hell up!" Laxus used his Lightning Body to ascend to the air. Once he had the aerial advantage, he clasped his fingers together, swinging his hands down violently down at Acnologia's skull. "Lightning Dragon's Jaw!" The heavy blow came with the intention of slamming Acnologia into the dirt, but Laxus was not going to get that pleasure as the dragon jumped to the side, watching as the ground was utterly destroyed in his stead. Laxus was far from finished and brought his arms up, lightning now taking the shape of a halberd. "Halberd!" He followed up, hurling this potent divine weapon towards Acnologia.

"I appreciate the meal!" Acnologia opened his mouth, simply preparing to consume the magic that was thrown at him. But, just before he could, it fizzled out. It was a fake out. "…!?"

Cobra slipped to Acnologia's side. "Poison Dragon's Iron Fist!" He swung his poison infused at Acnologia's cheek, scoring a direct hit, but he didn't away with it as the dragon swung his hand down to claw at Cobra's chest, sending him flying away.

"Skeletal Dragon's…!" Daryan attempted to strike right after Cobra did, but he was easily caught off guard by a rising glacier of ice and shadows which sent him barreling backwards. "Ack…!"

"Fire Dragon's…" Natsu began while taking to the air, a gigantic fireball already held over his head. "Dazzling Blaze!" He hurled this sphere down, watching as it exploded against Acnoloiga. The smoke didn't even clear as the dragon was already in front of Natsu. The fire dragon could only cross his arms as a fierce kick to his shoulder sent him crashing back down to the ground. "Gah!"

"Iron Shadow Dragon's Roar!" Gajeel exhaled, unleashing a massive funnel of iron and shadows that soared across the sky towards Acnologia. Unfortunately for him, Acnologia released his own roar that easily plowed through his own, consuming him and throwing him back violently. "Oof!"

"You're at the end of your rope…" Acnologia said with a heinous grin. It was true, too. Had the dragon slayers been in better condition coming into this battle, they might have stood a better chance. But they were starting to run low and their injuries were catching up to them. They could still fight, but it wasn't going to be for very much longer and Acnologia knew this.

* * *

Back in Hargeon, the makers managed to complete a huge ship. One that was more than large enough to hold a dragon of Acnologia's size. "This is my greatest masterpiece…" Lyon said while letting out a few huffs.

"You're all amazing!" Juvia clasped her hands together.

"It wasn't easy, but we're far from finished yet!" Melody said while turning to Erza.

"Erza! Mira! Everyone! We're all ready over here!" Gray exclaimed.

Acnologia was perched on a bridge, howling at Erza and the others. "Lucy!" Erza exclaimed.

Lucy donned her Star Dress: Aquarius for this. Freed and Levy were making a Jutsu Shiki, and all that was left was to get Acnologia onto the ship. "Preparations are ready! Send Acnologia to the ship!"

"About time…" Reve said while taking a few shots at Acnologia.

"Okay, here we go!" Erza exclaimed.

"Come on over here you big idiot!" Ace exclaimed.

It was working for a moment, but Acnologia then turned his head to the ship that was nearby. They made another one, did they? He began to inhale as ice swirled around his lips. "He's going to attack it again!?" Mira gasped.

"Not on my watch!" Tristan took the lead, slamming his fist into his palm. "Steel Make: Fortress Walls!" Using most of the magic in his body, Tristan crafted multiple steel walls in front of Acnologia's incoming roar to protect the ship. The walls did crumble, but he did manage to protect the ship from being destroyed. "Agh…"

"Look out!" Erza shouted at Tristan. Acnologia was flying through a few buildings with reckless abandoned and was now violently swinging his tail at the Ace of Black Phoenix. Tristan barely managed to dodge, but the shockwave did knock him down.

Luckily for Tristan, Mira managed to grab him in the nick of time and set him down nicely. She then fired off a blast of darkness magic simply to catch Acnologia's attention, and it worked. "We're not finished yet…!"

"That better not have been Waiston…" Reve grumbled while pulling out his Reverse Slayer.

"So he's not gonna get on it if we ask nicely…" Roy chuckled before hurling an explosive at Acnologia's face. This wasn't a magical bomb. It was a stink bomb! Childish, yes, but he was a dragon slayer with an acute sense of smell, and what better way to exploit those senses here and now. "That that!"

"Gaaah!" It stunk real bad. The rancid smell caused Acnologia to fly into the air to escape it, where he decided to unleash another roar down on the port itself. This was Reve's cue to activate the reverse slayer, inhaling the roar to attempt to stop it all.

"Can it hold all of that?!" Mira asked.

"Don't question me." Reve said while narrowing his eyes. It was a close call, but the Reverse Slayer was actually able to withhold most of it. He had to pull back, but at that point, whatever was left of the roar wasn't too bad to deal with.

Without a word, Sidney already knew what to do next. He placed his foot on the ground, crafting a magic seal. "Resurrection: Frankenstein." From the seal, a large 30 foot Frankenstein appeared, this one meant to brawl Acnologia. The Frankenstein attempted to latch onto Acnologia's shoulders as it came down, which it did. The dragon was having none of this and attempted to shake off the monster, crashing through building after building while roaring. Sidney then glanced at Reve, who already knew what to do.

"Present for you." Reve pointed the trigger and released the roar absorbed from Acnologia. Since it was Acnologia's own magic, he wasn't going to be able to do anything about it but take it. His own magic held an effect against his body and caused him to turn to Reve, only to be slugged in the face by the Frankenstein.

"Wing Blade!" Ace now took his turn, flying in while shifting to his Black Battalion armor. The ace of Dealer slammed his body into Acnologia's chin, causing him to recoil. "I really hate that we gotta bait him twice, but it's working! The worst thing he could do now is…" Acnologia let out another roar and took to the sky, multiple glints of light appearing as he prepared to unleash another Etenral Flare. "…That…"

"I think he's aiming for all of us this time!" Milliana cried.

Just as the beams of destruction came raining down, they were matched with spears of ice and diamond, causing multiple explosions in the sky. When everyone turned to see who it was, their faces lit up in excitement. It was Adamantine in his dragon form. And riding on his back was… "We made it!" Skye Ravenwood said with a wide grin. "Sorry we're late!"

"What the!? Adam!? Skye!?" Luke's eyes widened. No time for questions, but they sure picked a good time to show up.

"Erza! Reve!" Mira turned to the two requip mages.

"Juvia, Jaxon use the water to adjust the position of the ship!" Gray told them. At that moment, Sidney appeared on the ship, letting his magic aura flare to attract Acnologia's attention, and it worked.

Erza sprinted forward while changing into her Heaven's Wheel Armor, bringing forth hundreds upon hundreds of swords from the pocket dimensions to the skies above Acnologia. "Don't underestimate the power of humans, Acnologia!"

"Tch…" Always one with the speeches. Reve held his arms out, creating just as many guns as Erza did swords, because he was not going to be outdone by Titania right now. "Devil's Wheel."

"…!" Acnologia turned his head, noticing the bombardment of bullets and swords a little too late. They all slammed into his back, forcing him in the direction of the ship.

"Feel the power of every single one of my armaments!" Titania screamed.

"Now!" Gray yelled.

"On it!" Jaxon and Juvia said at the same time, flicking their wrists to cause a tidal wave to push the ship towards Acnologia.

"Wha-!?" Acnologia crashed onto the ship, feeling sick and stunned. As soon as he landed, Sidney returned to the harbor. "Gaha….." He wanted to hurl, but he fought through the sensation and slowly picked himself up, wings flapping as he prepared to take off…or rather, fall off the ship to escape this sensation.

"He's trying to escape!" Ethan exclaimed.

"Oh no you don't!" Cygnus and Kagura exclaimed. They both made use of the power of gravity; creating a gravitational force so strong it forced Acnologia back onto the ship.

"You stay right where you are and enjoy your one way trip to hell, you reptile FUCK!" Cygnus grinned.

"That's more like it…" Taya said with a slight smirk.

"NOW! LUCY!" Mira yelled.

"EVERYONE! RELEASE YOUR MAGIC!" Lucy commanded. There was a bright light emanating from every single mage in Hargeon, all of it used to form Fairy Sphere. This was their moment. Everything hinged on this right here!

"Why is he not in the circle!?" Lisanna gestured at Sidney, who was standing outside of the circle with his arms crossed.

"You're out of your mind if you think Sidney's gonna join a friendship circle." Royal remarked. Even though Sidney was standing outside of the circle, he was giving his magic to the Fairy Sphere nonetheless.

"…." Every mage, huh? Chelia watched as everyone, every mage poured their heart, soul, and magic into this. She was no good here and she knew it. She couldn't protect Raven and she wasn't a mage anymore. The girl sighed and started to walk off…but then a breeze blew by her. She blinked once and turned around, staring as Sherri and Carla (human form) extended their hands to her. With a tearful smile, Chelia took their hands and walked into the circle. She wasn't glowing like the others, but in her case, it wasn't about the magic she could offer. It was about the bonds she shared with everyone.

" _Aquarius...Loke…First, Master, Sophie, Papa, Mama_ , _lend me you strength! The strength to protect everyone!"_ Lucy clapped her hands together as a bright light shone from her, the caster of the spell. _"Link…reach…feel…"_ "FAIRY SPHERE! ACTIVATE!"

* * *

"Do you understand now?" Acnologia asked as he stood over the downed dragon slayers. They put up a fight, but that's all they were able to do against his power. Helplessly flounder about before they reached their limit. "There will be no dragons left after this encounter."

"Kuku…" Natsu laughed. "Hahahahaha….ahhh…" With heavy breaths, the Salamander slowly forced himself to his feet. "But you're a dragon too, aren't ya? Pretty funny joke there, if ya ask me. As long as you exist, there'll still be a single dragon alive, kukuku…"

"…." What kind of logic? Acnologia scowled at those words.

"Besides, we're humans. The dragons gave us power, but we're still humans. Quit the narcissism, idiot…" Natsu said while making his way to his feet. "Real dragons, you see…are strong and noble…" His mind flashed to the dragons that raised everyone, Gaia, Adamantine, and Princess Ena of the Isle. "And kind."

"Kind? A _dragon_?" This is what truly made Acnologia upset. "The dragons that stole everything from me, are _kind_? They devoured my family, ruined my city, and killed even the little children!? How in the world could those dragons have ever been kind!? _**NONSENSE!"**_ As he screamed this, a powerful eruption occurred from his body with the intent of blowing Natsu away and finishing him off. Not much was known about Acnologia, but they were beginning to understand why he was the way he was. He was a human who was attacked by dragons, a human who wanted revenge on dragons, and when Elieen created Dragon Slaying, he found a way to rob them of everything. That bloodlust turned into something no one ever expected. That attack of hiswas impossible to avoid, but…

"I told you…" Natsu continued on, his scarf wavering in the wind. " _Real_ dragons. Dragons come in different types, just like us humans. Likeable ones, and terrible ones; strong ones and weak ones; bad ones, and kind ones…" Flames ignited around Natsu once more. "And ones that defeat you. You're mad at the evil dragons for taking away everything that was yours, and right now, you're no better. You've become exactly what you swore to destroy! And you know what we are!?"

"My attacks!? Why…" Acnologia was stunned. It didn't do any damage!? Then he noticed it. Wendy's body was giving off a glow. That cursed sky dragon! Acnologia turned to take Wendy down before she could conjure up some plot, but then….

"HAAAAH!" Cynthia slammed her body right into Acnologia's side, forcing him back a step due to the suddenness and curse power fueling her body. A roaring explosion of fire occurred on the spot, forcing Cynthia backwards and even burning out her entire body because of how fierce these flames were.

"….!" Acnologia growled. He was so distracted by Natsu and Wendy; he didn't even notice her until she slammed into him.

And this bought Wendy enough time to do what she needed to do. "I'LL ENCHANT ALL OUR POWER INTO YOU, NATSU-SAN!" The body of every dragon slayer was glowing as Wendy's voice rose to a rare, determined scream.

"Go, Natsu!" Laxus shouted.

"I know we can trust you to finish this off!" Gajeel yelled.

"We're counting on you, Natsu!" Sting exclaimed.

"Our magic power…" Rogue trailed off.

"We'll give all of it!" Cobra finished.

"This is how we won last time!" Daryan finally remembered.

"We left it all to you!" Alex roared.

"Don't let us down!" Blues smirked.

"If you mess this up, I'll kill you!" Waiston said, because he knew that's what Takeru would say if he were here right now.

"Please, for the others…" Selene pleaded.

"Finish this!" Leon declared.

"Let's end it…" Cynthia lifted her head up with a slight smirk.

"Yeah…I feel it…I FEEL YA!" Natsu said as the magic of every dragon slayer present flooded into him, violently whirling around his right arm. "Your powers will become flame! This is the power of the Ultimate Dragon!" The same dragon that defeated King those years ago now made its return. With the power of everyone fueling him, Natsu lunged forward while drawing his right arm back, preparing to bring this battle to a close. He was now continuing his quote from earlier. What were these dragon slayers that stood against Acnologia right now? "WE ARE THEIR LEGACY! WE ARE THE DRAGONS THAT WILL BEAT YOU! RAAAAAAAAARGH!"

Acnologia scowled as Natsu came at him with such power. "You think because you defeated that imitation of me, you stand a chance!?" The dragon brought his hand back, magic swirling around him as he prepared to not only combat, but destroy Natsu and everyone behind him. "Your destruction is nigh, accursed dragons! BEHOLD MY ALMIGHTY POWER OF DESTRUCTION! SIMPLY COMBINING YOUR FEEBLE POWERS WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH TO PREVAIL AGAINST THE DRAGON KING!"

* * *

Fairy Sphere formed around Acnologia, trapping him inside. "Did we do it!?" Erza asked.

That's how it would seem. But Acnologia began to slam against the sphere, fighting against it. "FULTILE!"

"No way…!" Gray gasped.

"But…why…?" Lucy was huffing and puffing. She was at the end of her rope. While everyone was focused on keeping the Fairy Sphere intact, Lucy had to channel all of that energy into it. But she was fading fast.

"SIMPLY COMINBING YOUR FEEBLE POWERS WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH TO PREVAIL AGAINST THE DRAGON KING!" Acnologia roared.

"Fairy Sphere is going to be broken!" Lily yelled.

"…And we don't have a plan B, do we…?" Magnus began to sweat.

"…I can't…" Lucy dropped to her knees. "Our magic power wasn't enough…and I can't…focus on it for much longer…"

"Lucy!" Tia was going to rush over to Lucy, but she was tugged back by Diamond.

"We can't break the chain!" Diamond said. If they broke the circle then they'd really lose the Fairy Sphere.

"What's the point if it's gonna crack anyway!?" Tia shouted.

"If it cracks now, we're dead!" Shadowlore barked.

"Was it really not enough…?" Zelos questioned.

"Nnnn…" Lucy's eyes started to close. At long last, her condition finally caught up to her. _"I can't…hold it…anymore…"_ Her body started to tip over as the Fairy Sphere showed cracks. A few more pushes and Acnologia was going to break free with nothing to stop him. Lucy's vision began to fade. _"I'm sorry…"_ And that's when it happened. A sharp pain shot through her lower right side, causing her to jolt awake. "Ouch!?" She looked down and saw an emerald chain stabbed into lower right side. But even more than that…she felt magic flooding into her? "Huh!?"

"After that grandiose speech you had against me, I'm disgusted at the notion of you actually thinking about passing out right here and now." Emmeraude said while crossing her arms. The chain she used to pierce Lucy was connected to her hand, and that's where the magic was coming from. "The one thing you're not about to do is give up after your stand against me. That would be an affront to everything we fought for, and I'm not going to have that."

"E-Emmer…!?" Lucy's eyes widened. Just what was going on here!?

"Don't get it twisted. I still very much despise both you and your guild, and think the world would be a better place without it. However, I'm more aware that if this dragon is allowed to do as he pleases; there won't _be_ a world to even live in. In case you've forgotten, a world where people can live free of threats like this is one I aspire for. In order to achieve true peace, I am very aware that sometimes you'll have to work with people you really, really don't like. But I will do what I have to if it means this world can be safe." At the very least, Emmeraude stuck true to her beliefs. This was also not a pep talk. This was a 'get your shit together' in an elegant, but rude fashion. Classic Em. She was making it clear that she would not be doing this if the entirety of the world she loved so much was not at stake.

Lucy managed a soft smile. It was weird for her to have them come together like this. "…Thanks."

To that, Emmeraude turned her head. "Do not thank me. Just make sure your plan doesn't fail."

"Are you gonna join?" Lucy asked, gesturing to the Fairy Sphere circle.

"Don't push it." Emmeraude sharply replied.

"Yeah, she figured as much. Despite that, she clapped her hands together once more, the magic from Emmeraude allowing her to fuel Fairy Sphere just a little bit and reinforce it. This only bought them a little time as Acnologia was determined to break free from this prison.

"It's still not enough…" Mii mumbled. Was this how they all died? Seemed a little lame.

It was at that moment that a sensory link appeared on Lucy's wrist. "If that's the case, then we'll simply gather it from across the continent!" Meredy said as she and Ultear appeared on the scene.

"Meredy!" Juvia's face lit up.

"Sorry we're late!" Ultear said while lifting her orb into the air. "I was broadcasting the situation to every country in Ishgar."

"While I spent time connecting everyone!" Meredy lifted her wrist up. "And now we can gather all their magic to this point!" Magic began flowing in from all corners of the continent, all into the Fairy Sphere circle.

Lucy felt the increase in power and her eyes widened. "Amazing…the magic it's…flowing in from all directions!"

* * *

In Joya, Count Waltz and his royal guard were watching the situation on the lacrima screen. "Hm… Acnologia, hm?"

"What should we do?" Polka asked while staring at the Count. "I think…I think we should lend a hand."

"I agree!" Retto said while pumping a hand into the air. "They need the help! And this world is ours too, right? We can't let that beast do as he pleases!"

"Mmm…" Rondo hummed quietly. "What is your command, Count Waltz?"

"Aid them." Waltz said while lifting his hand into the air. "They are trying to destroy the dragon, are they not? I see no reason as a leader of Ishgar to not support them. Fiore may be the country where danger brews, but seeing as we can do something about this…"

"Yes!" Polka clasped her hands together and lifted them into the air along with everyone else. Their magic began flooding into the Fairy Sphere in Fiore.

* * *

Isle of the Dragons. Ena watched from the shoreline. She could see everything happening miles away and watched with bated breath. "Erza-senpai…everyone…"

"Hey, do you feel that?" Kurth questioned.

"Oh…I believe so…" Venoma tilted her head. "What should we do, Your Highness?"

"I hope you don't suggest going over there…" Edna yawned, the lazy crystal dragon wasn't willing to go over and fight.

"Isn't it obvious!?" Ena lifted her hand into the sky immediately. "Every citizen of the Isle! Please, give your magic to Erza-senpai and her friends! This is our chance to help defeat Acnologia once and for all!"

"As you wish." Nasir nodded and raised his hands. Every resident of the Isle of the Dragons did the same, allowing their massive magic power to flood into the Fairy Sphere.

"YOU CAN DO IT!" Ena screamed, hoping her voice carried across the ocean to her dear friends of Fairy Tail.

* * *

In an undisclosed location, Calium watched from the lacrima screen, arms crossed, and a slight smile on his face. "You all always end up getting yourselves into the worst situations." He then lifted his hand, allowing his magic to flood to the Fairy Sphere. "Well, with my help, that thing should be all but escapable."

"There's that ego of yours again…" A woman with mauve hair said while deciding to lend a hand. She wasn't quite sure what was going on, but it was clear that people Calium cared about were in trouble, so she didn't see the harm in offering her magic.

* * *

In Iceburg, Queen Ice crossed her legs on her throne, watching everything play out with her two maids. "Hm…" Without saying a word, the queen of Iceburg raised her hand, deciding to help out as well. Everyone knew of the danger of Acnologia, so what better time than to do it now? Her two maids looked at each other and followed without question.

* * *

Minstrel. There was no question that the young Raha was going to aid in this attempt to defeat Acnologia. The young empress of Minstrel held her hand in the air to let her magic fly! But it was family nearby that held some questions about it. "What do you think, Aniki?"

The male exhaled, letting some smoke puff out from his cigar. "I don't see why not."

"I think we should!" Namiyaka said while holding her hand out without delay. Her sister, Taya, may not have wanted to see her but she would help out any way she could. Her sister and White Eclipse.

* * *

Pergrande. "Hm…" Ashnard watched, debating if he should lend a hand or not.

"What is your command, Your Highness?" Rubicante questioned with a curt bow. "Do we aid them, or do we let them drown?"

"This world is meant to be mine. I won't allow some dragon to do as he pleases." Ashnard commanded. "Besides, it wouldn't do well if every country aided excluding Pergrande. It is the biggest country in this continent, brimming with powerful mages. This should be more than enough to satisfy their meager little spell."

"Very well. Although, I'll have to wash my hands after this." Nercon sighed while raising her hand.

* * *

Magic flowed in from everywhere. Everyone was connected at this moment. Prometheus and Pandora were watching from a rooftop nearby. The Grim Reaper took a crouched position, tilting his head curiously. "Should we stop this?" He asked his partner. "If we do, I think it would be over."

"No." Pandora shook her head.

"Aw, but why not? Think of all the chaos that could happen!" Prometheus turned to Pandora.

"Yes, but…it is my job to balance chaos. If we allow that dragon to be free, this world will become nothing but ruin." She then turned to him. "I do not want this world to be destroyed…because in this world I…" She stopped and shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Will you…assist me?" The goddess of balance already raised her hand to allow her magic to flow into Fairy Sphere.

"…" Prometheus didn't really get it, but ultimately he shrugged. "Fine, fine. I owe you, anyway." He then raised his hand to help out.

"Ugh…I can't move…"Acnologia growled. His body stiffened to a halt.

"HAAAAAAAAAAH!" Every mage in Hargeon screamed as they offered every ounce of their magic power.

"Take our magic too!" Mira screamed.

"DO IT!" Erza yelled.

"THIS IS ALL OF OUR MAGIC POWER!" Gray shouted.

"FROM ALL THE MAGES ACROSS THE CONITNENT!" Happy roared.

Lucy held her hands together. _**"FAIRY SPHERE!"**_ With all the magic flooding into them, the sphere finally enclosed around Acnologia, the Fairy Tail symbol brightly appearing on it.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!" Acnologia roared as he was trapped.

* * *

" _ **DESTROY! DESTROY! DESTROY! I SHALL DESTROY EVERYTHING!"**_ Acnologia exclaimed as he snapped, going berserk due to all the events outside.

"That son of a…!" Laxus grunted.

"He's going berserk!" Cobra growled. "Just like with King!"

" _ **MORE BLOOD! I YET LONG TO BATH IN THE BLOOD OF DRAGONS!"**_ The dragon screamed as his aura caused the ravines of time to tremble.

"I can't end this…not on my own…" Natsu admitted.

" _ **UUAAAAAARAGH!"**_ Acnologia was going to bring his arm forward but…his body stiffened. He couldn't move a muscle. "What?! My body…won't move!?" If only he knew of the desperate, valiant struggle taking place outside of the ravines of time. Then he'd know that the mages on the outside were putting their everything on the line to stop him.

This was his opening! Natsu began to charge forward with a battle cry, rearing his arm backwards. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Natsu!"

"Salamander!"

"Take everything we've got…!"

"And slam him with it!"

"You're the only one who can!"

"We're counting on you!"

"It's up to you!"

"Natsu-san!"

As all the other dragon slayers cried for Natsu to end this, he had no choice but to fulfuill that promise. "LEAVE IT ALL TO ME! HEATHER, TAKERU, HIKARU, MELANIE! LEND ME YOUR STRENGTH!" Natsu exclaimed as the flames around his arm took the shape of a gigantic fist that dwarfed his own, and even Acnologia's body. This wasn't just for them, this was for the fallen, the others who fought so hard on the other side, and most importantly…for tomorrow. _**"THIS IS THE END! ULTIMATE DRAGON'S DEMOLITION FIST!"**_

NO! He had to stop this! Acnologia couldn't sit there and just let this happen! He went to move his left arm and…! ….He didn't have a left arm. At this very moment, he recalled the limb being amputated by Igneel in the vicious three way fight on the Isle. As soon as he had this realization, his eyes widened and he grit his teeth in fear and anxiety. There was nothing he could do as Natsu's fist slammed into him at full force a tremendous shockwave booming out from within the ravines of time. Acnologia let out a cry of pain as his body flew backwards. _"…I want more….more blood…more destruction….more tears…I will…destroy all…I will…grasp everything…in my hands…I will…have everything…"_

"There's no way you can fit everything in your hands alone." Natsu's words struck a certain chord in Acnologia. "That's why you've gotta treasure the things you _do_ have. Don't get greedy. All I need are my friends. 'Slong as I have them, I don't need anything else."

Acnologia stared at Natsu and the others, wide eyed, yet understanding of what he said. How funny…after 400 years, he finally found a power that surpassed his own. There was a soft smile on Acnologia's face as his body disintegrated and he came to peace with his defeat. "I see…you are…worthy of the title, 'King'…" Those were Acnologia's final words.

"King?" Natsu held a slight grin on his face. "Thanks, but no thanks."

* * *

From within the Fairy Sphere, Acnologia's body disintegrated into nothing. "He…exploded!?" Luke blinked several times.

"Did Fairy Sphere really have that kind of power…?" Jin blinked.

"No…this…" Gray held a slight grin.

"HE DID IT!" Happy cheered.

"Yeah." Lucy wiped the tear from her eyes. "Natsu and the other dragon slayers…they won!" They won. They defeated Acnologia. The battle was over, met with a roaring cheer and exhales from those who fought so valiantly. Hargeon was immediately filled with celebration and relief. The fighting was over. Everyone in Fiore could finally relax as the war with Alvarez was now over, and Acnologia was no more. "Ow…!" Lucy felt the chain in her side be yanked out. Surprisingly, there was no blood drawn. She then looked to see Emmeraude walking off. Lucy thought about it for a moment and… "Wait! Emmeraude!" Emmeraude kept walking. She could at least hear her out! "Ugh, I have something I want to say to you!"

Emmeraude held a hand out, waving it a few times dismissively. "I'm sure you do. But it can wait, can't it?" She didn't stop walking either, but she did point a finger to the sky.

"Huh?" What was that supposed to mean? Lucy looked up, only to see the crack in the sky shatter, causing all the dragon slayers to flood out of it. Lucy and Happy smiled as Natsu was falling…..falling right towards them, and ended up falling on them.

As soon as the dragon slayers landed, they were met with all their friends. There was a bit of a somber air going around, as not every dragon slayer who was sucked into the ravines of time made it back alive. Black Phoenix, Shaman's Haven, and White Eclipse felt these losses heavily. But they were glad for those who did survive. "Waaaaah…!" Alex flailed about a bit before she landed in someone's arms. "Huh?"

"I'm so very proud of you." Gaia said with a soft smile.

"MOOOOM!" Alex started crying immediately and hugged Gaia.

"GAIA!" The rest of Cosmic Star, excluding Daryan, ran over to the dragon.

"Ooof!" Daryan landed right on top of Kagura. Probably not what she wanted and he started to sit up. "I'm sorr-" He stopped in his tracks. She was smiling. He had no idea how to react and just stared at her. This was the first time he'd ever seen her smile. "Y…You're smiling…?"

"Don't get used to it." Kagura told him. Considering the circumstances how could she not smile?

"…Don't worry, I won't forget it either." Daryan couldn't even drop a dumb pickup like or anything. He was just in genuine awe.

"If you didn't make it back, I would have come to kill you myself." Kagura told him.

"So you're telling me that all I had to do to get a smile out of you was kill Acnologia? I would've done it sooner if I knew that!" The dragon slayer chuckled. "So…would you mind patching me up again…?"

Kagura kept that smile on her lips and responded with a firm… "No."

"I'm home!" Natsu grinned at Lucy and Happy since he fell on top of them.

"Welcome home!" Lucy and Happy chimed in unison. Their expressions held unmatched happiness.

"All right…let's head back to the guild!" Natsu exclaimed to everyone of Fairy Tail. He was sure they all needed a long rest after that one.

"You better get your rest!" Luke said with a smug grin. "Because once we're all healed up, we're coming to kick your ass again!"

"Come on, we know that's not how this works!" Gray said with a smug grin of his own.

"You think your rivalry is all that matters still, huh?" Bacchus laughed. "We'll show you just how WILD we can get!"

"Sabertooth will be taking things home next Grand Magic Games." Minerva said firmly. Her gaze then went to Alexander and she scoffed. "If you intend on joining, know that I will stomp you flat again."

"Tch…" Alexander scoffed. "Don't count on it!"

"Come on, Alexa!" Asuka began pulling Alexander back. "Don't let that grump ruin your mood! We've won!"

"But Hikaru-san…" Tristan frowned. It was a heavy loss for certain. "…No…I'm sure she wouldn't want us to be sad. After all, this is a joyous occasion…"

"We'll live for her too." Leon said firmly. "She's a Phoenix…and phoenixes always rise from the ashes, no matter what."

"What he said…" Roy shrugged.

"That was a lot for just a few days…" Mason rubbed his head. "I can't wait to get back to doing what I do best." Being popular and getting ladies.

"I can't believe Satoshi hibernated throughout all of this…" Roy groaned.

"So, we're going home, right?" Spade let out a heavy sigh. "I've done enough fighting for a few years, I think."

"You and me both, bro…" Strong slumped against a piece of rubble.

"Yes…we're going to go home now." Heartless offered everyone a slight smile. "You've all done exceptionally well during this war. I'm proud of you all."

"We're proud of you too." Ace said with a nod.

"Yeah," Jack agreed.

"Now let's go home so I can powernap for a decade…" Tia snickered.

"Mii..." Erza slowly approached Mii. "What are you going to do? You know you're more than welcome to stay with us..."

"Thanks, but no thanks." Mii's wings spread out and she took to the air. "I don't want to spend what's left of my time with people who break promises. Congrats on the victory...and enjoy finally going home. I'll be going home now too...a home that'll be my grave." She then flew off into the distance.

"Mii, wait!" Mira reached out for Mii, but it was too late. She was long gone. "Ah...please come back...we miss you."

"...She'll be okay." Zelos wrapped an arm around Mira. "There's one important thing you need to know about Mii-chan. I know she's been rejecting you all, but for her sake, you just have to keep believing in her. I think...that Fairy Tail is still her home. A home she just can't come back to. As long as you believe, she won't die as quickly as she thinks she will." Such profound words from Zelos. It really left everyone shocked he could say something like that.

"I promise that we'll bring her back..." Lucy said with a determined nod. "Back home..." Mii was a problem for another day. But right now, there weren't any problems anymore. There was victory and celebration.

"Home…yeah, that's better." Natsu nodded. "Everyone…let's go home." And that was the day that marked the end of an era. But unlike last year, this was the end of the era of the Black Wizard and the Dragon King. With that dark era over, another one was yet to begin. The fun times, the sad times, the path they walked with their guild finally led to this. The bright future, and the tomorrow they so desperately sought. It was all worth it in the end.

.

.

Next Time: Alvarez Empire Epilogue, Part 1 End: Irreplaceable Friends.


	100. Chapter 100: Irreplaceable Friends

X796. One year after the fateful battle with Alvarez and Acnologia. The world was protected by the peace of flame. At lot of things had happened since that battle, but right now, everyone in Fairy Tail was doing great. "This year's Kem Zaleon Prize for the best new author goes to…allow me to introduce, the author of "Iris's Adventure", Miss Lucy Heartfilia!"

"Ah, I heard that the protagonist, Iris, was based off of you, miss Heartfilia…but I can't say I expected you to be such a beautiful young girl!" Someone commented. This caused Lucy to sheepishly rub the back of her head.

"Oh, don't you know? Miss Heartfilia is a part of that mage guild Fairy Tail."

"OH MY!"

A man looked back with a sweat drop. This suddenly explained the elephant in the room that everyone couldn't ignore for much longer. "I see…"

"So that's why…"

"Oh dear…"

"I get it now…that's why her friends are so rowdy!"

Yup. Fairy Tail was causing a ruckus as usual in the middle of this awards show. Natsu was sitting on the table, shoveling meat in his mouth. "AW YEAH! THIS MEAT'S THE BEST!"

"You've had enough, Natsu-san…" Wendy tried her best to scold Natsu. He was causing too much noise and she was getting second hand embarassment. All eyes were on them now, but more importantly, all eyes were on Natsu.

"Yeah, come on Natsu…" Cynthia said with a sweat drop. Over the last year, she dyed the part of her hair that was red back to black. She still didn't quite understand what happened with Verona, but it was really nice to have her thoughts be her own once again.

"This fish is pretty good too, y'know!" Happy said while munching on a raw fish.

"That's pretty dirty of you, Happy…" Carla cut her eyes at Happy. Raw fish? Really?

"Quit taking your clothes off!" Erza yelled at Gray. "NOT HERE!"

"WHOA!?" Gray looked down and he was suddenly naked. "WHEN IN THE-!?"

"High quality iron is somethin' else, I tell ya…" Gajeel grinned while munching on…something metallic.

"That's not for eating, silly…" Levy said with a slight sweat drop.

"That's not even iron, genius…" Lily groaned.

"Our Lucy won the best new author prize!" Jet sang while shoulder to shoulder with Droy.

"Yeah, she won it!" Droy sang.

Everyone could only watch as Fairy Tail made a lot of noise…as they usually did. This was hardly the time or place and Lucy had to call it out. "UUUUUUUGH! I said I'd invite you, but only if you all behaved yourselves, didn't I!?" Lucy whined. "It's embarrassing!"

"….." Natsu stared at Lucy before… "Too bad!"

"Aye!" Happy added. Lucy wasn't sure what was worse. The fact that she knew things would turn out this way, or the fact that things actually turned out this way. Either way, comical tears streamed down her cheeks.

Gray, while still in his boxers, walked up to Natsu, who really wore his usual attire to this fancy party. "I thought they said to wear _formal_ clothes, buster."

"Yeah?" Natsu turned. "Then put some on, idiot."

And as usual, they were face to face, scowling at one another. "Whazzat!?"

"Wanna go?" Natsu glared. There was nothing stopping him from throwing hands with Gray right here and now. "There's a crowd to witness me kick your ass!"

At that moment, Erza kicked both of them with her heel, sending the two of them flying away with a cry of pain. "CAN YOU STOP FIGHTING!? THIS IS A JOYOUS OCCASION!?"

With comical tears running down her cheeks, Juvia began to remove her coat. "Then, Juvia has no choice but to strip instead…"

"WHO WAS IT!?" Macao asked while frantically looking around. "WHO LET HER DRINK!?"

"Who cares!" Wakaba said with perverse expression. "Give her some more!"

"I don't know how she came to that conclusion, but I agree!" Zelos quipped.

Lucy sighed, completely defeated. Expecting everyone from Fairy Tail to behave was expecting too much, but she had to give them the benefit of the doubt. "Geez…the whole award ceremony is in shambles…" A lot happened in the last year. The book that Lucy had been writing on the side somehow managed to win best new author prize, even though it didn't exactly sell well, she still managed to become a published author.

"Congratulations, Lucy." Anna slowly walked forward with a smile on her face. She was still in this time. There wasn't a way for her to go back in time, so she stayed and became a teacher.

"Oh, Anna…!" It was strange for Lucy to be talking to one of her own ancestors…but it worked out nicely.

"There's still a few things you need to do to keep living as an author from now on." The elder Heartfilia said, causing Lucy to laugh a bit.

"Oh, I get it!" Natsu said while sniffing the air. "Lucy smells like Miss Anna! That's why I always feel so calm around her!"

"Smell!? Quit it!" Lucy whined.

"Yeah, you had a crush on Miss Anna, didn't ya?" Gajeel said with a teasing grin.

"Yep! And?" Natsu responded without even giving it a second thought.

"WHADDYA MEAN AND!?" Gajeel yelled. Was Natsu really too braindead to tease like that!?

"Gajeel, over here…!" Levy waved the iron dragon over.

"Aight." Gajeel shrugged and walked over to Levy.

Watching those two always made Lucy a little jealous. She could see Levy whisper something in Gajeel's ear. _"Did…did I hear the word baby just now…?"_ The mere thought of it caused steam to come out of her red cheeks. When she glanced at Wendy and Cynthia, the looks on their faces suggested that they heard it too…

"Oh, Lucy…!" Emerald made her way over to Lucy, holding a copy of her book in hand. "I'm so glad I was able to find you here!"

"Huh?!" Lucy blinked several times. Not that she was unhappy to see Emerald, but it was a big surprise since she hadn't seen her in just over a year. Lucy did promise to give Emerald a copy of her book and she did do just that. "O-Oh! Miss Emerald! It's nice to see you again!"

"I invited her to join. She's very friendly." Anna said with a soft smile.

"I'm glad. I wanted to congratulate you on winning the new best author prize!" Emerald clasped her hands together. "When I read your book, I had a feeling it would do well! I was enthralled the whole way through, and the ending…!"

"T-Thank you!" Lucy bowed to Emerald. This was still really weird for her. Emerald was so much nicer than her daughter…wait, speaking of… "…Wait, if you're here, then does that mean."

"I'd brace yourself." Anna warned.

"Best new author? Color me surprised." Oh boy. There it was. Emmeraude walked onto the scene with a glass of red wine in one hand, gently swirling it around before bringing it to her lips.

"Emmeraude…how nice to see you…" Lucy let out a heavy sigh. They hadn't seen each other since the battle ended a year ago. Based on the air around them, it was clear that they didn't both didn't hold a distinct hatred for one another. _"…Even though we still really don't get along, I can at least say it's a…healthy disdain?"_

"I read your book, you know." Emmeraude said.

"You did..?!" Lucy wasn't sure which direction this was going, so she braced herself as Anna told her to.

"Oh yes, all the way through. I have to say…it was really quite bland." Emmeraude began. "I found myself instantly disliking the protagonist, I found the plot to be inconsistent in some points, and it felt like a bore the whole way through. The only reason I kept reading was to see how the train wreck ended." Yeah, she was one of _those_ people. Keyword. Disdain.

Lucy knew she should have expected the worst, but somehow, Emmeraude exceeded her expectations. "Wh-!? Did you seriously read my book from start to finish just to criticize every little thing you didn't like about it? Who does that!?"

"Mmm." Emmeraude just smiled coyly. She knew what she did. She also felt the piercing gaze of her mother on her back to play nice. With a very quiet sigh, the woman rolled her eyes. "I suppose the ending wasn't _that_ terrible. I still didn't like it, though."

"Thanks…I guess…" Lucy rolled her eyes. "Still, reading my book, dressing nicely, and coming all the way here just to tell me it's bad...that's a weird thing to take pride in..." She wondered how Emerald was so nice, but Emmeraude was so…her. "…Dare I even ask what brings you here?"

"I was invited." Emmeraude waved her free hand. "And you know, to be truthful…I feel inspired. If an amateur writer such as yourself can somehow win best new author, I can easily become the queen of any country."

"Those two things aren't related in the slightest and you know it!" Lucy huffed. "Did you come really come here just to take shots?"

"No." Emerald answered for Emmeraude. " _We_ came to congratulate you, even if one of us isn't being very sincere about it and is choosing to be stubborn." In response to that, Emmeraude took a sip of her wine and scoffed very, very loudly.

"A-Ahaha…" Lucy decided to avoid the awkwardness by taking a sip of wine herself, only to fan her face after. "Yup…that's strong…" Her brown eyes then glanced at Emerald, who was motioning for Lucy to try talking to her daughter again. In truth…she still did have something on her mind. It sat there for an entire year after the battle against Alvarez. Emmeraude wasn't exactly their enemy _now_ , so… "…Emmeraude?"

"…?" Emmeraude blinked, silently glancing at Lucy. She thought they were done talking.

"…I…" Lucy began.

"No." Emmeraude immediately replied.

"Stop doing that!" Lucy frowned. "At least hear me out!" Emmeraude shrugged and crossed her arms, waiting for Lucy to speak. "Geez…I know we don't exactly get along, and a lot of bad things have happened between us. But still, you helped us back then, so I was thinking that maybe…just maybe…we could try putting our best foot forward together?" This was the best way Lucy could phrase her attempt at giving Emmeraude a second chance as Emerald asked. She extended her hand, in a metaphorical sense, so all she needed to do now was wait for the reply.

"Oh. Well, since you've put things like that, my answer is still no." Emmeraude sharply replied.

"Eh…?" Lucy blinked at the harshness of her tone, while Emerald just sighed.

"I don't need or want your forgiveness. Just because we aren't enemies at present doesn't mean we won't be in the future. I'm going to continue walking down the path I've set for myself, and that path does not align with yours, far from it. Our feud may be over, but I have no intention of taking back what I've done, or being your friend." After that response, Emmeraude turned her back, ending the conversation then and there.

"I-I see…." Lucy let out a quiet sigh. That went about as well as she expected. "Even though you've done more bad than good, the good counts too…"

Emerald stepped over to Lucy, whispering so Emmeraude couldn't hear them. "…I'm sorry. I brought her here in hopes that she'd at least agree to clearing the slate. She's more stubborn than I thought."

"I-It's okay…" Lucy waved a hand. "Somehow…it felt nice for me to do that, even if she rejected me before I could say anything…I didn't want to hold onto that animosity forever. It doesn't matter who reaches out first."

Emerald smiled at Lucy's words. "Ah…now I wish she didn't partake such a lonely road…"

"Maybe…" Lucy trailed off. Instead she opted to take another drink, and once again, she had to fan her face because her cheeks flushed. "A-Ah…"

"Still not very good with alcohol, are we?" Cana strolled past, first giving Emmeraude a glare before shoving a bottle into Lucy's mouth. "It's a joyous occasion! Bottoms up!"

"NGGGH!" Lucy's eyes were wide as Cana forced the alcoholic beverage down her throat.

"Hey, hey!" Gildarts objected. "If you make young girls drink too much…!"

"JUVIA WANTS TO STRIP MORE!" Juvia yelled while ripping her coat open, exposing her upper body and her bra.

"HEY, QUIT IT!" Gray yelled while rushing to drag Juvia out of everyone's prying eyes.

"THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS…!" Gildarts stared…stared at Juvia's chest. "…Acutally, let them drin-"

Immediately, Cana's hand smacked the back of her father's head with her left hand. Ever since that battle, her right arm wasn't quite as responsive as it used to be, but she could still use it just not too much. "You gross old man!"

"He seems…nice…?" Emerald held a sweat drop while nudging Emmeraude.

Emmeraude gave Gildarts a half glance before returning to her drink. "It would take more than wine for me to even consider taking _that_ plunge."

"Seems like that one's a stick in the mud…" Gildarts shrugged at Emmeraude's attitude before moving onto Emerald. "So-"

And at that moment, Emmeraude's aura flared up instantly and in a comical manner, her hair wavering in the process. "…Touch her and I will slice off the head you're thinking with."

"O-Okay Em, I think you've had a little too much to drink…let's go sit down…" How convenient. Emmeraude was starting to intake a little more alcohol than intended and it showed on her somewhat rosy cheeks. Emerald took Emmeraude and guided her elsewhere to sit down.

Meanwhile, Gray pulled Juvia off to the side. "What were you thinking!?"

"I'm sorry…" Juvia mumbled.

Gray looked back and noticed the scars on Juvia's chest. One from the stab wound she inflicted upon herself, and the other from Prometheus' scythe stabbing into her. "…Those scars. They're still there, huh?"

"Juvia doesn't mind them." Juvia responded.

"If you ask Wendy, I'm sure she'll get rid of it for you, right?" Gray asked.

"But your scars are still there, too, Gray-sama." Juvia pointed out.

"B-But it's different for guys!" Gray stuttered. "Your body, well…!"

Juvia didn't understand, so her innocent gaze went up to Gray. "What about Juvia's body?"

Now that Gray made it to this point, he wasn't exactly sure how to proceed. "Uh…well…it's uh…mine, and uh..uhm…yeah…"

OH. As soon as Juvia heard what Gray had to say, hearts appeared in her eyes. Was this Gray's answer?! She sure hoped so, because her heart was aflutter even though his confession was lackluster at best. "Ah!"

Zelos was watching in the corner, shaking his head at what he witnessed. "That was awful…and yet, she loved it. You really don't deserve that girl…" He muttered that last part. Why was he here? It wasn't so much that he was invited more than he just…slipped in. Since he still hung out at Fairy Tail a lot, his annoying presence soon became a daily thing.

Lucy glanced at Wendy and Cynthia, smiling a little at their reactions. "Ah…looks like they heard something again…"

"O-Oh, that reminds me…!" Cynthia turned to Wendy. "How have you been feeling? Nothing weird since you got your body back, right…?" She was still concerned about that. Never in her life had she been more frightened.

"I'm fine, Cynthia." Wendy smiled. Now it was her turn to be concerned as her eyes drifted to Cynthia's side. "…I'm sorry I couldn't heal your burn…"

Under Cynthia's dress was a noticeable black mark from her self-inflicted burn. Wendy was unable to completely heal that burn and she felt bad about it. However, Cynthia waved a hand. "I keep telling you, it's fine, Wendy. I know it's not exactly pleasant to look at, but it reminds me of when I was able to help bring you back. So it's okay."

"Okay…" Wendy nodded. Her feelings weren't going to go away so fast, but she did remember something. "Oh, right!" Wendy pulled out a broken bracelet. It wasn't very well put together, but Cynthia knew what it was. "When I asked Erza-san what happened, she told me it was broken. I…I tried to find all the pieces, but I couldn't get everything…"

Cynthia's lips curbed up to a bright smile. "It's okay Wendy. I love it. Here." Cynthia took the mostly repaired bracelet and slid it onto Wendy's wrist. It was a nostalgic feeling, reminding her just how far the two of them came since they first met all those years ago. "There. Still a perfect fit. Guess it was meant to be, huh?"

"Yeah!" Wendy responded rather quickly, her cheeks lit up in a bright red hue. Carla watched the two of them with a soft smile of her own. She didn't need to intrude on their moment.

As Lucy watched them, she realized that she wouldn't have to worry about them at all. They'd grown quite a bit. Even though Fairy Tail could be a bit of a hassle in public outings, she did know they meant well. At that moment, she felt something in her dress pocket buzz and she pulled it out. "Hm…?" It was her lacrima device! She pulled it out and Tia appeared on the other side of the screen. "Oh hey, Tia!"

"Sup?" Tia waved a hand. Day by day she was adopting more of Ace's speaking mannerisms. "How'd the award thing go? Did you win?"

"I did!" Lucy held up the trophy she got, grinning widely. "Best new author!"

"I thought so. That book was pretty good." Tia said with a firm nod. "Sorry I couldn't make it, but we're pretty busy over here in Seven."

"I wish you could have made it…everyone here is a disaster…" Lucy sighed. She was going to opt out on telling her that Emmeraude was around. "All the boy-girl couples have me plenty worried…"

"I can literally see that…some of them are getting drunk too." Tia mentioned.

"A true man!" Elfman roared.

"Be quiet!" Evergreen slapped his chest with the back of her hand.

"Fighting again?" Bickslow chuckled.

"My my…" Freed simply shook his head.

"Huh, that's weird. Laxus isn't there?" Tia tilted her head.

"No…" Lucy replied with a frown. "It's around that time, and I don't blame him for not coming…"

* * *

Laxus stood at the grave of Makarov Dreyar. It had been one year since that fateful moment and Laxus felt the need to pay his respects. "After all the things I said back when I was a disrespectful punk to you, I didn't actually expect this day to come. You've left some pretty big shoes to fill…and as your grandson, I'll take it upon myself to keep Fairy Tail the way you had it…because in the end, there was never anything wrong with it." Laxus Dreyar, Fairy Tail's Ninth Guild master gave Makarov's grave a bow and started to walk off. "…See you later, old man…"

* * *

"That guy sure is busy these days, I guess…" Tia sighed.

"Yeah, he's trying his hardest." Lucy said. "He's got a lot of rumors going around him too. Him and Mira, him and Lisanna, him and Cana…it's really hard to tell what's going on with him sometimes. The other guilds have been doing well, too."

"Really now?" The water mage lifted a brow. "Might as well spill. At the moment, I'm basically home alone with nothing better to do. I'm curious how they're holding up after what happened anyway."

"You sure have time to kill…" The blonde laughed a bit. "Wendy and Cynthia are always telling me what's going on with Lamia Scale. Those two were roped into their Thanksgiving Festival again. Chelia really did lose her magic this time, for good…"

"That's a shame…" Tia muttered.

"As for Sabertooth, I heard that Minerva won their yearly eating competition, over at Blue Pegasus, Ichiya was selected as Hunk of the Year…I didn't even know that was a thing…" Lucy continued.

"Speaking of him…your ancestor and Ichiya are kinda close, aren't they? Maybe this is how your bloodline started…" Tia teased.

"STOP!" Lucy's eyes were wide in horror. She didn't even want to think about that any of that and had to force that mental image out of her head before it got stuck. "A-Anyway…White Eclipse is still, well, them…I heard they got some new recruits in, and I think the last time I saw Jaxon he may have had some gray hairs. Shaman's Haven and Black Phoenix are still doing well, and Mermaid Heel is now the exclusive modeling agency of Sorcerer's Weekly. Cynthia told me that Alex said Daryan and Kagura are…well, she wasn't sure how to describe them, really."

"Uh huh…" Tia was listening.

"Oh yeah, going on a bit of a tangent for a second. The King of Fiore went into retirement. Princess Hisui succeeded the throne. She's been working really hard to reestablish relations with Alvarez, but it's been rather difficult since they don't have a ruler anymore…but she's been, well…trying to follow in 'her' footsteps and has been leading this country back to wealth in prosperity."

"… _uh huh…_ " Tia tolled her eyes. She knew that Lucy meant Emmeraude. How annoying the Princss…er, Queen, was influenced by that woman. But it did kind of produce good results…Tia wasn't going to admit that however.

* * *

[Flashback]

Queen Hisui gathered those of Crime Soriciere and told them all one very important message. "I hereby pardon all of you."

"…Pardoned?" Midnight blinked a few times.

"No way…" Cobra didn't want to think it was that easy. But when he listened to Hisui's thoughts, he heard it all. It was genuine.

"You're…pardoning us?" Ultear swallowed the lump in her throat.

"…What now…?" Meredy looked to the others. She wasn't sure what to do now, if they were truly being forgiven for what they had done.

"Our crimes have been forgiven?" Racer asked.

"Indeed!" Hoteye wept tears of joy.

"B-But…we were a dark guild. We've done awful things…" Sorano wasn't objecting, she just didn't understand how Hisui could forgive them so easily.

"I've heard the particulars." Hisui said. "And I am familiar with the past, too. You all were made to shoulder such heavy sins. Despite the fact that, perhaps more than anyone, your hearts were looking to tomorrow. I've learned myself what it means to look ahead to tomorrow thanks to…her. So now, I ask that for the sake of the people, you live on." The Queen of Fiore told the now unburdened sinners.

[End flashback]

* * *

"It was only a matter of time until that happened." Tia waved a hand. "After all, she did that for us too."

"On the phone at a time like this?" Erza teased while approaching Lucy. "Hello, Tia."

"Ohp, guess that means it's time for me to go…" Tia waved slightly Erza. "Message me the rest!" And with that, the communication cut off.

"I'm absolutely terrible when it comes to writing…" Erza said with a soft grin. "Once time I sent a letter of thanks to a guild that I had relied on for some time, and they came after me armed to the teeth." One could only wonder what she wrote…but that aside. "Really though, quite impressive. Congratulations, Lucy. I'm proud to say that we belong to the same guild."

"Thank you, Erza." Lucy managed a soft smile. Funnily enough, Erza and Jellal were one of the couples Lucy was worried about. She always thought Erza would be happy about Jellal and the others being pardoned, but…

"It's complicated…" Erza muttered while reading some of Lucy's book. "This thing's too complicated! Write more understandably next time, will you!? These words are really hard…"

" _I can never tell what she's thinking…"_ Lucy thought while staring at Erza with that same smile. She knew Erza felt positively about the pardon.

"You can't read? That's hilarious." Emmeraude overheard the conversation and laughed. At this point, she was noticeably intoxicated, but still had her wits about her nevertheless.

"If you're not going to say anything nice, then don't say anything!" Erza fired back. She refused to believe that she was the only person around who had trouble with Lucy's extensive written vocabulary.

" _And then there's Mii…"_ Lucy's thoughts trailed off. No one seen or heard anything from Mii. While Lucy was worried because Mii kept saying she would die, Zelos told them to keep believing in her. She wasn't sure what that meant, but she did want to bring Mii back home. Anyone could see that Fairy Tail was the place for Mii, not Pergrande…but after Makarov's death, she became extremely distant. _"I'll figure a way to bring her back somehow…"_ The worst part for Lucy is that she did send several letters out to Pergrande in hopes of getting Mii to come, but she never got a reply or anything…

As the celebration continued, a woman walked through the ground. A woman that looked far too familiar. Natsu noticed her first and pointed in her direction. "That…"

"First?!" Carla gasped.

"Wha-!?" Everyone stared at the woman who looked exactly like Mavis.

"Why…?" Lucy began.

"Uh…" A man knelt down, picking up the handkerchief the woman dropped. A man that looked far too much like Zeref for it to be a coincidence. "You dropped this?"

"T-Thank you!" The woman responded with a smile.

"No…" The man sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Are you with one of the publishing companies here?"

"Yes, a small one, though." The woman replied. "Are you?"

"No, I'm not an amateur writer." The raven haired male responded. "Miss Heartflila's work was so moving to me, that I snuck in here, and now, here I am."

"Me too! Ufufu!"

"By the way…" Leaning in, he whispered to her hear. "Your uh…shoes? Where are they?"

She was barefoot and didn't even realize it. "Oh no-! I'm such a…! I completely forgot about them!"

Wow. That was adorable. The man couldn't help but laugh. "Pffft…Phahahahaha!"

"Ahahahaha!" And she laughed too.

"I'm Arleos."

"I'm Mio."

"If you wouldn't mind can we…would you like to talk a little?"

"Yes, sure!"

The two of them began to walk off into the crowd, slowly fading out of sight. "August this year is hot, isn't it?"

"Not hot enough to make me forget to wear shoes. Probably."

"Ahaha…I guess I should take mine off too."

What a happy ending. Lucy smiled softly while enjoying her comrades having such a good time at the party. From Reedus panting Alzack and Bisca, to a few of the guys making noise, and unfortunately, Macao and Wakaba causing a scene by chasing some women due to being drunk. _"Ah…everything's so happy! I almost feel myself being enveloped by something warm…warm…"_

* * *

Lucy slowly woke up in her bed. "Huh? Where am I?" She sat up and looked around. "…Don't tell me this is one of those 'it was all a dream' sort of endings…." She was gonna be realllllly upset if that was the case. Wait. When she sat up…

"Yo." Natsu lifted a hand, chilling on her couch as usual.

"MY ROOM!?" This always happened. But it would never not be surprising.

"Look! I made your trophy all shiny, Lucy!" Happy pointed to the trophy, which now had scratch marks all over it.

"It's all scratched up!" She whined. But wait! It was real! That was her trophy! "But at least it wasn't a dream! So why are you two in here anyway!?" The blonde pouted.

"Why!?" Natsu repeated. "You randomly collapsed, so we carried you back."

"Did I really drink that much!?" Did she get that carried away?

"Yeah…" Happy nodded. "You and Emmeraude got into an argument…"

"Huh!?" Lucy blinked several times…and then it started flooding back to her….

* * *

[Flashback]

As the party began to wind down, Lucy decided to indulge herself in a few drinks. After all, this was such a happy occasion, why not help herself. Although she couldn't remember exactly how the second conversation with Emmeraude started, she did remember the bulk of it…

"What are you two gonna do now?" Lucy asked. At this point, she was tipping over to the point of drunk where things got a little hairy for a certain someone.

"Alvarez doesn't have a ruler at the moment, isn't that right?" Emmeraude asked while rocking back and forth slowly.

Sweat drop. "Leave it alone." Lucy said. "Please."

"Or what? Are you going to cross the ocean again just to stop me?" There was heavy bitterness in Emmeraude's tone. It was the alcohol talking. It was bringing out her inner, inner petty. "I won't hesitate to stomp you again."

"Do you really want to do that again? I thought you said you were over it…!" Lucy groaned.

"Just watch me." She was going to, too. Emmeraude was just narrowly held back by her mother. Unfortunately her strength wasn't that much compared to Em's and she flew into Lucy. Thus, a comical cloud of smoke ensued as the two drunk women started fighting. The fight was quickly broken up before too much harm could come to either, side, Emerald having to yank Emmeraude away with numerous chains.

"O-Okay! I think that's enough for tonight! We'll be leaving now!" The woman gave an apologetic smile to Fairy Tail. "I'm very sorry for all the trouble she's caused you. She's not a bad girl, I swear…! She can be nice…!"

"No, _Mother_." Emmeraude immediately objected. "Release me this instant."

"I hope we can see you all again!" Emerald would have waved, but her hands were quite literally full. Now that she was in full mom mode, her strength was unparalleled. "You're going to stop fighting me now, Em. I may be old, but I'm still your mother damn it!"

"Geez…" Gray rubbed his head. He was sure glad they avoided that ugly situation.

Natsu was about to jump if things got hairy. He didn't care if it caused a scene…well, a bigger one than they already caused. Lucy did get a lot of looks for getting into a fight from those still around. "Natsu!" Lucy jumped onto Natsu's back. "Carry me! Carry meeee~"

[End flashback]

* * *

Now Lucy remembered. First she had Natsu and Happy carry her home, then they changed her, and after that, she forced them to bed with her. "…I'll never be a bride now…" Lucy sulked in the corner, as if what she did while drunk was even that bad.

"But you'll be ready for work later, right?" Natsu asked with that usual smile.

" _Lucy! It's time for work!"_

The moment Lucy heard that, her eyes widened. All the memories of her time at Fairy Tail started flooding back into her. From joining Fairy Tail, to their first job, to the battle against Phantom Lord, meeting Cynthia, battling against Tartarus numerous times, battling Dealer, fighting on the Isle…and even more importantly, when Lambda nearly stole away her life and turned her into a monster. Natsu was there for all of it. "Uuuugh…" She started to cry. The memories were so precious she couldn't hold them back.

"U-Uh…what happened?" Natsu stared, unsure of what was happening with Lucy.

"Does your tummy hurt?" Happy tilted his head curiously.

"N-No…" Lucy tried to speak, but she only sobbed instead. "I just…remembered a bunch of things and…I can't stop crying…!" In the next instant she latched onto Natsu, bringing him in for a tight embrace. "If I had never met you, Natsu, or Happy…I wouldn't be who I am today. Thank you…thank you so much…" And then she just sobbed. It was a little strange at first and Natsu didn't know how to react.

"Say, Lucy." Natsu placed his hands on Lucy's arms. "I've got something I wanna say too."

"W-Wha…?" What was he gonna say? Lucy felt her heart beat and stop from anxiety all at once. It was going to pop out of her chest at this rate!

In the next instant, Natsu began to dash off with such speeds Lucy was quite literally lifted off her feet. "Who cares about all that stuff!? We got work to look for!"

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

"WHHHHHAAAA!?" Lucy not only felt teased, but a little upset too. "And here I was getting all emotional! What do you mean 'who cares'!?"

"Who cares?" Natsu repeated. "Cause we'll always be together, right?"

That wasn't exactly what Lucy was expecting to hear, but it had the same effect on her anyway. "WAIT, I'M NOT EVEN DRESSED PROPERLY!"

"It's fine!" Natsu said while pulling Lucy out of her apartment. "Everyone's waiting back at the guild, so let's get going! We've got a lot of work to do now!"

This was her life. But Lucy wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. This was her life, and she loved it. No matter how much she complained, groaned, or wept. Lucy was never unhappy at Fairy Tail. "…Yeah, we do…! Let's get to work!"

.

.

Fair Tail, The Final Chapters: Part 1: End.

With that, Alvarez is finally over! Thank you all for reading! But just because Alvarez is over doesn't mean the fic is! There is a second half to this story, but we won't be getting to that officially until next year. There may be a few filler chapters that come out in the meantime, though. I hope you all enjoyed this version of Alvarez as much as I enjoyed writing it. Towards the end of this arc, I was so into it I kept writing and writing, which is why chapters were dropping so quickly My favorite fights to write were: Lucy vs. Emmeraude, (perhaps my favorite fight ever the more I think about it); Sting, Kagura, and Daryan vs. Rahkeid, Natsu vs Zeref round 3, and Elieen vs Erza and the dragon slayers! What were your favorite fights or moments from this version of the arc, I'd love to hear it!

I'd gush some more of my thoughts, but the fic isn't over yet. I can only hope you all will enjoy the second, and perhaps final part of this long lasting series.

Until then, I hope everyone enjoys their holiday, New Year's, and of course, Super Smash Brothers (perhaps the reason this one took a little longer to get out)!

Again, thank you all for reading!


	101. Chapter 101: Reminiscent Breeze

Another day at Lamia Scale. Ever since the war with Alvarez ended, things were a little different around the guild this time. Over the course of the last year, Sherri and Ren got married it was only natural that Chelia got to be the flower girl for her cousin's wedding. Sherri, however, didn't want to leave her cousin alone after what happened. Despite that, Chelia told her she'd be fine and to be happy with her new husband. She wanted her cousin to be happy.

Even though she wasn't.

It wasn't like her words from before were a lie or anything. Even though her cousin moved away, Chelia didn't feel alone because she had everyone from the guild but…without Raven, things just weren't the same. It wasn't anyone's fault that she felt like this. There was just a void in her heart that no one else could fill and they knew that. There was nothing anyone could do but try to console her, but that only went so far. Lyon didn't know what to do…no one did.

"She's trying really hard…" The dynamic ice mage sighed while watching Chelia out a window. At the moment, she was currently using Raven's bow for some target practice. The ethernano in her veins ran completely dry, meaning she was no longer a mage. She was just a klutz who couldn't even use a bow right anymore.

"We've done all we really can…" Yuka crossed his arms behind his back. They did a lot over the year to try and support Chelia, and while it did have some effect, it really wasn't enough.

"I WISH WE COULD DO MORE!" Toby yelled angrily. Perhaps, just this once, his anger was well placed.

"You don't have to yell, man…" Yuka frowned.

Chelia was still outside, her expression somewhat neutral. She tried her best to keep a smile, but it clashed with how deep her depression had gotten, so over the last year, she simply wore a slight frown. It wasn't good to look like this, and she knew that Raven would at least want her to try and smile. It was hard, but she was trying. After a few minutes of target practice, she ultimately gave up since she failed to get a bullseye on anything. Her aim receded, and she wasn't sure if it was because of how badly she messed up her body, or anything else. "Haah…" A heavy sigh passed her lips and she moved from the training sight elsewhere. To the grave that they made Raven once the fighting was over. Even though there wasn't anything left of him after what Dimaria did, she visited it daily. She never had the right words to say, though. Only 'I'm sorry'. She never had a chance to say anything with how sudden his death was. The former sky god just stood there silently for a few minutes. "…"

After a few moments, Wendy, Cynthia, and Carla stopped by to check in on her. "Hey, Chelia…" Wendy gave a slight wave.

"Huh? Oh, hi!" Chelia forced a smile, waving a hand to the trio. "I didn't know you guys were coming over today."

"We just wanted to check in on you." Carla spoke while crossing her arms. "You're here again…"

"Mhm…" Chelia nodded, giving the grave a quick glance. "I keep hoping I can find the words to say, but every day I end up with nothing. It's pretty bad huh?"

"Chelia…" Cynthia frowned. She hated seeing Chelia like this.

Chelia waved a hand, giving a forced laugh. "It's okay. I'll think of something, someday. I know I can't frown all the time. You're all worried about me and I appreciate your efforts. It was at this moment she got an idea… "Hey, you guys. Would you mind coming with me somewhere…?"

"Hm?" Carla tilted her head. "Did you have something in mind?"

"Yes." Chelia nodded. "I do have something…maybe it'll help me feel a little better…it's a bit of a walk, though. I hope that's okay."

"We don't have to take a train!?" Cynthia was more than happy to walk than take a train.

"Nope." Chelia shook her head. "Trains don't exactly go to where we're gonna go. Come on!" With a sudden pep in her step, Chelia started to skip off.

"She suddenly got upbeat." Wendy clasped her hands together. She could only wonder where Chelia wanted to take them.

* * *

It was about an hour walk on the off path. The trek wasn't so terrible, but it was pretty far from most other cities and even a train station. "Where are we going?" Carla stuck to usual form, flying low to avoid walking. But when her wings got tired, she shifted to her human form to walk along the others.

"It's a little further, don't worry." Chelia said while leading the way. "I've also only been here once, but…I could never forget where it is." Wendy and Cynthia just glanced at each other. They had no idea where Chelia was taking them, but they opted to follow her regardless. A few minutes later and the group arrived at a village. But this village was vacant. Not a soul resided here. "Here we are."

"Huh?" Wendy glanced around. The shift in the air…a little unsettling honestly. It was so quiet. "What is this place?"

"It's a little creepy…" Cynthia rubbed her arm.

"I have red flags just standing here…" Carla mumbled while taking a look around.

Sweat drop. Chelia managed to rub the back of her head sheepishly and let out a quiet sigh. "This is Raven's home village."

"Did everyone move out or something?" Cynthia asked.

"Ah, no…" Chelia shook her head. "It went like this…."

* * *

[Flashback: a few short days after the Orochi's Fin incident]

Raven and Chelia entered the village and Chelia was pretty shocked at what she saw. "It's…so quiet here…"

"Ah…yeah…" Raven sighed. "It wasn't always like this, though. I know it's off the beaten path, which is why not many people come here, but this was my home."

Blue eyes shifted to her other half, a frown spreading on her lips. "What happened, Raven? I can tell that it used to be such a quaint, happy place."

"I…I don't know." Raven admitted while walking, gesturing for Chelia to follow him. The village small, but there were still a lot of houses around. "I was sending letters to my family here after I joined the guild, but a few years ago, it just stopped. I came here on my own and saw it like this. I wasn't sure what to think about it…but I heard it was attacked and no one made it…"

"Oh, I see…" Chelia clasped her hands behind her back. "That's why you came back sad that day. I didn't want to pry…but I wanted to be there for you."

"And I appreciated it, really." Raven took Chelia's hand, leading her over to one home in particular. "This used to be my home. I lived here with my mother, father, and my older sister."

When he took her hand, she couldn't help but blush slightly. "You've mentioned your family a little bit before. Can you tell me more about them…?"

"Ah, sure." Raven nodded. "My mom and dad were the best. When my sister and I were younger, they'd always make sure we were taken care of. But as amazing as they were, once my sister got older, she really became the hard worker. She'd overwork herself a lot between cooking, cleaning, and making sure everyone stayed safe. She was the protector of this village…"

"Protector? She sounds really strong. What kind of mage was she?" Chelia asked curiously.

To that, Raven laughed and flashed a proud grin. "That's the thing! She wasn't a mage. My sister used a few blades and fended off every man and beast that came here to hurt anyone. She was amazing. She was way stronger than I could ever be…I think she would have liked you a lot."

"Really?" Chelia grinned at that. "Your sister sounds incredible. What was her name?"

"Blair." Raven responded. "Blair Elfin. She's as kind as she is strong."

The sky goddess titled her head at his words. "Is?"

"Mhm…is." The archer nodded. "I don't know what happened here…but Blair was never one to give up so easily. I know she wouldn't die…I can feel it in my heart and in the wind that she's still alive somewhere. I just wish I knew where."

"If you believe it, then I believe that too." The girl said with a soft smile.

"Heh…yeah, she really would have liked you. She told me to only bring home a girl if I knew they'd be special. I only wish she could have met you." Raven matched the smile with his own. The two of them were having a bit of a moment, but that's when the sound of a rustling bush nearby? "Huh?"

"What?" Chelia turned. "…Is somewhere there? …Or was it the wind?"

"…I don't think it was anyone." Raven scratched his head. "Nobody knows where this place is…and I doubt the Council would send someone here. Hello?" There was no response. It was all just quiet. "Maybe it was the wind?"

"Hm…I guess so." Chelia tilted her head. "Can I see the inside of your house?"

"Oh yeah, sure!" Raven nodded.

"….." The woman standing behind a tree clutched her bandaged arm. All she could do was watch Raven and Chelia. She meant ill intent. If it wasn't for the branch she stepped on she wouldn't have even potentially alerted them. There was no smile on her lips, only a scornful frown.

[End flashback]

* * *

"That's quite a story…" Carla said while glancing around. Even though the air around the village was a little eerie, knowing that this was Raven's home did ease that tension slightly.

"Isn't it?" At some point, Chelia felt tears welling up in her eyes again. "I've only been here once, but I could tell how important this place was to him. His family too…I believe his sister is still alive somewhere, but if I ever meet her I…I could never apologize enough for failing to protect him."

"You don't have to push yourself, you know…" Cynthia said while placing a hand on Chelia's shoulders. "These things take time. To be honest, I still haven't been able to find the words for Master Makarov's grave either. I just get really sad when I visit…he'd done so much for me, for all of us really."

"You're not alone, Chelia." Wendy managed a soft smile. "We've all lost a lot in that horrible battle. But it's important that we try and move forward with the wishes of those who fell in our hearts. I think that's what they would want. Think of it like this…a person is still alive as long as they live in your heart."

"Someone only really dies when they're forgotten." Cynthia placed a hand on her chest. "So if we don't forget them, they'll live on. The memory is important too…"

Chelia wiped the incoming tears away before they fell. They were right. "Y-Yeah…I won't forget. I could never forget."

"So try smiling a bit more, would you?" Carla rolled her eyes. "Please?" She then added. She was worried for Chelia too and couldn't stand seeing her like this.

"O-Okay…" Chelia gave a slight nod. "C-Come on…let me show you around…" The pinkette proceeded to lead her sky sisters through the village. It really was a nice place, it was only a shame that there was no one around.

…No one except a black haired woman who peered around a tree, yellow eyes glaring into Chelia's very being. Her bandaged arm gripped the tree and practically split it in half. "…So you're the one that killed him…" She would have attacked now, but…she couldn't. Not in this village, and to respect the wishes of the dead. She wasn't happy about what she heard and it showed. There was a time and place to take care of things, but that time wasn't now.

But when the time was right, she was coming for Chelia's life.

To avenge her brother.

.

.

Next Time: Thief in The Night


	102. Chapter 102: Thief in The Night

Everyone's favorite thief stood at the roof of a museum. Roy peered in, a grin visible under his mask. Security was tight and vigilant, but in Roy's eyes, all he saw were paranoid guards that were worried about not doing their job right. Tonight was a big night after all. Roy made it known to the museum that he was going to steal their most precious artifact! The masked thief chuckled quietly before deciding to get to work. "Let the game begin…" And just as one would expect, Roy made a flashy entrance by dropping through the sky light. "Hello, gentleman!"

"Ah, he's here!"

"Right on time!?"

The guards were surprised that Roy showed up exactly when he said he would! "Punctuality is important for a thief, you know!"

"Stop him!" The guards all rushed at Roy. Unfortunately for them, they were not the people for the job! They all dogpiled the thief, but he flipped elegantly and allowed the guards to pile on top of one another, and he landed on the pile, causing the guards to groan.

"So slow…" The thief teased before flipping off of the guards, walking over to the most treasured possession in the museum, a ruby that sparkled brightly, even in the depths of the night. "Well, this is a pretty nice trinket you have here. I wonder how much I can get for this?"

"He's upstairs!"

"Quick, surround him!" Multiple security guards began to flood into the room as Roy placed the ruby in his celestial bomb bag. This was far too easy, but oh so fun at the same time! The thief tipped his hat at the guards and pulled out a smoke bomb.

"This has been fun gentleman! But I'm afraid that's all the time I have today! Fare thee well!" The thief then dropped the smoke bomb, a cloud of smoke filling the room.

"He's trying to escape through the roof!"

"We got him now!"

Is what they all thought. They had ways to stop people from escaping via the roof. They thought they baited Roy, but in truth, when the smoke, cleared, he wasn't on the roof! He was gone!? "Huh…!?"

"How'd he escape!?"

"Damn it! We lost him again!"

"He's too good…" A guard mumbled while sighing heavily.

"Fan out! He can't be too far!" The security chief demanded. Just as he ordered, everyone split off to find Roy.

Little did they know that one of the security guards was simply using this to sneak off. That man was Roy, making a quick escape by donning a security outfit, and they were none the wiser. "Checkmate."

.

.

* * *

"Hmmmm…" Erza examined a request on the S-class board. With things having calmed down recently, it was about time to go out on some jobs. Unfortunately for her, Natsu and Lucy were out on a job of their own, Juvia dragged Gray somewhere, and Cynthia and Wendy were out as well. So it seemed like today was a solo day, which wasn't so bad. It was nice to see the guild busy. "Perhaps this one?" Titania thought to herself while grabbing one in bold letters.

" **HELP REQUESTED: PROTECTION OF PRICELESS ITEM!"**

"Huh." Erza stared at the request. It was listed S-class, but why? She'd find out when she got there. After climbing down from the stairs leading to the second floor, Erza approached the bar and held the request out to Mira. "I'll be taking this one."

"Okay!" Mira said with a smile while polishing a glass. "Be safe!"

"It shouldn't be too difficult." Erza told Mira before beginning to walk off, but not before feeling the presence of Zelos behind her.

"Ooooooh, what do you have there, Erza-chan?" The redhead peered over her shoulder, just narrowly avoiding invading her personal space. "Hmmm…priceless items, huh? Sounds like a thief is on the loose!"

"A thief, huh? It's very possible. It's an S class mission, so I can't imagine the thief, or thieves, being taken lightly." Erza responded.

"Perhaps it's a phantom thief! If you're not careful, they'll steal your heart, like you have mine~" Zelos hummed and winked.

Erza, however, just kind of ignored his remark and started to walk out of the guild. "Mira, please make sure he doesn't cause any trouble."

"Don't worry; he's been rather good lately." Mira remarked, her sweet smile still on her lips. "Good luck on your mission, Erza!"

"I'll be back as soon as I can be." While Erza did say this, for some reason, she had a feeling that this was going to be a doozy of a mission…

* * *

It didn't take Erza very long to arrive at the location that sent the request. It was a mansion in the southwestern part of Dawn City. As Titania walked through the city, the delicious scent of food invaded her nose. The woman had no choice but to turn instantly to see where the aroma was coming from. A popular restaurant by the name of Al Dente!. It was drawing in numerous people. "Al Dente!...? That's a cute name…" She was nearly distracted but shook her head. Food later. Job now. After forcing herself away from the restaurant, Erza soon arrived at the mansion requesting assistance, and it turned out that she wasn't the only one who accepted the job.

"Well well, looky here!" Bacchus said with his usual grin.

"Oh, I didn't realize you had taken this job as well." Erza greeted Bacchus with a slight wave. "How is your hand?" She recalled hearing that he got it chopped off during the war at some point.

"Better than ever!" Bacchus held up his hand. It was almost as though it was never severed to begin with, thanks to Yukino's efforts of course. "Hey, after this, wanna fight again? It's been far too long."

A fight was it? Erza closed her eyes for a moment and offered a slight grin. "I don't see why not. But after this mission is accomplished." Right as she said that, the front door to the mansion swung open and a rich man came stepping out.

"Oh, are you the two that accepted my request?" The man questioned. "Is that the legendary Erza Scarlet!? There's no way my treasure will be stolen now!"

"I'm right here." Bacchus said, since he was clearly being sidelined here.

"Oh yes…the uh, mage of Quatro Cerberus, right?" The man blinked slowly. At least he didn't call them Quatro Puppy. "Anyway, come in, please, both of you!" The man said while ushering the two S classes inside. The mansion was huge and he led them to a room in the basement, where a priceless emerald gem lie in wait. "This is the item the thief told me in their letter that they were going to steal!"

"Eh…" Bacchus took out his flask and drank a little bit. "Doesn't look all that good to me."

"Are you serious!?" The rich man turned to Bacchus. "This is a priceless family heirloom! I can't afford to have it stolen!"

"The thief told you they'd be stealing this?" Erza quirked a brow. "That's awfully confident of them. I assume you attempted to contact the Council first?"

"They don't care about things like this." The man sighed. "Chairman Kemuri has been plotting who knows what and it's kept his forces too busy for now. They did send some justice fool, but his results weren't worth a damn!" After going on a little tangent, the man cleared his throat before giving the letter to Erza. "You can read it for yourself."

Erza took the letter and proceeded to read. A comical sweat drop formed on her forehead due to some of the words being a little too complicated for her vocabulary. But for the moment she used context clues to understand the gist of the letter. "It's…very gaudy writing. But they've made it clear that they are coming for your most priceless possession later this evening."

"This thief sounds pretty bold. I like them already." Bacchus chuckled.

"Don't invite them for a drink." Erza pleaded. "For the time being, I'll circle the area and make sure every entrance and exit is locked tight. I will not allow anyone to slip inside."

"We got time to kill?" Bacchus scratched his head before waltzing out. "I'm gonna go get some more drinks from that restaurant down the street."

"Don't be late…" Erza sighed. She knew Bacchus was a capable mage when it came down to it, but for a mission like this, she worried he'd pass out drink when the thief arrived.

.

.

* * *

A few hours passed. The day was mostly quiet and Erza kept to herself while scoping out the area. It was nearing the appointed time and she kept an eye out on the building. "…It's nearly that time…where is that thief…?"

"So you took the bait?" That voice…

Erza glanced up to the roof, where the thief was waiting. None other than Roy, the Ace of Shaman's Haven. "For some reason, I didn't expect to see you here. You're the thief, aren't you?"

"Ding ding!" Roy hopped down from the roof, standing in front of Titania. "Been making a killing since the war ended. Don't have to worry about Fiore being in danger, and this is nothing more than a misdemeanor at best. No harm done."

"Stealing is wrong, Roy." Erza prepared her blade in case Roy was looking for a fight. "Think about your guild mates. You're an Ace, are you not? You're setting a rather bad example."

"Coming at me with the morality angle, huh?" The thief grinned at Erza's words. "Let me fill you in on a little secret, Satoshi doesn't really care what I do, you know how he is. Besides, I'm not hurting anyone, am I?"

They weren't going to see eye to eye on this subject. Erza narrowed her eyes at Roy before bringing her blade forward. "I see. In that case, then it is currently my duty to stop you and show you the error of your ways. I won't allow you to steal that gem."

"You're more than welcome to try! Let's have a blast!" The thief then tossed his hand down, resulting in an explosion of smoke that filled the area.

"I don't think so!" Erza immediately brought forth her Wind God's Sword, swinging the blade forward to disperse the smoke before it became too much of a hindrance. It took her only a second to clear the smoke, but that was all Roy needed to slip in through a window, much to her surprise. "What? How did he already…?! Bacchus!"

Roy slipped in easily, arriving on the second floor. "Let the game begin." The thief already stole the blueprints to this mansion in particular so he was well aware of his destination. He could see Bacchus glancing around the first floor so he quietly slipped off to another room.

"I thought I heard a noise…" Bacchus scratched his head. He was also drunk, so his senses were both sharpened and off kilter at the same time. Chasing an elusive thief while hammered? He honestly didn't know how this would play out, but that was the fun of it.

Erza slipped through the window Roy did, frantically glancing around for the masked man. "He came through here! But he didn't move down to the first floor?"

"AAHHH! THE THIEF!" The man who hired them screamed.

"Yo!" Roy waved and tipped his hat before dipping out of the room.

"Oh, there he is!" Bacchus turned and sprinted up the stairs, meeting Roy around the corner. "Well ain't this a treat! Chasing down the infamous thief!"

"Are you sure you can handle chasing me?" Roy inquired while juggling a few bombs in his hands.

"We're gonna find out!" In other words, Bacchus had no idea, but again, that was just the fun of it all! The drunk sprinted towards the thief, preparing to enter close combat and aim some palm strikes. Roy, however, wasn't about to humor Bacchus and instead flipped over him, causing the drunk to stagger. "Whoa!"

"Not so fast!" Erza appeared in front of Roy as he back tracked to the staircase, already in her Heaven's Wheel armor. "Dance my blades!" The bombardment of swords rushed to pin Roy down. She came at him with the intent of harm since anything less would have no effect.

"Oh, nice!" Roy didn't stop running. Instead he held out his celestial bomb bag, allowing it to inhale all of the swords Erza threw at him, much to Erza's surprise.

"What…!?" Erza's eyes went wide.

"Here you go!" Roy then tossed his bag forward, flipping the situation as his bag exploded, now sending numerous blades back in Erza's direction.

" _No wonder he's an ace…"_ Erza narrowed her eyes, summoning more blades to counter those that were coming at her. The explosion did force her into the air, and as soon as she was in the sky, Roy jumped forward to grab her by the face, using his free hand to generate an explosion of wind to force her through the floor and down to the basement. "Guh!"

"Sorry! I hate hurting a pretty face, but not even a pretty face can stop me from taking what I'm after!" Roy hopped up and turned to the gem that was held in a clear box. "Ah, there it is…" Erza was struggling to stand up after a hit like that, so this allowed Roy to easily lift the glass box up and grabbed the object. "Hmmm…"

"Look out below!" Bacchus dropped down from the hole in the floor. The instant his feet made contact with the floor, a powerful shockwave boomed out. He was simply trying to cover as much room as possible. The explosion did cover the entire basement and caused the foundation of the mansion to tremble.

When the smoke cleared, Erza sat up and rubbed her head. "You nearly caught me in that blast!" She chided, only to lift a brow as Bacchus stared at her. "What?"

"…Uh…" Bacchus scratched his head. "Am I drunk, or are there two of you?"

"Huh!?" Erza turned and her gaze met…another her! Eyes widened comically as she and her copy pointed to one another. "Who are you!?" They both spoke at the same time, only furthering Bacchus' confusion.

"Bacchus, this isn't me!" Said the Erza on the left.

"Don't be ridiculous! You're the imposter!" The Erza on the right shouted.

They went back and forth, which didn't help Bacchus at all. The drunk looked back and forth as the Erzas continued to argue about which one was real, and which was fake. Then, the S class got an idea. "How many fingers am I holding up?" He said, holding up three fingers.

"…." Both Erzas looked at one another, deadpanning before answering. "3."

"Oh…I thought it was six…" So not only was Bacchus seeing double, but that didn't help at all.

"The imposter is Roy! He must be using Transformation magic!" The Erza on the left pointed to her faker.

"Then why is SHE holding the gem!?" The other Erza pointed to her faker, who held the gem in her hands.

"Wait, what?! N-No! I didn't grab this! Although it stops Roy from taking it I…!" Erza waved her hands frantically. "I'm no thief! That is not the way of a knight."

They were getting nowhere with this. Bacchus was only getting a headache and his inebriated mind came up with an ingenious idea. "I've got it. I've figured out which one is the real one!"

"You did?" Both Erzas tilted their head curiously.

"Yeah!" Without warning, Bacchus threw both hands forward, unleashing powerful palm strikes to the armored chests of both Erzas. This caused them both to fly back into a wall.

"Ow! That was your plan!?" Erza growled, slightly annoyed. But when she looked to her left, she saw that Roy's transformation wore off as a result of being hit! "It was him! He was trying to get you to hit me since I was holding the gem!"

"I kinda thought so…." Bacchus said, although that wasn't really the case. He just couldn't keep up with who was who and figured hitting them both was the best option.

"Wow, you got me. Who would've thought a drunken person would see through such a clever ruse." Roy brushed himself off while standing up.

"Give it up." Erza pointed her sword at Roy. "You plan backfired and now I have the gem you sought to steal. Your operation was a failure, Roy."

"…I guess so." Roy flipped up through the hole in the ceiling, tipping his hat at Erza and Bacchus. "You got the gem back from me. Kudos to you. This kind of thing doesn't happen often."

"Throwing in the towel is wise." Erza narrowed her gaze.

"Get out of here you thief!" The rich man yelled. "You lose!"

There was a slight smirk on Roy's lips as he hopped through the window. "Did I, though? After all…I only came for the most priceless thing." With those words hanging in the air, the thief vanished from the scene.

"Pssh…nothing in this mansion is more valuable than that gem." The man sighed now that Roy left. "As for you two, wonderful job! You're the first people to ever stop that thief!"

"All in day's work." Bacchus grinned.

"Hmmm…" While Erza placed the gem back in its rightful place, Roy's words lingered in her mind. It didn't sound like the gem was what he was after at all…it bothered her, but at the same time, she didn't know what else there was to steal. The man was thoroughly convinced that the gem was the only thing worth stealing due to being 'priceless'.

"Come with me and I'll give you your reward!" The man then glanced at Erza. "Although, I may have to deduct some due to the property damage…"

"W-Wait!" Erza frantically waved her hands in front of her face. "I-I didn't do any of the damage, it was him, I swear…!

* * *

As Roy cleared the mansion, he held up a tiny gray stone in his hands. When did he snag this? When he was lurking about on the second floor, intentionally making his presence known. It was all part of his master plan. He wasn't the King of Thieves for nothing. "The gem was just a decoy anyway. It's a fake…and it's a shame he doesn't know that. The worst kinds of people are those who don't understand the true value of the treasures in their hands." After scraping the rock off a bit, there was a tint of blue visible. What looked like a rare stone was actually a sapphire gem. "This should sell quite nicely. Looks like the thief in the night wins this round. But thanks for the chase, though. Been a long time since I had a thrill like that."

.

.

Next Time: The Odd Couple.


	103. Chapter 103: The Odd Couple

"I can't believe I let you drag me here…" Gray sighed heavily as Juvia pulled him inside of a restaurant known as Al Dente! Seriously, what had her so excited today? And why did she have to literally drag him by the arm to Dawn City?

"Juvia has a surprise for Gray-sama!" The water mage said with glee. Ever since Gray said that her body was his, she was a little clingier to him than usual. It was hard to say if Gray minded or not, since he clearly allowed it, but he always wore that sore expression that suggested he felt otherwise.

"A surprise, huh…" Gray was bracing himself for the worst. A Juvia surprise usually meant that it was going to have his face on it. Even worse now that he was being pulled into a public place. Just what exactly did she have in store?

As the pair entered the restaurant, they were greeted by a pink haired woman. The name tag she wore said that her name was Yuki. "Ohayo! Welcome, welcome! Oh, you must be the one who called earlier!"

"You…called?" Gray glanced at Juvia.

"Yes!" Juvia clasped her hands together. "A table for two lovers!"

"Hold on now…." Gray started to sweat. Perhaps it was a bad idea to let her do what she wanted; then again, he never could have foreseen this.

"Of course! Your table is over there!" Yuki nodded and gestured to a table somewhat isolated from the others. At the same time, when she glanced around, she noticed that one of two waitresses, Juilet, was busy with a few other tables. This caused her to sweat a little bit, but she kept a friendly smile. "Your waitress, Blair, will be with you shortly."

"Thank you!" Juvia grinned and pulled Gray to the table, at this point, practically against his will. Once seated, the water mage could barely contain her excitement!

"Eh…" Gray glanced around. "Now that I think about it, I have heard of this place before. Good food, but I heard the customer service was severely lacking in some areas…"

"Juvia heard the same thing. Supposedly, the people here held off a small faction of the Alvarez Army." Juvia added. Gray seemed impressed for a moment. "Juvia also heard that Alvarez does have a new ruler…"

"Oh yeah, I heard that too…" Gray stroked his chin in thought. "I wonder who this person is…"

After a few moments the waitress Blair stepped out with a large cake in hand, which she set on the table. Of course the cake had Gray's face on it, as requested by Juvia. "…Here's your weird fucking cake…" The woman said while staring at Juvia.

"Try smiling!" Rowan, the head chef, shouted from the kitchen. Blair visibly shuddered at the word smile.

"…I should have known…" Gray sighed before looking at Blair. Clearly she wasn't amused. "I know this doesn't look great and everything, but should you really be using that kind of language when around customers…?"

"Fuck off." Blair spat. The malice in her words was so genuine you'd think she'd have a grudge against Gray. But no, that wasn't the case. She was just naturally this abrasive.

"Okay…" Gray held a somewhat shocked expression. Now he could see why Yuki was sweating earlier. Why were they stuck with the grumpy waitress, while the other one was smiling to all her customers?

"As long as you're paying, I don't care if you eat this creepy cake or not." Blair spat before turning around to leave.

"She was a…pleasant woman…" Juvia said with a minor sweat drop.

"I think she's the reason this place is known for bad customer service…" Gray said. He got a weird feeling from what woman's left arm. But all of that aside… "You know I feel weird about eating things with my face on it!"

"But Juvia had to!" Juvia had hearts flowing around her being. "How else was she supposed to show her undying love for Gray-sama!"

She was getting louder, thus making a bit of a scene. A few heads turned and Gray began to sweat. "I can't believe this…"

Luckily for Gray, he'd get a strange savior. A mysterious man in the restaurant approached the two of them, grinning slightly. "You two look like quite the happy couple!"

"Hold on…" Assumptions were being made, and Gray had to make sure that not everyone was getting the wrong idea.

"Why don't you two come onto my game show: The Odd Couple! The couple that wins will get a fabulous prize! And you two look like you fit the criteria of 'odd." The man said.

"…Wait a second." Gray narrowed his eyes. This attitude…he knew this person. Although he couldn't quite put his finger on it, something about this guy was too familiar and he didn't like it. However, before he could voice his opinion, Juvia was already on it.

"WE'D LOVE TO!" The water mage exclaimed with glee. A chance to show the world her love for Gray? There was no way she'd pass this up!

"Don't go agreeing to such weird things…!" Gray objected. But it was far too late as a card was handed to Juvia.

"Wonderful! Here's the address. Come by tomorrow and we'll start then, Deuces!" The man then left as quickly as he appeared.

"I don't like any of this…" And yet, it seems as though Gray didn't have a choice but to go. Juvia was just going to drag him anyway. There was no point in fighting it.

* * *

One day later, Gray and Juvia arrived at what was a pretty gaudy building. The location was odd, near the border of Fiore, Seven, and Bosco. "This is the place, huh?" Gray said while rubbing the back of his head.

"Let's go inside!" Juvia was all prepared to head in, but stopped when she saw a few familiar faces. "Huh?"

"Gray? Juvia?" Ace said while lifting a brow. He was accompanied by Tia. "The heck are you two doing here?"

"We were…invited." Gray said while glancing at Ace. "What are you two doing here? Same thing?"

"No." Tia shook her head. "This place is actually where our next assignment is. You see…couples have been vanishing after taking part of this little show. So we're here to see what that's all about, and we're a couple, so it works out!"

"…Is that what this is about?" Another voice turned heads. It was Kagura, holding a job flier in her hand. "…What a waste of time."

"Seems someone tried to drag you out here too." Tia placed her hands on her hips. "But I doubt they'd let you in since you're not accompanying someone…" And just as the woman said that…

"Oh hey, what a party we have here!" It was almost as if Kagura was cursed, because Daryan showed up. "You guys here on that weird job too? Didn't think it would turn out like this."

"…I'm leaving." Kagura turned on her heel to leave, but was halted when Tia grabbed her arm.

"Ah ah!" The water mage held a smirk. "I think you two would be perfect to help. It shouldn't be hard to pose as a couple, hm? You're already here, so why not, right?"

"What's going on?" Daryan just scratched his head. "I'll be honest; I woke up with this job plastered on my head. I was told to take it, so here I am…"

Kagura glanced at Daryan for a mere moment before letting out a defeated sigh. She wasn't going to go back to the guild empty handed…but she'd almost rather do that then pretend to be a couple with Daryan. At least, that's what she told herself. "…As long as it's quick."

"I thought this was going to be about Gray-sama and I…" Juvia puffed her cheeks out. What was supposed to be a fun time with her beloved turned into work. Even worse, unofficial work!

"Hey, you guys were probably gonna get kidnapped or something…" Ace shrugged his shoulders. "Now just remember…try not to get too swept up in the game. We're not here to win…"

"I might be. So you better get ready." Tia cut her eyes at Ace, causing him to sweat.

* * *

"Well well, it seems as though we have a number of contestants today! Welcome to your favorite couple show, the Odd Couple!" The host exclaimed while pointing to the trio of couples before him. The only legitimate couple was Tia and Ace; Gray and Juvia were…well, Gray wasn't quite sure how to describe it, and nobody could even begin how to describe whatever Kagura and Daryan were. There was surprisingly a small audience and a few cameras, although…

"I've never even heard of this show before, honestly…" Tia whispered to Ace. "Seems really sketchy. That guy gives me weird vibes…"

"The rules to this are simple. I'll ask a few questions to these couples, and the first one to get three genuine heartfelt responses from the other wins!" The host exclaimed.

"Those are weird rules…" Gray scratched his head. "Shouldn't we have to write things down or something?"

"Far too easy!" The host told Gray. "If you truly know your significant other, then every response should really tug those heartstrings!"

"So we're basically just here to lose." Kagura muttered.

"Have a little faith in us!" Daryan said with a laugh.

"Now then, let's begin!" As the host yelled this, the crowd cheered in excitement. A card was pulled out and the mysterious host read from it. "First question is for the men! Can you look your partner in the eyes and say their name without looking back?"

"Huh!?" Gray blinked several times. "What kinda question…?"

"Stick to the plan!" Tia harshly whispered. They weren't here to play, they were just here to figure out what was up with this sketchy building!

"Ugh…" Gray turned to Juvia, who was already nearly invading his personal space. There was a sweat drop on his forehead as he looked her dead in the eyes and said her name. "Juvia Lockser."

"Ah…!" With hearts in her eyes, the water mage swooned. Even just the little things from Gray made Juvia happy. A little too happy really.

"That was quite the reaction!" The host said before turning to the other two.

"Tia." Ace said. That was it.

"Wait…you don't have a last name?" The host asked Tia.

"Not yet." Tia shrugged. "We use codenames where we're from. But ever since I was young, it's just been Tia." Her reaction was a little lackluster, so she doubted they were getting a point.

"Kagura Mikazuchi." Daryan said with a grin. Kagura, however, stared at him and blinked several times. There was no noticeable change in her expression. Nothing at all. Probably because she was numb from him just calling her Kagura-chan all the time. "…Yeesh…"

"Well it's rather clear which couple gets the first point!" The host pointed to Gray and Juvia and one of the three lights above them lit up.

"We did it, Gray-sama!" Juvia was acting like they won already.

"Now then, let's flip it around for the ladies! Look your man in the eye and say their full name!  
The host was clearly up to something. The six contestants present got a reallllly familiar vibe from him that they couldn't quite place it.

Juvia wasted no time, turning to Gray once more as comical hearts continued to flow from her being. "Gray Fullbuster-sama~!" The fact that she spoke only a mere second after the host did only made it somewhat unnerving for Gray. The reaction was more a hesitant than anything else.

"Oof." Tia rolled her eyes at Gray's reaction. She then turned to ace, only to immediately be met with his hand over her mouth. "UHM!?"

"…I think you can skip us." Ace said with a slight sweat drop.

Tia pried Ace's hand away from her mouth, lifting a brow at his reaction. "Don't be a baby about this, you baby! It's just your name!"

"There are some things better left unknown!" Ace insisted.

"You're seriously going to be a baby about this, aren't you?" Tia groaned. "What about the mission?"

"Sometimes the mission doesn't matter…!" Ace continued to sweat.

"Is there a problem?" The host quirked a brow.

"He's a nerd who doesn't like people knowing his actual name and prefers his code name." Tia rolled her eyes in a very annoyed fashion. "Fine, forget it. I'll spare your dumb pride this time, but you owe me. I'm abstaining from this one…"

"Bless you…" Ace let out a sigh.

"Hmm…." The host stroked his chin for a moment. Funnily enough… "Based on his reaction, I'd had to say, this could count for a point, depending on these two." He gestured to Kagura and Daryan.

"Stop giving me that dumb look." Kagura told Daryan. Of course it was how he usually looked at her. Was she really about to do this? It felt like a bit much. With a heavy sigh… "Daryan…" She didn't even get to finish.

"Ah…" Daryan's expression changed just a little bit. It wasn't much, but it was that feeling of hearing someone you really liked saying your name that got his heart pumping.

"Wow, look at that!" The host exclaimed. "That expression, that looks like a point to me!" As he said that, one of the three lights above Daryan and Kagura lit up.

"Seriously?" Kagura shook her head and immediately turned her gaze away from him. "You're an idiot."

"We're falling behind…!" Tia turned to Ace. "We have to step things up a notch! How are we behind when we're the only real couple here?!"

"Uh, calm down…" Ace turned to Tia. "What about the mission?"

"Forget the mission. I wanna win now." Tia's nostrils flared and comical steam came from them. Her competitive spirit started to overtake the mission. She refused to lose to these other two pairs who weren't even officially couples. "So put on your big boy pants!"

"Good grief…" Gray sighed. This was getting a little too out of hand. They weren't supposed to actually be playing this dumb game!

"Next question!" The host said. "Anyone is free to answer. If you were to get married, which last name would be taken!?"

"Juvia would happily take Gray-sama's last name!" Once again, she didn't miss a beat on that.

"Obviously, his…!" Tia had to match the enthusiasm given and pointed towards Ace. As stated before, she didn't have a last name, and it was pretty clear she was waiting to have one.

"…." Kagura didn't respond. She wasn't going to dignify this question with an answer of any kind.

"I kinda figured she wouldn't answer." Daryan rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, if it _did_ end up happening, I'd definitely take her last name. I know that it's important to her because it keeps her connection to her brother and I wouldn't dare take that away from her."

"…" Kagura felt her heart skip a beat from that unexpected heartfelt answer. The woman blinked a few times and found herself briefly glancing at Daryan. "You-"

"WOW! That's the most expression I've ever seen!" The host yelled. "That's a point! In fact, it just might be two!"

Nope. That was enough. Tia slammed her hands down as water began to swirl around her body. "I've had enough of this farce!"

"Uh oh…" Ace didn't even try to stop her. In fact, he just started to step back since there was no point in trying to stop the flood gates once they were opened.

"This place is a sham anyway!" The water around Tia exploded into a vicious whirlpool that caught everyone. Juvia was the only person was unaffected by the raging rapids due to her water affinity. As for everyone else? By the time the whirlpool subsided, the entire building was a wreck, although the only people lying on the ground were those who came, and the host. Everything else was just an illusion. "Ah ha!"

"Ooof…." Daryan was on his back, dazed somewhat.

"Was that really necessary….." Gray groaned while sitting up.

"Absolutely." Tia nodded, placing her hands on her hips. "There's no one here! Except him! The cameras, the audience, it was all fake!"

"But you just threw a fit…" Kagura rolled her eyes and glanced over Daryan briefly just to make sure he wasn't drowning. Because she remembered how that went last time and would not want to go through that again.

"Now! Let's see who you really are!" Ace reached down to unmask the host and…it was Shadowlore. "Oh."

"I knew he was too familiar!" Gray pointed accusingly at Shadowlore.

"Yo." Shadowlore waved after coughing up some water.

"Huh? What the hell are you doing here?" Daryan asked. He was clearly not expecting to see his friend being the one behind this. "Are you the one making couples disappearing!?"

"If by fading into obscurity after losing, then…I guess?" Shadowlore shrugged. "Granted, everyone and anyone who played were usually just illusions. Except you guys."

"…I don't get it." Juvia tilted her head. "Why would you go through all the trouble of building this place and doing a fake game show all by yourself?"

"All by myself?" Shadowlore practically snorted at those words. "I appreciate the high expectations, but you have the bar set to here…" He held an arm vertically above his head. "When you should really be setting it here…" He lowered it to his waist.

"I helped!" Cue Daryan's Exceed, Hiruka flying in from the sidelines. "I planned it all! It was all bait!"

"Wha-!?" Daryan was just being thrown for a loop. "Is this where our budget has been going!? Our fridge is empty!"

"Eat some animals." Shadowlore said while munching on raw fish.

"We're not animals like you!" Daryan exclaimed.

"That sounds like a you problem." Lore shrugged.

"So let me get this straight." Tia tapped her foot on the ground. "You guys created a fake couple game show to get some attention, sent out the jobs and pulled Juvia and Gray to join…all for what reason?"

"For this." Lore held up his little black book. Everyone should know what this is at this point.

Kagura turned to Daryan. "Did you know about this?"

"No!" Daryan shook his head.

"I didn't either…" Ace shrugged. "Guess they did pull out some pretty good bait…"

"So it really wasn't real…" Juvia started to sulk a little bit. Part of her wanted to win!

"I see. I'm leaving." With that confirmation, Kagura suddenly increased the gravity around Shadowlore and Hiruka, crushing them into the broken floor with such force a crater formed. She should have left sooner.

"What a waste of time!" Tia huffed and folded her arms. "Come on Ace, we're going back! We're not even getting paid for this either, I knew it was a sham…"

"Ahaha…well, this was kinda fun?" Ace tilted his head.

"…I should probably try and help them…" The dragon slayer stared down at his two comrades. As everyone left, he crouched down next to the crater and ended up smiling somewhat. "…Even though I wasn't a part of this, I could see what you were going for…"

Hiruka barely managed to lift his head up. "It worked…! Did you see her face…!"

"She totally…liked that one answer." Shadowlore smirked. It was a strained smirked. "The book is never wrong…sooner or later…she'll cave. Now please, help us…my insides feel crushed…"

* * *

As Kagura departed from the building, she happened to glance back only once. This feeling in her chest…she absolutely despised it. It kept growing stronger and stronger to the point where she couldn't ignore it, and it irritated her to no end. How was she supposed to get rid of it? When would it leave her alone? It was only around that man, and only him. "….I have to get rid of this feeling one way or another." The mermaid couldn't stand feeling like this. That feeling in her chest had to go. There was one idea that crossed her mind…

An idea to settle her feelings once and for all.

.

.

Next Time: White Wishes.


	104. Chapter 104: White Wishes

A gentle snowfall dropped down on the mountains near where White Eclipse resided. Natsu, Lucy, and Happy took a job that required some Vulcans being taken down. It had been a long time since they went on a mission like this and it sure brought back memories. Lucy made sure to bundle up as the snow was getting a little heavier the further up they went. "I don't get how anyone can travel up here, let alone live up here…" Lucy mumbled. She rarely came up to this mountain and always astounded her that the people of White Eclipse were accustomed to it. Why all the way up here?

"Eh, who cares?" Natsu shrugged. While he was dressed somewhat for the cold, his fire affinity kept him from feeling chilly. "What's more important is that we take on this job!"

"It feels weird doing a job near White Eclipse…" Happy mentioned. "There's no way we won't run into someone from there…

"So?" Natsu held a cheesy grin. "We'll just do the job and finish before they get there!" He was already imagining rubbing it in the face of whatever White Eclipse mage decided to take the job, if anyone did at all.

"You don't have to turn everything into a competition…" Lucy said with a sweat drop. Things may have been peaceful for a full year and then some, but who knew what would happen with everyone competing over every little thing. Eventually the trio came across the cave where the Vulcans were reported to be. "This must be it..."

Natsu quirked a brow. He could hear sounds of conflict bouncing off the walls. Something was going on in there. "Let's go!" Without wasting a second, Natsu sprinted down the narrow cave with Lucy and Happy right behind them. When they got to a large clearing, the sight they saw was…well, something horrifying to even Natsu. Multiple Vulcan were downed and the people that did it…were from White Eclipse. Reiss and his fire spirit, Rios, Micaiah, and an unfamiliar woman with tinted white hair. "HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" Natsu roared, nearly startling the trio of mages.

"GEEZ!" Reiss turned around, placing a hand on his chest. "What do you mean what do you think we're doing!? We finished the job. Before you even got here." The native summoner added with a slight smirk.

"The job hasn't even been out that long…I didn't think anyone outside of the guild would try to take it…" The unnamed woman said while tilting her head to the side, arms crossed as she tried to make sense of things.

"I don't know, Ilaria…" Micaiah shrugged her shoulders. "It's only been like a day, so it's only natural that the closest guild would take care of it. But I suppose it wouldn't be Fairy Tail if they didn't try to one up everyone…"

"W-What's that supposed to mean!" Lucy waved an arm about.

"Oh, _this_ is Fairy Tail!?" Ilaria's eyes widened. "The fearsome rivals of the guild who desperately try to keep up but fail?! According to Reve-senpai anyway." She made it sound a little more dramatic than it actually was which only made it a little more irritating to the trio.

"That couldn't be any further from the truth!" Lucy pointed her finger forward.

"Yeah!" Happy chimed in.

"We beat them!" Natsu added. "So it should be the other way around! We're the strongest-"

Unfortunately, Lucy had to cut him off right there. "…You ruined the Games, remember? And this year there aren't any. So…Fiore doesn't have a strongest guild right now."

"Oh." Truthfully, Natsu forgot that he did that. All he remembered was that he reunited with Lucy that day after a year.

"This rivalry didn't even start with us…" Micaiah rubbed the back of her head and sighed. "And yet they're still somewhat irritating. Anyway, we've been done here, so you can go back home. Sorry you had to waste your time like this."

"Tch!" Natsu scowled. He turned to leave, but that's when…

Lucy gasped and pointed behind Reiss. "Watch out!"

"Huh-?" Reiss turned and his eyes widened. One of the downed Vulcans was just playing dead! It grabbed onto Rios and there was a bright white light shining from them. "What the…!?"

"Vulcans can use take over magic…!" Lucy exclaimed.

When the light died down, the Vulcan ended up taking over Rios! It was a rather hideous fusion, but the mountain Vulcan ended up grinning. "I take spirit! I kill all you!" With Rios flames, the Vulcan unleashed an extremely potent wave of flames at the White Eclipse trio to blow them backwards.

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled.

"Oh yeah!" This was far from over! Natsu grinned and sprinted forward, rearing his arm back as flames blazed around it. "Iron Fist!" The Salamander swung his arm forward, only for it to be blocked by the Vulcan's own blazing arm. Natsu's fire had no effect. "Heh, not bad-!" And before he could continue on, the free arm slammed into chest, the surprising amount of physical power sending him right into a nearby wall. "Gah!"

"Natsu!" Happy cried out.

"No wonder people wanted these things taken out!" Lucy jumped into the air while donning Taurus' Stardress. With the increase in strength she kicked at the vulcan's face, but it grabbed her leg just before it reached. "…Eh!?" With a wicked grin, the power hungry Vulcan began to swing Lucy around like a rag doll before slamming her into the ground. That hurt a lot too. "Ooof!"

"Haha!" Laughing, the Vulcan threw Lucy into the air and prepared to unleash several large orbs of flame in her direction. The flames exploded violently on the celestial wizard, however the fire was quickly drawn in by Natsu.

The flames refilled him and he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Not the worst flames…" The fire dragon remarked while glaring down the Vulcan. How were they gonna do this?

"Damn it!" Reiss messed up. Natsu and Lucy's arrival distracted him and now they were paying for it. "I can't call Rios back."

"Their souls seem to be bound…" Ilaria narrowed her eyes at the Vulcan. What was she gazing at exactly? Only she, Reiss, and Micaiah knew. "I can do something about it if you two can distract him!"

"Got it!" Micaiah brought her hand back and swiped the air in front of her. "Elight!" A white magic seal formed before the half breed, unleashing thin, but potent beams of light began striking the Vulcan.

"Grr…!" The Vulcan growled as it was damaged by the light. The flames around its body grew stronger and it planned to strike Micaiah back with a punch, but its arm was stopped by Lucy's whip.

"Let that spirit go!" Lucy demanded.

"Release him now!" Reiss exclaimed while moving forward, swinging his fist forward for a powerful blow to the face. Just because he didn't have a spirit didn't mean anything. The Vulcan staggered back from the hit.

"And take this!" Natsu appeared from the left, throwing his leg forward to crash against the vulcan's chest, causing it to fly off its feet and onto the ground.

"Yeah, kick his butt!" Happy cheered in the background.

While everyone battled the Vulcan, Ilaria formed a magic circle under her feet. This seal caused azure color wisps to appear within the cave. It was slight at first, but then the temperature in the cave began to drop, even more so than before. "…."

"W-what's this chill…?" Lucy started to rub her arms.

"You're probably cold because you're not wearing anything, as usual." Happy pointed out, but that remark got him punted.

"Hah!" Ilaria threw her hands forward, ethereal scythes shooting from her hands and latched onto the Vulcan. The Fairy Tail trio stared in confusion before Ilaria pulled her scythes back, ripping Rios' soul from the Vulcan, severing the take over. "There!"

"What!?" Lucy's eyes went wide. "She severed the take over!?"

"Thanks!" Reiss didn't even bat an eye. He and Micaiah weren't surprised in the slightest. Now that Rios was free, he took the chance to dismiss him so he could rest.

Natsu then stepped forward, flames blazing around the entirety of his arm in a vicious wildfire. "Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!" The Salamander threw his arm forward, a violent torrent of orange flames consuming the vulcan who had no means of defense after Rios was pried from him. The flames blasted through the cave and went on for several meters. When it all died down, things were officially over. " _Now_ the job's over." Natsu spoke smugly.

"We can't just ignore what she did, though!" Lucy pointed at Ilaria. "What was that?"

"Heh…" Reiss laughed at their surprise. "Just another taste of the power White Eclipse has within its ranks."

"Not strong enough to do the job at first though…" Happy muttered.

"That's only because you people interrupted us! We were finished!" Micaiah shouted.

"No you weren't. NOW we're finished." Natsu grinned smugly. "And since we got the finishing blow…"

"That's not how this is going down!" Reiss interrupted. "You only got the finishing blow because Ilaria acted!" Now things were spiraling into an argument, and nobody planned on sharing the reward.

"I kind of need the rent money, so can we please…" Lucy meekly lifted a hand up, but as the arguing grew louder, her voice got drowned out. This wasn't going to end any time soon….

* * *

Sometime later, the argument…wasn't really resolved. But the trio of White Eclipse mages left before Natsu's trio did. It was about time to go home, but Lucy had something on her mind. Turning to Natsu, she placed her hands behind her back. "Hey, before we go back, I want to go somewhere really quick."

"Huh?" Natsu lifted a brow. "Where to?"

"Well, it's in the area. And no, it's not White Eclipse." She couldn't imagine actually going inside that building again, especially after what just happened.

"…?" Happy didn't get it at all.

"You guys don't have to come, you know." Lucy shrugged and started to walk off anyway. Why she was keeping it so vague did have the Natsu and Happy pair confused, but they decided to follow at a distance. She knew that they were following but clearly didn't mind.

"I wonder where she's going…" Happy said quietly.

"No clue…" Natsu shrugged.

A few minutes passed and Lucy arrived at the White Eclipse grave site. The resting places of Zalen, Takeru, Heather, and Sophie. All lost prior to the war, or in the war itself. Lucy stood in front of Sophie's grave, offering a soft smile as snow felt gently from above. "Hey Sophie. I know it's been about a year, but I just wanted to say hello, and let you know that I'm doing well. As far as I know, your mom is doing well, too." It was a little weird to utter those words. Even more so since their last meeting resulted in them getting drunk and fighting.

"She's talking to Sophie…" Happy told Natsu.

"Yeah…" Natsu nodded a bit. But he could feel a slight grin on his lips. He was very happy that Lucy had finally managed to move on and accept Sophie's death. Sophie's death did get to him a little as well, honestly.

"Did not expect to see you out here." The voice came from none other than Luke. His hands were in his pockets.

"Oh, Luke." Lucy offered him a slight smile. "…We're not giving them the job money."

"Oh. Of course he's here." Natsu said, somewhat loudly as well.

Luke blinked, glancing to Natsu, who ended up staring at him with some irritation. "….What does he mean 'of course he's here' I live here…! Whatever. Does he know I'm looking right at him? And what money?" He had no idea she was referring to the little incident from earlier.

"Ignore him. I don't feel like dealing with you arguing again." Lucy rubbed her temples. She could feel the growing tension in the air and really hoped it passed by. "I just wanted to wish Sophie and the others well. They did a lot for everyone, so I hope that they're resting peacefully now. And I still feel a little bad that the war cost you guys too…"

"Right…" With a shrug, the copycat turned to the graves. "I came to visit them too. It's been a year and then some after all." When Lucy mentioned that their loses made her feel bad, he shook his head. "How many times do we have to tell you? We didn't join the war solely to help you guys. We had our own stakes in it too. So tell your guild to stop feeling bad about it, or whatever. Oh, also, congrats on your on…book right?"

"Yeah." Lucy nodded. "Judging by your tone, you didn't read it, did you?"

"I'm not much of a reader. But I think Aira picked it up." The copycat responded. "I heard good things, so I can't say I'm surprised you got that best author award. I haven't heard anything bad about it…then again, who would read something just to trash it?"

Sweat drop. Lucy immediately thought of one person but shook it off. "The thanks counts though. I appreciate it." Not wishing to overstay her welcome, and also keep the peace, Lucy gave Luke a wave before heading back to Natsu. It was time to return home. "Please stop glaring at him like that…"

"You never know what he's gonna do." Natsu responded, keeping a lingering glare on Luke which resulted in an awkward staring contest. Eventually, Lucy had to tug Natsu away so nothing bad would happen. She was not in the mood to deal with them after what was supposed to be a peaceful visit.

* * *

Natsu, Lucy, and Happy returned to Fairy Tail. When they did, they were greeted by Mira's usual wave and smile. "Welcome home you three!"

"Oh, you're back." Erza spoke while munching on some strawberry cake. Of course she got it from that restaurant she was eying during her job.

"Welcome back!" Wendy waved to the three of them.

"You guys were the last to come back." Cynthia said.

"Everyone was out, huh?" Lucy rubbed the back of her head. "What were you all doing?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Gray sighed heavily. Just thinking about everything he had to do not too long ago. "It wasn't even work, just a mess."

"Juvia agrees…" Even Juvia wasn't happy about it. She was pouting and everything.

"It sounds like you two had quite the adventure." Carla remarked while sipping some tea. Whatever went on with those two? She was only slightly curious.

"I wanna hear about it!" Cynthia exclaimed.

"I'm a little curious as well." Mira said. "I want to hear about what you've all been doing, if that's okay." It was pretty hard to say no to Mira, too…

"Bacchus and I had to deal with a rather enigmatic thief…" Erza sighed at the recollection of her job. She still felt like something was amiss, but now she was having strawberry cake, so that didn't matter right there.

"Cynthia, Carla, and I went to check in on Chelia." Wendy poked her hands together. "I think she's doing a little better. I know how she's felt…"

"That was very nice of you two." Mira smiled. "What about you two?" She turned her gaze to Gray and Juvia."

"…We got wrapped up in a really annoying scheme." Gray explained. "Needless to say, Shadowlore is really, really annoying."

"Juvia was lied to." The water mage spoke with cheeks puffed out.

"Sounds like they really don't want to talk about it…" Lisanna whispered to her older sister.

"It really makes you wonder what happened…" Levy tapped her chin with her index finger.

"Lucy and Natsu beat up some Vulcans and totally showed up White Eclipse!" Happy added. Of course his story was filled with plenty of bias.

"I hope you didn't pick any fights with them." Laki shook her head. It seems like everyone was getting involved in some sort of little conflict these days.

Lucy chuckled at Gray and Juvia's reactions. There was a lot to laugh and be happy about these days. It was an extremely peaceful time. Just looking around the usual chaos around the guild was enough to make her smile. _"I wish this can last forever…"_ Sometimes, wishes did come true. And sometimes…they didn't.

Since the guild was getting rowdy, Carla decided to step out for a second just to escape the loud noise. With a breath of fresh air needed, she went to head back inside, but stopped. It was a rare sensation ever since the 7 year time skip, but it was happening once again. Carla was getting a vision. "W-What?" What did this vision reveal? It was always hard for her to tell. They flashed by so fast and cut in and out. All Carla could see were Lucy and Erza in critical conditions and a dark figure before them. Even worse, there was a familiar person lying in a pile of rubble with a pool of crimson around her. The images then shifted to Wendy and Cynthia, standing before a red headed woman….and if that wasn't bad, was she seeing…her own demise?! The vision ended and Carla needed to lean against the wall, attempting to take everything in. "W-What…what just happened…?" These types of visions were always the worst. How could she explain what she saw to everyone when she didn't even understand them herself? It was just a bunch of flashing images without any context, but even so…she didn't like the growing pit of anxiety growing in her stomach.

* * *

While everyone else was enjoying their time, Zelos was off on his own, standing on the roof of the repaired Kardia Cathedral with a lacrima device to his ear. "Yup. It's me. Everything's been going as you thought it would. It's been pretty peaceful since Alvarez lost the war. Oh yeah, speaking of Alvarez, you hear about their new ruler?" There was a pause and his expression soured a bit. "Aw, so you already knew? I was waiting to tell you the surprise! Although you seem more annoyed than surprised. But I guess I can't blame you since it's that person. Hm? Oh yeah. That's soon isn't it? I don't know about their chances, but I do love watching them fight. They've got a great spirit. That's all I have to report. Yes, yes…I know…" Groaning, he hung up and lied on his back, staring up at the sky above. "Man, this job is tough sometimes. But it'll all be worth it soon…"

.

.

Next Time, Part 2 begins: Guess Who's Back?


	105. Chapter 105: Guess Who's Back?

"Haaaaah…" Lucy let out a sigh as she began her trek home. Things at the guild got pretty chaotic and it was best that she went back to her house. It was also getting late. As she strolled through Magnolia's streets, she glanced around, recalling the battle with Alvarez last year. It had been a year, but it really did feel like yesterday since the fight of their lives occurred. "Tomorrow will be the same. Not that I'm complaining."

"The same huh?" A voice asked. It was familiar to Lucy and it caught her off guard, causing her to squeal.

"Eeeek!" The celestial blonde jumped and her eyes comically bulged out of her sockets. The person who spoke to her was…Rukia! "Y-You…?" She hadn't seen the demoness since Tartarus and was instinctively a little wary of her.

"I'm not going to attack." Rukia held her hands up to show she meant no harm.

"It's been a few years since I've seen you…" Lucy cautiously crossed her arms. "What are you doing in Magnolia of all places…?"

"I came here to give you a little tidbit of information." The other celestial wizard responded while leaning against a lamp post. "I watched the war as it unfold. I won't lie, I thought you guys weren't going to make it, But knowing how stubborn you all are, I can't say I'm surprised."

"Thanks for the faith…" Lucy spoke with a slight sweat drop. "Do I want to know what this little tidbit is…?"

"I think you do." Rukia shrugged. "You were forced to break Leo's key, weren't you?"

"Yes…" That wasn't particularly a moment she wanted to remember right now. Lucy tilted her head at this line of questioning. "What about it?"

"Rumor has it that Leo's key has reappeared somewhere here in Fiore. That's quite lucky considering it could have appeared anywhere else in the world." Rukia.

That's what caught Lucy's attention. "Wait, seriously!?" She could get Loke back!? "Do you know where!?"

"No." The woman shook her head, now turning her back to Lucy. "But I'm telling you this, because I want some competition when the time comes."

"C-Competition…?" The blonde was afraid of where this was going.

"I'm not after your keys anymore." Rukia shrugged. "However, as it stands, Leo's key isn't yours anymore. It's free game. The same can be said for Aquarius' key, wherever that's ended up. Let's make this a good race, hm?" With those parting words, Rukia vanished into the night.

"Geez…" Lucy rubbed her arm uncomfortably. While she was glad to know what Loke's key was in Fiore, she truly didn't want it to fall into someone else's hands. The idea of this turning into a 'race' was not one she was too fond of. But that just meant she'd have to get Loke's key back before anyone else. "I'll have to tell the others tomorrow. We can start looking for it, hopefully…" The celestial mage trailed off as she entered her home. Surprisingly, no one beat her here! She could relax with a bath and change into her usual night attire. However, before she went to bed, she pulled out her diary and opened it up, jotting down the events as of late.

" _It's been a month since I won the New Best Author. I won't complain about the lack of excitement, because after fighting in that war, I could still use the break. But I was told that Loke's key is somewhere here in Fiore…maybe now I can…"_

"Oooh, such well written words! I expected nothing less from Fiore's new best author!" A feminine voice said.

"…!" This caused Lucy to tense up. Why? Because not only was the voice not her own, but it was familiar in the worst sense. The blonde spun around only to see two familiar faces intruding in her home. Yumia and Yukia, the elemental twins of the Wizard Hunters. "H-How did you get in my house!?"

"With this!" Yumia hummed while twirling a spare key around her index finger. "Guess who's' baaaaack~!"

"How did you get that!?" Lucy gasped.

"We have our ways~" Yukia placed her hands behind her head, grinning at Lucy's reaction. "But calm down, old lady. We didn't come here to hurt you or anything, we're off the clock."

Lucy felt her brow twitch in annoyance. "Old lady!?" Seriously, why did these two keep calling her old? She was in her early 20s!

"We wanted an autograph from the author of Iris' Adventures!" Yumia held up Lucy's book, grinning slightly. "We read your book, it was actually pretty good. Didn't know you had it in ya!"

"I did." Yukia shrugged her shoulders. "I heard Iris was based off her, and she's got plenty of experience to use with her old age." That comment got a Lucy Kick aimed at her face, but she swiftly avoided it while now stroking Lucy's trophy that she swiped to look over. "What a shabby trophy. Did they really give this to you with scratch marks? Could probably sell this…"

"Keep your tiny hands off my stuff!" Lucy demanded. She really didn't want to fight right now, though it was only made worse by the fact that these two twins were actively provoking her with words alone. "Why are you even here anyway!? Are you going to try and kidnap me again? Because I promise you that this time it won't end for you very well."

"Nah." Yukia placed the trophy down. "We're not here for that lame scheme again."

"We're here to congratulate you for defeating Alvarez!" Yumia added. "To face off against the strongest army in the world and come out on top…that really couldn't have been easy for a backwater weak country like Fiore."

"Then again, you did have help from Bosco and Seven…" Yukia nodded. "If you guys had to do it on your own, I think you would've lost well before Acnologia came into the picture. Also, you're welcome for the magic us Wizard Hunters so graciously donated for your precious Fairy Sphere." They lent their magic? That was a surprise.

Lucy felt a sweat drop form on the side of her head. "Did all you come here for were backhanded compliments?"

"Kinda?" Yukia took a seat on Lucy's bed, while Yumia went to Lucy's fridge to raid it.

"Stop it! Stay in one spot!" Lucy growled while pulling out her key ring. She really did not appreciate these two roaming around her home like they owned it. "If you're only here to pester me, then get out!"

"Hold your horses." Yukia lifted a hand up. "We're not here to just pester you, even though it is fun watching the blonde hairs on your head turn gray." Snickering, the twin crossed one leg over the other. "I'm sure you've heard that Alvarez has a new ruler, right?"

"Yes…" Lucy nodded slowly. "I don't know who it is, but everyone's been talking about them for the past month or so. It's really helped with Fiore and Alvarez's relations, too. But I'm sure you know about that already."

"Mhm." Yumia returned with a tub of ice cream, sitting next to her sister while using a spoon to eat from it. Of course Lucy wasn't very happy about this. "Doesn't it make you curious? It's only been a month and someone suddenly rose to power? It's not easy to fill up such a huge power vacuum left by Emperor Spriggan, or Zeref as we called him. Plus, it's pretty interesting how quickly Alvarez and Fiore have been getting along, don't you think?"

"You sound like you know something…" Lucy narrowed her eyes at them.

"We do, but you'll have to figure it out on our own~" Yumia hummed.

"I can also figure out that you guys are up to no good. You say you're 'off the clock' but you're here because you've got something lined up." The celestial wizard eyed the twins.

"Truuuuue…" Yumia conceded to that point. "Although, you guys tend to be a thorn in our side when we clash. Granted, we did manage to win with our last assignment during those games two years ago."

"What do you mean you won?" Lucy couldn't help but ask. When did this turn into a competition!?

"When we first fought, you guys managed to slip away from our kidnapping operation and caused some of our members to be imprisoned, so it was your win." Yumia explained. "The second operation was during the Council Ball, which we won by freeing our jailed comrades! The third one in the fortress was…let's call that a draw, we don't really know what happened there; the fourth with Mr. Smart Guy was clearly your win, and our win was the GMGs!"

"We got alllll the data on you that we needed thanks to Shade and your idiocy!" Yukia said with a mouth full of ice cream.

"That data is two years old. Whatever you have on us is clearly outdated." Lucy scoffed.

"Hah!" Yumia laughed at Lucy's ignorance. "That's what you think. That was only the start. You think we're the most renowned hunters for nothing? I'm offended you'd think so lowly of us. We have our ways."

Oh. That wasn't ominous. Lucy glared at the twins. They had something up their sleeve and she didn't like it. "Right…" And now it was time for an executive decision. She didn't like these two hanging around at all. "All right, now get out of my apartment!"

"We're done here anyway." Yukia stood up. "We just wanted to catch up! It's been two years since we've seen each other after all. I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of each other soon, too~"

"Bye bye~" Yumia waved the spoon in her hand before hopping out of Lucy's now open window. They were gone, and they pilfered her ice cream too.

Lucy groaned, closing her window and plopped down on her bed. "I'm already tired…" Dealing with those two took all the energy she had. But this was something to tell the others later. "The Wizard Hunters are back…" No wonder things were so quiet. They were off doing who knows what during those two years. All Lucy could do was hope that things didn't spiral too far out of control…

* * *

"When you said you were going to visit Lucy-chan, I was hoping for something a little more exciting…" Zelos said while taking the keys from Yumia. They were in an alleyway nearby and it wasn't the first time he met with the twins.

"Perv." Yukia nearly gagged at what Zelos was insinuating. "It's whatever though. We got what we wanted out of her."

"Oh, did you? Wanna tell lil ol' me?" Zelos mused while giving a grin.

"No." Yukia wagged her finger. "You'll find out with the rest of them. Why do you hang out there so much anyway?"

"I like them." Zelos admitted. "I mean, someone has to, right?"

"…You're weird. We're leaving." Yukia simply shook her head and walked off with her twin sister.

"Heh…" Zelos placed his hands behind his back and grinned. "Things are about to get a lot more interesting around here…"

* * *

The next day, Lucy immediately went to the guild first thing to tell everyone about her encounters from the night before. Needless to say that everyone was shocked. "The Wizard Hunters have returned?" Erza questioned while placing her hand under her chin. "I had almost forgotten about them."

"They have been quiet for two years. It's no surprise they slipped under the radar." Freed said. "Considering the guild disbanded and the war with Alvarez, it must have been very easy for them to sneak about freely."

"What are they here in Fiore for?" Laki asked Lucy.

But to that question, she could only shake her head. "I don't know. They only came to pester me and let me know they were back."

"That's weird…" Cynthia crossed her arms and rocked her head from side to side. "Why would they do that? They could surprise us more if they didn't do that…"

"I think their intentions were to draw our attention to them." Levy deduced. "Although I can't say I know what their aim is. They can be here for any number of reasons…"

"Just another thing to worry about…" Lucy sighed. "But on the upside, Loke's key is somewhere in Fiore. I have to find it as soon as possible!"

"Don't worry, we will." Natsu spoke up immediately. "Loke's still one of us, so we'll get him back before long." His reassuring words brought a smile to Lucy's face and she nodded slightly.

"Until those assholes make a move, it's business as usual." Gray shrugged his shoulders. "In the meantime we can try asking around for clues about Loke's key. It could be anywhere."

"I'll look around!" Levy lifted a hand.

"I'll see if any lovely ladies have heard anything." Zelos remarked while sipping something from a cup.

"I'll arrest anyone suspicious with information." Gajeel added.

"Please don't." Levy pleaded with a sweat drop.

"Thanks everyone. I'm sure he'll be happy to hear the effort put into looking for him." Lucy couldn't help but smile at everyone's encouraging words. At this rate, they'd get Loke back in no time. There was still no word on Aquarius' whereabouts, but Lucy intended to find her too and get her spirits all back together.

"Let's drink to it!" Cana said while lifting a mug of beer into the air.

"Seriously, it's not even past 10 yet…" Evergreen sighed. Sometimes she worried about Cana's drinking habits.

"What are we drinking to?" Zelos asked.

After a few minutes of the usual nonsense, the doors to the guild were opened and the one standing at the entrance was Arcadios. Upon seeing the head knight, Mira offered him a soft smile. "Oh, hello. What brings you to the guild?"

"Arcadios-san?" Wendy tilted her head curiously. Talk about an unexpected visit.

"Good morning." Aracadios nodded his head slightly at the greeting before clearing his throat. "At the request of a certain royal visiting the Palace, I've been asked to bring Erza and her team, along with Fairy Tail's current guild master."

"Erza's team?" Lisanna blinked. "Is something going on?"

"Yes." Arcadios nodded. "The Queen has asked for your presence as well. It is of the utmost importance, however I cannot divulge information as of yet."

"Fairy Tail's Guild Master? That's me." Laxus spoke from the second floor. He was just watching everyone below, but hearing that his presence was needed, he walked down the stairs with his arms crossed.

"Oh yes, of course." Arcadios glanced at Laxus. It was only now that he remembered hearing that Makarov sacrificed himself during the war against Alvarez.

"And by Erza's team, I assume you mean them." Laxus pointed to Team Natsu. Why it was referred to as Team Erza was beyond him, but he caught the gist of it.

"That is correct." Arcadios nodded. "The Queen and her guests have requested an audience with you."

"This is sudden…" Erza lifted a brow. "Did something happen?"

"I will all be explained when you arrive." The head knight spoke.

"The Palace is it?" Lucy drew out a golden key, opening Gemini's gate. She still had Gemini-Marin since his spatial magic was rather useful. "Gemini, if you please!"

"You pass!" Gemini-Marin exclaimed before using his Law of Space to warp Team Natsu, Laxus, and Arcadios to the Mercurius' entry hall.

"…They left without Juvia…" Juvia sulked in a corner. She considered herself a part of Team Natsu if only because Gray was there.

"…Laxus left with us…" Freed was also sulking. Bickslow could only pat his buddy on the shoulder.

"Two peas in a pod, those two…" Kinana remarked quietly,

* * *

In the blink of an eye, they arrived within the Palace. Arcadios needed a second to gather his bearings before gesturing for the group to follow him. "That was rather handy. Now then, if you'll all follow me." The others followed, assuming that he was taking them to the throne room. They were incorrect! The doors to a different room were opened; a meeting room with a large round table. Hisui sat within a chair while Queen Ena and Kurthnaga sat on opposite sides of her.

"Oh, you all arrived faster than I thought." Hisui offered a small smile.

"Ena?" Erza blinked.

"Ah, Erza-senpai!" Ena shot from her seat, staring at Erza with sparkling eyes. "It's so nice to see you again! I'm so glad you guys were able to defeat Acnologia of all people!"

"Indeed. You guys continue to amaze." Kurthnaga nodded.

"Thank you both. Your support helped a lot." Erza said with a bashful smile.

"What are you two doing so far from home?" Laxus asked the important questions.

"We have some important news to report. It involves the Isle and I think it's something you'd want to hear." Ena reported.

"What is this news?" Carla asked.

"We can't say just yet." Kurthnaga shook his head. "Supposedly not everyone is here yet."

"That's right." Hisui spoke up. "We are waiting on one more person. The new ruler of Alvarez is making an appearance themselves."

"WHAT!?" Team Natsu exclaimed in unison.

"Alvarez's new ruler is coming here!?" Gray turned to the Queen. "They've only been in power for a month though, right? Why are they coming here so soon?"

"They have something to report as well, something that involves Fiore." Hisui said.

"So you know who it is then, right?" Natsu asked Hisui.

"…Yes." Hisui started to sweat, stalling somewhat.

Natsu didn't quite understand why Hisui was beginning to perspire. He just asked a questioned. "So who is it…?"

"That's…uh…erm…they are…" Hisui truly didn't know how to go about saying this. The fact she was so blatantly hesitating made everyone glance at one another.

"Your Highness…you should say something now…" Arcadios told her.

"I-I know…" With a heavy sigh, Hisui cleared her throat and managed eye contact. "Alvarez's new ruler is…"

Before she could finish, the doors to the meeting room opened. This person was already familiar with the layout of the Palace. Before Lucy even turned around, she could feel her stomach dropping. This feeling…it was only a feeling she got when… "Oh no…"

"Oh. We really have to stop meeting like this…" That voice…an unforgettable voice. The voice that made everyone turn around instantly, only for their eyes to widen upon doing so.

"You can't be serious…" Laxus didn't want it to be true either, but all eyes turned to the person who entered the room.

Emmeraude Verde, clad in a green outfit only fit for a ruler stood confidently in the meeting room with her hands on her hips. The reveal was spoiled before Hisui could even say it herself, but now that it had been, she decided to say it anyway. "The new ruler of the Alvarez Empire is…Emmeraude Verde."

.

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Next Time: The Royal Request


	106. Chapter 106: The Royal Request

"EMMERAUDE!?" Team Natsu exclaimed.

"Yes? You don't shout my name. Although we seriously have to stop meeting like this, people are going to talk." Emmeraude crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently. Her gaze then went to Hisui, who could only sheepishly laugh now that the cat was out of the bag. "I take it you didn't tell them…"

"I was going to, but…" Hisui kept the sheepish grin on her lips.

"You stalled for too long." Emmeraude shook her head and took a seat at the table. "Also, when I said bring the strongest mages you could think of, you know that _this_ wasn't what I meant."

"Em, please…" Emerald soon followed from around the corner, taking a seat next to her daughter.

"Uh…" Ena glanced around. The air in the room shifted when Emmeraude arrived and she was very confused.

"Who is that..?" Kurthnaga asked his sister, but she didn't have a response for him.

"It's only been a month, what the heck!" Lucy exclaimed. "Didn't I ask you to leave it alone!?"

To that, Emmeraude practically burst out laughing, but managed to contain herself with a very noticeable snicker. "And did you really think I was going to listen to _you_?"

"I…! W-Well…" Lucy didn't really have a counter to that one. It was a huge stretch to think Emmeraude of all people would actually listen to anything she had to say.

"Great…" Gray rolled his eyes. Now they had to deal with _this_ too? This day was already off to an annoying start.

"I don't get it…" Wendy turned to Emmeraude. "How were you able to uhm…become Queen of Alvarez…?"

"I highly doubt the 12 would let you do so without issue." Erza remarked.

"The 12?" Emmeraude shook her head. "The old 12 don't exist anymore, you know? They disbanded immediately after the war." Her gaze turned to Lucy, lips curving up into a smirk. "And it's all. Your. Fault."

Lucy furrowed her brows at Emmeraude's words. "…That doesn't bother me anymore." But she would really appreciate it if people stopped saying every little thing was her fault. That didn't make her feel any better. "The old 12, though…?"

With a sigh, Emmeraude crossed one leg over the other. "Very well. Allow me to explain, since you all don't bother keeping up on the news. In case you've forgotten, most of the 12 were killed in the war. The only survivors were Jacob, Brandish, Dimaria, and Invel. Invel was imprisoned immediately after the war since he was scheming to plan another one, and if that were to happen, Alvarez would not win any battle. It's still recovering from the previous battle."

"…What about Brandish?" Lucy asked. She did wonder how Brandish was doing since they parted ways.

"Brandish does whatever she wants." Emmeraude shrugged. "I've only asked her to do one thing for me if she had the time, but I honestly don't expect that to be done anytime soon. Jacob has been rather help to me as well. They are a part of the new Spriggan 12 I've been working on to help fill the power vacuum left behind."

"A new 12? Within a month?!" Gray was pretty shocked about that.

"I've an eye for talent, you know. They're all such darlings, too." The Emerald Empress said proudly. "As for Dimaria, she lives peacefully on a small farm now." That one got a few looks and she had to explain it a little more. "I honestly don't know what you did to her, but you all have somehow managed to traumatize that poor girl to the point where she hates fighting now. She'll still do some missions, but…"

"Serves her right." Cynthia huffed.

"Mmm…" Wendy didn't say it, but it was clear she kind of thought the same way.

"Oh my. Spiteful young women are you? I like it." Emmeraude smirked.

"Stop that." Carla glared.

"That's the strangest 'where are they now' segment I've ever heard…" Happy cocked his head to the side slightly.

"And let me guess, you forced your way onto that throne as well?" Laxus asked.

"What do you take me for, some sort of tyrant?" Scoffing, Emmeraude shifted her legs. "Alvarez is doing horribly. So I simply asked Sir Yajeel and the remaining Spriggan if it would be all right."

"And if they said no, you'd take it anyway." Natsu remarked. He was tense and his guard was up around Emmeraude. He had absolutely no reason to be at ease with Em in the room.

"Well, it didn't have to come to that." Emmeraude smiled. "Sir Yajeel told me that if Ajeel survived the war, he'd be the new ruler of Alvarez."

"That guy…?!" Lucy's eyes widened. All she remembered about Ajeel was his crazy attitude and arrogant behavior.

"You see? I simply could not see which a thing happening. Sir Yajeel says it would have worked…but I suppose we'll never find out in this lifetime. Besides, there is no heir to the throne now that August is dead and Rahkeid is gone." Said Emmeraude. Even though August didn't mention his upbringing to her, she had an inkling about it. As for Rahkeid, she had no idea what happened to him. "That's the gist of things."

"That still doesn't explain why you took the throne…" Erza narrowed her eyes. "It's only been a month since we've last seen you after all. You were a civilian then."

"I was only living quietly because my mother asked me to." Emmeraude said.

"Yes." Emerald nodded slowly. "Even though Em wouldn't admit it, I knew she was exhausted from the war and all. I didn't want her to jump into something like ruling another country, but then…she did say she was inspired after the little award ceremony."

"…You were serious!?" Lucy had a sweat drop on her forehead. Now she couldn't help but feel like _this_ was her fault now.

"I know what you're thinking, and don't flatter yourself. Out of all the things you're at fault for, this isn't one of them." Emmeraude quickly stated.

This caused Emerald to tilt her head. "Ah…but Em, didn't you say…"

"I said nothing." Alvarez's new queen.

"I feel like we're really out of the loop on this…" Ena whispered to her brother.

"…Yeah…" Kurthnaga nodded. It's not like they minded being on the sidelines for this conversation. It was a little entertaining.

"You know…" Happy glanced at Emmeraude and Emerald. "It's really weird seeing these two together. They look exactly the same."

"Except Emmeraude has a few more gray hairs." Lucy said.

"Your weak proverbial jab will not get a rise out of me." Emmeraude scoffed.

"I think it did." The blonde replied.

"A-Anyway…" Hisui finally cut in. "Emmeraude has been doing Alvarez more good than it has been in the previous year and I think we can leave it at that. I think it's about time we start to discuss the reason I've called you all here today."

"About time." Laxus sighed. This back and forth was annoying, but it was also good to know what was going on with Alvarez as of late.

"Oh right." Emmeraude turned to Ena and Kurthnaga, giving a respectful bow. "I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Emmeraude Verde, the new Empress of Alvarez. It is a pleasure to meet you both, Queen Ena, Kurthnaga."

"A pleasure to meet you!" Ena bowed.

"Indeed." Kurthnaga did the same.

"Since you arrived before we did, it's only natural you explain your situation first." Emmeraude sat back. While she did enjoy the sound of her own voice, she was curious to hear what had the rulers of the Isle of the Dragons here.

"Yes, I was wondering that as well." Erza turned to Ena. "Did something important happen?"

"You could say that…" Ena trailed off. "It has to deal with the Eternal Sword." That was a line that caught everyone's attention. "I called your group here specifically because Erza-senpai was the one who wielded the blade." That and she wanted an excuse to see Erza again after so long. Such an admirable human in her eyes.

"What about the sword?" Erza asked. This was important.

"Before I tell you what happened…I have to ask how you were able to wield the blade." Ena said. "It never crossed my mind at the time, but considering recent events…"

"Oh. I only remember that…I believe Mii told me to grab it. That's the only reason I did so in the first place." Erza explained. "Now that I think about it, she suggested for me to do it twice…"

"That's what I thought." Kurthnaga crossed his arms. "The Chosen has begun to act…"

"Wait, that means she's alive…!" Lucy immediately spoke up.

"I know that she was a big deal and caused us a lot of trouble on that island…" Laxus spoke up. "But what exactly is the ruckus about that troublemaker?"

"Long ago, after Acnologia became the Dragon King, my father sought a way for the dragons who escaped his wrath to be safe. It was then that they encountered the head of the angels, Yggdrasil, who offered my father and the other dragons salvation on the Isle, promising them that their fate would lead them to take back the land soon. The Sacred Gem and Eternal Sword were given to the Isle with the notion that his child would come and lead them…but we all know how that left."

"The child who subverted everyone's expectations…" Carla tapped her foot on the ground. "But she's really still alive?" Not that Carla was worried about her or anything, since she oft said her time limit expired at the end of last year.

"That's right." Ena said with a stern stare. "We know she's alive, because some time ago, she came for the Eternal Sword."

"She what!?" Erza's eyes widened and her hands found their way onto the table. "But how…!?"

"I thought she said she couldn't even lift it!" Gray added.

"Eh?" Ena titled her head. "That's a strange lie. As the daughter of the original wielder of the blade, she had no problem lifting the sword out of the stone."

"If she said she 'couldn't wield it, it's likely because she didn't feel like she wanted to." Kurthnaga said before glancing at Erza. "I know you were able to wield it very briefly thanks to The Chosen's blessing…"

"That spirit…" Erza furrowed her brows. "Origin, I think…"

"A spirit said to nearly rival the Celestial Spirit King in terms of power…" Lucy mentioned.

"If her fate was to die, it only stands to reason that grabbing the Eternal Sword has prolonged her life." Emmeraude stated. "So it seems I was right…she is still alive after all."

"You seem indifferent…" Emerald turned to her daughter. "I know you didn't quite like her, but…"

"It's like watching an animal with a broken limb from afar. You can't help but pity it. There is some sort of sad irony in watching someone who wants to die being unable to do so." Emmeraude admitted. "Although this begs the question why she decided to do this. As far as I recall, she was rather broken up about Makarov's death and didn't want anything to do with you. I assumed she'd die off somewhere shortly after."

Natsu clenched his hand into a fist at the mention of Mii and her fate. He made her a promise to burn her fate. Even though she didn't believe him, Natsu was going to follow through. No matter what happened, no matter where she was, in his eyes, she was still one of them. "So she's still alive. This means we still have a chance."

"I wouldn't get so hasty if I were you." Emmeraude turned to Natsu. "If you wish to bring your guild to ruin that's fine, I care not. But don't forget that she was a spy working under the Pergrande Kingdom. It was rather careless of you to allow her to remain anywhere near your base of operations. She's been nothing but dishonest since the day we've been."

"You sure know a lot about her." Laxus remarked.

"Because I've known her since she was a small child…" Emmeraude rubbed her temples at the mere thought of Mii. "Koryuji has been nothing but a perverse annoyance for over 20 years…"

"20 years…?" Cynthia blinked slowly. "How old _is_ she?"

"I'm going to teach you a little quick lesson, Cynthia." Emmeraude said. "It's impolite to ask for a woman's age."

Natsu stared at Emmeraude with a deadpanned look. "Aren't you 50?"

Emmeraude felt her brow twitch in annoyance. It was clear that Natsu wasn't even taking a shot at her, he was genuinely asking and that's what pissed her off, especially since he was so far off the mark! She had a look that said 'I'm going to kill him', but she refrained from actually saying anything. The look on her face said it all and Lucy couldn't help but snicker.

"L-Let's all just settle down…" Emerald said with a slight sweat drop.

"So…." Kurthnaga attempted to keep their conversation from going too far off the rails. "We've just wanted to inform you that The Chosen is making some sort of move. I don't know what she's thinking or planning, but with the Eternal Sword in her grasp…"

"Mii…" Lucy placed a hand on her chest. She was happy that Mii was still alive, but…

Laxus turned to Emmeraude now. "And why are you here?"

"That's no way to talk to a lady." Scoffing at Laxus' rudeness, Emmeraude cleared her throat to explain the circumstances. "Prior to my taking the throne, it appears as though that group known as the Wizard Hunters stole some…delicate things from the kingdom during the last year. I only came to learn of this recently. I can't go into detail over what it was they stole, for it's not for your ears. But I will tell you that it holds the potential to spark yet another war between Ishgar and Alvarez, and as I've stated earlier, we would not be able to fight another war. I would also like to avoid conflict as I've promised the people nothing but prosperity."

"The Wizard Hunters…!?" Lucy's eyes widened. "They bugged me just last night too!"

"And now we know why she's in Fiore again…" Carla crossed her arms.

"So they've already made contact with you as well…" Hisui folded her hands in front of her. "They've been lurking around here as well. They've allowed me to intentionally spot them, but nothing more than that."

"Man, just when things were nice and quiet…" Gray groaned.

"It would be terrible if Alvarez and Ishgar got into another war." Emerald frowned. "The country has just started to repair itself thanks to Em, and Ishgar has suffered some damage as well. I wouldn't be surprised if they were under Pergrande management as they tend to be."

"I know how you feel, but you can't blame him for every little thing..." Emerald said quietly.

"This coincides with what I called you all here as well. I wanted to task Fairy Tail with the mission of capturing the Wizard Hunters once and for all. It is very dangerous, a task beyond even an SS class." As Hisui spoke, her gaze slowly went to Laxus.

"And that's why you wanted me here as well, is it?" The Dreyar folded his broad arms across his chest. "You want my approval for the this team, the guild, to take on a mission that even an SS class wouldn't be able to handle alone."

"Yes." Hisui clarified. "To be frank, the Wizard Hunters have been involved in numerous incidents that have affected Fiore's wellbeing and standing in Ishgar. The fact that they stole something from Alvarez and are now within Fiore attest to the fact that they are plotting something nefarious. I would like to keep relations between our countries stable."

"That's a lot to take in…" Wendy muttered.

"Alvarez is quite a wonderful place. I'd rather it not be consumed in the flames of war again…" Emmeraude sighed before turning to Lucy. "Oh, that reminds me. You are banned from stepping foot in Alvarez."

The completely unreasonable statement caused Lucy's eyes to widen. "WHAT!? SERIOUSLY?!"

"T-that seems a little much…" Ena said with a sweat drop.

"Em…!" Emerald couldn't believe this.

Emmeraude waved a hand since all eyes were on her, a slight grin creeping onto her lips. "Relax. It's a joke."

Lucy kind of knew Emmeruade well enough to know that if no one said anything, it was probably going to be reality. "Didn't sound like a joke to me…" She then took another look at Emmeraude's face and noticed that smile. It was really weird for her to witness such a thing. "You know…even though she's still being her, I can't help but feel like this is her being a little nice."

"It's your imagination. I still don't like you." Emmeraude added. Lucy being shot down caused her to sweat.

"You shouldn't be so mean to her…" Emerald chided. "After all, didn't she save…"

"She saved the Queen, yes." Emmeraude knew where that was going and nipped it in the bud. "I do recall her saying it wasn't for my sake to begin with, so I have no reason to thank her for that." Lucy was never going to get a 'thank you' for that.

"So this is how you ask people for help?" Laxus cut in. He definitely wasn't going to take her attitude lying down.

"Did I strike a nerve?" Emmeraude lifted a brow. "Trying to show off as guild master in front of everyone? You don't have to flex so hard, you know."

"The Queen we have no issue lending a hand. But you? We're not obligated to help you." Laxus said with a narrowing gaze. "Especially after what you've done."

"You simply just can't seem to let things go, can you?" Emmeraude lifted a brow, very well aware of the irony within her own statement. "I truly want what's best for everyone in this room right now."

"You don't sound like it." Laxus said. "How about you start by asking nicely? I'm sure please exists in your vocabulary somewhere."

There was a bit of a tense silence. Emmeraude shrugged her shoulders after a moment or two. "I didn't come here for a fight, so you don't have to act like one is around the corner. I have more than just myself to look out for now. Besides, the missions coincide; it would benefit everyone if you accepted both requests. You'd be doing them both regardless."

Laxus wasn't budging until she asked _properly._ "…"

"This is tense…" Ena whispered to her brother.

"No kidding…" Kurthnaga agreed.

Pride meant very little when concerning the wellbeing of the many. Emmeraude already knew that. "You can help the Queen; I know you've no reason to say no to her. It would be great if you returned said stolen item to me, please, and thank you." It was a bit sarcastic, but she did do it somewhat properly. That was the best they were going get out of her.

"Tch…" Laxus shook his head before turning to the others. It seemed like they were all raring to go. "All right then. Fairy Tail will take on this request."

That caused Hisui to smile. "Thank you very much. Once again, I am in your debt."

"Don't thank us just yet." Erza said. "We can save thanks until the job is completed. But I must ask, how are we going to begin hunting the Wizard Hunters?"

It was now time for Arcadios to speak up. "I've had some soldiers scouting the nearby areas. They've detected unusual activity in the area up north known as Jilra Jungle. This activity began shortly after Her Highness spotted the Wizard Hunters for the first time a few weeks ago."

"The jungle, huh?" Natsu grinned and lightly tapped his fists together. "Doesn't matter where they hide! We'll smoke 'em out and take them down!"

"We already know Yumia and Yukia are here." Cynthia crossed her arms. "We don't know who else is there. So we should be on guard…"

"They won't be going anywhere." Laxus was confident in his own statement. "This will give us time to return to the guild and gather up another team." Laxus was thinking of the usual B team to aid Team Natsu.

"Is that everything you need from us?" Erza asked the royalty in the room, and they all nodded. "They we shall get moving posthaste."

"Don't screw this up." Emmeraude waved a hand, telling them to buzz off now that they were done.

It was at that moment that a figure arose from Ena's shadow. It was so sudden nobody realized until it was too late. Shade of the Wizard Hunters lunged out and grabbed Hisui before the others even caught onto what was happening. As Ena realized, she screamed from feeling her personal space invaded. "EEEEEK!"

"Hiusi…!" Emmeraude started to move, but stopped when she realized the hostage situation.

"How the hell did he get here?!" Gray asked.

"No one even sensed him…" Emerald's gaze narrowed. "He must have snuck into her shadow long before we even arrived."

"B-But how?!" Ena freaked. "I made sure we weren't being followed! We came straight from the Isle!"

"Kehehehe…" Shade snickered while bending Hisui's arm backwards to keep her restrained. "It wassssss far too easssssy to ssssslip in here."

"Release Her Highness this instant!" Acradios said while drawing his blade.

A rift of shadows formed under Shade, slowly pulling him and Hisui within it. "I'll be happy to let the otherssss know that we have guesssst arriving ssssooon. You better hurry, for we're planning to leave within 24 hourssss once we have everything prepared!"

"Unhand me!" Hisui squirmed within Shade's grip, but to no avail.

It was then that another shadowy rift appeared from Lucy's own shadow! A whip rose from the portal, wrapping around Emerald's wrist to tug her forward and into this one. "Yoink!" Yumia poked her head out from the rift that was now rapidly closing. "We need to take this one too, actually!"

"Mother!" Now Emmeraude reached out, but Shade unleashed a high pitched screech that caused everyone to cover their ears. "Annoying vermin!"

"Too loud!" Wendy whimpered. When your ears were that good, it only stood to reason that noises like this hurt a lot. The same went for Natsu, Cynthia, Ena, Kurthnaga, and Laxus.

The Emmeraude of old slipped out and she brought a hand forward to shoot a chain out to wrap around her mother's other wrist, but Shade's free claw slashed it before it got close. "Kehehehe!"

"It's okay Em! We'll be fine…!" Emerald exclaimed, though her voice was drowned out by the ongoing screech. That was the last thing she could utter before the rift close. No one could do a thing against such a sudden assault.

"W-What the heck just happened?!" Lucy asked once the ringing in her ears died down. The suddenness of it all really did throw everyone for a loop and they needed a moment to regain their bearings.

"What do you think just happened?" Emmeraude said sharply. She kept calm but it was very clear this situation had her somewhat rattled. Both Hisui and her mother were swiped right in her face, of course she wasn't happy about this. "They really are trying to cause a war of some kind..."

"Bastards…" Gray shook his head, silently praying for the noise in his ear to go away soon. "They were listening in on everything…!"

Arcadios grit his teeth at his own folly. He should have been more vigilant. That's what he thought, but in reality, there was very little that anyone could have done in this situation. "It seems as though I was mistaken. The Wizard Hunters have decided to act even sooner than I could have realized…"

.

.

Next Time: The Timed Hunt.


	107. Chapter 107: The Timed Hunt

Erza cut down a few vines, leading the way through Jilra Jungle. The area was thick with vines and other shrubbery, but Team Natsu had to hurry if they wanted to catch the Wizard Hunters. Rescuing Hisui and Emerald was their top priority right now. "This jungle is so thick, who in their right mind would set up a base here?"

"People with things to hide." Gray said. "I still can't believe we got ambushed like that."

"I can't believe Emmeraude entrusted us with rescuing the Queen and her mother." Happy mentioned.

To that, Lucy had to correct Happy. "It wasn't so much entrusting us as we are the only people who could do something about it. You heard what she said, didn't you?"

* * *

[Flashback]

A moment or so after the initial shock of Hisui and Emerald being taken, Arcadios came to his senses and started to sprint to the doors to alert the guards. "We must make haste! Someone may have seen them-!"

"It's a pointless endeavor." Emmeraude said with a slight scowl. "They're already long gone by now." After saying, that, she sat back down and crossed her arms, letting out a quiet sigh. "I relaxed too much."

"You seem pretty calm for someone whose mother just got kidnapped." Laxus said.

"Aren't you going to do something?" Carla asked.

"As much as I want to, I can't." Alvarez's queen responded. "I'm simply here on a diplomatic visit and have no authority to get involved in the affairs of Fiore. Even though my mother was taken, it's likely some sort of trap for me. They're trying to bait me into coming and hope I make some sort of mistake to pin against Alvarez. I can't allow that…" Emmeraude was calm but anyone could see that this issue left her beside herself.

"It really might be a trap for us too…" Lucy thought it over. Knowing the Wizard Hunters, she wouldn't be surprised if they had some sort of plan for their arrival.

"I'm so sorry…!" Ena said while bowing multiple times. "I truly had no idea that man was hiding in my shadow! I never sensed him!"

"Blame falls to me as well." Kurthnaga also bowed. "This was our fault. We should have been more vigilant…"

"It's not your fault." Erza told the two dragons. "It seems as though no one saw this coming."

"What are we waiting for!?" Natsu asked the others. "24 hours right!? That's plenty of time!"

"That's a trap too." Emmeraude mentioned. "That's far too lofty. Chances are they were planning to lure you into a false sense of security in terms of time. They'd be long gone by the time you actually hunted them down."

"Sounds like them." Laxus furrowed his brow in annoyance. What a pain this became. But they had to rescue the Queen and Emerald before the Hunters got away with them, that much was clear. They were on the clock. "Erza. Take them and go ahead. I'll go back to the guild and gather back up."

"Yes." Erza firmly nodded. "We must make haste! We don't have a lot of time!"

"We're on it!" Gray exclaimed.

"Mhm!" Cynthia and Wendy nodded in unison.

"We'll get them both back before they're both hurt. Don't worry." Lucy gave Emmeraude a reassuring smile; however Alvarez's queen didn't even bother looking in her direction.

"I'll believe that when I see it." Emmeraude sharply replied. "They won't be hurt. I know those hunters have a strict policy about not harming their targets at all, or more than necessary if their mark fights back. It's what comes after delivery that is out of their hands."

"My point still stands." Lucy said as the others began to leave the room. "We'll get them back before they're hurt. Trust me."

"…." Emmeraude said nothing.

[End flashback]

* * *

"She seemed really upset. I can't blame her." Cynthia frowned a bit.

"It feels a little weird actually helping her." Wendy admitted. "But if she's doing things for a good purpose…"

"I know exactly how you feel." Lucy let out a sigh. "I know we're not exactly at each other's throats anymore, but holding a conversation is weird since she can't not insult me in some way. That aside, Emerald is really nice and we have to save the Queen. I just wish this jungle wasn't so thick!"

"You should have dressed for this." Gray said, his shirt already missing.

"Put a shirt on!" Lucy squealed.

"Seriously though, what are we even looking for? They could be anywhere." Carla huffed. "I feel like we're losing time just looking for them."

"They'll probably have a building of some kind as their temporary base of operations." Erza stated. "It should stick out like a sore thumb. No one could work in these conditions otherwise…"

"Hm…" Natsu's nose twitched.

"We should tread carefully as well." Erza warned the others. "I heard that there is a powerful monster that has made its home in this jungle. We wouldn't want to disturb it." Oh, that was something they would have liked to know coming in here. All the others could do was stare at Erza as she dropped this information.

* * *

Hisui shook her head slowly, coming too after being kidnapped by Shade. She went to move her hands, but as one would expect, they were bound behind her back. "Nnn…of course. Magic sealing restraints." That's when she remembered that she wasn't alone! Her gaze shifted frantically around the room until landing on Emerald, who was awake, but just pondering the situation. "Ah…"

"Oh, you're awake." Emerald calmly responded. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine." Hisui replied. "Just a little shaken up. I wasn't expecting to be abducted in such a fashion."

"You and me both." Emerald said.

At that moment the door opened and the leader of the Wizard Hunters appeared. A woman with short blue hair and a white suit with a blade held sheathed at her hip. "Welcome. I hope you two are comfortable. You two were out for quite some time."

"Who are you?" Hisui asked immediately. She knew this woman was with the Wizard Hunters, but this was an unfamiliar face.

"My name is Lucia Silverwind. I am the leader of the Wizard Hunters." The woman said. What an introduction.

"T-the leader!?" Hisui's eyes widened at this news. Normally they sent the others to take care of tasks, but to have the leader herself here….this operation had to be big.

"Relax. As long as you cooperate, we won't bring you harm." Lucia said.

"It would be bad if you did anyway." Emerald said while keeping her gaze on Lucia. "We have no intention resisting, but you're mistaken if you think we're helpless."

"Hm…" Lucia stared at Emerald. "As expected from the mother of Alvarez's Empress. As long as you don't try anything funny, we'll be getting along nicely."

"Would you mind sharing your reasons as to kidnapping us?" Hisui questioned.

"I'm afraid that's classified information." Lucia responded. "But, since I have you here…" The woman dug in her pocket and pulled out a golden key, holding it in front of Hisui. "My reports say that you are a Celestial Spirit mage, yes? Then perhaps you can help me with this key."

Hisui was nearly in shock at the key Lucia pulled out. That wasn't just any key, that was… "Leo's key…"

"That's right." Lucia nodded slowly. "While we were setting up here, I just so happened to find this key lying about in the jungle. It's a strange place for a key. I was wondering if you'd help me summon him? I'm no celestial wizard, so I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to make a contract, but I wonder if one of the Zodiac keys would join our ranks."

"…" Hisui found herself in a tough spot. She was well aware of what happened to Loke's key after Lucy battle Emmeraude. A full year passed and the key was reborn, but fell into the hands of the enemy. "I highly doubt even I could sway this spirit's loyalty from his master, who is looking for him as we speak."

"Hm…" Lucia then shrugged her shoulders. "So a strong sense of loyalty exists between this key and its previous holder? I see. That is respectable. But with such a trinket in my hands, I can't simply let it go to waste now can I? I'll have to see what I can do then." The woman then snapped her fingers and the door opened once again. "Hey you. What can you make of this?"

Another person stepped out. Her appearance caused the eyes of Hisui and Emerald to widen in shock. "Hmmm…" The woman stroked her chin. "Loke's key, right? Well, there are two ways to go about it. You could probably coax him by roughing up his previous holder…or we can just sell him to someone else. There is _that_ mage who could probably get some mileage out of it…"

"Hm, you're right…" Lucia nodded.

"You…why are you here…" Hisui asked.

The female turned her head to Hisui, red locks obscuring the look in her eyes. "Does it matter?"

"You know who's coming, don't you?" Emerald questioned.

"I know they're on their way." The female shrugged and started to walk off. "And if we have to fight, then so be it. I'll do what I have to." Her words left Hisui and Emerald awestruck.

* * *

"Oh, Laxus, you're back!" Freed was the first one to greet Laxus as he returned to the Fairy Tail guild hall. "Ah, but where are the others? Behind you?"

"We don't have time." Laxus said. "Long story short, the Queen wants Fairy Tail to take down the Wizard Hunters once and for all. Unfortunately, those bastards moved faster than anyone expected. They kidnapped the Queen and the mother of Alvarez's new Empress."

"H-Huh?" Lisanna blinked a few times. That was all so much in so little time. "Who is…?"

"Emmeraude." Laxus said. That got a few looks.

"She seriously just can't leave anything alone, can she…?" Cana grumbled while downing a bottle of wine. The mere mention of Emmeraude really riled her up.

"That doesn't matter right now." Laxus said. "Erza's team chased the hunters to Jilral Jungle. We don't have much time before they try and flee."

"So what are we waitin' for!?" Gajeel was the first one to speak up, grinning at the chance to fight. "Those damned hunters have always been a nuisance. I can't wait to arrest all of them!"

"For once, his obsession with arresting people actually holds some water." Laki spoke with a slight sweat drop.

"Does he even have the authority to do that anymore?" Zelos asked. It was a good question.

"Are we forming the B team again?" Cana asked.

"That's right." Laxus didn't even need to say who was on it.

Mira set the rag in her hand aside and walked out to the other side of the bar. "I see. Then we must make haste. I don't want to waste any more time here."

"Juvia gets to assist Gray-sama!?" There was no need to tell her anything else. In fact, that's all Laxus needed to say in order to get her to come along. All of the other details paled in comparison to this.

"I don't exactly want to help Emmeraude, but her mother is nice at least." Cana stood up from her seat, pouring some wine into her flask for later. "Let's get moving!"

"Be careful!" Levy said as Gajeel started to sit up. She'd join them, but…..

"Don't worry, shrimp. We'll be back." Gajeel flashed a grin. "Keep an eye on her, Lily."

"Of course." Lily simply nodded in response.

"Good, let's go." Laxus turned and started to lead the way out of the guild once again.

As the B team left, Freed just stood there with comical tears flowing down his cheeks. "…He left without us again…"

"Hyahaha…" Bickslow patted Freed's shoulder once more. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. Laxus probably left us here because he doesn't trust those Hunters to not pull something."

"Yeah…" Evergreen fanned herself. "If they were able to maneuver fast enough with even Laxus in the room, then who knows what else they have up their sleeve? Protecting the guild is important too."

"…You both are right…" Freed reluctantly conceded. It wasn't that he didn't believe their words to be true. He just wanted to go along with Laxus. Ever seen Laxus became the Ninth master, it was difficult to get any time with him.

"Chin up, Freed!" Elfman exclaimed. "Real men don't pout like that! Puff your chest out, be Manly!"

"I'm not so much in the mood for Manly talk…" The rune magic said with a heavy, heavy sigh.

* * *

"Over there!" Natsu pointed ahead. Just past a few trees was a noticeable building. "Their scents are coming from over there!"

"Another building?" Lucy groaned. "Why are we always fighting these people in some weird buildings?"

"At least they have some tact." Carla crossed her arms. "But this is the place, so what do we do?"

"What we always do." Natsu grinned, pounding his fists together as orange embers crackled around him. "We charge right in! They already know we're coming so let's give them a warm welcome!" Without wasting a second, Natsu began to charge towards the building.

"I-Is that really the best option?" Wendy asked. But it was too late.

"They already know we're coming and had the audacity to kidnap the Queen and Emerald right in front of us. They will receive no quarter!" The answer came from Erza herself, who summoned a blade and sprinted along with Natsu, only to be followed by Gray and Lucy.

"Guess we're going!" Cynthia said before rushing forward with Wendy by her side.

"It's time for a warm welcome!" Natsu reared his head back, gathering magic within his cheeks as he prepared to strike. "Flame Dragon King's Roar!" Exhaling, the fire dragon unleashed a destructive blast of flame right towards the hideout's entrance. Just before contact was made, an equally large force in the form of raw magic intercepted Natsu's roar, causing it to explode. "Huh!?"

"What the!?" Gray began.

"Even if this base is temporary, I can't have you go willy nilly inside of it." A man in a blue suit walked out, wielding a sickle as his weapon of choice. His voice held a thick accent that clearly showed he wasn't from Fiore…but perhaps Joya, or something? It didn't matter since he was very clearly an enemy. "We have some precious cargo inside."

"Get out of the way!" Natsu yelled.

"Another Wizard Hunter?" Erza was cautious. "I've never seen this one before…"

"Of course you haven't." The man said while adjusting his tie. "My name is Yeager Silverwind. My sister, Lucia, is the leader the Wizard Hunters and is speaking to the lovely ladies you seek. You've clashed with our members numerous times, however you haven't encountered my sister and I."

"T-The leader?!" Lucy's eyes widened. They hadn't even seen the leader before!

"That makes our job easier then." Gray said with a slight smirk. "We were asked to take you guys down anyway. So if the leader is here, we can accomplish that in one fell swoop!"

"Hahahaha…" Yeager simply chuckled at Gray's simple thought process. "Such shortsightedness."

"I don't like the aura this guy is emitting…" Cynthia mumbled.

"We should be careful." Carla kept her eyes ahead. "We've dealt with every other member of the Hunters so far, but for the leader herself to be here? This operation must be huge. But we can't allow them to do as we please."

"Ah, the little cat lady gets it!" Yeager grinned.

"The rest of you, go on ahead." Erza told the others. "We can't afford to waste too much time against a single member. The rest are likely inside. Our main priority at the moment is rescuing the Queen and Emerald, understand?"

"Got it!" Natsu and the others said, rushing past Yeager, who had no qualms about letting them inside the building.

"Ho ho…" The Wizard Hunter chuckled as Erza stayed behind. "So my opponent today is the infamous Titania? I've heard much about you. But I wonder if your skills hold true to your reputation…"

"I will gladly show you how sharp my blade is." A golden light started to wrap around Erza's body as her requip activated. "I will give you one chance. Return the Queen and Emerald to us this instant and turn yourselves in. It will save us a lot of trouble in the long run."

"Why the scowl?" Yeager asked as his sickle began to release a massive amount of magic power. "This is nothing personal, you see. It's just business!"

"Just business?" Erza quirked a brow as she donned her Purgatory Armor, the massive spiked club coupled with this violently slamming into the ground. Titania's eyes narrowed to a death glare as she stared the Wizard Hunter down. "Perhaps to you, but it's very personal when you kidnap a friend of ours. So if you refuse to release them, I'll have no choice but to put you in your grave. I'll be sure to write on your gravestone that your cause of death was picking a fight with Fairy Tail."

* * *

"Ahhhh!" Keele pushed through a few trees, grinning as he felt at home in this jungle. "Now this is a jungle."

Blair and Juilet followed behind him. The raventte kept her arms crossed, letting out a somewhat heavy sigh. "Of course an animal like you _would_ feel at home here."

"Calm down you two." Juilet told them. "You remember why we're here, right? Master wanted us to return with those eggs. We have to be delicate and…" Well, Blair and Keele weren't exactly the gentlest people, so this made her worry. "…Huh?" When scoping out the area ahead, she noticed a building off in the distance. "What's that?"

"A building." Blair said in a sarcastic tone. "…But what's it doing there?"

Keele's gaze shifted somewhat. He got on his current team for not ruining the jungle's atmosphere, but there was something completely unnatural about that building up ahead. He didn't like it either. His lips curled into a scowl as he stared. "…That's not supposed to be there. I don't know whose idea this is, but I'm not going to stand for it."

.

.

Next Time: Battle In The Base


	108. Chapter 108: Battle In The Base

From a room within the jungle base, Yumia and Yukia watched Team Natsu's charge through camera feedback. They could also see Erza clashing with Yeager just outside. "Haaaah." Yumia let out a sigh. "They really did show up faster than I thought. Guess they weren't gonna fall for the 24 hour ploy."

"I bet it was Alvarez's Empress. She saw right through it and told them." Yukia nodded. "We should've tried something more believable. She's like a genius or something."

"She probably saw through our attempt at baiting her as well…" Yumia stroked her chin. "It would have been nice causing an incident, but it's fine that things turned out this way too. The airship will be here soon. All we really have to do is stall."

"That's right." Yukia hummed. "We may not have everyone here, but we've got our big three! Plus Rajaron is here too! Trying to hunt down that legendary beast or whatever that lives in this place. Gods, it was such a pain trying to convince him to come back."

"That aside…" Yumia started to walk out of the room. "All we have to do buy as much time as possible. With Yeager, Shade, and Lucia, such a task will be extremely easy. Plus, if things do end up going badly, there's no doubt 'she' will step in."

"Wow, we really are set to win this round, huh?" Yukia snickered while following her sister. "This is gonna be so much fun~"

* * *

Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Cynthia, Wendy, Happy, and Carla rushed into the base while Erza decided to battle Yeager. More than anything else it was important for them to blast through whoever stood in their way to rescue Hisui and Emerald. "Their scents are coming from somewhere up ahead!"

"We have to hurry!" Lucy exclaimed. She promised Emmeraude she'd bring the both of them back before they were hurt. It was a strange thing to think of, but at the moment, she wanted to just show Emmeraude that they were reliable.

"Wait…!" Wendy warned. "Something's coming!"

Right on cue, a pool of darkness suddenly covered the entirety of the corridor, acting as quicksand to drag everyone into its depths. Shade appeared a few yards before them, his form rising from the darkness. "Ah, there you all are. I can't have you ssssneaking into our basssse you see. Sssso please, take a nice long nap."

"Gah, it's sticky…!" Cynthia said while trying to worm her way free.

"What is this?!" Carla questioned while bringing her wings out. She was trying to fly away, but it was no use as her body didn't get very far. "Ngh!"

"Damn it! I can't move!" Gray shouted. He attempted to freeze the floor, but his ice was consumed by the darkness before it could even take any effect.

"Just sssssit tight." Shade said, delivering a grin towards his prey. "I'll ssssuck every last drop of magic from your bodiesss soon enough. Then Rajarion will enjoy the rest."

"OOOOOOH!" Natsu's body lit up in a brilliant blaze and he lifted his hand into the air. "Flame Dragon King's Demolition Fist!" Swinging his blazing hand down, it collided against the floor where a massive explosion of flame occurred. The intensity of the strike caused the 'sea' of darkness to split while also evaporating it like water. There was only a second of reprieve before the darkness merely flooded back at an even greater pace. "DAMN IIIIIT!"

Lucy narrowed her eyes. There was a brief glow around her body before she donned Star Dress: Leo! "LION'S BRILLANCE!" A bright light emanated from Lucy's body, snuffing out the darkness completely. Everyone glanced over at Lucy who held a determined look on her face. "You guys go ahead. I'll take care of this one."

"Keekee…" Shade snickered at the irony before him; Lucy donning the power of Leo. "Do you truly believe you can take on one of the three strongest Wizard Hunterssss alon-"

Before Shade could even finish, Lucy was already in front of him with her leg reared back, golden light shining around it. "Regulas Lucy Kick!" The blonde spun around, aiming a round house kick towards Shade's face. The Hunter was capable of blocking it, but his innate weakenss to light caused him to hiss and he was pushed back into a wall, where Lucy stood in front of him. "Alone? I'm never alone." Her spirits were always with her after all.

"Nice Lucy!" Natsu grinned and started to move on with the others deeper into the base. "Kick his ass!"

To Natsu's words, Lucy merely gave a nod. She was able to buy them enough time to continue moving forward through the base. "Mhm. I'll catch up with you guys soon."

Shade rotated his neck, parting his lips to expose his fangs. "Foolisssh girl. You have no idea what you have brought upon yourssself. But at the very least, we'll be able to collect even more…"

"Collect what?" Lucy lifted a brow.

"Oooops. Almost spoiled the ssssurprise." Shade grinned before his mouth opened, unleashing a high pitched sonic wail. The intensity of this sound wave was strong enough to push Lucy back while also giving her ears a very annoying ring.

"Nnnngh!" Groaning, the celestial mage placed her hands on her ears, eyes squeezing shut as the noise nearly blew up her ear drums. "That's so annoying!" The noise did end and Lucy felt her head ache. She was aware of Shade's abilities but that didn't mean she wasn't going to fight. "But you're standing in our way. I made a promise and I intend to keep it."

* * *

"Do you think Lucy is going to be okay alone?" Cynthia asked while glancing at the others. "Shade is really strong…"

"I believe in her." Natsu said without missing a beat.

"And I don't doubt that Erza will wrap up her fight before long." Gray said confidently to ease the young woman's worries. "It doesn't matter if they brought their strongest this time. We'll kick their asses again!"

"That's right!" Natsu then smirked at Gray. "I bet I can take down their leader first."

"You're on." Gray immediately replied.

"Don't go turning this into a competition you idiots…" Carla scolded the two of them. "Wait, I sense someone ahead…!"

Not just a single person, but two! Yumia and Yukia stood at the end of a corridor, The two twins waved at those who were rapidly approaching. "Hello! Long time no see guys! Welcome to our little home!"

"Our leader is busy attending to our more important guests, so we'll have to ask you to please wait your turn and sit in our accommodation chamber!" Yukia said while pressing a button on the nearby wall. This caused the floor under the group to open up under the group with no warning.

"Whoa…!" Natsu, Wendy, and Cynthia ended up falling through the floor!

Gray on the other hand was quick to jump forward, freezing the air under his feet to create small platforms to keep him afloat. "Guys!"

"We got them!" Happy said while sprouting his wings, diving down to catch Natsu.

"Go get those twins!" Carla yelled while doing the same, moving to catch Wendy.

"They're so annoying!" Cynthia spun her body around, wings sprouting from her back and she began to fly up. Just as Natsu and Wendy were caught by their Exceeds, the floor closed before they could fly back up and Cynthia comically slammed into what was now a ceiling. "Ooof…" Swirls appeared in her eyes and she started to fall down towards the ground.

"Cynthia…!" Wendy cried out. Carla flew down so Wendy could catch Cynthia, but the two of them were heavy for Carla and they just fell to the ground. "Ouch…"

"That was a bad idea." Carla groaned.

"Is everyone okay?" Happy asked while gently setting Natsu down on the floor.

"My head hurts, but I'm fine…" Cynthia sat up and looked around. The first thing she saw was a pile of bones and she let out a scream. "EEEEK!"

"O-Oh…that's unsettling…" Carla said with a silent gulp.

"B-Bones….." Wendy felt a little unnerved.

"What is this place? Feels like a graveyard…" Happy looked around. It was then that the sound of heavy breathing caused the feline's hairs to stand up on end. A low feral growl caught everyone's attention and Happy desperately prayed that he wasn't the only one that heard it. "…D-did anyone else hear that…?"

"Unfortunately…" Wendy gulped, glancing around the dimly lit room.

A pair of eyes was visible in the corner of the room. These eyes shifted and his burly, towering figure came into view. Rajaron stepped forward in his human form, glaring down at the dragon slayers before him. They'd only met and did battle once, but he remembered them well. The male's tongue dragged across his lower lip and his fangs were bared. "So it's you all…it's been a while."

"Eep…I remember this guy! Isn't he that one dragon!?" Cynthia exclaimed.

"Yeah…" Natsu nodded, his expression shifting slightly. "You've been having a feast down here, haven't you?"

"That's right." Rajaron nodded while slowly stalking his prey. "There's a legendary beast somewhere in this jungle. I came because I want to consume it and its offspring. I've been passing the time by eating the other wildlife in this forest. They didn't couldn't so much as struggle against me, it was rather disappointing. But you three…I think you three will make a fine appetizer for the main course to come."

"Sorry to break it to you, but we're not here to be someone's meal." Natsu then sprinted forward as flames ignited around his fist. He leapt towards Rajaron, swinging an Iron Fist towards the dragon's broad chest. The dragon blocked it with his bare arm, pushing Natsu backwards, but he was able to land in a crouched position. "Tch!" Tough just like last time.

"Heh…" Rajaron gave Natsu a condescending sneer. "I heard about your feats, dragon slayers. How you managed to slay the mighty Acnologia. But I can see that you have less numbers than you did back then. Do you truly believe you can defeat a mighty dragon such as myself?"

"We've fought dragons before!" Cynthia said as crimson flames flared around her body, illuminating the darkened room. "You're no different!"

"We can't afford to lose to you!" Wendy said as wind began to gather around her. "Natsu-san! Cynthia! I'll back you guys up!"

"Keh…." A little warm up before dinner? Rajaron clearly didn't mind this. "It's been a while since I've been able to cut loose. I'll be sure to wrap it up before that beast returns…"

* * *

The slight rumbles in the base caught Lucia's attention. She wasn't quite done with Emerald and Hisui, but it was clear that this disturbance took higher priority. "It seems our guests have arrived…"

"Not a moment too soon." Hisui's expression brightened. "It seems they'll be completing their mission sooner than later."

"Is that a fact?" Lucia glanced back at Fiore's Queen. "They don't stand a chance against us. Do not put so much stock in them merely because they've defeated the Spriggan 12 of old. The Wizard Hunters have never been one to shy away from a challenge. They've interfered with numerous operations of ours, and as the leader, that is a disgrace to the organization my brother and I have created." There was a white aura that flowed around Lucia's body as she spoke. The sheer power she was emanating caused Hisui and Emerald to stare in awe.

"You…You're quite strong…" Emerald remarked.

"I know." Lucia responded while placing a hand on the hilt of her sheathed sword. "I wouldn't be worthy of the title I bear if I wasn't. This will be my first time dueling with someone from Fairy Tail. I have to commend their strength for their triumphs over my squad in the past, but their victory streak ends here." The leader of the Wizard Hunters was now going to take to the battle herself.

As the leader of the Hunters departed from the room, Emerald and Hisui looked at one another. "Her power is very high…" Emerald frowned while staring at the magic sealing restraints. It wasn't like she'd be of much use even if she could fight, but she did not enjoy being restrained like this. "I'm not exactly a fighter, but I do wish I wasn't being kept captive like this. I don't have the strength to break free from something like this."

"Nor do I…" Hisui admitted. She was extremely worried for Fairy Tail. The foes they were facing truly were not to be underestimated.

* * *

"Oh drat!" Yukia's eyes were wide as Gray managed to avoid the trap floor. "He managed to avoid the floor..!"

"Tch!" Gray didn't have any idea what happened to the others but he knew they'd be fine. It was time to focus on the enemy in front of him and deal with these annoying twins. His fist collided with his open palm and a chilling mist flowed from his being. "Ice Make: Freeze Lancer!" Thrusting his arms forward, a blue magic seal appeared in front of Gray, expelling enlarged ice lances that spread out to try and strike the annoying twins.

"Eeep! Didn't anyone teach you how to treat women!?" Yukia brought her hand forward, unleashing a potent burst of flame to collide against the ice, causing a small explosion from clashing elements.

"Aqua Jet!" Water exploded around Yumia's being and she shot forward, slamming herself into Gray's crossed arms. The ice maker slid back slightly while Yumia bounced from the impact, and as soon as she bounced back…

Gray attempted to strike! Ice surrounded his fist and he attempted to swing at Yumia, but Yukia came in for a fiery roundhouse. Gray had to shift his attention to clash against the fiery twin to prevent from being caught off guard. "Damn!" Grunting, he suddenly found himself on the defensive as Yumia's water infused leg collided against his shoulder, causing him to slide back. These two were hella annoying together!

"What's the problem!?" The two twins crossed one another in a leap, both of them slamming their fists into Gray's chest to push him back once more, their power bringing forth a cry of pain from the static ice mage. "Can't handle us!?" They said in unison, reminding Gray just how strong they were together.

Gray smirked at the words of the twins. "I'll admit, you guys aren't too bad. But I think Wendy and Cynthia have you beat in terms of teamwork." The ice maker then gripped his shirt and tossed it off. "But after that war, I can't let myself be bested by two growing teenagers."

"Oh please." Yumia waved her hand. "Just because you beat Alvarez you think you're hot stuff?"

"Nah, not hot. I'm cool." Lame joke aside, Gray was about to remind these two who they were dealing with. First he froze the floor over, then proceeded to use this icy flooring to skate forward, crossing his arms at his sides while clenching his hands into tight fist. "Ice Make: Bringer!" Two large, curved blades of ice formed within Gray's hands. As he slipped past Yumia and Yukia he landed fierce slashes across their frames, causing the twins to cry out in pain,

"Gaaah!"

"Kyaaaaah!"

Direct hits. The two twins groaned while placing their hands on their wounds. "D-Damn it…! You dick!" Yumia hissed.

"Don't get mad if you can't keep up!" Gray was now preparing to finish them off before they caused him any more trouble. "Ice Make: Cannon!" A large cannon of ice swirled into existence on his shoulder. He took aim at the twins and fired a condensed blast of ice in their direction to take them down in this one shot.

"Eeep…!" The twins realized they weren't in a good situation. Yumia did use her fire magic to melt the frozen floor so they could stand, but they wouldn't be able to muster a defense in the nick of time. Just before the frozen blast hit, a blade sliced right through it, protecting the twins from further arm. "H-Huh?"

Lucia stood before the twins, her sheathed blade held forward. "Yumia, Yukia. Are you two unharmed?"

"B-Boss…!" The twins' eyes lit up. "We're sorry…!"

"Boss…?" Gray mumbled.

"It's quite all right." Lucia turned to the two twins, offering a slight smile. "Next time you shouldn't play with your food. You know exactly what we're up against."

"W-We know…" They were just speaking in unison at this point. Twin telepathy and all that.

"Go to our guest. She'll heal your wounds. I'll take care of this man." Lucia told the twins. They nodded and scurried off, leaving Gray and Lucia alone. "So…you are Gray Fullbuster, correct?"

"That's right…" Gray stared at Lucia. "And you must be the leader of these Hunters I take it."

"That is correct. My name is Lucia Silverwind. You've met my brother outside." Lucia's aura began to waver around her. "I understand why you are here, but know that we will not be stopped this time."

"Heh…" Gray's lips curled into a confident smirk. "Sorry Natsu, it looks like I'll be winning this bet…." He trailed off, noticing a golden gleam on Lucia's waist. His eyes travelled to the source of the gleam and that's when he saw it: Leo's key. "That key…"

"Do you know something about this key?" Lucia questioned.

"Yeah." Gray stood up straight, his smirk soon turning into a scowl. "It belongs to a friend of mine. So I'll be taking it off your hands now."

.

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Next Time: Silver Wind.


	109. Chapter 109: Silver Wind

Juvia's brow twitched. The B team was unfortunately delegated to taking a train to Jilral Jungle. Laxus opted for a different method of transportation and just said he'd meet the others. Gajeel had to suffer on the train. But all eyes were on Juvia as she suddenly glared out the window. "….."

"Is something wrong, Juvia…?" Mira asked while tilting her head slowly.

"…Juvia has a feeling. A feeling that multiple women are attempting to make moves on Gray-sama…" The water mage grumbled. Her sixth sense was tingling and she did not like it one bit.

"…You sure about that?" Cana lifted a brow, downing some of the alcohol in her flask. "You sure you're not just overthinking?"

"No." Juvia's expression darkened; as so multiple rainclouds began to form over the train, resulting in a torrential rainfall. "The only women who should be around Gray-sama at all times is Juvia."

"Yeesh…" Cana said with a sigh.

"Who cares about any of that!?" Gajeel groaned. "Just get me off this damn thing!" Now he wished he didn't ask Lily to watch over Levy. He'd much rather fly than die on this train ride.

"It'll be all right, Gajeel." Mira said with her usual soft smile. "We're nearly at the stop. We'll be there to back Erza and the others up very soon."

* * *

Yumia and Yukia pushed a door open to the 'guests' room, both of them grumbling from the wound they suffered from Gray. "Stupid ice maker, thinking he had the upper hand on us." The fire twin grumbled.

"We would've had him…but he's dead if he really thinks he can fight the boss." Yumia held a malicious smile, only to wince. "Ouch, he really cut deep. Jackass…"

The guest was sitting on the couch. The red headed woman shifted her green eyes to the two twins, snickering at their condition. "Did Gray really get you guys that badly? I thought you two were better than that."

"Shut up, Mii!" Yumia huffed. "He got lucky. We were gonna kick his ass."

"I totally believe you." The red head said with a knowing smile. Mii then sighed and got up off the couch, annoyed that she was feeling extremely comfortable at the moment. "Why do people always need you to sit up when you've just gotten comfortable? I always hated that…" The angel walked over to the two twins and extended her palm, causing a heavenly glow to appear around them, healing their injury instantly. "There."

"Hmph…" Yukia huffed before glancing at the sheathed sword resting on the side of the couch. "…Is that the thing?"

"You can touch it if you want." Mii said with a hint of a smile.

"…..Nope. Not falling for that." Yumia placed her hands on her hips. "I heard you talking with the boss. You're the only one who can touch it, right?"

"Eh. That's kinda true." Mii walked over to the sheathed sword and grabbed the hilt, carelessly swinging it about. "I'm the only one who can touch it without issue. I can say someone can hold it, but whether or not they're capable of doing so isn't up to Mii."

"The spirit Origin, right?" Yukia tilted her head. "Does it like…talk to you or something?"

"Nah, he's pretty silent. I don't think anyone would want to talk to a piece of trash like myself." Mii shrugged and plopped back down on the couch, wishing to make herself comfortable once more. "Now if you two will excuse Mii, I'm going to back to my nap."

"Trying to avoid your friends, are we?" Yumia pried with an annoying smile.

"They aren't my friends anymore." Mii closed her eyes, a frown appearing on her lips. "I cut all ties with Fairy Tail after the war with Alvarez. After all, they're just a bunch of hypocrites who can't keep a single promise."

"Awww, do you wanna talk about your emotional pain?" Yumia taunted. "Big sis Yumia is here for you~"

"…." Mii didn't respond. But the aura she gave off threatened the twins to leave her alone. "Don't bother Mii unless you're trying to give Mii a good time."

"Yeesh, alright…" Yukia huffed. "Someone's become a Sour Susie."

"She's a real Negative Nancy." Yumia added, now leaving the room with her twin. "I heard she used to be more energetic."

"I think if we were a year or two older, she'd probably be trying to flirt and bed us…not that I blame her, I mean we grew up good." The water twin said while staring at her breasts.

"Mhm…." Yukia nodded in agreement. "We can talk about our measurements later. I wanna destroy those Fairy Tail mages now!"

"You're speaking my language!" Yumia grinned.

As the twins departed, Mii let out a heavy sigh. "Haaaah…why do you people keep vexing me? Leave me alone already…"

* * *

Erza pushed off in her Purgatory Armor, planning to make a statement right off the bat. Titantia lunged towards Yeager while drawing the spiked blade back, aiming a vicious horizontal swing to the Hunter's chest. Even though the blow itself was evaded, the raw pressure that followed caused a massive burst of wind to follow suit. Unfortunately for Erza, Yeager was quick and was able to avoid the powerful swing and its aftermath. "Tch…!"

"I like a lady that can put up a fight. Feisty though you may be, I'm not afraid to get a little rough!" With an elegant leap into the air, Yeager pointed his scythe down, causing it to shift into a crossbow. "One, two, three!" Each number came with a potent blast of raw magic, each one aimed for Erza and her predicted escape routes.

Finding herself on the defensive, Erza hopped back to evade the first blast of magic. The impact upon the ground caused a larger explosion than she initially predicted and it nearly threw her backwards. Just as she regained her footing the second blast was nearly upon her! With no time to dodge, she held her weapon up and allowed its size to shield her from the brunt of the explosion, further pushing her back. _"He's targeting my escape routes…well then…"_ As the third and final blast of magic came her way, Erza tightly gripped her mace and reared it back. With a battle cry, Titania swung the weapon forward, battering the blast of magic right back to its sender! "HAAAAH!"

"Oh ho! I like you!" Yeager grinned, shifting his bow back to its scythe form to cleave through the magic. As he landed, Erza shifted to her Flight Armor, using the increase in speed to gain the upper hand. In place of the mace, she donned two thin blades and swung at the Hunter, only for his scythe to intercept. "I'm aware of your abilities, Erza Scarlet. I'm afraid you won't be besting me like this."

"If you think you know what I can do, you're sorely mistaken!" Erza jumped back. When she prepared to strike again, Yeager beat her to the punch and began to slash at her with his scythe. With her speed she was capable of evading, but each slash was too close for comfort even in her Flight Armor. Left with little choice, she began to parry his strikes, looking for an opening that she just could not find. The Silverwind sibling then swung his scythe at a different angle. Erza shifted her body to avoid it, only to find that she was not the target. The scythe scraped against the ground, spinning around just a few inches away from her.

"You're open!" Yeager pointed his palm forward, a potent burst of silver wind exploding from his hand. This sudden hurricane caught Erza and caused her to fly back.

"Gaah!" Strong! He was definitely strong. The scarlet knight flipped, a golden light shrouding her body as she equipped the Wind God's Sword, blowing away the wind with her own. "Hmph!"

There was a silver glow around Yeager after using the spell, one that caused his lips to curl up in contentment. "Ah, that felt good. Now then, shall we try that again?"

"Gladly." Erza held her free hand out, bringing forth the Flame Empress' Sword as well. The combination of fire and wind was at her disposal and she planned to use it. Thanks to Cynthia and Wendy she had a few ideas of how to make this work. A single step forward was taken and Erza closed the gap within the blink of an eye, aiming a downward slash with her blazing sword, but he evaded it just as she swung. _"He's faster?!"_ Brown eyes widened for a split second before her gut was met with Yeager's boot, causing her to stumble backwards. At that moment the Hunter attempted to follow up with a slash with his sickle, but Erza was fast enough to jump away from this. _"Stronger too?"_

"Is there a problem?" Yeager taunted. He was up to no good and Erza knew it.

"Only the person standing before me." Something was up. Erza knew this and had to try a different approach. This time instead of directly approaching Yeager, she began to run circles around him, afterimages appearing in her place thanks to her speed.

"If you think I can't track you, you're sorely mistaken!" Yeager said while remaining motionless. In his mind, he could see the real Erza looping around within the afterimages…all he had to do was wait and strike. NOW! His scythe came down on Erza's shoulder, but she just narrowly avoided his prediction and he grazed her instead. Closing the gap, Titania placed her two blades of fire and wind together and promptly swung them up. "Wind God's Scorching Cyclone!" This motion caused a spiral of wind and fire to rise under Yeager, lifting him into the air within this twister.

"Guh!?" A surprise indeed! Yeager was expecting a cut across his chest, but Erza tricked him up by subverting his expectations! ….Wonderful. With a grin, Yeager unleashed another potent burst of silver wind from his hands to leap out of the twister and dusted himself off, his clothing and skin marred by slight burns and cuts from the wind. Once again, that strange glow appeared around him. "I must say, your swordplay is quite impressive. But it doesn't hold a candle to my dear sister's. As we've sparred numerous times over the years, I can't allow you to think even for a second that you have the upper hand."

"Is that a fact?" Erza readied herself once more, electing to make use of the Ten Commandments spear, using Blue Crimson. Without wasting a second she swung the frozen lance forward in a circular motion. "Frigid Moon!" The circle of ice unleashed a potent cold blast that soared towards Yeager at high speeds. The Hunter deftly evaded this by leaping into the air, but this was precisely what Erza was aiming for and then released multiple blazing spheres in her foe's direction to catch him off guard. "Blazing Stars!"

"Too slow!" Yeager's scythe was drawn and without missing a beat he cleaved through each individual sphere in one motion, rendering them useless. The Hunter then dove down, swinging his scythe just as Erza brought her spears up. The collision of high powered magic weapons resulted in an explosion that pushed both parties backwards. "Hm!"

"Grr…" Erza growled lowly. She wasn't making any progress against this man. Actually…it felt like he wasn't fighting her seriously. She'd make him fight seriously then. Erza began to charge forward, only to be halted by the ground shifting violently. Yeager seem to stagger just a bit as well. "Huh?"

"Hm?" Yeager glanced around. He didn't sense any magic…

"The fuck is going on here…?" Blair walked from around a tree, arms crossed while staring at the two mages before her. "You're causing an unnecessary ruckus in this jungle."

"What the…?" Erza tilted her head. She vaguely remembered this woman from Al Dente!, but…

"Oh? You must be a part of that group I heard that's hunting the mythical beast living in this jungle." Yeager hoisted his sickle over his shoulder. "We wish for that beast's wellbeing and protection as well, and this woman and her cohorts are trying so desperately to hunt it down…"

"He's lying! He and his companions have kidnapped the Queen!" Erza told Blair.

"Cut the bullshit." Blair's yellow eyes glared into Yeager and Erza's souls. She didn't believe either of them. "I don't really know who either of you are or what you're doing here, but I know you're both suspicions as all hell. One of my…..guild mates is looking for that beast, and we need it for the mission we're on. She said that fights like this would scary it off…"

"My, a sharp woman with an even sharper tongue." Blair's attitude made Yeager chuckle. But this was exactly the kind of distraction he was hoping for. Anything to stall for as long as possible after all. When he glanced back, he saw Keele and Juilet already making their way into the building. "We're both here for your monster."

"He's lying…!" Erza yelled, but Blair didn't really care.

"So we'll just clean you shit stains up and keep moving. Got it." Blair held her right arm out, a long blade ejecting from the gauntlet on her arm.

"Damn it…" Erza glanced at Yeager and then Blair. This was the last thing she needed right now. This one on one was about to turn into a messy three way battle…

* * *

"HAH!" Lucy swung her glowing heel at Shade's side. The hunter was able to block the strike, but his innate weakness to light really did prove to be a nuisance to the vampire mage, causing him to take just a little bit of damage. Lucy could tell she held the advantage in Leo's Star Dress and planned to keep using it; if only Loke himself could be here. Shoving that thought aside, Lucy pointed her hands forward, generating a sphere of light within her palms. "Regulas Sphere!" And with that call, the sphere was shot forward. It's lifespan was set to collide against Shade and explode in a flash of light, however, before it could even reach the vampire, he dipped into the shadows and the sphere flew off back down the corridor. "Ah…!"

"Too ssssslow…" Shade emerged from Lucy's left, releasing another wave of sound magic that pushed the blonde back while also causing pain to her ear drums.

"Stop that!" Lucy yelled while bringing her hands to her ears in hopes to cancel out the noise, but her ears were will ringing. It took her a second to regain her composure, but that very second is what Shade capitalized on and swung his claw at her side, landing a strike on the celestial wizard. "Ouch!" Lucy staggered back and grit her teeth. This corridor was too narrow to bring out a spirit. It would be too crowded and Shade would take advantage of that. "Star Dress: Sagittarius!" Opting to take a different approach, Lucy tried to use the narrowness of this hallway against Shade as well. "Star Shot!" Several arrows of light were released in Shade's location, giving him very little room to escape to. Surely she had him cornered!

"Keehee…" Shade smirked and just as the arrows were about to make contact with his body, his form split apart into numerous bats! The smaller bats were able to fly through the arrow squall with no injuries, soon reappearing in front of Lucy before she could even ready another shot.

"Huh!?" Lucy's eyes went wide. "How did-!?"

"We collected data on you Fiore mages for a reason." Shade said before firing off a potent blast of darkness that caught Lucy directly, causing her to fly back.

"Ngh…!" Lucy flipped and caught herself. "Guess I have no choice. Sagittarius!" A golden key was drawn and the archer spirit was summoned, saluting upon arrival.

"How can I assist, moshi-moshi?" Sagittarius asked, and upon seeing the foe before them, prepared his bow and arrow.

"With me!" Lucy said. On her mark, they began to unleash an arrow storm that covered the entire corridor. If Shade could fly through her arrows, she figured there was no way for him to avoid all of these!

"Sword Deluge!" Shade swiped his hand forward, spawning numerous swords of darkness to combat the arrows. While his blades were outnumbered, this did grant him the chance to split off into several bats once again, all of them flying in different directions.

"I waited for this!" Lucy then pointed forward at one bat in particular. "Sagittarius, now!"

"Yes!" Sagittarius took aim and shot a single arrow through all the chaos, striking the bat that happened to be Shade right in the left wing.

"Tch…!" Shade growled in pain as his body returned to normal from being picked out. "How did you…"

"Take this!" Lucy then fired off a large arrow that struck Shade's chest, pushing him backwards a few feet before he was able to slash through it. It was a start and this was where Lucy got her momentum! Sprinting forward, Lucy changed Star Dresses once more to Cancer, bringing up her two blades in preparation to slash Shade and then this. "Haaaah!" Lucy swung her blades down, only for both of them to be caught within Shade's hand.

When the vampire looked up, there was still a grin on his face. While Lucy did manage to pull one over on him, he was still fine. "Issssss this the strength you used to battle Alvarez'sssss Empresss…?"

"Huh…?" Lucy's eyes went wide. Did they really know about that fight!? More importantly, it sounded as though he was…disappointed. There was no time to ponder it as Shade's hand gripped her wrist and he began to toss her between both walls before throwing her back down with such force she bounced. "Ugh!"

"Lucy-!" Before Sagittarius could make a move, a blade of darkness pierced through his chest. "Ngh…!" The damage was too severe and the spirit was forced to return from back where he came.

"Oh no!" Lucy gasped at Sagittarius' defeat, but that wasn't the most pressing issue right now. She found herself narrowly avoiding a strike from Shade by leaping back. She learned why he was among the top 3 within the Wizard Hunters. "Hrn…."

"I have to admit, thisssss is rather disappointing." Shade was truly upset. "I was hoping to see that power…" The vampire then opened his palm, preparing to utilize one of his favorite moves. A sphere of darkness appeared between him and Lucy, this sphere rapidly drawing in anything that wasn't firmly planted in the ground and even then, it still sucked it in. "Shade Imperial."

"What the!? This again!?" Lucy remembered this move. Her footing was unstable, but luckily for her, two hands emerged from the ground to grasp onto her ankles. "Huh!?"

"Princess. I detected danger and came to help you. Am I too late? Do I get punishment?" Virgo asked from underground.

"NOT NOW!" Lucy yelled, but she was thankful for Virgo's assistance. This unfortunately only slowed her body in being drawn into the Shade Imperial and now Virgo was at risk too. "I have to do something!" She went back to Leo's Star Dress, firing off beams of light to combat the darkness, but it was swallowed. "Nothing's working!"

"I want to see that power." Shade repeated himself, spreading his arms and wings to appear more imposing as the entire corridor began to darken around them. "You will not defeat me unless you can draw forth that power again! The power of the Celestial Spirit King!"

Lucy's eyes widened at that news. So that's what he was after?! Well, that was just a pretty big problem for Lucy, because she had no idea how to even access that Star Dress, let alone even being able to. "That's what you want from me…!?" It was. And she had to think of something quick, otherwise she was going to be pulled into the Shade Imperial along with Virgo…

* * *

"GRAAAH!" Keele exclaimed, walking through a corridor with Juilet. "Why did we let her take the first guy!? I wanted to fight!"

"This isn't about fighting!" Juilet told Keele. "Well, I-I mean, we have to stop these people if they're after the beast here! Plus we'd fail our mission otherwise!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Keele groaned. As long as he got to punch someone's lights out he'd be fine. "We'll just tear this place up-!" As he spoke, there was a sphere of light rushing down the other end of the corridor. "Huh!? The hell!?" With a simple backhanded motion, Keele smashed the sphere against the wall with no issue. "What's the big idea?!"

"Did someone try to attack!?" Juilet kept her eyes peeled ahead.

"More intruders?" Yumia dropped down from above, with Tukia of course. "We didn't invite you here."

"So get lost!" Yukia added.

"More of them!?" Juilet didn't realize there were so many of these people here.

"They must be here for that beast." Yukia said while pulling out a remote. "Unfortunately, we don't have time to play with you lot right now. So why don't you go play with our beast?"

All Keele saw were enemies; enemies he'd gladly take care of. "Two girls!? This'll be easy!" That was indeed a sexist remark, though he didn't really know any better. Keele just assumed that women weren't hard to defeat and that being said, he planned to make short work of them.

Beep.

Yukia pressed the button, causing the floor under Keele to open up. "Stupid."

"What the-!?" Keele's eyes widened for just a moment before he fell through the floor, which then closed.

"Keele…!" Juilet reached out for her comrade, but it was too late.

"Hmmm…" Yumia stared at Juilet. "We missed one."

"But she doesn't look that dangerous." Yukia added. "We were too sloppy with Fullbuster, but we won't make that same mistake twice."

"I agree." Yumia smiled.

"…." Juilet stood battle ready, narrowing her brown eyes at the foes before her.

* * *

"Arms! Armor! Vernier!" Wendy stood in the back, a soft glow appearing round her body as she enchanted Natsu, Cynthia, and herself for when an opening was present. Happy and Carla were staying clear of the battle, planning only to jump in if things looked dire.

"I feel strong!" Cynthia grinned.

"Me too! Now let's take him down!" Natsu was the first to lead the charge with Cynthia right behind him. "Fire Dragon's Firing Hammer!" With orange flames wrapped around the length of his arm, Natsu threw his limb forward, releasing a potent wave of fire through the cavern and directly towards Rajaron.

"Not good enough!" Rajaron brought a wing forth to shield from the incoming flames. There was a bit of kick to the fire, which made him grin. But it wasn't enough to make him flinch just yet.

"Watch out!" Cynthia dashed up a few rocks, now appearing above the dragon with red flames blazing around her leg. "Talon!" Spinning around, she swung her blazing foot at the dragon's skull, but he blocked her strike with his forearm. "Grrr…!" Cynthia was eventually pushed back, sliding along the ground to catch herself. "He's tough…!"

Wendy then sped forward, raising her arms over her head. "Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" The sky dragon tossed her arms down, unleashing vicious twisters that corralled around Rajaron to deal damage. Upon landing, Wendy watched the outcome of her attack, only to be surprised as the Hunter dove through the wind, preparing to claw at her. Wendy was fast enough to avoid it, but she ended up stumbling. "Ah…!"

"Easy prey…!" As soon as Wendy stumbled, Rajaron lunged forward, his jaw opening to bite down on Wendy's head. But just as soon as his maw clamped down, Cynthia appeared, covering her arm in earth magic to soften the blow. Rajaron's teeth did pierce through her defenses and punctured the skin, but she was fine. "Hm!?"

"No one's eating anyone today!" Cynthia growled, now making use of her Flame Body curse. The flames erupted around Rajaron and caught him off guard, causing him to snarl and recoil from Cynthia.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" With this opening, Natsu sprang forward once more, swinging his blazing fist at Rajaron's face! It was a direct hit that caused the large man to stumble back. "Now!"

"ROAR!" Rajaron snapped his head forward, unleashing a potent blast of raw magic that caught all three dragon slayers in its wake.

"GAAAAH!"

"Wendy! Cynthia!" Carla cried.

"Natsu!" Happy exclaimed.

The trio of slayers were a little wounded after that attack, but thanks to Wendy's defenses, they were still fine. "We're okay!" Wendy said.

"Just fine!" Cynthia added.

"We're not done yet!" Natsu said while rushing forward yet again, jumping off a rock while lifting his hands over his head. "Dazzling Blaze of the Fire Dragon!" Swinging his arms down, he dropped a large fireball on top of Rajaron which exploded violently. It seemed to be a direct hit, but before Natsu could even move, the dragon flew forward and slammed his fist into Natsu's face, driving him into the ground. "GUH!"

"Natsu!"

"Natsu-san!"

Wendy and Cynthia acted on a dime. Wendy's hair and eyes flared into a violent pink hue, signifying the activation of her Dragon Force, while red scales appeared in various locations around Cynthia's body to do the same. Within the blink of an eye, Wendy appeared behind the bulky male in a crouched position with her arms crossed. "Sky Dragon's Wind Wave!" This action prompted a large whirlwind to appear around Rajaron, slicing him with its cutting winds.

"Grrrr…!" Rajaron kept his firm hold on Natsu's head, refusing to let him go just yet. The winds were annoying and started to actually get to him. He failed to notice that these winds were also fueling a fiery sphere above him.

Cynthia rode Wendy's tornado up and at the top, she reared her arm back once she was settled above the orb the wind fueled. "HA!" A powerful punch caused this sphere to meteor down, exploding upon Rajaron and dispersed the twister. The two girls landed next to one another, peering into the smoke.

"RAH!" Rajaron flew forward with his wings extended. He flew between Wendy and Cynthia, his wings striking both girls in the gut. "Wing Slash!" His physical strength sent the duo flying into the opposing wall. When they fell to the ground, they were both on a knee from that single strike alone. Standing up, the black haired man grinned. "The others…they simply wish to stall for time. But me? I wish to feed for as long as I am able." An explosion of fire caused him to stumble forward. When he turned, he saw…

"Oi…" Natsu stood back up, grimacing a little from Rajaron's tight grip on his face. "We don't give a damn what it is you're after. You already know why we're here too. On a mission to stop you creeps once and for all! So put your plans aside, because we're taking you down!" Lightning crackled around Natsu's body, mixing in with his aura of flame.

"Y-Yeah!" Wendy nodded in agreement, pulling herself up back to her feet. "We're going to defeat all of you and take back the Queen and Ms. Emerald!"

"So get out of our way already!" Cynthia roared.

These words only made the Dragon of the Wizard Hunters grin, a black aura oozing off of him. "I do enjoy when my food fights back. It allows me to savor the taste even more…"

* * *

"Gah!" Gray cried out as a simple swipe from Lucia's unsheathed sword caused him to fly back. This woman was seriously pressing him and she hadn't even brought out her blade! "Damn, guess she's not the boss for nothing…" Gray wiped the side of his mouth before attacking again. "Ice Make: Impact!" A blue magic seal formed over Lucia and with it, a large hammer of ice dropped down to crush her into the floor.

"Hm…" Lucia glanced up before placing a hand on the hilt of her sword. She dodged to the side, swinging her sheathed weapon up to slice through the frozen weaponry before it could even touch her. Just as she did that…

Gray was before her, blades of ice jutting from his arm and opposite arm's elbow. Now he had her. "And, Seven Sided Dance!" Twirling around, Gray aimed these sharp edges of ice at Lucia. He hoped to get a hit in, or even graze her, but she parried his blows with her sheathed weapon before firing back with a burst of silver wind that sent Gray skidding back. "Ugh! That wind again!" And just like with Yeager outside, a glow appeared around Lucia after she used the magic.

"I do not like using that magic so much." Lucia admitted with a sigh, the faint breeze causing her short blue hair to waver. "My brother enjoys it."

"That weird wind?" Gray asked.

"Indeed. My brother and I are practitioners of Silver Wind magic. This rare type of wind magic increases our abilities permanently each time it is used."

"What!?" What kind of magic was that!?

"Granted, we are plenty strong without it. There is a bit of a price to pay for using it consecutively within such a short amount of time. I always warn my brother of that, but he refuses to listen sometimes…." Lucia shrugged.

"I don't give a damn! All I care about is taking back everything you've stolen!" Gray jumped into the air, clapping his hands together before pulling them apart, crafting a replica of a mythical blade. "Ice Make: Cold Excalibur!" The ice maker then swung this blade down onto Lucia, multiple glaciers forming and exploding the instant contact was made with…something. As far as Gray was concerned, that was a hit. Or so he thought…

Lucia was standing atop a glacier, a hint of a smile on her face. "Excalibur, you say? Hmhm…"

"What's so funny!?" Gray snarled.

"These toys you make…I didn't realize some were named after old stories." Lucia said, her hand resting on her sheathed sword yet again. "Do you know the story of the sword in the stone?"

It felt like she wasn't really paying attention to him in this battle, and this only infuriated Gray even more. "Who cares?! Stop talking and fight me!" Gray pointed his hand forward, unleashing several large lances of ice in Lucia's direction, but she struck them down before they could cause her arm. "…!"

"Old fairy tales, legends…where do you think they originated from?" As Lucia asked this pushed off, appearing before Gray in an instant. She swung her hidden weapon at his chest, landing a direct hit to throw him backwards. She pursued, aiming a downward slash, but Gray was able to block this by crafting a blade of ice in the nick of time.

"Do you ever shut up!?" Gray snarled while jumping back, only to assault Lucia once more with this sword.

"They were all real, you know. A very long time ago. No one woke up one day and decided to spin a ludicrous tale knowing it would carry on for centuries to come." Lucia continued, effortlessly parrying Gray's slashes. "And in respect for some of those stories, people thought to name some spells after them, your 'Cold Excalibur', likely being one…but such a child's toy will not work against me."

"Grrr…!" Gray was getting annoyed the longer Lucia carried on. So he had to amp things up. The devil slaying markings appeared on his body, altering the properties of his sword as well. "Then what about this stuff!? Ice Devil Zeroth's Long Sword!" With this sudden shift, Gray aimed another slash at Lucia. This time he grazed her shoulder, which was significant progress compared to the last few minutes.

"Yes, I know about this…" Lucia glanced at the small cut on her shoulder and ultimately shrugged it off. "Your heart is clouded in darkness. That foul magic. How can you sleep with such darkness permeating off of your being?"

"It doesn't matter how dark I am." Gray responded. "I'll be as dark and black a villain I need to be for my family. That's all. So my darkness may look ugly to you, but it's just right for what I need it to do." Dropping his sword, Gray created a bow and arrow, the string pulled back as he prepared to fire. "And right now, I need to take you down. Ice Devil Zeroth's Destruction Bow!" The bowstring was released, the frozen arrow soaring through the air as it aimed to pierce through Lucia's chest!

"….Such a tainted soul…" Lucia placed a hand on her sword, a brilliant flash of light emanating the moment she did. The golden blade sliced through the arrow and rendered it to nothing.

"W-What the!?" Gray's eyes went wide. This was different from slicing something in two. She literally reduced his attack to nothing.

The golden blade was held at Lucia's side, shining brightly with a radiant aura. "This is the true holy sword, Excalibur. It exists to purge the darkness out of this world, and as its wielder, it is my duty to carry out its will. You are a man who has been tainted by dark magic…so, Gray Fullbuster, it is my duty as the wielder of Excalibur to purge you from this world."

.

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Next Time: The Holy Sword.


	110. Chapter 110: The Holy Sword

Emmeraude paced back and forth through the garden of Mercurius Castle. Ever since Fairy Tail departed she was admittedly feeling a little on edge, largely because she did not have faith in them to bring back the Queen or Emerald. Lucy asked her to trust them, but she trusted them about as far as she could throw them-, okay well she could throw them pretty far. But she didn't trust them at all. "I swear if they do not come back…"

"Ah…you seem very anxious…" Ena had been following Emmeraude, a little worried from the woman's disposition.

"Putting the fate of my mother and daughter in the hands of a group whom I do not like is cause enough for me to feel on edge." Emmeraude pointed out, not even glancing back. "I did not plan on spending this business trip pacing about on the sidelines."

"They'll be fine. Fairy Tail always pulls through." Ena smiled, although she was unaware of how those words only held the opposite effect of what she intended.

"Speaking positively of them does not make me feel any better, Queen Ena." Emmeraude said.

"O-Oh…I'm sorry…" Ena bowed. She didn't know about Emmeraude's relationship with Fairy Tail. "I know you're concerned about your mother. I know how you feel because I had a brother…not the one I have with me now. But we had a younger brother, but he was lost to us when the Isle rose to the sky. At the time we were unable to find him…so I fear the worst befell him when Acnologia ran wild. But a part of me believes he's still alive…"

"…" It was at that moment Alvarez's Empress felt a buzz in her pocket. It was her lacrima phone. Pulling the device out of her pocket, she tapped the screen and saw that it was Brandish calling her. "Excuse me." Putting the device to her ear, she answered the phone. "Yes?"

" _Is something the matter?_ Brandish asked on the other line. _"You mentioned that the meeting would be over by now. Did something come up?"_

"Ah, yes…" Emmeraude answered with a sigh. "Things have become a little complicated. I can't say what has happened just yet. I will inform you when the situation reaches its conclusion."

" _I see. Very well. I will await your call, Em. In the meantime, I am nearly finished with that favor you asked of me."_ Brandish added.

Oh. Well, that was a bit of a surprise; enough to make Emmeraude smile just slightly in this situation. "Thank you for your concern, Brandish. I'll contact you soon." With that she hung up and let out a quiet sigh. "At least something is going well today." Once she set her lacrima phone back in her pocket, she glanced at a corner nearby. "You don't have to skulk about like some sort of fly on the wall, Chairman."

Kemuri walked around the corner, exhaling a puff of smoke from the lit cigar in his hands. "Don't mind me. I'm just talking a stroll."

"Taking in the nature? Sulking that you weren't invited to the meeting?" Emmeraude crossed her arms, her usual smirk appearing on her lips. "But I suppose that wouldn't prevent you from spying now, would it?"

"As Chairman, I have to make sure our country stays safe. Surely you know all about that as former Queen of the country." Kemuri responded.

"Your goals are admirable, that's for certain." Emmeraude replied. "But you and I are a similar in one way. We both aim for the world. I can see it in your eyes. I can't think of another reason why you would try to exterminate me unless you felt threatened of my presence."

"You have a rather high opinion of yourself. I was getting rid of a potential threat to this country." Kemuri calmly responded.

"Anything that would get in your way." Emmeraude added. "But I digress. I know the type of man you are. A man who takes no survivors. So allow me to give you my warning now. If anything were to befall Her Highness, you will be the first person I look at."

"You should be more concerned with your own kingdom, _Empress_." Kemuri said.

"And I will be. I bid you good day." Emmeraude walked off, leaving Ena a little stunned at the exchange that happened right before her.

"Uh…" Ena was going to speak, but the Kemuri before her ended up turning into nothing but string. It was just another clone. Visible question marks appeared over her head but she ultimately followed Emmeraude.

* * *

"It seems the fights are getting more hectic…" Emerald glanced around their confined room.

"Yes. I'm worried for Fairy Tail…" Hisui admitted while staring down at the magic sealing restraints on her wrists. "I despise feeling so trapped and useless…"

"You and me both, dear." Emerald said, tugging at her wrists but to no avail. "Ah…Em told me about these. There weren't any in Alvarez until she commissioned a member of the 12 to make some. They're quite troublesome. Even if I did have the strength to break them, we'd still be in the same situation. Sitting tightly is our only option."

"Yes. I know they'll be able to rescue us." Hisui kept a positive outlook. Fairy Tail always prevailed in the past and there was no reason they wouldn't now. "But what truly has me worried is Mii…"

"Yes, Koryuji…" Emerald frowned. "I've only met her once. Em talks about her every so often and I know she used to be a part of Fairy Tail. I saw her expression and I could tell she was a very troubled woman."

"Mii is a person who needs people by her side." Hisui remembered Mii's actions very clearly. "She needs positive people. When she was with Fairy Tail, she blended in nicely. Maybe they'll be able to convince her to return."

"Mmm…" Emerald pursed her lips. She wasn't sure why, but talking about Mii made her feel uneasy.

* * *

What was formerly a one on one against Erza and Yeager turned into a three way free for all between Titania, Yeager, and now Blair, who joined the fray for reasons Erza didn't understand. But she didn't have time for this and had to deal with both parties quickly. The Ten Commandments spear shifted to the Vacuum Spear, pointing it at both foes before her. "Mel-Force!" The spear unleashed a violent wind tunnel to blow away both parties. "I don't have time for this!"

Blair crossed her arms, sliding back to due to the intense wind tunnel. "Neither do I, so move!"

"Ho ho! What a wonderful turn of events this has turned into!" Yeager was simply enjoying this. After all, the more the merrier as they say! He dug his scythe into the ground, using it to keep him grounded. He then swung his scythe up, a violent glow shining under the ground before exploding violently, catching both women in its wake. The rupturing ground caused Erza and Blair to fly into the air. Yeager turned his attention to the newcomer in the fray and pointed his weapon forward. "Show me what you can do! One, two, three!" Three blasts were sent in Blair's direction, all identical to what he shot at Erza earlier in their fight.

Blair flipped in the air after being launched, snarling in annoyance. A blade ejected from the gauntlet on her right arm and with a few slashes, she cleaved through the incoming spheres with ease. The woman then landed on the ground, stabbing her blade into it. "Slag Assault!" The ground ruptured once more, only serving to throw Yeager into the air now.

"Gah…!" Meanwhile, Erza just couldn't land! So to make up for this she changed to her Heaven's Wheel armor and matching set of blades, now summoning dozens of blades to appear before her. "Dance my blades! Heaven's Wheel!" Swinging her arms down, Erza began to bombard her two foes with a blade shower. Yeager was more so her focus as she hoped she could talk things out with Blair. "Listen to me…!"

While Yeager was forced to deal with the incoming blades, Blair dove right for Erza! Her blade clashed with Titania's own, sparks flying from the collision. "I'm not in the mood to listen, bitch." So vulgar.

"…!?" Erza's eyes went wide. Not just from Blair's vulgar display, but rather the strength behind her swing. Titania found herself struggling to not be overpowered by this woman and it was made all the more strange due to the fact that…..she didn't feel a single ounce of magic from this woman, yet she was so strong? Sliding back, Erza uncrossed her blades, nearly stumbling back from Blair's physical prowess.

Blair violently pursued, lightning sparking from her blade. The ravenette performed two counter clockwise spins into a three point turn, slashing her blade vertically as a violent trail of lightning followed suit! "Banishing Thunder!" Erza was nearly struck by this attack, but she was able to parry Blair's sword away at the last second. This didn't stop Blair from attacking by jumping into the air, wind now emanating from the soles of her armored shoes. "Rising Falcon!" After flipping forward once before aiming a diving kick at Erza.

" _What is this woman!?"_ Erza thought while jumping back to avoid Blair's kick. The resulting impact with the ground not only caused a crater, but a vicious vortex of wind to swirl around. But she was so focused with evading Blair…

"Did you forget about me!?" Yeager followed Erza's movements. His voice made Erza turn but it was already too late; his scythe turned into a long barreled rifle and from it, a potent burst of silver wind shot out, blasting Erza out of the sky and through a few trees. And just as described by Lucia to Gray, the use of Silver Wind increased Yeager's parameters once again.

"GAAAH!" That hurt quite a bit and Erza felt Yeager's raw power. The several trees she slammed through caused her to groan in pain, but Yeager didn't allow her to rest! Another blast of magic was soaring her way and Erza dove to avoid being caught yet again. This was going nowhere and she couldn't afford to play around with these two. Not when the others needed her help!

Right after Yeager blasted Erza, his gaze turned to Blair who was approaching him from above. A blade ejected from the sole of her armored shoe, flames igniting around the sword. "Infernal Torrent!" A downward swing was aimed at Yeager's skull. Blair aimed to take his head off, but it wasn't going to be that easy as Yeager's scythe clashed against the sword. The two were in a deadlock; Yeager smiled while Blair scowled.

"Now what is someone like you doing here?" Yeager questioned. "A woman with no magic in such a dangerous place? It would be better for you to turn back while you still can, my dear!"

Being treated like some damsel only aggravated Blair even more. So angry in fact that her bandaged arm began to radiate a dark crimson aura. "Shut the hell up!" She violently swiped it at Yeager, whose senses went on red alert and he jumped backwards.

"…!" Yeager let out a silent sigh of relief. When he glanced at Blair's arm, there was an outline of a claw outlining the bandaged limb. "Whatever that was…it actually startled me. I like this…the fear of the unknown. It's been quite some time since…"

Erza was planning on finishing this fast. Donning her Morning Star armor, she pointed the twin blades forward as a bright light shone from their sharp ends. "Photon Slicer!" She intended to hit hard and fast. A massive sphere of light exploded from her blades, soaring towards Blair and Yeager with the goal of finishing them both off. She couldn't afford to waste any more time with them with the Queen and Emerald at risk! "Begone!"

"Oh?" Yeager turned, blinking at the massive sphere hurtling their way. "That seems to be a bit of a problem...for any normal mage." With a confident grin, the Silverwind sibling drew his sickle back and…the blast consumed both him and Blair. At least, that's what it appeared from Erza's point of view, but Yeager was getting a good look of something else.

Blair's left hand grasped the Photon Slicer and she held her ground. The woman's yellow eyes narrowed and the bandages around her hand shredded apart. No one could see what exactly happened in the blinding flash of light, but one thing was certain. The impeding destruction that was supposed follow such a strong attack was nonexistent. "Tch…that tasted like shit. I hate tangy flavors."

"W-What…?" Erza could not comprehend what just occurred. What happened to her attack!?

"Now this is an anomaly…" Yeager's lips curled into an excited grin as he stared at Blair.

Blair's left arm underwent a dramatic transformation. It was a large, crimson demonic claw that oozed a threatening black aura. That arm of hers consumed Erza's very attack with no trouble, leaving absolutely no trace of it. Blair's eyes shifted to a predatory glare and in her sights were Erza and Yeager before her. "I'll devour you."

* * *

Lucy was in a sticky situation. The Shade Imperial was slowly dragging her and Virgo into its dark abyss. The floor was starting to be uprooted and pulled into the sphere of darkness. "Agh…! This spell just keeps pulling us in!"

"Princess…I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to resist its hold." As Virgo said this she went to her last resort, her muscles and form bulking up to titan levels. In her muscular form, she was able to hold her ground even more against the encroaching darkness, but it was only delaying the inevitable.

"It'ssssss useless." Shade exclaimed, floating behind the Shade Imperial with his arms crossed. One would think he was wearing a grin at Lucy's struggle, but in fact it was quite the opposite. There was a scowl on his lips. "The only way for you to break free of this spell is to usssse the power of the Celestial Spirit King!"

"Ngh..!" Lucy couldn't believe this. Why was he so hell bent on forcing that Star Dress out of her?! "Give it a rest! That was a one-time thing!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Either you're lying and holding out on me, or you're simply unaware of it yoursssself…" Shade pondered Lucy's panicked expression and assumed it to be the latter. How unfortunate. With a heavy sigh, he snapped his fingers and the pull of the Shade Imperial only grew that much more intense! "Very well. I'll dispose of you quickly and collect the rest of your keysssss."

"EEEH!?" Now even with Virgo's resistance they were unable to hold their ground at all. "This is bad…!" Lucy gasped. She had to do something before it was too late. She wasn't going to be able to get out of this the way Shade was intending for her to, so she had to think of something else entirely. _"At this rate, we're finished…!"_

"Princess…" Virgo was trying to get Lucy's attention. There wasn't much time!

" _I got it!"_ Lucy was placing all of this on a gamble. She drew out another golden key and quickly brought it down. "Gemini!" As soon as Gemini was summoned, the twins started to be sucked into the rift. "Gemini, transform!"

The twins did as asked, transforming into Marin once again. "Piri-Piri! You pass!" Gemini-Marin exclaimed before making use of the Law of Space. This negated any and all spatial magic in play. "Oh no, we're disappearing again…!" Gemini exclaimed. It wasn't just them either! Virgo vanished as well, along with Lucy's current Star Dress, but so did the Shade Imperial!

"What?" Shade was actually confused for a moment as to what happened. How did she negate his spell!

"That was a gamble, but a useful one!" Lucy exclaimed while donning her Taurus Star Dress once more, throwing her whip forward to wrap around Shade's wrist and forcefully tug him forward. "Lucy Punch!" A heavy punch was delivered to Shade's chest, the physical strength behind it throwing him backwards! Lucy was feeling herself now and sprinted after the Hunter, now shifting to Capricorn's Star Dress and leapt into the air, twirling around a few times before aiming a spinning axe kick at her foe's shoulder. "And Lucy Kick!"

That was where all of Lucy's momentum came to a halt. Shade caught her leg just before impact and lifted Lucy up upside down, letting her hang there. "Well, you make for an impesssive opponent. But that's not going to be enough to defeat us."

"Let me go!" Lucy snarled.

"If you insisssst." Shade smirked and tossed Lucy into a nearby wall. The impact caused Lucy to cry out and she hit the ground, struggling to get up.

"You were able to escape one trap, but allow me to see how you handle another!" Once again, darkness began to spread out all along the corridor, creating an enclosed space for the two of them. "Will you be able to escape this Shadow Prison? You're working on two time limitsss now."

"What is this…?" Lucy instinctively went to reach for Loke's key but…she didn't have it. That realization caused her to suck her teeth.

"Can you defeat me, escape before you die, or before our ship arrivesssss?" Shade questioned while spreading his arms apart, releasing another high pitched wail to attack Lucy's ear drums.

"AAAAH!" It was even louder than last time! Lucy brought her hands to her ears but the sound was far too much. At this rate she felt as though her ear drums were going to rupture! Even when donning Leo's Star Dress, the light she emanated just wasn't enough. It kept her from being consumed by the darkness and allowed her to see clearly.

"Let's try this again, shall we!? Ssssssshow me your power of the Celestial Spirit King!" Shade held a malicious grin. He would not rest until Lucy brought forth what he was searching for, or until Lucy dropped dead. He was certain he could finish the job before their ship arrived. There wasn't much time left after all.

* * *

"I really don't want to fight you two girls…" Juilet put her hands up. They weren't here for conflict. "My comrades and I are just trying to find where the legendary beast is, you see…"

"Oh we know." Yumia said while juggling a sphere of water within her hands. "But you see, we're a little pissed off and you waltzed right into our base without knocking. We don't really have time to deal with more intruders either so…you'll have to disappear!" The sphere of water was then launched at Juilet. There was steam emanating from the water, showing just how hot it was and how dangerous it was going to be if it hit!

"I guess I have no choice!" The bracelet on Juilet's wrist activated with an orange hue. The outline of a gorilla appeared behind her. Similar color markings appeared on Juilet's skin and with increased strength, she jumped to the side, clinging to the wall as the sphere of water exploded behind her.

"She's agile." Yukia told her sister before pointing her hand forward, releasing several fire balls in Juilet's direction. With the narrowness of the corridor, evading these was not going to be nearly as easy as the singular orb of water her sister sent.

Juilet was aware that her options were limited. But she was no slouch when it came to combat. The girl quickly began to rotate her arm, wind beginning to swirl around the limb. The rotations were fast and wind accumulated more and more around her arm before she punched the air in front of her. "Storm Punch!" She was too far to actually hit them, but that wasn't her intention. Juilet unleashed a potent hurricane with her punch. This large twister flew past the fireballs, sucking the oxygen out of the flames to snuff them out.

"Whoa!" Both twins crossed their arms as this surprisingly powerful wind tunnel forced them to slide backwards. "She's not half bad."

With this opening presented, Juilet sprinted forward and jumped into the air. "Hot Slap!" Once landing on the ground, Juilet made sure to slam her hands into the ground. This prompted a shockwave of fire magic to traverse the floor, tearing it asunder while racing towards the two twins.

"But she's kinda dumb. We're basically above the S-classes in this backwater dump, do you really think you can beat us with dumb tactics like that?" Yumia shrugged as she spread her arms apart, creating a wave of water to wash out the incoming flames and spread along the corridor's floor. Right after she did this, she and Yukia hopped onto the wall, zig zagging past one another while closing the distance with Juilet rather quickly.

"In an instant we echo and our hearts meet! Impact Cross!" The twins made use of their favorite combination move. With sharp edges of water and fire covering their arms, they both slipped past Juilet in an X formation, creating an X shaped cut on her stomach. The two girls relished in the woman's cry of pain as they slipped past her. "We aren't Wizard Hunters for nothing, old lady."

Old lady? Forget the pain she felt, these two brats had the audacity to call her old!? Juilet groaned and placed a hand on her now bleeding stomach, grimacing at the wound. "It sounds as though you two don't have much respect for people older than you. I'm going to have to change that." Standing upright once more, Juilet rotated her left arm and lightning began to spark around her body.

"…What is that?" Yumia said with a sweat drop. The instant she saw lightning her body shuddered. Not because she was afraid of the element itself but she did recall spraying water all over the floor a few seconds ago.

"Get off the-!" Yukia shouted.

"Shocking Punch!" Juilet slammed her electrified fist into the water cover floor. This caused a shockwave of lightning to traverse the corridor and catch the twins in the electrical current.

"Ngggh!" Both twins felt their bodies seize up immediately from the lightning now coursing through them. Movement was extremely difficult as their nerves suffered temporarily paralysis and they were nearly locked into place.

Now they were open! "I wanted you to use your water magic to give me an advantage and you fell for my trap just nicely." Juilet took a step forward, preparing nothing but sheer strength for this next blow, and her target was the one who called her old: Yumia. "Giant's Punch!" With the strength of the legendary gorilla behind her, Juilet aimed this powerful straight punch right at the girl's face! And it was a whiff, but just barely!

Yumia was just barely able to shift her body to the side, but she felt the intensity of Juilet's punch as it whiffed her cheek. Eyes were wide as this level of physical strength was precedent only by a few other Hunters. _"Holy shit…if that hit me…"_ She didn't have the time to collect her thoughts as Juilet's whiff didn't faze her. She just followed up with an equally strong kick to her chest that sent her tumbling backwards. "Gaaaah!"

"Yumia!" Yukia turned back to her rolling sister. That was a mistake, because Juilet gripped Yukia's arms and hoisted her above her head. "Hey! Let me go!"

"You said you were above S-class strength, did you?" Juilet questioned innocently. "I'm an S-class too." Juilet then violently tossed Yumia right into her twin! There was no quarter from the mage of Al Dente!, even though she really didn't want to do this in the first place.

"Oof…" Both twins were sprawled on top of one another.

"Ouch…" Yumia sat up and snarled at Juilet. "Who does this old lady think she is!? Coming in here and trying to beat us up?!"

"I dunno. But she's about to have a rude awakening." Yukia stood up, helping her sister in the process. She then pulled her arm back, flames blazing around her person. "Shall we, sister?"

"But of course." Yumia smiled and grasped her sister's hand, water flaring around her body. Although these two elements were complete opposites, in the hands of these sisters, the timeless elemental rivals were able to come together in perfect unison. The two elements only grew stronger before the surging power was condensed into a very tiny sphere packed neatly between their palms. "Are you prepared?"

"To face the might…"

"Of the terrible twins!?"

"INFERNO TIDE!" The sisters exclaimed in unison, releasing a tsunami of water and fire. Had they more space its truly horrifying size could be witnessed. Since the corridor was not very spacious, it started to overflow immediately. But the power behind this spell made it very clear that it could take out a decent chunk of a town the size of Magnolia, if not bring it to ruin…and all of that power was focused in a confined space, leaving Juilet with very little room to work it.

"….Oh." Juilet's expression deadpanned for a moment before turning the other way and well, running away. There was no way she could take something like this on alone in her current state. Unfortunately for her she wasn't going to get very far at all and the wave of fire and water crashed down on her, sweeping her away in its wake. There was a brief cry of pain as the flames within the water scorched her body and the water itself threatened to steal away her oxygen. This was…very, very bad. The tides ravaged the corridor with no end, intending to draw in anything and everything unless stopped.

* * *

Natsu kicked off within his Lighting Flame Mode, sprinting towards Rajaron at full speed while drawing his arm back. "Iron Fist of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" Fire and lightning roared to life around his arm and he violently swung it forward, aiming right for the opposing dragon's chest. Unfortunately for him, Rajaron challenged his attempt and met his fist halfway, the collision resulting in a shockwave to echo out through the underground caves. "Tch!"

"Heheh…" Rajaran grinned while rearing his free hand back. He was prepared to crush Natsu into the ground, but that's when Cynthia clashed with his hand, though she had a bit of a struggle even with Wendy's prior enchantments. "Huh?"

"Now, Wendy!" Cynthia yelled.

Now that Rajaron was open, Wendy jumped right in his face while pulling her leg back. "Sky Dragon's Talon!" The sky dragon's leg smashed into Rajaron's face, a potent hurricane of cyan wind following the motion of her leg. The hurricane was strong enough to lift the dragon off his feet and blow him backwards. "Cynthia!"

With the hurricane still in play, Cynthia bent her knees and jumped forward, red flames igniting around her body. Wendy's wind increased the ferocity of her flames and she aimed her skull right into Rajaron's broad chest! "Sword Horn!" The girl exclaimed, landing a direct hit! Rajaron surely felt this one as noted by his growl of annoyance. As Cynthia bounced back, she found herself in a bad spot as that growl of annoyance quickly turned into an obsidian blast of raw magic that consumed her! "Kyaaaah!" Cynthia did manage to cross her arms, but this did nothing to soften the blow and she flew back into a nearby wall.

"Cynthia!" Wendy, Carla, Natsu, and Happy all exclaimed at once.

"You bastard!" Natsu turned his head back to Rajaron, only for his eyes to widen as the dragon now brought his tail into the equation, promptly bringing it down onto the ground. Natsu was able to avoid this initial strike, but it was the follow up that caught him. Rajaron's tail slammed against his chest and pinned him to a nearby wall. "Guh!"

"Natsu-san!" Wendy narrowed her eyes and sprinted forward. She was still faster than Rajaron enjoyed admitting. "Sky Dragon's Claw!" Wendy appeared in the dragon's face and clawed at his right cheek. It did hurt, but she was immediately back handed away after the strike and tumbled along the ground. "Ow…"

"Explosion." Rajaron brought his hand up, creating an explosion of darkness on Wendy's current location. The sky dragon was more than fast enough to avoid it, but it was a little close for comfort even with someone of her speeds.

"This guy is really strong…" Happy stated worriedly.

"Where did they even find this dragon, let alone convince him to join with them?" Carla clenched her hands into fists. She truly wanted to help, but against a foe like this? She knew more than anything that they'd just get in the way.

"Lemme go you bastard!" Natsu's absurd physical strength struggled against Rajaron's tail. But being this close to the dragon actually made him notice something. He smelled…familiar. "Huh? You smell like…Ena…and Kurthnaga?" No, that wasn't it. This smell…

"Hm?" Rajaron turned his head to Natsu. "Did you say Ena? Kurthnaga?"

"Dhegensea…" Natsu said.

"Dhegensea…!?" Cynthia clutched her arm while standing back up. "But why would he…?"

"Oh, that's right. You did go to the Isle from what I've heard." Rajaron's grin widened. "You were the ones who defeated my dear father."

That information caused all of their eyes to widen. "H-HIS FATHER?!" Happy placed his paws against his cheeks and nearly screamed from the shock.

"T-That means-!?" Cynthia gasped.

"He's a royal of the Isle!?" Carla surmised. They were fighting the lost sibling prince of the Isle!?

"Does this mean my dear brother and sister are here? I was wondering what that faint scent in the wind was…? Now Rajaron was grinning for a different reason. He suddenly didn't regret coming to Fiore on this little trip… "Perhaps if I gift them your corpses, they'll let me back into the family. I recall father being something of the ruthless type…"

"They aren't like that!" Wendy objected.

"Really?" Rajaron questioned. "Then let's find out…" He turned to Natsu, who he still had pinned with his tail. It was clear the two of them were going to roar at one another, but that was cut short by…

"DAAAAAAMMMN IIIIIIT!" Keele yelled as he landed on the ground, grumbling as he fell for the trap Yukia and Yumia laid out for him.

"Who the hell?" Rajaron stared in confusion at Keele. In fact everyone was.

"Stupid girls!" Keele grumbled before looking around. He hadn't the slightest clue what was going on but he just assumed everyone present were enemies. As so, he pulled his arm back and it changed drastically. Keele's left arm turned into that of a large ape's coated in dragon scales. "Engine: Burst!" Keele punched the air before him and the force was so strong it uprooted the ground itself and a burst of air exploded through the sky. It was so strong that Rajaron was forced back along with everyone else.

"W-Who is this guy!?" Carla asked while holding onto a rock.

"I…I don't know!" Happy yelled.

At least Natsu was free. He shook his head and turned to Keele, the two locking eyes for a moment. "You're…?" He didn't remember Keele at all. They met once last year, but so much happened that Natsu completely forgot.

"I know who you are." Keele narrowed his eyes. "That Natsu guy."

"Are you here to help?" Wendy asked, hopeful Keele would join their ranks.

"Help you weaklings? Hell no!" Keele spat. "I don't know what's going on here, but all of you better get out of my way!" Just as with Blair, Keele did not care who tried to deem themselves a friend or a foe. He was here on an agenda and right now. Anyone in his way was to be put down so they could move on and find that legendary beasts, no questions asked.

"More food…" Rajaron wiped his chin, his black hair wavering as his magic aura made itself known. The dragon licked his lips as the morsels before him. He was going to love the fine dining tonight.

* * *

"Ice Devil's Rage!" Gray exhaled, unleashing a large blast of purple ice from his mouth. Everything, including the very air itself, was frozen solid in its warpath towards Lucia, the wielder of Excalibur. The ice maker didn't care what weapon she was using, he planned on taking her down all the same.

"It's no use." Lucia held her sword out in front of her, lifting it up before carefully bringing it down, cutting through Gray's attack. The Ice Devil's rage was reduced to nothing and sparkles of ice just glimmered in the air.

"What the…!?" Gray's eyes went wide from his spell once again being rendered useless by this woman's sword.

"Dark magic…demon curse…it is all rendered null in the face of the holy sword." Lucia explained before now slashing horizontally, releasing a wave of pure white light towards Gray.

"We'll see about that when I freeze you over and take that key back!" Gray lifted a hand, summoning a wall of ice to shield him from the beam. Imagine his surprise as his wall of ice was cut down and the beam sliced right into him! "Gah!" Gray fell back, gasping in agony. He barely had the time to catch his breath as Lucia was now diving down blade first. The ice devil rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a blow that would have pierced his heart. Gray then aimed a kick at Lucia's side but she blocked it with her sword. He did have enough strength to push her back. This gave him an opening to attack once more. "Ice Devil Zeroth's Impact!" Crafting a hammer of devil slaying ice in his hands, Gray jumped into the air and prepared to crush Lucia into the ground…had her blade not already cut through it. "!?"

"Are you deaf. The magic you're using is actively working against you in this fight." Lucia calmly responded while kicking Gray right in the face since he was open! Gray tumbled back and leader of the Wizard Hunters slowly approached him. "You have been tainted by dark magic. It doesn't matter if you're using it against me or not. It is tied to your very being and as such, I will purify this world of your existence."

"You sure talk a lot…" Gray panted before standing back up. If it didn't matter what he used, he'd stick to his guns and fight it out to the end. Besides, he still needed to snag Leo's key from her waist. "Let's see how you handle this then! Ice Make…!" Before Gray could even finish his chant, Lucia was already before him. _"W-What the hell?!"_ Her sword sliced right through Gray's side and an explosion of light followed suit, throwing Gray into the air. "GAAAAH!"

"Resistance is futile!" Lucia pursued immediately, jumping into the air to give Gray no time to breathe.

"Long Sword!" Gray summoned the Ice Devil Zeroth's Long Sword in efforts to catch Lucia before she could reach him. While she did end up blocking the strike, his magic was completely eaten away by the blade, causing it to fizzle out into nothing. "No wa-!?" He was not allowed to even express his shock, as Lucia's foot collided against his skull, slamming him down into the ground. "Ugh!"

"Prepare to face divine judgment." Lucia's feet touched the ground and she held Excalibur up, a blinding light emanating from the blade. The sword was giving off a dangerous amount of magic energy that only spelled danger for Gray.

"Shit…!" He had to move, but his body was so heavy. Did she really hit him that hard?! There was very little Gray could do but cross his arms, forming a cocoon of purple ice around his body to shield himself from what was coming.

"Divine Slash!" Lucia brought this blade down right on top of Gray and his makeshift defense. As soon as contact was made, a bright pillar of light exploded into the sky, leveling half of the temporary base in the process. There was a catastrophic earthquake that shook the entirety of Jilral Jungle. No doubt everyone else within, or around the vicinity of the building felt this overwhelming display of power from something Lucia deemed as a 'light; slash. As the light faded, there was only one thing the Hunter cared about. Her target. Dust cleared and…

"…." There was Gray Fullbuster, returned to his normal state. He was sprawled out along the ground, his eyes pure white to signify both his unconsciousness and defeat.

Lucia sheathed her sword, turning away from Gray's body. "You have been purified." One member of Team Natsu…down already. Defeated by the notorious Lucia Silverwind, leader of the Wizard Hunters.

.

.

Next Time: Desperation.


	111. Chapter 111: Desperation

The B team arrived at Jilral Jungle, barring Laxus whose whereabouts were still unknown. Cana was groaning while they pushed through the vines and other greenery. "Geez, this place is so thick…"

"You probably should have prepared a little better." Juvia took a shot at Cana's attire. "Serves you right."

"I don't want to hear it!" Cana snapped.

"Now, let's be calm." Mira said to ease the growing tension.

Gajeel took it upon himself to cut down some vines and whatnot with his arm that was turned into an iron blade. First he glanced up at the sky, where some gray clouds were beginning to roll in. "It's about to rain."

"Great…" Cana rolled her eyes.

"Juvia sees no problem." The water mage responded before her body suddenly froze. She shuddered and had the worst feeling imaginable. "…!?"

"Juvia? What's wrong?" Mira turned to her comrade, concerned with the expression she wore.

"G-Gray-sama! Something's wrong…" Juvia placed a hand on her chest. She could feel it in her core that Gray was in danger. Right as she said this, there was a pillar of light that rose from a few kilometers east and the entire jungle shook violently. "Ah…!"

"What the hell is that!?" Cana asked.

"That's where we need to go." Gajeel said, picking up the pace. "Come on, move it! I'm sure that lightning bastard will show up too."

"Hang on everyone. We're on the way." Mira silently pleaded. She was extremely worried for the wellbeing of Team Natsu. She knew they could hold on for just a little longer…

* * *

"Kyaaaah!" Both Emerald and Hisui screamed from the sudden earthquake. "W-What just happened!?" Hisui glanced around. In a stroke of both good and bad luck, the two captives weren't within the part of the building that got destroyed.

"Such strong magic power…" Emerald stood up. Unfortunately they weren't granted any windows so they were stuck wondering what was happening in the building around them. It was then that Emerald motioned for Hisui to move closer. "Come here, dear. I have an idea."

* * *

Lucia sheathed her sword and slowly walked towards Gray's down body. "I'll use you as a ploy to buy us the remaining time we need. Your friends will back down and this little rescue attempt will be over." Leaning down, the blue haired woman went to pull Gray's body up but…he felt cold. Too cold actually. "Hm…" And then…Gray's body shattered to ice. It was an ice clone. "…? A clone?" But when…? And that's when her hand went to her waist. Just as she thought…Leo's key was gone. Gray swiped it. "…I see. You're a lot more clever than I gave you credit for. I suppose I'll actually have to try a bit now…"

As for Gray, he was hiding behind some rubble, panting heavily as he let the devil slaying marks recede. When Lucia went to finish him off, he was able to escape in the nick of time and put an ice clone in his place, while also using Ice Make: Thief's Hand to snatch Leo's key from the unsuspecting Hunter. But that didn't mean anything if he couldn't defeat Lucia or at least regroup with the others. _"Damn it…if the others were here…"_ Lucia proved that the direct approach was a fight he wasn't going to win.

"You're nearby, aren't you?" Lucia called out. "I'll strike you a deal. If you return Leo's key and surrender, I'll ensure that you and your friends are unharmed."

"…." Gray didn't respond. He was too busy formulating a plan on how to defeat Lucia. _"Like hell we'll give up. Fairy Tail doesn't give up…"_

"Right now you're probably thinking that you would stand a better chance of defeating me if you were together with the rest of your team, yes?" Lucia did hit the nail on the head. "Our airship will be arriving soon. I'm sure you're wondering why we did things in this manner? Well, that will be explained soon enough. But you should know that you have no chance of defeating us or rescuing the captive Queen and Lady Emerald."

" _No way…"_ Gray wasn't so inclined to trust this woman. Not at all. He believed in the others and they were counting on him right now.

"….She did say you'd probably act like this…" Lucia shrugged. "No matter…"

" _Now!"_ Gray created numerous canons of ice that surrounded the Hunter on all sides. _"Ice Make: Cannon Barrage!"_

"Hm?" Lucia glanced around, noticing multiple cannons of ice surrounding her. They all began to fire, pumping out a bombardment of debris thanks to all of the rubble around them. It wasn't magic but that didn't make a difference to Lucia. The Hunter planted her feet on the ground, took a wider stance, crouched, and brought her hand to the hilt of her blade. "Concealed Wave." She drew Excalibur slowly and slashed horizontally. This caused a ring of light to fan out from around her and destroy the incoming rubble and cannons in the process.

" _Damn…!"_ Gray cursed under his breath. But he still had a number of tricks in his bag. The next trick he had was turning the floor into solid ice, meaning that a single misstep could potentially be fatal.

"Hm?" Lucia felt her feet slip just a bit, but she was able to keep her footing. As soon as she regained her balance, glaciers began to rise from where she stood. This forced her to move to avoid being captured within these small frozen prisons. They posed just enough of a threat to keep her on her toes, but she could tell that Gray was attempting to goad her somewhere. Just as the glaciers stopped, she saw that she was surrounded by them. "Hm?"

Gray finally revealed himself, grinning as he had Lucia right where he wanted her. "Got'cha." While Lucia was evading the rising glaciers, Gray took the time to create a multitude of frozen weapons that all hung in the air over Hunter. "Ice Male: Ultimate! One Sided Chaotic Dance!" She had nowhere to escape to and the bombardment began! The frozen weapons violently rained down on the Wizard Hunter with the sole intention of finishing her off. This bombardment when unhindered for the entirety of its duration, leaving Gray to believe that it was a success. As the smoke died down…Gray's eyes widened in shock. "Huh…?"

There was a barrier of light that surrounded Lucia, courtesy of her sword. "Guardian Field." Nothing pierced through that barrier, leaving Lucia completely unharmed throughout Gray's indirect approach. "You're a clever mage. That might have gotten one of the others."

"You're…kidding me…" Gray's eyes were wide and he took a step back, clutching Leo's key tightly. He had to get it to Lucy! _"Damn! If I had some backup…but Cynthia would have to be careful if she were here…."_

"Since you refused to submit, I have no choice but to show you no mercy." Lucia took a step forward as Gray stepped back. "And I'll be prying that key from your cold hands. Dead or alive."

"I'd like to see you try!" As if Gray would back down! But he was running low on ideas since Lucia was powering through everything he threw at her, and he'd yet to make any noticeable progress against her….

* * *

"W-What is that!?" Erza's eyes went wide at the pillar of light that erupted from the building just before them. When the jungle shook she nearly lost her balance.

"…?" Blair turned to the pillar of light, ultimately disregarding it.

"Oh…it seems as though my sister has found a foe worthy enough to make her draw Excalibur." Yeager chuckled. "Or I should I say, someone unlucky enough to be on the other end of that sword."

"Excalibur…?" Erza knew that name, but there was no way that…

Blair, however, didn't exactly care too much about whatever was going on. She just sprinted towards Erza, swinging her blade at Titania with violent force. "We're still fighting dumbass!" Blair roared.

"…!" Erza brought her sword up to clash with Blair, but there was an astronomical difference compared to before. The knight was nearly thrown backwards from Blair's strength and found herself staggering, struggling to keep her balance. _"What on earth!? This strength is…!"_

"Where do you think you're going!" Blair pursed Erza, rearing back her demonic arm. Once close, she swung said arm upward, aiming a vertical claw strike at Erza's body. "Hell Claw!"

Erza once again bought her sword up to block the hit, but it shattered the instant Blair made contact with it. This left her open and the ravenette's claw sliced her lower thigh and sent her into the air. As soon as contact was made, Erza's eyes widened and she felt an indescribable pain course through her body. "AAAAAH!" It felt like Blair's claw tore through her very being! Not only that, but Erza felt her own life and magic sap away from just that split second of contact. Due to being thrown for a loop, she needed a second to regain herself, but Blair wasn't allowing that. Blair pursued Erza, rearing her leg back before throwing it into Erza's gut. The raw power sent Erza crashing down to the ground with another cry of pain, and now she lied there, struggling to pull herself out.

"This is a wonderful turn of events. Even more so by the fact that when you get right down to it, we're all the same." Yeager laughed. Had it not been for Blair's sudden interference, this wouldn't be nearly as entertaining! But his remark wasn't so amusing to the woman and she turned, now beginning to pursue the Hunter. Just as Blair swung her sword, Yeager clashed with his scythe. "But you could use some anger management, don't you think?"

"Shut up." Blair snarled. The red aura around her arm intensified and she started to press the Silverwind sibling. A kick was aimed at his chest but he jumped away to avoid it.

"Come now, young lady." Yeager landed on a tree branch, staring down at the two women in front of him. "Don't you see we're all the same? Why don't you take a second and hear me out."

"So you can stall…?" Erza was on her feet now, placing a hand on her bleeding thigh. "I won't allow that…"

"Truly?" Yeager glanced at Erza. "I'm sure you've been thinking that taking me down would be so much easier if you had your comrades with you, haven't you? I'm sure your friends have been thinking the same." Blair wasn't going to stand around and talk, especially since she was currently being the aggressive third wheel of this conversation. The woman lunged at Yeager, but flipped over her and pointed his shifted scythe at her back, releasing a blast of magic that struck her and sent her flying forward. As soon as Yeager landed, he clashed with Erza, who now donned her Flame Empress Armor.

"How are we the same? I think we're far from it!" Erza grit her teeth, putting her muscle into her struggle with Yeager. "Neither me nor my comrades would-!"

"No matter how you look at it, we are the same. We are both mercenaries that follow our own rules." Yeager explained. "Right now, our missions just so happen to be different. Our mission is the capture of those two lovely ladies, while your mission is to rescue them. The only reason you've clashed with us every so often is due to our different goals. We have our own different morals, goals, but that only makes us similar."

"We are nothing alike!" Erza denied this statement. "There's a reason why we were asked to bring you all in, because you've done nothing but cause trouble and you need to be stopped."

"Oh please. You've been causing trouble too. After all, the world has been too busy revolving around your conflicts." Yeager mentioned.

Erza grit her teeth at his words. It was at that moment that it began to rain. This gave her an idea. Pushing back, she switched to her Lightning Empress Armor, pointing the electrically charged spear right in front of her. "Lightning Cyclotron!" Multiple bolts of lightning spewed out from the magic seal before the spear, all of them flying towards Yeager.

"Hmph!" Yeager's scythe was drawn once more, showcasing his nimble mobility by deftly evading the incoming bolts of lightning. One did graze his arm and he grimaced for a moment. Had the rain been heavier that would have made more of an impact. Regardless the gap between them was close enough and that's when he opted to attack. Yeager's aura became much more prominent and Erza could feel the threat coming her way. "Take this!"

Without thinking twice, Erza crossed her arms and shifted to her Adamantine Armor. She wasn't sure what was coming but she sensed it wasn't good. _"Here it comes!"_

Yeager swung his scythe at the broad shield plates in front of Erza's body. Though it was a single motion, several slashes followed and began to cut at this thick armor plating. After the powerful slashing motions, his scythe turned into a long barreled rifle and he pointed it directly at the shielding Titania. "CARASS OF DEATH!" BANG! A single piercing shot broke through a small section of Erza's armor and flew through her side, creating quite the painful wound.

"..!" Erza's armor was undamaged aside from that one shot. But that single shot dealt heavy damage and she felt herself stumble as the blood leaked out. This was not a good day for her so far.

"Did you enjoy that?" Yeager grinned heinously. "A shot so powerful it focuses on the weakest point and destroys it. Although I have to say, it's impressive that you're still standing after a blow like that. Most people fall over."

"I could say the same thing." Despite her injuries, Titania looked up at Yeager with a smirk. This expression only confused the Hunter. "I'm impressed that someone of your skill hasn't noticed it yet: that my blade has already cut you."

"…Pardon?" That's when Yeager felt it. His suit was ripped open and a gash formed along his chest. "Guh!? When did you…!?"

"When this battle started!" Erza grinned and took off, donning her Giant's Armor. She didn't let this little injury stop her and reared her large fist forward, slamming it right into Yeager's face to throw him backwards! It felt so good to land a direct hit after all this time and dish out some damage!

Yeager tumbled about before catching himself on his feet. He was grinning at Erza's display. "The data we had on you is still true! Wonderful! If only we had more time to clash, I would enjoy defeating the mighty Titania…!"

And before the two of them could say any more, Blair jumped from the trees, grasping the ground with her demonic arm. The cracks in the ground started to light up with a dark crimson hue. "RAAAH!" With that scream, the ground exploded, catching both Erza and Yeager in its wake! This surge of curse power swept the two away and dealt some heavy damage in the process. They were able to recover, but Blair's mark on them was made very apparent.

"Ugh…" Erza groaned, feeling her body grow heavy each time Blair hit her. This was bad…she needed to help the others, but this fight was dragging on in ways she didn't like. And then…there was a faint rumbling in the distance that could be heard over the rainfall. "Huh?"

"…The hell?" Blair turned her attention to the sky where the sound came from.

"Oh?" Yeager let out a small exhale before grinning. "So it's here already, is it? That just means…your time is up." He then brought out a lacrima communication device and put it on speaker. "Attention all Wizard Hunters! Our airship has arrived! ETA is roughly five minutes! Wrap up your fun and meet up at the pickup point!" After giving this announcement, Yeager winked to the two ladies. "I hate to cut and run, but I'm on a tight schedule. Ciao!" With a wave, Yeager dashed inside the base, leaving Blair and Erza alone.

"Wait…!" Erza went to chase Yeager, but Blair stood in her way.

"And just where do you think you're going? I wasn't done kicking your ass yet." Blair said. "Your friend may have gotten away, but I won't let you."

Wonderful. Now Erza had to try and explain what was going on to Blair before 5 minutes were up. "Listen…"

* * *

Natsu, Cynthia, and Wendy, were already having a tough time against Rajaron, the lost prince of the Isle of the Dragons, and now they had to deal with Keele as well. Keele didn't particularly care who or what was in his way. Everything was an enemy and his actions made it clear. The circumstances didn't mean anything. "Engine: Burst!" Keele exclaimed, rapidly punching the air in front of him with his gigantic hybrid fist. Each punch caused a burst of air to violently explode, along with the ground of the underground cavern being uprooted with each punch. Everyone was caught in this careless, destructive attack.

"AAAAH!" Happy cried out while trying to cling to a rock for safety, but it was no use as Keele's attacks were indiscriminate and covered everything.

"Is he trying to bring down the cavern on top of us!?" Carla yelled. "Knock it off!"

"Shut up!" As if Keele would listen to some random girl he didn't know.

"He's only using one arm…!?" Cynthia barely managed to keep herself grounded as the ground ruptured violently. She made sure to hold onto Wendy as well so her partner wouldn't get blown away.

The only two people who could stand within this miniature earthquake were Natsu and Rajaron. The dragon grinned before lunging past Natsu, moving right towards the newcomer who dared to interrupt his fun. "Strong human…but can you handle this?" The dragon violently whipped his tail at Keele, but the hybrid was able to dodge with little trouble. This fell right into the dragon's ploy as he then exhaled, unleashing a potent obsidian blast that caught Keele, forcing him backwards in the process.

Natsu snarled at this turn of events. Now everything was getting precarious and he needed to end it quickly. Rajaron was the true target, but if Keele even accidentally ended up harming any of his comrades, Natsu would turn on him too. But for now… "Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!" Natsu thrusted his arm forward, unleashing a powerful torrent of fire and lightning towards the black dragon. Rajaron held his ground, crossing his arms to block the dragon slayer magic.

"Outta the way!" Keele pushed past Natsu, his fist vibrating as flames now ignited around it. "Engine: Ignite!" Another powerful punch was thrown at Rajaron's defensive stance. Unlike Natsu, however, Keele's punch was capable of pushing the bulky dragon backwards, much to everyone's surprise.

"He…pushed him back?" Carla was in awe.

"With a single punch too…" Cynthia mumbled.

Rajaron was grinning at this turn of events. This wasn't boring at all! "Yes! More, humans! Come at me more! It's been a long time since I've had a decent workout!" He was still within his human form, but his features were slowly adopting his dragon features. A black aura wavered around his body before exploding violently, bringing damage to those around him with his intense power.

"Kyaaah!" Wendy cried out as she was thrown back, but Cynthia caught her. "Oof…."

"Seriously, how did they get someone like this on their side!?" Cynthia groaned while setting Wendy down.

"Come on Natsu! Take him down!" Happy cheered.

"If this goes on any longer, we might be crushed…" Carla had an uneasy feeling about the integrity of the cavern this whole time. With all these high powered attacks rocking the underground, she was worried that the ceiling would collapse on them.

"If the others were here…" Happy began. "Then this guy would go down no problem…"

Upon hearing those words, Rajaron grinned. "The others…your friends, yes? They mentioned you might say something like this." Of course Keele didn't give a damn about what was being said and rushed at Rajaron with another punch, but he was met halfway. The collision of these physical powers caused a shockwave that made the cavern rumble once again. "HAHAHAHA!"

"Damn it!" Natsu staggered a bit. They really didn't have the time for this! He didn't forget about the mission at hand, but their progress was being heavily impeded.

"More…" Rajaron's lust for blood was beginning to show. This was far too much fun! He was about to unleash more of his power when…

" _Attention all Wizard Hunters! Our airship has arrived! ETA is roughly five minutes! Wrap up your fun and meet up at the pickup point!"_

"Ah?" Rajaron blinked several times before letting out a heavy sigh. Just when things were starting to get fun… "So that's what that noise is outside. Shame…I was about to cut loose once again." The dragon then flapped his wings and just flew through the ceiling, leaving a gaping hole in the process.

"Wait, their airship is here!?" Wendy gasped. "That means we don't have any time…!"

"The Queen and Emerald are in danger!" Happy flailed his arms about before sprouting his wings, grabbing Natsu to pursue Rajaron.

"We have to hurry!" Carla did the same, allowing her wings to sprout while grabbing Wendy, flying after the dragon.

"Wait for me!" Cynthia's own wings emerged and she flew out after them.

"HUH!?" Keele was left shouting to the open air with no idea what was happening. "WHAT THE HELL!? COME BACK HERE!"

* * *

"GAAAAH!" Lucy continuously shook her head as Shade's piercing sound waves didn't stop. She felt as though her head was going to split from the high pitched scream and she couldn't think like this. Shielding her ears did nothing to muffle the noise. "I have to…do something…!" The situation was growing desperate for the blonde. Surely she'd go deaf at this rate.

"Come on…you know what you have to do…" Shade was going to continue goading Lucy out. But perhaps sound wasn't the way, so he actually relented. He never thought that Lucy would be able to defeat him anyway, so why not?

"Ah…" Thank goodness he stopped. But Lucy could barely hear what he was saying due to the ringing in her ears.

"Do you understand your position yet?" Shade questioned while folding his arms over his chest. "You have no hope of victory. Neither do your friendssss."

"Y-You're wrong!" Lucy could barely make out what he was saying. But she could assume that it fell under the usual lines she heard when the team split up to face off against some baddies.

"Taking me on alone was your biggest misssstake." Shade explained. "I know for a fact that your friendssss have been thinking all similar thoughts…." And it was at that moment that a blinding light snuffed out the darkness Shade created. The pitch black space that only had Lucy and Shade was erased and the section of the base they were within was completely destroyed. "Oh…?"

"W-What happened!?" Lucy glanced around, thinking that perhaps a friend was responsible for eliminating this darkness.

"It ssssseems Lucia has brandished her sword on an unfortunate companion of yours." Shade grinned.

"I don't…understand…" Lucy narrowed her eyes. But she was suddenly worried.

"Lucia is the wielder of the legendary blade Excalibur, a blade that purgesssss darkness and anything related to it. That sword is very power and the reason I could never defeat dear leader." Shade explained. "This was a simple slash from her and it caused so much…I doubt whoever was on the receiving end of this slash is faring well. But you already sensed that, didn't you? You wish your comrades were here to assist you, don't you?"

"That's…" Lucy narrowed her eyes. That's when she realized that something was horribly off about this. The way Shade was talking…and that's when she realized it. The spirit mage's eyes went wide. "Wait, this whole time…!"

"Did you finally catch on?" The vampire held a fangy smirk. "The twinssss have been collecting data on you for the last two years. We came to one very important conclusion after your battle with Alvarez. Your reliance on your comradesss is both your strength and a weakness. When faced with foes far stronger than you all combined, you band together and use your bonds to try and fight. But we intentionally split you all up and you took the bait! From the very beginning, this was all a trap to sssssstall for time!"

"…!" They all took the bait too! Lucy was mentally cursing herself for falling for such a ploy. The others must have realized this as well. They needed to regroup as soon as possible— "Wait, what's that…?"

"Oh. It seems the twins have gone a little overboard." Shade glanced behind Lucy, where the Inferno Tide was rapidly rushing towards them. All Shade had to do was fly into the air, but Lucy wasn't going to be so lucky.

"Huh!?" Lucy turned, only to be met with the raging rapids of fire and water. It burned and she felt like she'd drown if she let out any air. She could also see another person struggling within the water. _"Who is that? Wait…this is water…it burns, but…I can use this!"_ A golden light emanated from Lucy's body once more and she donned Aquarius' Star Dress, now controlling the high amount of the fiery water. "Tidal Wave!" Lucy focused the tidal wave into a rising pillar of water, focused entirely on Shade who was above.

"What?" Shade did not expect this! The vampire let out a hiss of pain as the blazing water consumed him, causing him to receive a moderate amount of damage.

"That was close…" Lucy exhaled before turning to look at Juilet. She had no idea where this woman came from but… "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, thank you." Juilet caught her breath and offered a smile. "I came here with my…companions to hunt the legendary beast in this jungle, but we weren't expecting this…"

"Hey, what happened!?" Yumia asked, rushing onto the scene with her sister. "Our Inferno Tide!?"

"They're clever." Shade floated down before the two women who were now standing back to back in what was going to b scenario. "The data you collected on them was accurate."

"Of course it was." Yukia scoffed. "Dunno who this chick thinks she is though." She pointed at Juilet. "Her and her friends storming around like they own the place…"

" _Attention all Wizard Hunters! Our airship has arrived! ETA is roughly five minutes! Wrap up your fun and meet up at the pickup point!"_

"Oh, is it time already?" Yukia let out a sigh. "Good. I wanted to get out of this rain…"

"Kehehe…your time is up." That's all Shade had to say as a black rift opened up under him and the twins, pulling them under to teleport them to the drop off.

"Ah! No!" Lucy nearly forgot they didn't have much time. "It was nice meeting you, but I really, really have to go!" Waving to Juilet, Lucy sprinted off to chase the two Hunters. Based on the rumbling in the sky, they couldn't be going too far.

"Uh…" Juilet blinked a few times. This was…something else. "I suppose I should find Keele and Blair…"

* * *

An airship belonging to an unknown country landed within a clearing in the jungle, not too far away from the base the Wizard Hunters were using. Yeager went on ahead and grabbed Emerald and Hisui, gently tugging them along. "Come on now, we can't keep our ride waiting."

"…" Neither woman said a word. They just consistently looked back.

Lucia ended up dragging Gray's beat up body along. He was stubborn and refused to release his old on Leo's key. "This one has been annoyingly stubborn. He refuses to let go of the key he stole from me."

"So this is the one you beat up, is it?" Yeager laughed at Gray's condition. "The poor boy never stood a chance."

"Tch…" Gray was still conscious, although he wasn't sure what they were going to do with him at this juncture.

"Is this everyone!?" Yukia asked while glancing around. "Sis, Shade, Rajaron, Yeager, and Boss. Yup! Hostages included!"

"Then it's time we board." Lucia looked down at Gray. "But first…"

"OI!" Natsu sprinted onto the scene, the rain growing heavier and heavier. Team Natsu managed to reunite despite the circumstances and stood before the Wizard Hunters as they tried to make their leave. "Let them all go right now!" The Salamander demanded. Needless to say that Natsu was extremely angered by Lucia's treatment of Gray.

"They made it!" Hisui smiled.

"You can have this one." Lucia callously tossed Gray's body onto the ground in front of them. She then held up Leo's key. "But I will not allow him to sneak away with this prize of mine."

"Gray-san!" Wendy rushed over to Gray, immediately beginning to work her magic and heal his injuries. "Are you all right!?"

"Y-Yeah…" Gray nodded slowly.

"That key…" Lucy's eyes stared right at. "That's Leo's…!"

"What's she doing with Loke's key!?" Carla asked.

"I found it." Lucia responded. "And I've been trying to make it my own; however I'm not certain how to go about doing so…"

"Give him back." Lucy demanded. "That key is mine."

"False!" Yukia chimed. "When you broke that key during your fight with Emmeraude, it was no longer yours. You have to officially make another contract with Leo, but since you haven't, he's free game."

Erza wasn't going to tolerate this. While Wendy took care of Gray, she was the one who lunged forward towards Lucia in her standard Hearts Kruz armor. "You will return Loke and your hostages this instant!"

"Foolish…" Just as Erza brought her blade down, Lucia clashed with her sheathed sword. Unlike Gray and his darkness, Erza wasn't worthy of facing the true might of Excalibur. "We're done here. There's nothing you can do to stop us." The leader of the Hunters then pushed Erza back with minimal efforts, causing her to slide back across the wet ground.

"Ngh…" Erza was still feeling a little exhausted from the three way fight. Luckily she was able to convince Blair that they weren't enemies. The true enemies were standing right before them, about to get away…

"Now, dear." Emerald said calmly.

Without further warning, Hisui's magic sealing cuffs were undone and she shoved Lucia. The unexpected action caught all the Hunters off guard and the Queen snatched Leo's key in the process. "I got it!" And then, she began to create distance between herself and the Hunters.

"How did she get free!?" Yukia gasped then stared at Emerald. Emerald wore a coy expression very similar to one her daughter often made. "What did you do!? Wait no, stop her first!"

Gray held a slight smirk and planted his hand against the ground, creating a wall of ice in front of the Hunters. Surely they'd cut it down, but that was one second their attention was not focused on the fleeing Queen. Yeager was the one who removed the ice, but it was far too late for anyone to reach her now. "Got it…"

"Lucy, take the key!" Hisui exclaimed. She was prepared to throw it, but Shade intervened by creating a thin line of darkness for her to trip over. "Ah…!" The Queen fell onto the ground, dropping the key in the process. The golden key flew in the air, up for grabs for anyone.

"Loke…!" Lucy sprinted to the key with her hand extended…but suddenly calm to a halt as someone grabbed it first. "Huh…?"

"…No way…" Cynthia's jaw dropped.

"Is that…!?" Happy placed his paws on his face.

Mii was the one who grabbed the key, looking it over while standing between both parties. She didn't make any attempt to stop Hisui, who hid behind Team Natsu now that she was free. "Loke's key…crazy how it ended up here…"

"Mii…you are alive…" Lucy couldn't help but smile. "Quick, hand the key over so I can summon Loke and rescue Emerald!"

"Hurry!" Erza yelled.

"…" Carla…didn't have a good feeling about this. Something was tugging at her the longer she looked at Mii.

After a few moments of silence, Mii shrugged and tossed the key…backwards to Lucia, who caught it within her hand. "Meh."

"Thank you." Lucia said calmly.

Mii's actions stunned Team Natsu. "W-WHAT DID YOU DO!?" Gray yelled.

"…Did you forget?" Mii brought a hand back, to the hilt of the sheathed sword attached to her back. "I told you that I wanted nothing to do with you after the war. If you still thought we were friends, you couldn't be anymore wrong." The Eternal Sword was then drawn, the purple blade pointed directly at Team Natsu. Mii's black aura wavered around her body as her emerald eyes stared directly at her former companions. "I am not your friend. We're enemies now."

.

.

Next Time: Rejection.


	112. Chapter 112: Rejection

Team Natsu couldn't believe what they were witnessing. It had been a whole year since they last seen the angel, and now, here she was, standing in front of them claiming to be an enemy. She stood between them and the Wizard Hunters as they planned to escape with Emerald. Natsu took a step forward, his eyes locked with Mii's. The rain grew heavier and thunder echoed in the distance. "Mii…get out of the way."

"Mii, what are you doing over there!" Lucy asked. "Don't tell me…are you a Wizard Hunter now?!"

"Nah." Mii responded to both of their questions with a single word. "I just decided to tag along with them on this mission. I should've known that I'd end up running into you all here…"

Lucia nudged Emerald onto the ship. Unlike Hisui, who was able to escape, Emerald's magic sealing cuffs weren't coming off. "Are you going to buy us time to escape? How nice of you."

"I don't have anything better to do." Mii replied.

"…Are you sure you wish to do this?" Emerald asked Mii, but she got no response. She was pushed into the ship and its engine roared to life once more, lifting into the sky.

"Mii-san, please move!" Wendy pleaded, but Mii didn't budge.

"No." Mii held her ground. The situation was growing tense with each passing second.

The Hunter commandeering the airship was Aeon. White haired male ran a hand through his hair and pulled a lever. "All system green! We're taking off!"

Yumia leaned over the railing of the airship, waving to Team Natsu as the ship began to take off. "Bye bye!"

"This was a fun time." Yeager admitted.

"Even though we lost a hostage…we've already completed our initial mission." Lucia said while holding Leo's key up. "I think we came out of this situation better than we started."

"Looks like we win this round, Fairy Tail!" Yukia waved a hand while wearing a sinister smile. "Bye bye!"

"LIKE HELL!" There was no way Natsu was going to let them go! "HAPPY!"

"AYE!" Happy flew forward, using Max Speed to grab Natsu and fly into the sky, pursing the airship. Natsu would take on all the Hunters if he had to, but they were not letting them get away.

"Tch…" Mii's eyes followed Natsu and she slashed the Eternal Sword down. Nothing happened at first, but then a massive pillar of light dropped down from the sky in front of Natsu and Happy.

"GAAAH!" Happy was barely able to swerve out of the way. The pillar of light separated the two from the ship that was now long gone. "S-She really tried to hit us!"

"That's enough Mii!" Erza barked. "Put the sword down! We can talk about this!"

"I don't want to talk." Mii said while taking a stance.

"Is she serious…?" Carla got into a fighting stance.

"But…" Hisui made sure to stay back.

"Tch…idiot…" Gray scoffed while standing back up. Thanks to Wendy's magic he was feeling okay for the most part. He could fight and right now a fight with Mii was unavoidable. "Back down now!"

"No." Mii instantly responded.

"That settles it." Gray replied. "If you really want to do this, then we won't hold back."

Mii's lips then curled into a sinister smile. "You're more than welcome to hit Mii with everything you've got. But you should already know by now that you won't be able to beat Mii. After all, I did destroy you guys back in that S-class exam…back when I was a member of your hypocritical establishment."

"Mii…" Hearing Mii talk like this broke Lucy's heart. The longer they were apart, the more Mii tried to distance herself from them. But no! Lucy wasn't going to allow Mii to do this because…! "You can say what you want, but I still believe in you!" The celestial wizard told Mii. After all they've been through; she refused to believe that Mii would throw it all away so easily.

Mii was silent after Lucy's comment. The grip on her sword tightened and her body started to shake. "You still believe in me? After all this time? You never even knew the real me…"

"That's not true!" Lucy objected. "You may not have been a part of our guild for very long, but you fought with us…fought for us! I know you were hurt when the guild disbanded…but you stayed when we fought Alvarez. No matter what you say, I'll always believe in you!"

"You don't know a damn thing!" Mii yelled. "You all think you know me so well. Oh, when she lies, that's just her way of telling the truth, isn't that right!? That's what you've all thought about me, well let me tell you the absolute truth! Do you know the real reason I joined Fairy Tail!? It was only to keep an eye on Lucy while she was infected with the Lambda Virus! That was the only reason I was there! I was never there to be your friend! Everything I've seen and heard…my role as a spy was to relay any and all information back to Pergrande. My time there was nothing more than duty. That's the truth."

"….." Lucy flinched from Mii's words. That couldn't be true. She didn't want to believe any of this. Surely Mii was just lying…

"I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU!" Mii violently swung her sword down. Just as before, a gigantic pillar of light dropped down from the cloudy sky. Team Natsu spread out as this pillar brought nothing but ruin to the spot they once stood. "All you do is vex me and my existence! The only reason I'm still alive is because of you and I hate it!"

After just narrowly escaping Mii's enraged attack, Wendy slid to a halt and spread her arms apart. It was clear they weren't getting around Mii without a fight. As much as she didn't want to, she'd support the others. "All ability raise: Deus Equs!" This light spread out to everyone else, increasing their parameters greatly against someone like Mii, she knew they'd need it.

"Thanks Wendy!" Gray slammed his fist into his palm, the chilling aura flowing from his freezing some of the raindrops around him. "Now Mii! I don't know what your problem is, but first we're gonna beat the crap out of you for siding with the enemy!" Gray then thrust his hands forward, unleashing a plethora of frozen lances in Mii's direction. "And then we're going to drag you home, kicking and screaming!"

As the frozen lances came her way, Mii spread her wings and just started to fly around to avoid them. Her expression grew more irritated as they talked about bringing her home. "What part of I'm not coming back do you not understand?! I don't even want to be alive right now!"

"Stop talking like that!" Natsu was over to Mii's left, drawing his arm back as fire and lightning roared to life around it. "I told you that we were going to burn your fate, and we meant it! Lightning Flame Dragon King's Demolition Fist!"

Mii grit her teeth, drawing her own fist back with a heavenly light shrouding it, making use of her angel magic. She threw her fist at Natsu's, the two clashing with such force a shockwave boomed out in the heavy rain. "Not everyone is like you!" Mii snarled.

"…!" Natsu's eyes widened as he clashed with Mii's fist. He felt the impact reverberate through his fist and he cried out in agony. He nearly forgot how physically strong Mii was and it seemed as though she'd only gotten stronger since they last saw her. He could feel himself losing ground as the angel was really about to overpower him. Mii's arm was severely burning from dealing with Natsu's intense flames, but since it was a known fact she didn't feel pain, she wasn't bothered by it. "Take this! Flame Dragon King's Purgatory!" The flames around Natsu's arm intensified. The rain around them turned to steam and as Natsu lifted his fist into the air, a rising veil of flames followed his upward swing, throwing Mii into the air.

"Whoa…!" Mii was thrown off her feet, but she was able to catch herself. She didn't escape Natsu's attack unharmed as her body was covered in burn marks. When she looked down at Natsu, she saw that he was within his Flame Dragon King mode. She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "Fighting like that is what got you sick. Granted, it wouldn't really work on me anyway…"

"Mii!" Erza yelled while soaring towards Mii in her Black Wing Armor. The matching blade was equipped and she swung it at Mii, only to clash against the Eternal Sword. There was another shockwave that boomed out from the collision of these two powers and Erza struggled to hold her position. "I don't believe you! To say that you were a part of our guild just to spy on us…"

"Well it's the truth, Erza! How do you think the Hunters got all that data on you, huh?!" Mii snarled while pulling back. Erza attempted to swing, but Mii parried her strike with the blade in one hand, and then summoned Purple Pot in the other. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" Click. Mii's finger squeezed the trigger and a large emerald sphere shot from the barrel of the pistol, colliding against Erza to force her back down to the ground where it exploded.

"Erza…!" Lucy gasped at the intensity of the blast. She then turned her gaze to Mii, clenching a hand into a fist before deciding use Sagittarius' Star Dress once more. With the bow in hand, multiple arrows shot forth into the skies where Mii was. "Star Shot!"

"Ice Volley!" Gray followed suit, standing beside Lucy as his Devil Slaying markings returned. The two of them were launching a volley of ice and energy arrows at Mii, where numerous explosions occurred in the skies.

"Tch…!" Mii was deftly evading the arrows at first. But after a few seconds she got fed up and decided to just fly right through them all while drawing her sword back. Her injuries racked up but she didn't care, and once she neared Lucy and Gray, she swung her sword. The blade unleashed a horizontal line of energy that cut both Lucy and Gray, sending them tumbling back along the ground with cries of pain.

Cynthia and Wendy were up next. The two of them appeared to Mii's left in their Dragon Force states, drawing their arms back as a red/blue glow formed between their hands. "TWIN WAVE!" The two girls exclaimed while pointing their arms forward, unleashing their brilliant beam of red and blue light. The combination of omega flames and wind consumed Mii for a few seconds, only to then be deflected by the Eternal Sword off into the sky somewhere. "S-She deflected it!?"

Not without injury, but injury never was cause for concern for Mii. "Angel Feathers." Rainbow feathers began to drop off from Mii's wings, only to shoot forward towards the pair of girls. These individual feathers exploded upon Wendy and Cynthia, violently thrashing them about in the process.

"How dare you hurt them because you don't know how to feel!" Carla had enough! The exceed sprang up in her human form, flipping once before sharply bringing her foot down directly onto Mii's forehead. "White Moon!" It was a hit. Mii didn't even try to block it and there was blood trickling down her forehead.

"Move, Carla." Mii's tone was flat and she grabbed Carla's ankle, using her strength to slam the Exceed into the ground before callously tossing her away.

"CARLA!" Happy cried out.

"Flame Dragon King's…!" Natsu jumped up behind Mii, preparing to strike her. But he never had the chance as Mii turned on a dime, swinging her boot into his side. An explosive bullet was unleashed from the sole of her shoe and it sent Natsu flying. "GAAAAAAH!" The Flame Dragon King was sent tumbling along the ground before he caught himself, panting heavily. "Damn…"

"She's so strong…" Cynthia groaned.

"Stronger than last time…" Lucy placed a hand on her chest. "Mii, please stop. We don't want to fight you! We just want to talk!"

"That's too bad. Because I don't mind fighting you." As Mii spoke, the Eternal Sword began to shine. All of Mii's injuries faded away and she was good as new, not that the damage she accumulated would have bothered her in the first place. "It'll help me with all this frustration you've left inside of me."

"W-What the…?" Gray grit his teeth.

"Her wounds healed…?" Wendy could only stare.

"So she doesn't feel pain and any progress we make is just erased…" That was extremely annoying to Gray.

"Then we'll have to knock her out in a single hit." Natsu said. He planned on dragging Mii back to Fairy Tail one way or another. He noticed when attacking from behind that she didn't have the mark of Pergrande on her back, so he assumed that she was a free agent. Even better, really. "You guys ready!?"

"Yes." Erza nodded.

"LET'S GO!" Natsu roared while leading the charge against Mii. "Flame Dragon King's…" The flames around Natsu's body were so intense they shielded him from Mii's view. In the next instant he vanished from sight, only to reappear in front of Mii not even a second later. "Vanishing Drive!" The Salamander emerged from a rift he burned through space itself, swinging a fiery fist right at Mii's face.

"…!" Mii was actually caught off guard and could barely bring up an arm to block. Natsu's punch landed against her forearm and the force sent her sliding backwards until her back hit a slab of rock. "Huh?" When she turned, she saw that she was surrounded by tall stalagmites, all of the radiating a dangerous amount of earth magic, all from Cynthia, who was preparing to use a secret art.

"I don't think so…" Mii was about to cut the stalagmites down, but the instant she moved.

"Ice Make: Silver." Gray acted fast, unleashing an instantaneously wave of frost that froze Mii over completely before she had the chance to move. "Now!"

Wendy held a hand up, several cyclones of wind forming around Mii and the pillars of earth Cynthia made. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Shattering Light: Sky Drill!"

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Earth's End!" Cynthia roared. The pillars of earth all unleashed powerful beams of earth magic down upon the frozen Mii, just as Wendy's barrier closed upon Mii. The result was an extremely powerful explosion of wind and earth and sent even Mii tumbling back across the ground.

Mii tumbled but caught herself, stabbing her sword into the ground to force her momentum into a slow halt. "Synergy, huh…"

"Saint Spear – Revalt!" Erza pursued Mii as she tumbled. The strongest form of the Ten Commandments spear was going to strike her former comrade and Erza held the conviction to follow through with it.

"You think you're so tough you can bully me, eh?!" Mii stood up quickly, swinging her sword down to clash with Erza's spear. These two powers caused a stalemate before a burst of magic forced the two to slide backwards. "I've never lost to any of you yet, so what makes you think you can win now!?"

"We aren't trying to fight you!" Lucy yelled while jumping into the air above Mii, diving down to kick her in the back! With Taurus Star Dress, her strength was enough to force Mii into the ground, but she didn't stay for long as she hopped back. "We don't want to fight you! We just want to know…why…"

Mii placed a hand on the ground, shaking her head after their strikes. The damage on her body showed, but just as before, it was healed off and she stood up. "Why? I told you why. Because I can't trust anyone of you." Mii stared them all in the eyes as she made that statement. "I've had enough of this back and forth. I'm ending this now!" Mii's wings let off a bright glow as she ascended into the air. A magic seal formed under Team Natsu, binding them in place. Natsu's Flame Dragon Mode passive burned through magic itself, so he started to rush towards Mii to stop her. "SHINING BIND!" Multiple beams of angel magic dropped down from the heavens above and onto Team Natsu, brilliant flashes of light erupting from contact. Any sounds of pain were drowned out by the rumbling of the ground.

"E-EVERYONE!" Hisui cried out, but she had to shield her eyes from the explosions. It seems that Mii wasn't so careless to get her caught in the explosions. But as the light of the attack died down, Team Natsu was all down. They were still conscious, but they weren't getting up any time soon. "O-Oh no…!"

"Ngh…" Lucy placed her hands on the ground, trying to push herself up, but she stopped when Mii's foot pressed against her back. "Oof…"

"Do you still doubt me? I don't have any reason to hold back on you all. Because I don't care about you anymore." Mii said while standing over Lucy. The look in her green eyes showed that she was serious.

"Mii…" Lucy slowly looked over her shoulder. Aside from the physical pain she was feeling, it broke her heart to see Mii reject them like this. "…I never stopped…believing in you."

"...Your first mistake was trusting me to begin with…and mine was trusting you." Mii sighed while holding Purple Pot to Lucy's head, but she just stood there, her lisp curving into a frown. She could've done it right then and there….But she found herself moving when a card exploded next to her. Had she reacted a second later, that would've hit her. "Huh?"

"You're under arrest!" Gajeel shouted as he arrived onto the scene with Juvia, Mira, and Cana.

"Step away from…" Cana was about to continue only to see the scene before her. "Mii!? What…?"

Happy rushed over to Natsu, shaking him slightly to keep him conscious. "M-Mii is…" The Exceed stumbled over his words.

"GRAY-SAMA!" Juvia panicked and rushed towards Gray. "Are you all right!?"

"Ugh…" Gray just groaned painfully.

"Mii…" Mira turned to look at the angel. "Did you do this?"

"I did." Mii replied with a slow nod.

"What the hell Mii!?" Cana shouted angrily. "What's gotten into you!?"

"We can ask questions later." Gajeel's gaze narrowed at Mii. He understood immediately that Mii was presenting herself as an enemy to Fairy Tail and he was going to respond accordingly. "Right now, we have to take her in."

"Mii…I can't believe you'd do this…" Mira stared down at the ground as her aura wavered around her. Thunder boomed in the distance as the rain grew heavier. "We'll have to talk in length about your actions…for now, I command you to sleep." The first order of business was transforming into her Sayla takeover, using the Macro curse to force Mii to sleep, however she was met with a bullet that halted her command and forced her to jump to the side. "…."

"I don't take orders from anyone." Mii said while holding Purple Pot out.

"Cana, can you make sure the others are okay?" Mira asked.

"Yeah." Cana nodded and rushed over to Team Natsu. They were hurt pretty bad, but they could at least sit up. "Come on guys…"

"I don't know what your problem is, but just know we have a lot to ask you!" Gajeel's body shifted to his Iron Shadow mode. "Iron Shadow Dragon's Roar!" The dragon slayer exhaled a potent blast of iron and shadows that covered an incredibly wide range. This funnel split the ground and knocked down several trees in the process.

Mii was only further annoyed as more Fairy Tail mages joined the fray. But as Gajeel's roar came in, Mii dove right into it, holding her sword to the side as she barreled through the intense roar, only to emerge in front of Gajeel. "Shut up." The angel mumbled while swinging her sword at his chest. The sharpness of the Eternal Sword cleaved right through Gajeel's iron scales and created a gash on his chest.

"Gaaah!" Gajeel let out a grunt of pain, snarling at Mii's attack. But he didn't allow her to get too far as he hastily brought a fist forward, slugging the woman in the cheek with such force her head snapped to the side. "Is that all ya got!?" Gajeel roared while landing another punch.

"I said SHUT UP!" Mii screamed, lifting her leg to kick Gajeel in the chest, her sheer strength blowing Kurogane backwards a fair distance. Right after she kicked Gajeel away, Juvia began to assault her from afar with her Water Cane.

It was raining, so Juvia's attacks were a little stronger than usual. With the rage she felt for Gray being attacked, the water she used mirrored her emotion and boiled. She whipped her arm violently at Mii, striking her former comrade with no remorse. "How dare you hurt Gray-sama!? Mii-san was our friend! Now you're turning your back on us like this?!"

Mii was growing more annoyed with Juvia's strikes. "You turned your back on me first! I'm returning the favor!" She then dodged one of Juvia's attacks, only to fire back by slicing her with the sword. Juvia recoiled as the blade held the ability to penetrate her Water Body.

"What nonsense is that!?" Cana yelled while throwing down a trio of cards in front of Juvia. It was to activate the Prayer's Fountain, and while it was a little too far to strike Mii, that wasn't the point.

"We've always wanted you to come back!" Juvia said water began to swirl around the lower half of her body. With the Prayer's Fountain and this torrential rain, the cyclone of water that formed around the water mage was massive. "Water Jigsaw!" Juvia then began to cross over the land, rushing right towards Mii, who brought up her blade to block the strike itself. Juvia's power was strong so she managed to push Mii backwards. "So stop this fighting and come back with us!"

"Stop asking me to come back! No matter how many times you ask, the answer will always be no!" Mii slashed the sword once more, completely slicing through Juvia's Water Jigsaw. Before Juvia had the chance to realize what happened, Mii released a bullet from Purple Pot that struck Juvia, pushed her all the way into Cana, and then exploded violently, nearly catching Gajeel and Mira in its wake. "If you keep coming at me like this, then I'll really have no choice but to…"

"But to what, Mii?" Mira was already in front of Mii in her Algeria form. Mii didn't even notice Mira until it was too late, the demoness grasping onto her face and violently slammed her into the ground. She hated being this rough with someone she cared about, but she couldn't forgive Mii for harming the others so much either. Mira didn't have the chance to say much else as Mii's boot struck her chest, where an explosive bullet launched her into the sky. "Oof…!"

"Or else I'll kill you all where you stand." Mii said while rising into the sky with Mira.

"You don't mean that." Mira replied immediately.

"Watch me." Mii retorted.

"She's dangerous. We have to knock her out and fast." Gajeel grunted.

Mira pointed her hands forward, gathering a large amount of magic power that took the form of a sphere of darkness. "This is your last warning, Mii. Stand down."

"This is your last warning, Mira." Mii pointed her pistol at the demoness in front of her. "Get away from me." Neither side planned on budging. This stalemate was only going to be resolved with conflict. Mira fired and Mii shot, the two incoming blasts collided and the sky shook with a near cataclysmic explosion. Mii flew through the smoke, rearing her leg back to strike Mira's temple. Needless to say the force behind the blow caused Mira crash land into the ground against her will.

"Mira!" Cana rushed over to Mira, wincing from the injury she took. "Are you okay…?"

Mii wasn't giving them any time to rest. She lifted the Eternal Sword in the air, the purple blade giving off a threatening black aura that matched Mii's own. The magic of this sword towered miles into the cloud filled sky. "Angel's Crest."

"That's…not good…" Carla said with a sweat drop.

"Like hell am I letting that go through!" Gajeel slammed his fist together, pointing his dominate arm into the sky, morphing it into a gigantic iron blade. "Karma Demon: Iron God's Sword!" Two large blades that nearly split the heavens were about to clash. Gajeel brought his sword forward as Mii brought hers down. They clashed and sparks flew. Gajeel found himself putting every ounce of strength he could muster, but it wasn't enough to combat Mii. Gajeel's stance faltered slowly and eventually he was overpowered. "DAMN IT-!" He screamed, but it was too late as Mii's obsidian blade crashed into the ground for yet another explosion, one that shook the entirety of Jilral Jungle. Hisui was swept away in the blast as well this time and cried out.

Mii landed on the ground after the explosion. The smoke cleared and the only one who was still standing at this point was a bruised and battered Mira, who stood protectively in front of everything as she panted heavily. She was forced out of her takeover but that wasn't going to stop her. "…" Mii didn't say a word, but she pointed Purple Pot forward, her finger on the trigger.

"…W-Will you do it…?" Mira asked. "Are you truly going to shoot me?"

"…." Mii's expression didn't change, but the longer she stared at Mira, the more she could feel her arm tremble.

"I don't know what's gotten into you, but I know this isn't you." Mira said calmly. "You're better than this, Mii. You've already saved us, me, more times than I can count. If it weren't for you, I would have died on the Isle. You are not a bad person, no matter how hard you try to convince us you are. I still believe in you." Mira was protecting the others while trying to get Mii to reconsider things.

"Mira…" Natsu groaned while staring up at the demoness.

"You…you're trying to make this harder on me, aren't you!? It's all because of you that I'm stuck like this to begin with! I just want to die, but now I can't! It's all because of you that I'm like this! I never asked for any of this!" Mii screamed, the rain hiding the tears rolling down her cheeks. "I hate all of you!" Right as she said this, her left eye gave a brief glimmer before her entire body was caught in electrical discharge. These sparks of lightning were black just like her aura. "AAAAAAAH!" That was a pained scream, from Mii of all people.

"MII!" Lucy's eyes widened and she tried to move, but her body wasn't allowing her.

"W-What is that…!?" Carla asked.

The sparks eventually calmed down and Mii hunched over, panting heavily while placing a hand on her left eye. "Yeah yeah…I get it...I'm not allowed to sway from my new path…" Sighing, she returned her gaze to Mira and squeezed the trigger. "Goodbye…" A large emerald sphere blasted from the barrel, soaring towards Mira and the others who had no immediate defense for it. All they could do was brace for impact…

CRACK!

The sound of thunder grew and a bolt of lightning struck down from above, destroying the large bullet before it had the chance to strike. "I don't know what's going on here, but I only have one question anyway…" Laxus Dreyar, Fairy Tail's 9th Master said as he arrived on the scene, arms crossed as he stood in front of his wounded guild members. Everyone's expressions brightened considerably at his timely arrival. The lightning dragon stared Mii down with a death glare, electricity beginning to dance around his bulky body. "Who the hell do you think you're pointing those weapons at?"

.

.

Next Time: Repercussions.


	113. Chapter 113: Repercussions

Emmeraude paced around the throne room, her hands crossed behind her back as she grumbled curses, all of them directed at the injured Fairy Tail mages who returned from their failed mission in Jilral Jungle. "Unbelievable. I cannot believe that you not only failed to capture the Wizard Hunters, but allowed them to escape and with my mother no less. And to top it all off, you were halted by Koryuji of all people! I knew you were an incompetent lot, but this is by far the most pathetic thing you've ever done." Furious? Livid? There weren't any words to describe Emmeraude's levels of frustration.

"…W-We're truly sorry." Mira bowed her head to Emmeraude apologetically. "If we were able to make it on time…"

"Sorry? You're sorry?" Emmeraude turned to Mira, cutting her yellow eyes at her. "I'm afraid an apology doesn't cut it here, Mirajane."

"Emmeraude…" Hisui sat on the throne, frowning at the scene before her. "Please, don't be so hard on them. It was thanks to your mother that I was able to escape in the first place…"

"And I'm sure the both of you would be safe and sound right now if Fairy Tail could have done their jobs better." Emmeraude spat. "It's no surprise that my mother was the reason you were at least able to make an escape." She was being more relentless towards Fairy Tail than usual, but she had reason to do so this time around.

"But…!" Lucy began, but…

"But what? What excuse could you possibly have for failing such a simple task?" Emmeraude asked, tapping her foot on the floor. Each tap caused the room to shake a little since she was visibly agitated. She then cut her eyes at Lucy. "You were holding back, weren't you?"

"Wha…?" Lucy was taken aback by that statement. "I fought as hard as I-!" It was then that a chain emerged to poke Lucy's thigh. Emmeraude made sure the entry stung, but it wasn't so harmful. "Ow! Stop prodding me with your chains!" The blonde grumbled while moving to actively pry the chain out of her thigh.

"If you try anything…" It didn't matter to Natsu how injured he was. If Emmeraude was trying to start another fight, Natsu would jump.

Mira placed a hand on Natsu's shoulder. "It's all right, Natsu. She's upset, but she doesn't mean harm."

"I think this just…the way they talk now…" Carla sighed.

"You were holding back." Emmeraude was using her chains to read Lucy's magic aura. "I can sense a large quantity of magic power that you did not even touch upon based on how low your reserves are now."

This was news to Lucy. She still had that much magic left. "Huh? But I…"

"What's your point?" Cana grumbled. "It's probably just her Second Origin."

"My point is your friend here is sitting on magic power that she didn't even try using." Emmeraude scoffed.

"That one Hunter kept saying the same thing, but I didn't know…" Lucy began as she finally pulled the chain out of her leg.

"If you used that power, you would have come out victorious. Those Hunters are not stronger than me, and you managed to almost bring our fight to a draw." Emmeraude told Lucy.

"Hold on, almost!?" Lucy cut her eyes at Emmeraude. "There was no almost about it; we were both on the ground and couldn't move! Don't try and act like you won that fight."

"Yet when it was all said and done, your life was nearly mine." Alvarez's Empress scoffed. "Didn't you nearly bleed out and pass out several times from the injuries I left you? I was only left with a minor limp."

There was a tick mark on Lucy's forehead as the two of them had their back and forth. Now they were actually arguing. She didn't want to bring up the notion that she did save Emmeraude's life, but at the same time she really couldn't since she did specifically say at the time that it wasn't for her sake. "You're really just the worst. Are you going to actually tell me what I could do, or just mock me for not even knowing-"

"You shouldn't even have to finish that sentence if you know me well enough." Emmeraude flipped her hair. "I'm not here to hold your hand. It's your responsibility to learn your power, lest you remain inept and never learn your full potential."

"I…You…" Emmeraude's words rubbed Lucy the wrong way. It was taking all she had to restrain herself, and not because Emmeraude was the Queen of Alvarez, but only because she didn't want to cause a scene herself.

"And because of that, you were not only unable to defeat a single Wizard Hunter, but it put my mother in some danger. And you told me to trust you; I'm very glad I trusted my instincts and didn't." Emmeraude rolled her eyes. Had things played out different, then maybe…but that was only a hypothetical now.

"We were acting in your interest! We were actually trying to help you, you know!" Lucy fired back. "And you still-"

"You're not getting a thank you after that horrid performance." Emmeraude cut Lucy off right there. "And where exactly was that foul teleporting man of yours?" She meant Mest. If he was going to be useful for something, a mission like this would have been it.

"On his own mission." Laxus explained. "And you really should calm down. Someone like you should realize that this attitude isn't helping anyone. It's a poor display as Empress."

"Funny you're talking about poor displays, after that performance of yours." Emmeraude shot back. This was going nowhere fast.

"This is starting to get a little out of hand…" Juvia pointed out. She was right; the tension was rising in the throne room.

"Empress…" Arcadios was about to say something to try and ease the tension, although it was pretty difficult to get a word in when she was berating Fairy Tail.

"I think that's enough." Erza finally said. It was a little late since Emmeraude didn't plan on saying much more to Lucy, but she still had plenty of room to shout at the others.

At this moment, Ena and Kurthnaga entered the throne room. "Ah, you all are back!" Ena rushed over to Erza and looked over her injuries. "Oh my…your injuries…what happened?"

Emmeraude took a seat next to Hisui, crossing one leg over the other. "Yes, Erza. Why don't you tell the dragon royals what happened?"

"She doesn't have to rub it in so much…" Cynthia grumbled while rubbing her arm.

* * *

[Flashback]

Laxus just arrived on the scene, absolutely displeased with the sight before him. Numerous Fairy Tail members down and Mii standing before them with what he assumed to be the intent to finish them off. The lightning dragon stared Mii down as the rain grew even heavier. "…What is this?"

"I dunno, you tell me." Mii replied. "Oh, but that's right. No wonder you're here…you're the Guild Master now, aren't you? After Makarov killed himself and ran away from his decisions. Must be a tough job, picking up where your grandfather failed."

"Laxus…" Natsu brought himself to a knee.

"Laxus, she…" Mira fell to her knees, clutching an arm. She was behind Laxus, but her gaze went right to Mii.

Lightning began to spark around Laxus' body. Mii's words only served to press the buttons that irritated him. "I shouldn't have to explain it to you, since you were a member of our guild. But you should already know what happens to anyone who messes with Fairy Tail. So I'll ask you this one more time. Who do you think you're pointing those weapons at?"

"What do you thi-" Before Mii could finish her sentence, Laxus clenched his hand into a fist. This prompted a gigantic bolt of lightning to drop down from the skies, smiting the angel on the spot. The crack of lightning echoed through the forest and the sheer intensity of the bolt sending residual sparks of electricity to crackle for a few yard radius. As it cleared, Mii was still standing, completely unamused from the attack. "…Was that supposed to hurt? Because I didn't feel anything. Come on Laxus, I know you can hit harder than that."

So this is how she wanted to do things, was it? Laxus would oblige and used his Lightning Body spell, zipping around at untraceable speeds before appearing above and behind Mii, raising both hands over his head while intertwining his fingers. "Jaw of the Lightning Dragon!" And with a mighty downward swing, he brought the vicious hammer fist down onto Mii's skull. The impact resulted in a large crater to form…

Although, the impact was not what one would think. Instead of her skull, Laxus' attack clashed against Mii's forearm, the one she held her sword with. Due to her herculean strength, she was able to contest Laxus with little difficulty, her knees bending just slightly as she stood in the center of the crater. A wry grin formed on her lips and she used her free hand to point Purple Pot forward, unleashing a point blank bullet that exploded as soon as it escaped the barrel. The force of the explosion blew the two of them backwards. Of course Mii's body sustained injury, but due to not feeling pain, she was always inclined to act recklessly. "Are you fighting? Because I'm not feeling anything!" Wings spread and she took to the skies above the trees.

"You won't be talking after I put you to sleep." Laxus retorted. He was well aware of what he was up against. Mii didn't feel pain, but he was still positive that one solid blow could render her unconscious. Surely she was aware of this too. Lightning Body was put into play once again and Laxus sped into the skies to clash with Mii. The two of them were practically bouncing off one another with each collision, numerous shockwaves booming out. His lightning leg collided against Mii's own, resulting in a stalemate.

"Hehehe…" Mii snickered deviously before releasing an explosive bullet from her heel. Laxus predicted this and quickly pulled back to avoid being caught in the full blast. He was still nicked but managed to retain his altitude.

Laxus drew his fist back, a yellow magic seal forming before him. "Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!" Laxus thrust his arm though the magic seal, sending a gigantic, electrified fist soaring in Mii's direction.

"Nope!" Mii swung the Eternal Sword down and it gave off an eerie black glow, matching her aura. This aura flashed and Laxus' attack was canceled out before it could even get close to her.

"W-What the…?" Cana stared up at the skies. "She…completely negated it with that sword?"

"It can…do that?" Erza was more confused than the others. After all, she briefly used the sword and it was clear she was unaware of its true potential.

How annoying. Mii really thought she had the upper hand? Laxus intended to prove her wrong and landed back on the ground, lifting his hands over his head. Electricity took the shape of a large halberd above him. "Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!" And with all his might, Laxus hurled this physical manifestation of lightning directly towards Mii. It was launched with lethal intent. Laxus had no intentions of holding back on anyone who crossed Fairy Tail, not even a former member like her.

"Oh, that looks bad…" Mii tilted her head for a split second before shrugging her shoulders, whipping her sword backwards before swinging it down vertically. She split the incoming Halberd down the middle, reducing such a potent attack to nothing more than harmless sparks. Pleased with her efforts, Mii landed back on the ground, hoisting the sword over her shoulder. "Come on, Laxus…everyone watching knows you're holding back, Mr. Red Lightning."

Mii was a very irritating opponent and Laxus was realizing this now. But his expression didn't change, he still scowled. "I didn't think you were worth that much effort. Then again, you're holding back too, aren't you?"

When Laxus mentioned that, Erza did recall that Mii did have more power under her belt. "She's…holding back?"

"I don't need to use it to beat you all." Mii shrugged her shoulders dismissively. "In fact, all of this beating you down has gotten some of my aggression out."

"Mii…" Lucy slowly made her way to her feet, placing a hand on her side. "You don't have to do any of this. Please, just listen to me."

"No." Mii didn't even turn back to face Lucy. "Didn't you hear me before? I cashed in my debts, I helped you fight the stupid dragon, and now I'm done with you."

"But we're not done with you!" Natsu yelled while standing back up, a little off balance, still stood on his feet.

"You all just don't learn…" Mii was going to say more, but that's when a lacrima screen appeared in front of her face, displaying Lucia.

"We've crossed the border. You don't need to stall for time anymore." Lucia said before the communication cut off.

"Guess that means I'm done here." Mii slid the sword back into its scabbard, and then waved her hand, causing Purple Pot to fade away. "Well, this has been such a wonderful reunion, but I really must be going now."

"Wait!" Cana demanded, throwing an explosive card in Mii's direction, but the angel already took to the skies to avoid it. "The Hunters! Why are you with them!? Who hired them!?" She was asking all the right questions. Mii was the only one who knew the answers, but…

"Who knows?" Mii responded. She gave a smile; very similar to the one she wore when she first betrayed them all back on the Isle. "Maybe I'm a Wizard hunter now? Or maybe I'm the one who wanted them to carry out this job? Hahaha~" Laxus did try to strike Mii down with another bolt of lightning, and while it did hit, she shrugged it off and flew off into the distance.

"Come back…!" Lucy screamed as the rain continued to fall, but her plea fell on deaf ears. She hated this…to see Mii flying off again, rejecting them. But that wasn't the worst of it. With the adrenaline flooding out of her system, the injuries Mii left her with began to take over and she started to pass out. "Mii…come back…"

As Mii flew off, she groaned and let out a heavy sigh. But then…

" _You hesitated."_

That voice…oh, she knew that voice. Origin. "Oh great. So _now_ you want to talk….just what I needed…"

[End Flashback]

* * *

"Bested by Koryuji…how pathetic…" Emmeraude scoffed.

"I don't care what you say; she had an ace up her sleeve that we weren't prepared for." Gray hated to admit that, but what were they even supposed to do against the power of the Eternal Sword?

"You clearly don't know Koryuji as well as you think you do if you were actually taking her seriously in a fight." Alvarez's empress rolled her eyes. "She's not that hard to deal with. All you have to do is sweet talk her a little and her guard will drop completely."

"It didn't really look like she was in the mood for any conversation…" Carla retorted.

"It doesn't matter what sort of mental state she's in. While you see an unstoppable monster, I just a lustful angel. She's not very strong at all." Emmeraude responded.

"She's stronger than you now." Natsu stated.

"Hardly." Emmeraude responded without missing a beat. "She could never defeat me, no matter what equipment she dons. I made that evident last year. But of course she would continue her troublesome nature and be wrapped up in this mess. I was hoping I'd never have to deal with her again, but it seems my fate is entwined with hers until she finally dies." Honestly, what did she do to be cursed with such a bothersome person?

Kurthnaga let out a heavy sigh, pacing about the throne room with the information given to them. "The Chosen was fated to die, but the Eternal Sword will prevent her from doing so. But if she was so willing to perish, why did she take the sword to begin with? I know she was cognizant of this fact."

"U-Uhm…" Wendy poked her fingers. "There's something else we have to tell you. It's about one of the Hunters…Rajaron…"

"Huh?" Ena turned to Wendy. "Rajaron..?" That name was far too familiar, but there was surely no way that…

"He smelled just like you two." Cynthia added. "He's your…brother."

"AAAHHHH!" Ena immediately screamed. "H-He's alive!? But how!?"

"You have a sibling…?" Hisui asked.

"We encountered him before, actually…" Erza said. "But this was before we came to the Isle."

"We didn't recognize your similar scent since we only encountered him once." Cynthia explained. "But we can say without a doubt that he had a scent identical to yours…"

"Rajaron…" Kurthnaga frowned. "I never heard too much about him. Only that Father abandoned him on the land prior to the Isle rising to the sky. We believed him to be dead from Acnologia..."

"And now he's working with the Wizard Hunters? We must try and…" Ena began, but Carla shook her head.

"While he did look happy to hear your names, I don't think he wants a friendly family reunion. That much was clear." The Exceed stated. "He's a very dangerous individual."

"He's still our brother, and we owe it to him to talk to him." Ena said with a firm nod. The Queen of the dragons was not going to back down so easily. "I want to hear what Father did to him, because he never talked about him…"

"Whenever we can find him, that is…" Kurthnaga added. "The Wizard Hunters are clearly no longer in Fiore…"

"If we find Mii, we can probably find them!" Happy lifted a paw up. "We have her scent, right!?"

"No…" Wendy shook her head. "I don't know what she smells like…"

"It's her perfume…" Cynthia pinched her nose. "It smells terrible…she's really good at covering her tracks. I wouldn't want to follow that trail even if I could…" Natsu and Wendy felt the same way. Mii always wore various perfume to hide her scent, thus making it difficult for the dragon slayers to ever track her.

"And to make matters more complicated, I didn't see the mark of Pergrande on her back…" Mira tilted her head back and forth. There was a slight idea and she turned to Emmeraude, who was silent during this part of the conversation. "You've known Mii for a long time, right? Is there anything you can tell us about her that we can use? You seem to know her better than we do in some aspects…"

"If you could tell us anything, we might be able to find her." Juvia said.

"…No." Emmeraude then stood up, brushed her dress off, and started to walk off.

"W-What do you mean no!?" Lucy asked. "We're trying to help you!"

"It seems you've forgotten your place in this affair." Emmeraude turned to look at Fairy Tail and Hisui. "I came here for Fiore's assistance in an extremely important matter. The Queen offered what she believed to be Fiore's strongest force to aid in this problem to help with relations between our two nations. The Wizard Hunters struck, kidnapping the Queen and my mother. Not only did you fail your mission of capturing the Wizard Hunters, you allowed them to escape with my mother no less. Surely you're aware of the consequences that follow your failure are, aren't you?"

"The job isn't over yet!" Gray exclaimed. "They pulled one over on us, but you of all people should know that we always come back. If they think they can get away, they've got another thing coming."

"Unfortunately for you, I don't have the luxury of betting on that. Not that I ever would in the first place." Emmeraude responded.

"So what are you saying?" Laxus folded his arms over his chest. "Seems like you've just been waiting for a moment like this to talk down to us again."

"With the relation of our two kingdoms and my mother at stake? Hardly." The Queen replied. "The fact of the matter is you've failed an important task. As much as I care about Fiore's Queen, I have my own nation to think about now. I can't place my faith in people who produce nothing but failure after failure."

"Emmeraude, wait!" Hisui pleaded.

"This failure alone has made our relation worsen. I believe that's what the Wizard Hunters were after this whole time, and I'm rather disgusted their ploy worked." Shaking her head, the emerald empress continued to make her way towards the door. "They're trying to spark discord in the world somehow, although I cannot claim to know why. But as it stands right now, trusting Fiore as a whole proves to be rather difficult. I say this as Queen of a kingdom, looking out for the wellbeing of my people. They were already very iffy about our relationship after the war, and I promised them if things did not look well, I would cut things off accordingly."

Hisui unfortunately understood Emmeraude's sentiments. Alvarez lost more than Fiore ever did in the war. For an entire year it was barely clinging onto life. Emmeraude was only acting in Alvarez's benefit, and this failure on Fiore's end… "…I understand."

"You're accepting this!?" Ena gasped. "But…you must give them another chance!" The dragon told Emmeraude. "There were many factors against them and…"

"It's as they said. They always bounce back, but it seems they failed to do so in time." Emmeraude waved a hand. "Had I known the leader herself was making an appearance, I would have offered more assistance. I'm not the type to ask for help and leave them high and dry."

"Ugh…" Lucy understood. This mission was a chance for Fiore and Alvarez to establish a stronger bond that would benefit both countries, but the repercussions of their failure put a stop to that, and Mii was lying in the center of it all. "Where are you going…?"

"Back to Alvarez." Emmeraude responded. "I have no doubt my mother is unharmed. I'll likely be receiving a call of some sort with their demands, or whatever it is they have in store. Farewell. If you want to know more about Koryuji, then you'll have to ask someone else." Without another word, Emmeraude exited the throne room.

"Damn it…" Cana took a sip of her flask. "We really messed things up this time, didn't we?"

"We fell right into their trap from the very beginning." Erza clenched a hand into a fist. "They played us."

"Bastards!" Natsu growled. The next time he saw any of those hunters, he was going to make sure they paid!

"They've got another thing coming if they think they can get away from me." Gajeel now felt that it was personal. Mii especially. "They're all under arrest."

"I'm so very sorry…" Hisui bowed to everyone. "I didn't think that things would end up like this. When she returns home, I'll try to see if I can convince her to give you all another chance. As far as I'm concerned, I still want your assistance on this job; I believe that you're the ones who can capture them. Convincing her of this may be a difficult matter…"

"The thought is appreciated." Laxus told the Queen. "But for now, we're going to go home and get some rest. We have our own things we need to discuss."

"Of course, I understand…" Hisui nodded.

"I suppose we'll be on our way as well…" Ena said. "We have to figure out what we want to do about our brother, right, Kurth?"

"Yes." Kurthnaga nodded. "Farewell for now, everyone…"

And it was with a heavy heart that the Alvarez/Fiore meeting ended unexpectedly. What was supposed to be the beginning of renewed relations turned into a situation that nearly split the two countries apart once again. The Wizard Hunters claimed a victory over Fairy Tail, slipping away with Leo's key, Emerald, and even Mii, who lied at the center of this mess. After a full year of peace, this was the beginning of the world being turned upside down once again. The Wizard Hunters were only following orders, so the question remained…who was the one paying for their services? What were they after? Only time would tell. But Fairy Tail was certain about one thing: whoever was behind this was going to pay.

.

.

Next Time: Faith.


	114. Chapter 114: Faith

It had only been a day, but news speared pretty fast about Fairy Tail's defeat to the Wizard Hunters. No, it wasn't Emmeraude who spread the news; she may have been petty, but the details of the meeting were supposed to be kept under wraps. That only meant the Hunters found a way to spread the news far and wide across Fiore and soon the continent. This was one way to besmirch the name of a popular guild. Every guild in Fiore heard of this and the reactions differed among them.

Sabertooth was among one of many to hear about this news. Yukino stared at her lacrima device, frowning at the news displayed to her. "Ano…Fairy Tail…"

Sorano peered over her sister's shoulder. After the war ended and she was pardoned of her crimes, she could finally settle down and join Yukino at Sabertooth. "Huh? What's that? Fairy Tail…?" The image displayed on the phone was that of Team Natsu being taken down by none other than Mii. How this image even came about was unknown given the circumstances, but that didn't make it any less false. "Huh….?"

"I don't understand it either, Sister…" Yukino frowned. "That's one of their friends, I think. But she's with the Wizard Hunters?"

"I knew she was annoying, but…" Sorano furrowed her brows. "I didn't expect her to suddenly turn tail with that annoying group. But then again, I did hear that she has a habit of switching sides."

"I have a very bad feeling about things…" Yukino said. Things had been so peaceful over the last year, but the image displayed before her on her device…caused an uneasy feeling to grow in the pit of her stomach. Was the peace over the last year only the calm before the storm?

"I never liked her." Minerva entered the conversation, one hand on her hip while the other held her lacrima device. "She always rubbed me the wrong way. It seemed like Fairy Tail was the place where someone so troublesome could settle down, but I was incorrect about that assumption."

"I can't say I was crazy about her either. She does not understand the meaning of personal space." Sorano shuddered.

* * *

White Eclipse was still just as busy as ever. But when the news of Fairy Tail's 'defeat' made it over to them, it was pretty much laughable. "Yo, you guys heard?" Cygnus said while failing to hold back a snicker. "Seems like Fairy Tail got washed by those Hunters."

"Are you serious?" Luke turned and started to laugh. "The Wizard Hunters really got the best of them? I thought they were better than that."

"Sounds like someone put too much stock in them, only for it to come crashing down." It was only natural for Reve to take the most advantage out of this situation. His feelings towards Fairy Tail were literally never going to change, so he was going to mock them every single chance he got. "If it were us, we would've cleaned house."

"Hm…" Aira tilted her head. "That is strange though. I wonder what brought them out of hiding after so long. They haven't been an issue since the Grand Magic Games two years ago…"

"Wizard Hunters?" Ilaria poked her head around the corner. The name caught her interest. "Were those the people who showed up on TV two years ago? The one shady guy whose appearance was all like, 'SURPRISE'!?"

"That's…one way of putting it." Luke said while scratching the back of his head. "But as it stands, to think Fairy Tail would actually get put down by them."

"Something tells me that this is a sign of something even worse to come…" Aira mumbled. The winds of fate weren't telling a very positive story.

* * *

"Are you serious!?" Lisanna's eyes widened as the story was told to the rest of Fairy Tail the following day. "Mii really fought you guys!?"

"Yeah, she did…" Lucy sat with her legs crossed. The team that fought against Mii and the Wizard Hunters still had some bandages on their bodies, but they were fine nonetheless. "She completely rejected us…."

"I can't believe it…" Levy frowned. "I was hoping that she wasn't serious when she said she was denouncing us…"

Asuka turned to Alzack with a curious tilt of her head. "Papa? Is Mii not coming back?" She did remember playing with Mii a few times. She liked Mii.

"She's…busy at the moment." Alzack responded to his daughter with a soft smile.

"I don't think she was entirely working by choice." Erza said. "She said that she wasn't a Hunter, only take the statement back and try to confuse us with a lie."

"So Mii-san is acting the same way she was when we first met her…" Juvia sighed, making sure to sit closed to Gray.

Before the conversation could continue, Zelos walked through the doors and let out a very dramatic sigh. "Wow, guys! You should hear all the things people are saying about you. It's crazy!"

"…What are they saying?" Max asked.

"Some people are concerned that one of Fiore's strongest guilds were taken down by the Wizard Hunters, others are laughing, it's pretty split down the middle." Zelos shrugged while making his way to the bar. Mira already knew his favorite drink and served it to him, to which he responded with a wink.

"Wait a second…people know about what happened!?" Happy's paws were smushed against his cheeks. "But how?!"

"…That's a very good question." Carla frowned. "It hasn't even been a day yet."

"News spreads fast." Zelos shrugged. "But I am glad to see that none of the lovely ladies who fought were too badly injured."

"Thanks for the concern, asshole…" Gray sucked his teeth in annoyance.

"We can deal with that at a later date." Laxus stated with his arms crossed. He'd already come to his own conclusion about the situation, but he'd let the others talk first.

"We have two problems on our plate now." Erza paced around the guild hall. "The first…we cannot let the Wizard Hunters get away their victory. They used our own friend to fight against us and shame us; secondly, we must find some way to get Emerald back."

"Kidnapping…" Elfman clenched his hand into a fist. "What an unmanly course of action…" The mere notion of it made his blood boil.

"Mii-chan with the Wizard Hunters…that's an unexpected twist." Zelos whistled, pretending that he wasn't colluding with them in the first place for reasons of his own. But of course, Fairy Tail was none the wiser to his affairs. "I wonder what's going through her mind right now…"

"Zelos, you know something, don't you?" Erza asked. "About Mii, I mean. Emmeraude was too agitated to tell us anything, and you're the only one who seems to have a slight idea about what goes on with her."

"Yeah…" Lucy turned to Zelos. She was only just reminded now that Zelos knew about Mii during their quest to revive Fairy Tail, but opted not to say anything; and again, he was the one who brought Mii to Caracall Island. "Please, tell us something, anything you know!"

"Ah…it's hard for me to say no when two of my favorite women are asking for my assistance…" Zelos spoke with a defeated sigh.

"Everyone's your favorite…" Cana mumbled. She was very glad Gildarts was out and about at the moment; those two were trouble when they were together.

The magic swordsman flipped his hair before staring at the others. "So, what exactly do you want to know? I may or may not be able to provide an answer, depending on the question."

"Why would Mii-san use the Eternal Sword if she wanted to die…?" Wendy asked. It was the one matter that bothered her the most since it was brought up.

"Hmmm…so that's what happened…" Zelos stroked his chin. "Mii-chan and I are close; however, I can't say she's been keeping me in the loop with her actions as of late. But I can say that it's most likely her punishment for helping out in the war against Alvarez." That sort of news caused a tense silence to form within the guild hall.

"Punishment for helping us?" Evergreen fanned herself. "I recall her saying numerous times that she wasn't going to lift a finger."

"…It was just before Master Makarov sacrificed himself…" Mira said with a slight frown. "Mii fought with us for a little bit. I remember overhearing Emmeraude asking Mii if she realized what she had done. After he died, that was the moment Mii decided to turn away from us…"

"That's correct, Mira-chan." Zelos nodded. "Em-chan was well aware that Mii-chan stepping into the fray as a Pergrande solider was going to come with consequences."

There it was again. Em-chan. Lucy's brow twitched as this bothered her a lot more than it should have. No one else seemed to notice, but why did she? She was overthinking. Emmeraude knew how to put her in a bad mood and ironically, the opposite was also true. "…."

"Helping a nation in a war you have no part in…well, it's pretty obvious how bad that is." Zelos continued. "Essentially, she's more than likely branded a criminal of some kind back in Pergrande. If not, she's still retained her Commandant rank, but her free will has likely been restricted, and as punishment, she was to grab that sword."

Laki made the connection rather quickly, and the pieces that fell into place made a very ugly picture. "But then…that's essentially torture. Condemning someone who wishes to die to a fate of everlasting life…" Another silence filled the guild hall. Slowly but surely, the temperature began to rise within the building, nearly reaching sweltering levels.

It came from Natsu, who was seething at this notion. "Playing with someone's life like that…it's unforgivable…"

"Natsu…" Lucy started to sweat drop the heat coming off Natsu. He was really angry and she could tell based off the heat coming from him alone.

"But I don't get it…" Cynthia was unbothered by the heat and simply rocked her head from side to side. "I don't know why she'd even take such a punishment to begin with." Her deduction did raise a few brows. "I'm not exactly sure how to phrase it without sounding too mean, but if she really didn't care about anything like she said, there shouldn't be a reason she's still alive, you know?"

"A very astute observation, Cyn-chan." Zelos winked.

"Please don't call me that." Cynthia shuddered.

"But she does make a good point." Freed said. "It simply doesn't make any sense."

"She never made much sense to begin with." Evergreen sighed. "I could never tell what was going through her head aside from her perverse thoughts."

"Hyahaha…but if she's serious about making an enemy out of us…" Bickslow began as his dolls began to circle around him.

"No…" Lucy shook her head. The notion of Mii truly being an enemy to them was not one she was willing to accept, even when the woman in question herself said so. "I don't believe for a second that Mii is really an enemy of ours!"

"What makes you say that?" Laxus turned to Lucy. That was quite a statement she made considering all of the evidence that clearly said otherwise.

"I have faith in her." The blonde responded while placing a hand over her heart. Her mind flashed back to that brief moment when Mii hesitated, only to receive that electrical shock immediately after. "Mii was in pain…I've never seen or heard her cry out in pain like that. She was in pain because she didn't have it in her to shoot at that moment. After everything we've been through, I believe in her!"

"I do as well." Erza said with a nod. "I know she has her reasons, but until we hear them…"

"Until we hear them, we can't brand her as an enemy? Is that what you're saying?" Laxus' tone dropped a bit. If he were just an S class mage, then this conversation would be going differently. But right now, he was thinking as the Ninth Guildmaster, and he couldn't let their way of thinking slide by just like that. "Even after she attacked us and threatened to kill a number of our members? Do you honestly expect me not to brand her as an enemy of the guild after her actions yesterday?"

"Laxus…" Mira frowned. She understood exactly where he was coming from, which is exactly why she could say no more.

Freed lifted his index finger. "Laxus is precisely right. Her actions have more than earned her a spot on our blacklist."

"It doesn't matter if she was a member or not. Harming anyone here is an unforgivable crime." Evergreen said and her words were true. It was very hard to disagree with Laxus or the Raijinshu on this matter, but…

"How she acts and how she feels are two different things." Lucy spoke with a firm tone. "Even with what she told us, there is one thing about Mii that I've known ever since we met. When it comes down to the wire, she always fights for what she believes in; back at the Isle, Tartarus, against Emmeraude, and Alvarez. She's always helped us in the end."

"That's right!" Wendy and Cynthia exclaimed in unison.

"If her life is being played around with, then we have to help her." Gray said coolly. "After all, she got involved on our behalf knowing what the consequences are. So if it's really our fault, then we have to fix it. We owe her that much."

Laxus took a look around at the rest of the guild. While some did agree with him, others agreed with what the others were saying as well. A sigh passed his lips as he briefly thought for a moment what Makarov would do in this situation. But he already knew what the old man would do. "You get one chance."

"Huh?" Lucy blinked.

"One chance." Laxus repeated. "One chance to talk things out with her, but the outcome entirely depends on her. If she continues to act as an enemy of the guild, then I'll deal with her personally."

"One chance…" Lucy muttered. She felt as though they lost to Mii because they couldn't reach her heart before. So now, they had a single shot to get Mii back.

"That's all we need." Natsu spoke up. He was still mad that Mii's life was being toyed with, but he didn't forget his promise to her – his promise to burn her fate.

"Now that we're all on the same page that only leaves one problem." Erza stared at the map of Earthland. "We have to find her first. The fact she was wearing that perfume once again means she did not want us to find her at all."

"Mhm…" Wendy nodded. "When she was a part of the guild and with us during Alvarez, I got her scent. But it's been masked by her perfume now."

"Zelos! Tell us everything you know about Mii." Lucy asked. "Emmeraude was too peeved to tell us anything."

"Yeah, make sure you include her measurements too." Macao quickly added.

"I swear…keep it in your pants…" Cana pinched Macao's ear in an annoyed fashion.

"I can't really tell you too much that you don't already know." Zelos shrugged. "I'm sure she's told you everything important. Her measurements, by the way, are…"

"Stay on topic, please…" Cana pleaded.

"Well…maybe some small details might help?" Zelos tilted his head. "She's been a part of the Pergrande Military from a young age, happened to be very impressionable at that age; her herculean strength is her quirk as an angel, her magic aura is white…"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Lucy held her hands up. "…White? That's not right. It's black."

"Huh?" Zelos blinked. "You sure about that? Her angel magic is white so…"

"No, it's black." Erza said. "I remember."

"…That's odd." Zelos tilted his head. "She's not that copycat guy, and I remember her magic aura being white. Why would her aura be black if her magic is white…"

"We can talk about that later!" Natsu said. "Do you know where she is now!? She didn't have Pergrande's mark on her."

"It would be hard to prove she has ties to Pergrande if she didn't have the mark. I don't know who the Wizard Hunters are working for, but the fact is, nobody has any idea." Zelos said. "Although, if I had to guess, she's probably still with Pergrande."

"Then we go to Pergrande!" Natsu exclaimed. "I'll beat the crap out of whoever's making her act like this."

"Whoa whoa!" Zelos held his hands up. "Before you do your usual thing of going to war over a single person, I'm gonna need you to think over a few things first, guy. First off, Pergrande is the largest nation in Ishgar with the strongest military. After all, it breeds soldiers like Em-chan and Mii-chan. Secondly, you don't want to pick a fight with King Ashnard. He's part of the Big 5, you know?"

"The big what?" Gray asked.

"…Seriously, do you guys live under a rock or something?" Zelos sighed while placing a hand on his head.

"No, I heard about that." Lisanna piped up. "The mages who are claimed to be the strongest in the world, right?"

"Exactly, Lisanna-chan!" The magic swordsman grinned. "It was decided only recently and I'm sure you can read about it on Sorcerer's Weekly. But the strongest mages in order are Calium, Helena Tiberius, Ashnard, Lady Ice of Iceburg, and Empress Song."

"…I haven't heard of two of those people…" Happy said.

"They aren't really the topic here…but just know that those five are easily the strongest mages Earthland as ever seen." Zelos said. "That being said, with Ashnard basically being one of the strongest mages alive, you can't just go fight him blindly. Plus, think about Mii-chan. How do you even know she wants you to fight on her behalf? She didn't ask for your help, did she?" An incredibly valid point. They were doing all this big talk, but there was no guarantee Mii would even hear them out.

"That's why we have to talk to her one last time." Lucy said. "To set everything straight!"

"One chance." Laxus repeated.

"So in the meantime, we should do some digging around." Levy suggested. "Someone may know of the Wizard Hunters whereabouts or employers. Something tells me that this is only the beginning of an even greater plot…"

"We'll split into two groups." Erza commanded. "One group will pursue the Hunters whereabouts. The others will see if there is any more information regarding Mii."

"Right!" Fairy Tail was united once more for a greater mission. Find Mii, and stop the Wizard Hunters. As far as Hisui was concerned, their job wasn't over yet. But at the same time, anyone could sense the storm that was coming…

.

.

Next Time: Alvarez x796.


	115. Chapter 115: Alvarez x796

"Ugh…" Hisui groaned, sitting up on her bed in the middle of the night. Ever since returning from nearly being caught by the Wizard Hunters, she felt a little…off. She wasn't sure what it was, but she felt horrible. There was a cold sweat on her forehead she struggled to sit up. "W-What is wrong with me…? I feel so strange and heavy…" Fiore's Queen wasn't feeling so hot. This was different from an illness. Something inside of her just didn't feel right. "Did the Wizard Hunters do something to me before Fairy Tail arrived?" Perhaps she was overthinking, but at the same time, she felt perfectly fine prior to the kidnapping. Shaking her head, the Queen shakily stood up from her bed and wobbled to the nearby window to look out on the city. "Emmeraude…Emerald…I hope you both are doing all right."

* * *

Lucy returned home to her apartment after a fruitless search. With Mii briefly being in Fiore again, she hoped that someone in Magnolia would have seen her, but that was simply wishful thinking. The people did recognize Mii from her time in Fairy Tail, but it then turned into questions being asked about her whereabouts, how helpful she was to a few people, and of course, her perverse comments. "Ugh!" Groaning, Lucy plopped down on her bed. This whole situation was frustrating.

"We didn't find anything…" Happy sighed, sitting on Lucy's couch along with Natsu.

"No one had an answer." Natsu said.

"WH-!?" Lucy immediately sprang up, eyes comically bulging out of her head. Honestly, at this point, she shouldn't have been surprised. But the fact they consistently dropped in unannounced would always irritate her. "How did you guys beat me here?!"

"We opened door." Natsu said with a deadpanned look.

"…But I…" Lucy just sighed. "Whatever…today's search took way too much out of me. I wasn't able to find a single clue about Mii."

Happy hopped off the couch, staring at the painting Mii made. Lucy still held onto it after all this time. "Mii made this, right?"

"Yeah…" Lucy walked over to the painting. She remembered when Mii was living with her and how excited she was to show the girls that painting. "She said it was too small to show how she felt. Considering it was Mii, I could already tell how much it meant to her. I didn't think I'd miss her so much. She was one of us."

"She is one of us." Natsu corrected. "Distance and time apart doesn't matter. She was a member and fought with, and for us." He'd never forget her words back in Mercurius during the Emmeraude incident. Even though she hated them because they drove her emotions up the wall, she didn't want to part with them. That was the true Mii, Natsu was certain of it. "Whoever's playing with her life and fate will burn, that I promise."

Lucy managed a soft smile at Natsu's words. He always knew what to say. "Mhm. I'll fight for her too. I want her to know that. I saw in her eyes how alone she felt; I don't want her to lose to her loneliness or sense of recognition. Hang on Mii, we're going to save you."

* * *

Zelos meandered through the streets of Magnolia without any sense of urgency. His arms rested behind his head and he whistled quietly. The streets were empty this time of night, allowing for a peaceful stroll. "Ah, so much trouble over one little thing. I never really do know what they're thinking." By 'they', he was referring to the Wizard Hunters. "But what I do know…is nearly everything about you." The swordsman pulled out his lacrima device, his finger hovering over Mii's contact information. "I could've offered a little more information, but this is a matter between Fairy Tail and you." For a moment, his expression hardened. What Cynthia said earlier stuck out to him as well. "But I have to wonder why you made this fate for yourself. Giving up so easily was never like you…" He had an inkling of an idea, but that's all it was. A mere inkling with no evidence.

* * *

Brandish was lazily sitting on the couch in her room, unfortunately stuck doing her nails by herself while also reading a magazine of some sort. Marin's attempt to kill her had not been forgotten and Emmeraude took care of it promptly once she was told. It was a pretty boring evening and she even had a bag of chips. "Nothing interesting, what a bore…" Didn't she have Spriggan duties to do? Oh, absolutely. But she decided that those could wait for whenever Emmeraude came back. She already did the one boring task and felt as though that was enough for the time being. There was a soft knock on her door not too long into her relaxation. "It's open."

It was Dimaria. She opened the door and immediately deadpanned as she saw Brandish not doing anything. "Seriously, Randi?"

"Yes." Brandish replied without even batting an eye.

"Don't you have other things to be doing right now?" Dimaria questioned. "You know Em is due back soon, right?"

"Yes, I know." Brandish replied halfheartedly. She wasn't really invested in the conversation. "I already handled that one task she wanted me to do, so I figured I would give myself the rest of the day off."

"…I will never understand how you can be so lazy and flippant." The time goddess placed a hand on her forehead. "Didn't she give you that task a few weeks ago?"

"Yes, and I decided to get to it yesterday." The land demolisher yawned. "I assume you have come to collect me?"

"Yes. Jacob and Yajeel are about to throw a fit if we don't go meet her. So put your heels on and get going." Dimaria turned on her heel and closed the door.

Brandish remained still for a few moments before ultimately letting out a huge sigh while closing her tabloid. "Such a pain…" But what else could she do?

* * *

[Flashback: 1 month ago]

For a year now, Alvarez had been at a standstill in terms of power. The Spriggan 12 was no more, nor was there a ruler to lead the country in the right direction. No one felt confident that they could even begin to fill the void that Emperor Spriggan left behind. At this rate, the nation that was once considered the strongest force on Earthland was going to crumble under its own weight. So Yajeel contacted one person to try and fill that void…

Emmeraude and Emerald stood in the throne room, both listening to the story that was told to them. "Well, I won't lie. I can't say I didn't have my eyes on this empty throne, but I also can't say I expected anyone to actually ask me."

"There is no one else we can ask." Yajeel gave Emmeraude a slight bow. "If Ajeel weren't lost to us, then…"

"Oh, absolutely not." Emmeraude waved a hand. "I cannot imagine that brash man running a country of this size." Ajeel was far from her favorite member of the 12, but for Ajeel's sake, she wouldn't say anything distasteful over his deceased grandson. "That being said…" Her yellow eyes glanced at the empty throne before turning to Yajeel, Brandish, Dimaria, and Jacob. "I'm curious…why choose me? I was no more than a mere soldier in the war last year."

"We know how you ruled Fiore." Jacob said while adjusting his glove. "It was pretty sweet."

"He's right." Dimaria said. "Something like that is what we need in Alvarez right now. There isn't someone who even feels the slightest bit confident in standing in the old Emperor's shoes. His Majesty built this kingdom from the ground up for so long."

"And the thought of continuing where he left off leaves people intimidated." Emerald could see where the issue lied.

"That is our problem." Brandish said, placing a hand on her hip. "If Alvarez continues at this rate, it won't be long before it reaches a point where it will not hope to recover."

"I see…" Emmeraude turned to her mother. "You wouldn't be asking me if you had another option, so I can only assume that you're all alright with this as well. But I will say, I will not be able to rule this country effectively on my own. So I ask that you support me as well. We can rebuild this country from the ground up together. Starting with the 12."

"I admit I planned on leaving that sort of life behind…" Brandish said while staring at Emmeraude. "But if you say it will help rebuild the country, then I will offer you my assistance, Em."

"Just say the word, and I'll do what you need me to." Jacob was rather on bored with the idea.

Dimaria, however, was a little hesitant. For good reason, too. "I…well. I've mostly left that sort of life behind." After what happened to her in the war, she decided to rethink everything and the best decision for her was to quit her life of fighting. "I spend my days tending to a farm now. It's very nice."

Emmeraude tilted her head before gently placing a hand on Dimaria's shoulder. "That's quite all right. I wouldn't ask you to do anything you aren't up to. Any contribution you can make to the kingdom is welcome, Dimaria. I'm glad you've found something that brings you peace. I actually intend to make it so that everyone can live a peaceful life like you have, so there's no shame in your new calling."

Wow, that was not that she was expecting. Dimaria blinked once before offering Emmeraude a slight smile. Her demeanor also changed as a result of the war, but it was clear they made the right choice in asking her to be the one to rule. "I see."

"Now then…" Emmeraude turned to the throne. How ironic…her failed attempt that ruling Ishgar granted her this opportunity. Marisa, Dradyen, Ross, and Sophie…their sacrifices would never be forgotten. It was because of them that she made it this far to begin with. The dream that they all shared…here it was, once and for all. Emmeraude could still feel the void in her chest where her comrades and daughter once were. She would never forget them and all they did for her. She placed a hand on her chest, taking a deep breath.

"Em…?" Emerald spoke quietly. She knew her daughter was having a moment.

Emmeraude turned back to look at her mother, a soft smile on her face. "I suppose that dreams really do come true, don't they, Mother? Ever since I was young, I wanted nothing but to repay you for your love and kindness towards me. You could have abandoned me and left me for dead in the slums of the wretched city. But you didn't. You raised me even though I was a burden to you…"

"You weren't a burden." Emerald corrected immediately. "From the moment you were brought into this world, I couldn't dare turn my back on my own flesh and blood. You were kind, strong, and smart girl. I wanted the best for you…"

"And I wanted you to live a life where you didn't have to work as hard as you used to. I'm sorry for taking so long." Emmeraude flashed her mother a smile while approaching the throne.

"It's all right, Em. I always knew you'd be able to achieve your dream one day." Emerald placed her hands on her chest.

"Hm…thank you." She spoke to her mother and the residents of Alvarez. "I won't let anyone down. I promise to bring a new era of prosperity to Alvarez." Those words spoken, Emmeraude sat on the throne and allowed her Queenly Majesty to do its job. There was a pulse that resonated throughout the entirety of the Alvarez Kingdom. Emmeraude wore her confident smirk while lifting her gaze up to those around her. "It feels good to be Queen."

[End flashback]

* * *

This flashback played in Emmeraude's mind as she walked down the streets leading to the palace. The citizens of Alvarez were more than happy to see their queen and cheered for her arrival. "All hail Empress Alvarez!" They cheered over and over.

Emmeraude managed to smile at everyone, waving a hand to her people in the process. On the inside she was still fuming about the events that occurred back in Fiore. Once she stepped into the palace, she was greeted by Yajeel, Dimaria, and Brandish. The other Spriggan weren't within the palace, but were on their way to greet the Queen. "I suppose the others are on their way?"

"Yes." Brandish nodded. But she then immediately noticed something was off. "…What happened to your mother?"

"The Wizard Hunters have stolen her away." Emmeraude said. "And Fairy Tail was of absolutely no help in getting her back. They attempted to steal Fiore's Queen, but they failed thanks to my mother."

"That group is truly becoming a huge nuisance." Dimaria grumbled. "You don't think…."

"If anything, my mother is safe and sound. They wouldn't go through all the trouble of kidnapping her just to kill her." Emmeraude was firm in this assumption. "I returned because I'm certain they'll try to contact me one way or another soon. I can only imagine what sort of demands they'll make." She was more annoyed than concerned.

"It's not so strange they fixated their gaze upon you, Your Majesty." The voice of a male caught everyone's attention. A young man with black hair and blue eyes slowly strolled into the room, a book at his side. This was Juilus Grandeur, one of the members of the new Spriggan 12. "You sit upon the strongest nation in Earthland. It's only natural they would seek some way to bend you to their will, but if it were that simple, I doubt you'd be the woman you are today."

"Quite right, Juilus." Emmeraude gave a nod of acknowledgement. "Nice of you to join us."

"I believe Briar, Violetta, Ragen, and Ken are on their way as well. Jacob is currently tied up in other business, as I've heard." Julius reported with a bow. "The castle walls whispered that you were due back soon, so I had to greet you."

"Yes, I was the one who told you." Dimaria said with a deadpanned look. Julius seemed like the kiss-up type, at least that's how Dimaria felt in the brief time she knew him.

"I see. I'll ask that everyone wait for me in the meeting room once they all arrive. If not everyone can make it, I understand. You are free to do as you wish until the next hour begins." That being said, Emmeraude swiftly made her way to her own quarters.

"To think those Hunters would go so far." Julius pondered the turn of events. "Fairy Tail has never been Her Majesty's favorite guild."

"I doubt she expected much of them to begin with." Dimaria shrugged her shoulders. "I wouldn't either." Especially after they caused her so much trouble and grief. Forget all that noise.

"The Queen has been rather busy this past month. She's made incredible strides in such a short time." Julius said.

"She does quite a bit, even without our aid. She's even allowed us to be free to our own devices." Brandish yawned.

" _Even though you don't do anything…"_ Both Dimaria and Julius thought at the same time.

Julius, however, decided to be a little more vocal about it. "If you keep that attitude up, you may find your spot as the strongest Spriggan usurp." And by the tone of his voice, he was clearly inferring that he planned to become the strongest Spriggan between both men and women.

Brandish gave Julius a vaguely serious stare. It wasn't that she cared about being the strongest or not, but his other implication irritated her only slightly. "What I say and how I feel are two different things. If she asks me to do it, it will get taken care of."

"Don't forget…" Yajeel was remaining silent, but had to remind the Spriggan of the two rules Emmeraude really enforced. "Her Majesty wishes that the Spriggan get along. She is a firm believer in the sense of comradery after all; and…"

"We are free to do as we like, however we see fit…" Julius began. "However, the instant Her Majesty says it's over, it's over. Her word is absolute."

"You sure memorized that fast." Dimaria commented before waving a hand. "Whatever…I'm going to…"

And before she could get any further, she actually found herself being dragged away by Brandish. "Actually, Mari, I could use you for something. I don't have a little pet anymore, so I need someone to do my nails."

"Wha-!?" The time goddess' eyes widened as she was pulled off. She didn't struggle, because she had an inkling that Brandish would shrink her before she could do anything. "I'm not some substitute for your pets! Let me go, Randi! My crops need tending to!" Unfortunately for her, Brandish wasn't listening.

"You have all the time in the world." Brandish said without missing a beat.

"Hm…" Julius watched on as Brandish and Dimaria left the scene. As a new member of the 12, he didn't quite get the relationship the lingering old members had with one another. But it didn't matter. Emmeraude wished for the 12 to get along with one another – overcoming that severe weakness of the previous 12 who mostly lacked that sense of comradeship.

* * *

Returning to her quarters, Emmeraude let out a heavy sigh. "These past few days have certainly been frustrating. I never expected this to be easy, but it's an unnecessary uphill battle when people make it difficult." Who was she speaking to? Well, it wasn't exactly who, but rather a what. There was a familiar scepter hanging on the far back wall, once belonging to a scarlet witch. "Your daughter and her friends were of no help either, not that I considered even for a moment in trusting them. She inherited your appearance and nothing else it seems. I'd hate to see your legacy crash and burn into the ground so long as she's the only one who remains…"

This would have continued for a little longer had she not received a knock at her door. It wasn't often this happened and she specifically told everyone not to bother her in her quarters unless it was important. "Your Majesty? You have a visitor." The voice behind the door was the masked Spriggan Ragen. "This is urgent."

"A visitor? I was not expecting anyone." Furrowing her brows, the Emerald Empress approached her door and opened it, immediately being hugged by none other than... "Mother..!?"

It was Emerald and she clung to her daughter for dear life. "Em…!"

"Ragen, what is the meaning of this?" Not to say she was unhappy that her mother was safe, but this was…not what she expected. Why was her mother here after the Hunters went through the trouble of being kidnapped. "…What's the catch?"

"There is one more…" Ragen stepped to the side, allowing _her_ to appear. "She is the one who brought her here. She appeared at the palace at the same time as I, and after hearing what happened, I couldn't see a reason to not grant her an audience."

"…" Immediately, Emmeraude's expression soured. "You…"

"Wow, you've really been doing well for yourself, huh?" Mii stepped into Emmeraude's view, her usual smile plastered on her lips. "Hey Em, long time no see~"

.

.

Next Time: The Proposition.


	116. Chapter 116: The Proposition

In a surprise turn of events, Mii returned Emerald to Emmeraude in Alvarez. None of this made any sense and Emmeraude was immediately suspicious of this; the fact it was Mii of all people put her on edge. She could never tell what this annoyance was thinking. "What is the meaning of this?" The Empress asked Mii.

"What? I can't return a lost mother to her worried daughter?" Mii's usual tone came to the surface, along with a coy smile.

"…Unbelievable. I'm truly cursed to deal with you until the day you die. But at this rate, I'll expire long before you do…" Emmeraude pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out an aggravated sigh.

"Oh, so they blabbed about Mii, huh? Did they do that thing where they pretend to be sad for like 3 minutes?" Mii asked.

"Why are you here?" Ignoring the questions entirely, Emmeraude stared right at Mii.

"I've come on behalf of the Wizard Hunters. They wish to discuss something with you." Mii explained. "Your mother has been unharmed and I haven't touched her."

"It's true." Emerald's tone suggested Mii was telling the truth. "I am a little tired though…"

"Ragen, take my mother to her quarters." Emmeraude told the masked Spriggan. "Please. Once you do, tell the others to wait for me. I…might be running a bit late."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Ragen nodded, escorting the exhausted Emerald back to her quarters.

Once Ragen left with Emerald, Mii closed the door to Emmeraude's room with her foot. "Whaddya know, dreams do come true. You and I, alone in your room with no one to bother us~" Her lady crush on Emmeraude was still very apparent despite all that happened.

Emmeraude, however, was far from amused. Her expression didn't change and she crossed her arms, taking a seat on her bed. "What are you plotting? Going through the trouble of aiding in the capture of my mother and daughter, only to return her. I assume that had Hisui been captured, she'd be returned right about now as well."

"Correct!" Mii leaned against the door. "Ah, hold on…I think it's better if the boss explains…"

"Hold on." Emmeraude raised a hand. "I don't recall allowing you permission to enter my kingdom, my castle, or my quarters. I don't appreciate your unannounced visit, and knowing you, you're here on some sort of espionage. So if you want this conversation to continue, I will make one demand of you."

Mii had her lacrima device at the ready, but stared at Emmeraude. "What? Want me to strip? We can save the business part for later."

Emmeraude held up an eye patch, once again ignoring Mii's remark entirely. "Cover your left eye with this. I'm very well aware of the visual lacrima embedded within your eye. I won't allow you any freedom in my kingdom so long as I know that lacrima is there."

"Eh…" That did seem to be a bit of an issue for Mii, noted by the sweat drop on her forehead. But then she had a lightbulb! "What's that, some anti-magic patch you made?"

"Precisely." Emmeraude's lips curved up into a slight smirk. "I had a feeling I'd see you sooner or later, since you always find some way to pester me. So, this will shut down the lacrima so long as you wear it." Standing up from her bed, she sauntered towards Mii and leaned in, brushing her red locks out of the way to stare into her eyes. "I hope that won't be a problem." She was speaking to both Mii and…someone else. Someone who wasn't there.

"…" Mii bit her lower lip. She was already under 'punishment', but honestly, she also didn't care too much about anymore backlash. There wasn't anything worse than being alive when she wanted to be dead. "Fine, I don't care. I'll go off the radar." Mii then donned the eyepatch, wrinkling her nose since it felt a little strange, but oddly refreshing. "You know, I don't think it suits Mii, but I kinda like this."

"I'm glad you're so compliant. You can be a good girl when you want to be." She patted Mii on the cheek before sitting on her bed once again. "Now speak."

Mii pressed a button on her lacrima device, bringing Lucia into view. It was just a holographic projection and she stood in the middle of the room. "Heyo."

"Oh, so you did do it." Lucia sounded a little surprised. But this simply worked in their favor. "Greetings, Queen Emmeraude." The leader of the Wizard Hunters bowed respectfully.

"I admire the audacity to introduce yourself so formally after your stunt. Even more so considering you're conveniently out of arm's reach." Emmeraude smiled and made the hint of malice known. If Lucia was within reach, she'd surely snuff the life out of her slowly. Mii was only a messenger, and unfortunately one that couldn't die at that. "Lucia Silverwind. To what do I owe this visit?"

"We thought it would be comforting to send a familiar face your way to ease the conversation." Lucia explained.

"You must not know me at all if you thought _this_ is a face that would bring me any sense of comfort." Emmeraude rolled her eyes. Sending Mii in hopes of smoothing things over was just another mistake on their end. "I know your group doesn't act without an employer, and considering your operation, this one must have paid a high price to have you steal away royalty."

"I'm afraid that information is classified." Lucia replied. "Client-Hunter confidentiality, I'm sure you understand."

"I could never be a mercenary at someone's beck and call, so I'm afraid I don't." Emmeraude replied with a shake of her head. "But I see you have no intention of spoiling the surprise. That's fine with me, because I have a few guesses already. That aside, you may as well explain what your motives are. You wouldn't go through all this trouble for a mere conversation."

"As astute observation." Lucia's lips curled up into a slight grin. She admired that Emmeraude hardly wasted any time getting into the heart of the matter. "Before I tell you what it is we seek, I want to hear what you think we're after."

"You're trying to force my hand into something." Emmeraude replied. "You've already stolen something from this kingdom prior to my reign, and now you've gone and done something like this. If you know me, then you know that war is the furthest thing from my mind at the moment."

"Oh, it's not war we seek. The world has been so peaceful since Acnologia and Emperor Spriggan have fallen." Lucia waved a hand dismissively. "We do seek to make you act. We returned your mother and we were going to return Fiore's Queen simply because it makes no difference where they are."

This sounded like a threat. A threat that Emmeraude didn't take very kindly to and it showed on her face. "…"

"After kidnapping Queen Hisui and your mother, we extracted a large amount of magic from their bodies and modified it slightly. Not enough to cause Magical Deficiency but enough to mold these." As Lucia explained, two small lacrima circled around her. "These lacrima are detonators. The magic inside Fiore's Queen and your mother have been laced with Rupture Magic; so with a flick of these switches, the magic in their bodies will explode and end their lives instantly."

"…!" Mii's eyes went wide. She was not told about this. "Wow, that's pretty metal."

Emmeraude was not pleased at this information. She kept her composure but she was absolutely fuming on the inside. "My my…I wonder what could possess you to do this?" She stood up from her bed, taking slow steps to the projection before her. If Lucia was actually in the room she'd be strangled right about now. "You must really have a generous employer; someone who's willing to pay a high amount. I don't suppose I could pay you double to reverse this and end things peacefully?"

To that, Lucia shook her head. "I don't think you have the funds to pay double, Empress. Besides, we're still under contract. It is our creed to never start a new job until we finish our current one. For better or worse."

"Such undying loyalty." Emmeraude quipped.

"As it stands, I would die for our client." Lucia said.

"Oh, yes. You will." Emmeraude's threat oozed out slowly. Mii whistled at the tension filling the room.

"This sexual tension is nice and all, but aren't you getting a little off track? The demands, remember?" To think that Mii was the one having to steer a conversation back on track.

"Oh yes." Lucia cleared her throat. "Worry not, Emmeraude Verde. For there is a way to save both your mother and daughter from their horrid fate. It's rather simple, really…"

"…." Emmeraude said not a word. She simply sat back down and waited for Lucia to explain.

"Have you heard of the Earthland's Strongest tournament?" Lucia asked.

"A clash between the strongest countries in Earthland every few decades to decide the strongest one in the world." The Queen replied. "That's what it was supposed to be, but I don't have any memory of it occurring in the last few decades."

"I suppose you are that old…" Lucia quietly mumbled. Mii heard this and just so happened to fumble the device to muddle the audio before Emmeraude could hear it. "Regardless, it's coming back later this year. Our client wishes to bring this tournament back and clash against world for supremacy."

Emmeraude lifted a brow at this information. Lucia may not be directly telling her who their client is, but Emmeraude's hypothesis was rapidly proving itself to be true. "Those words sound oh so familiar. I can't think of anyone else who'd like to display their power for the world to see. But why drag Alvarez into this?"

"It's simple. We were asked to ensure that your country takes part in this tournament. Had we asked you, you surely would say no. So we received the best information to drag you off of your chair and into the limelight." The blue haired woman said. "It was a part of our job, you see. Therefore, we had little choice but to use such drastic measures to not only get your attention but an audience. That being said, this is the deal that the Wizard Hunters are going to make with Alvarez: If Alvarez can win the Earthland's Strongest tournament, we shall leave both your mother and Fiore's Queen unharmed. If Alvarez gets second, only your mother will live. If you get third, well…"

Mii couldn't say anything. She was a little out of the loop when it came to the true aim of the Wizard hunters. "This seems pretty extr-" And once again, those strange black sparks started to surge around her body and she cried out, falling to a knee from the intense pan. "Ngggggggh!"

"…?" Emmeraude briefly turned her attention to Mii. That was something she'd never seen before. "Koryuji?"

"I'd watch your words. This call is being monitored by the client." Lucia told Mii.

"I thought I could speak my mind for once…" Mii groaned as the sparks faded away, placing a hand over her covered left eye.

"So what say you, Empress? Do you accept our terms?" Lucia turned her attention back to Emmeraude, her fingers dancing along the hilt of her legendary blade.

"…I don't really have much room to say no, now do I?" Emmeraude begrudgingly accepted this proposal, if only for the time being. "I suspect you'll be monitoring my mother and daughter. And the usual spiel of 'don't tell anyone', yes?"

"How intelligent of you. Of course, but I doubt you'd seek help anyway. There's no one you can rely on outside of your country to assist in your predicament." Lucia smiled. "You'll hear more about the details when they've been finalized. Thank you for this meeting. We hope to see you again soon." And with that, the transmission ended. Emmeraude was left to follow through with annoying demands: win Earthland's Strongest or risk her mother and daughter dying. Knowing how strong her love for the both of them was, she couldn't leave either of them to die like that.

"….You're free to leave now." Emmeraude told Mii. Emmeraude's expression couldn't help but sour even slightly. To most people it would hardly be noticeable, but Mii noticed. Who could blame her for feeling this way?

"Em…" Mii bit her lower lip. With a heavy sigh, she removed the eyepatch and passed it over to Emmeraude. "You know, I'm reallllly good at stress relief~"

Emmeraude walked to her window and opened it up, pointing out into the distance while glaring at Mii. "Get out."

"That's not exactly enticing Mii to leave…." But the tingles on the back of her neck told her otherwise. She could feel another shock coming and put her hands up. "Fine, fine. I'll go. I'm tired of this stupid shock collar. Just call Mii if you need Mii~" Her wings spread and she dropped out the window, flying off into the distance.

Once Mii was gone, Emmeraude sat on her bed and just let out a heavy sigh. "I suppose fate truly does enjoy making me work. Another trial…but you're far from mistaken if you think I'll concede that easily. Tournaments and the like don't interest me in the slightest. But that call was useful for a few things…" Standing up, she walked over to her desk, gently tapping her fingers along the wooden top. "I have a pretty good idea as to who's behind all of this, and I certainly won't allow him of all people to stop me, not after I've come this far. If you want to play rough, I'll play. I won't let you put those I care about at risk for your incessant need to display your power over everyone. I don't know what your true goal is yet, but don't think for a moment that I won't usurp you as well."

* * *

Brandish was lingering outside of Emmeraude's room with a tiny Dimaria in her hands. She had gone to ask her something, but ended up overhearing the conversation. Considering it involved Alvarez, how could she not listen in? Plus, it sounded like something that was going to involve the 12 regardless. "…This sounds like it's going to be a massive pain…"

* * *

Back in Fiore…

Yeager was on screen in the middle of the Fairy Tail guild hall, a wide smile on his lips as he delivered a very similar message to the guild, reveling in their shocked expressions. "That's correct, Fairy Tail. Fiore must win the Earthland's Strongest tournament…or Hisui E. Fiore and your precious Mii Koryuji will perish."

.

.

Next Time: Bet on This Bout.


	117. Chapter 117: Bet on This Bout

A few hours prior to Yeager contacting Fairy Tail:

The search for Mii and the Wizard Hunters still proved fruitless. They did an exceptional job in covering their tracks in Fiore. Lucy accepted this fact and realized that they needed some outside help. As such, she contacted Tia, who was still currently in Seven. This was the next best thing she could think of. "Come on, pick up…" Lucy silently pleaded. She was busy getting dressed while waiting for her friend to pick up.

After a few moments, Tia picked up and the upper half of her body was on display; her hair a little messy and she yawned. "What do you want…?" It seems as though she just woke up. But to be fair, it was pretty early in the morning. "Do you know how early it is? I still have 2 hours of sleep left…"

"Sorry for waking you up so early…" Lucy said with a slight sweat drop. "But we need your help with something."

"Eh…?" Tia rubbed some of the sleep out of her eyes. She was barely coherent. "Does it have to do with you guys getting your ass handed to by the Wizard Hunters?"

"T-The news made it all the way out there…?" Lucy didn't like the sound of all that.

"Not the details, but people talk." Tia stretched and yawned. "Come on, we beat Alvarez. They're scrubs compared to them. What happened?"

"Eh…" News really did travel fast. Lucy took the chance to explain to Tia what happened. At some point during the story, her eyes widened and the shocking details seemed to wake her up. "..And now Mii is working with the Wizard Hunters…"

"Are you serious!?" Tia let out an extremely loud groan…only to cover her mouth and glance behind her. One could assume that Ace was still asleep and she didn't wish to wake him. "Ugh, I can't believe that. You know, I never liked her to begin with."

"I-I know…" Lucy remembered Tia and Mii's first meeting. The sparks of animosity flew between them the instant they lied eyes on each other. In fact, Lucy knew the only reason Tia even put up with Mii when they were in the same room was because Lucy called her a friend. "But we have to save her."

"You sure she even wants saving?" Tia placed her hands on her hips. "You guys butt in a lot. She's technically not your problem. Plus, she's done more harm than good. Let's not forget how she almost got you guys killed multiple times within a day on the Isle. And if she didn't sit around during Alvarez, I'm pretty positive that-"

"That's why she turned her back on us…" Lucy cut Tia off because she knew what she was going to say. "She was so adamant about not lifting a finger, but she still did help here and there. If it weren't for her, Jacob would've eluded us. And I heard from Erza that she tried so hard to stop Master Makarov from sacrificing himself. She put herself on the line for us…but in the end it wasn't enough. She tried to help despite knowing what would happen to her, and in the end, she felt like it was useless."

"…." Tia opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't find words. In a way…it was like her and Ace initially.

"She's our problem, because we're why she's like this." Lucy stated firmly. "We have to try just one more time to reach out to her. When the chips are down, she's always been on our side. She fights for what she believes in, and right now, I need her to believe us. Master Makarov wanted her to live."

Tia sat in silence for a while. Fairy Tail as a whole was just too trusting when it came to people. But it was also that very same trust and kindness that allowed her to smile again after a life under King. So as much as she tried to object, she knew that in the end she couldn't. Mii did deserve the one chance Fairy Tail had to give her. "Ugh…fine…"

"Thank you, Tia." Lucy was glad Tia was willing to help. Even if it was a bit reluctantly.

"So what do you need then?" Tia questioned while fixing her frizzy hair.

"When we were fighting Mii, the leader of the Wizard Hunters told her that they passed the border. Is there any chance anyone noticed some type of ship flying off in the distance? It might give us a clue as to where they're stationed."

"Uh…" Tia rubbed the back of her neck and pulled out a lacrima device. Dealer was stationed in a convenient location within Seven. "Let's see…an unnamed aircraft did fly overhead the other day…"

"That must be them!" Lucy suddenly exclaimed. "Which direction did they go!?"

"Uh…they continued north." Tia reported before sighing. "I don't really know how well that will help you, though. I can tell you they aren't in Seven anymore."

"That's good enough. Any little bit counts." Lucy nodded.

"I'll see if anyone else knows anything." Tia waved and ended the transmission.

"A little closer to finding you…" Lucy glanced at Mii's painting. She'd never get rid of it. That painting's existence was proof of Mii's feelings.

* * *

Erza had a meeting with Jellal within a café in Magnolia. Since Jellal was no longer a man tied to his sins, it was much easier for him to go about in public. There was no need for him to hide and it was great for the both of them. Erza sat across from Jellal with her arms crossed under her chest. "It's nice to finally be able to talk like this, isn't it?"

"Yes." Jellal nodded while having a sip of coffee. "But that doesn't mean my work is done. There are still some things I have to do. That aside, are you all right? I heard about what happened…"

"Yes, I'm fine." Erza replied with a slight nod. "It was a tough battle that we lost. But the result will not be the same the second time around."

"Of course it won't." Jellal responded with a soft smile. "If the circumstances were even the slightest bit in your favor, I know that you would have come out victorious."

Erza was really glad to have Jellal in her corner. "Our problems right now are finding the Wizard Hunters and Mii. They escaped with Emmeraude's mother and Mii is…"

"I heard that Emmeraude became Empress recently…" Jellal wasn't exactly a fan of the Empress and it showed. "I can't imagine the Wizard Hunters having good motives for attempting to provoke Alvarez and Fiore as a whole. As for Mii, I can't begin to suspect what's going through her mind."

"Whatever it is, I intend to let her know that we are always here for her. She's much stronger than she was last year, but that power is doing nothing more than tearing her apart." Erza's gaze lowered as she thought about Mii. "Mii has always been strong physically, but mentally is her biggest weakness. She cracks when it comes to past trauma…"

"The wounds of the heart are the ones that take the longest to heal." Jellal said.

"Which is why we have to help her. I also wanted to ask you if you knew anything about where they may have gone?" Erza turned her gaze up. "I know you were keeping a close eye two years ago."

"I don't know much about what they're up to these days. But I know they've been under the employment of the same person for the longest time now. A frequent client so to speak. It's someone outside of the country and who feels confident enough to act against two kingdoms as a whole."

"I see…" Erza figured that's all Jellal would have on them. "That helps a lot, though. If Mii is working with them, then maybe…"

"Do you suspect Pergrande?" Jellal asked. "I do as well, honestly."

"As does Emmeraude. But it's simply a theory until we can gather more information. But I think it's highly possible since Mii was a Pergrande soldier." But until there was proof, Erza could do nothing more than assume. "I know you must be busy, but thanks for meeting with me." The red head stood up and offered a smile, brushing some of her hair behind her ear.

"Of course." Jellal returned the smile and Erza then left. The era of peace that was upon them was rapidly coming to a close and the storm threatened to swallow everyone whole. Even Jellal was stuck on a current personal mission that turned up very little leads. "First the White Mage, now the Wizard Hunters…?"

* * *

A few hours passed. Each member of Fairy Tail carrying out their own type of investigation, only to come up short or barely with any leads. Everyone was meeting back up at the guild to share their overall lack of results. Cynthia sighed while shoving her lacrima phone in her pocket. "Alex and the others at Cosmic Star don't know anything either. Apparently they didn't even see an airship pass by."

"Hunting them down is nearly impossible…" Carla let out a quiet sigh.

"But we can't give up!" Elfman exclaimed. "It wouldn't be manly if we gave up on Mii!"

"Elf-nii is right!" Lisanna exclaimed. "Did you find anything out, Gajeel?"

"Not a damn thing." Gajeel grunted in annoyance. "Why is the one time you try to find that damned woman you never can?" He was referring to Mii.

"Mii-chan is the type to appear when you least expect it." Zelos shrugged while sitting back in a seat. "Actively searching her out will hardly yield results…"

"Now you tell us…" Levy sighed. It was at this moment that Lucy, Natsu, Happy, and Erza strolled into the guild after their searching. "Any luck?"

"None at all." Happy pouted before reaching into bag to pull out a fish. So much for that restraint he practiced a year ago.

"She's always so difficult." Mira placed a hand on her cheek. "I just wish she could see that we want her to come home. I saw that look in her eye…"

"Maybe I should just knock some sense into her…" Natsu suggested while raising a fist.

"That's a last resort!" Romeo shouted. "She likes kids, right? She played with Asuka all the time…"

"She did tell the truth around kids..." Lucy tilted her head. "But I'm not sure how that would help now…"

Unfortunately all they could do at this point was talk in circles. They were getting nowhere fast and just going over the same points over and over again. Zelos sighed, but then his lacrima device quite literally jumped out of his pocket and onto the floor. "Whoa, hey!?" His sudden shout caused everyone to turn. When they did, there was Yeager displayed in a holographic image. Zelos did not like this. "Why is there a dude coming out of my phone!?" Yeah, that was the problem with this.

"Yeager…!" Erza immediately clenched her hand into a fist.

"Ah, so it did work." Yeager gently brushed his tuft of hair out from and grinned at the audience around him. "Hello, hello Fairy Tail! I trust you've all been busy these last few days? No doubt we've sent you on a wild goose chase."

"Where's Mii!?" Natsu immediately asked. He didn't really care about Yeager's small talk and just wanted answers.

In response, Yeager lifted a hand and waved his index finger. "Tsk tsk tsk…I've come for a nice and friendly conversation. At least allow me that much, hm?"

"Cut the shit." Laxus said. He wasn't in the mood for the games Yeager wanted to play. "What do you want with us?"

"My my…" Yeager sighed. They were all so serious. If he were actually in the room he wouldn't be surprised if they jumped him! But it was that exact same attitude that caused him to slowly applaud. "So much for my small talk. Very well, I'll cut right into the heart of this business call. First off, I must congratulate you all for managing to rescue Queen Hisui from our grip! Even though she was assisted by Lady Emerald. Still, it was no small feat on her end. By the way, how has the lovely Queen been doing since her rescue?"

"Huh? What kinda question is that, jackass? And where the hell is Mii?" Gray demanded.

"Haha…" Yeager simply shook his head at their ignorance. "So you didn't even bother to check up on her? If you had, you'd know she's feeling a little sickly right now."

"What are you going on about…?" Erza asked. She didn't like where this was going.

"Prior to you arriving at our temporary stronghold, my comrades and I already took the liberty of doing what we needed to with the Queen. We modified the magic within her body and laced it with Rupture magic." With a wave of his hand, a small lacrima device appeared within it. "And with this lacrima switch, we can detonate all of it."

"But if you did something like that-!" Levy began.

"Then she would die, yes." Yeager could feel all the death glares on him at that moment and he lifted his hands. "Now now! Don't give me that look! For there is a way to save both the Queen…and your friend Mii." Now he had them hook, line, and sinker. "You've heard of the Earthland's Strongest tournament yes? Where many countries the world over clash for the title of strongest."

"This is the first time I'm hearing about this…" Cynthia muttered.

"It's very simple. Gather a team of your strongest Fiore mages and win! If not…the two mentioned will meet a swift end." Yeager's demands were set and he revealed in their shocked expressions. "That's right, Fairy Tail. If Fiore doesn't win the Earthland's Strongest tournament, the Queen and Mii will die."

"You bastard!" Natsu yelled. How dare he threaten them like this!? Fiore would've just entered on the notion of the challenge alone, but to take it this far?!

"You'll kill Mii…?" Lucy clenched a hand into a fist, but remained calm. "That's not an easy statement to make. You should be well aware that she can't die right now."

"Ah ah!" Yeager waved his index finger around. "That's half true. As it stands, there are at most two ways of ending her life. The Wizard Hunters and our client possess one way…as for the other; it's more of a wild card than anything else. I'm sure you're aware of the Grim Reaper? I'm certain that he could steal her soul away…"

"She must not know about this…" Max muttered. "There's no way she'd work with creeps like you willingly!"

"And even if she did know, I can't imagine her objecting to that right now…" Evergreen fanned herself.

"You're correct in your assumption. She's none the wiser to what's in store for her, but she's being kept on a tight leash. We're well aware that she's been ready to die for the past year now and would welcome this information with open arms. Oh…but "She must not know about this…" Max muttered. "There's no way she'd work with creeps like you willingly!"

"And even if she did know, I can't imagine her objecting to that right now…" Evergreen fanned herself.

"You're correct in your assumption. She's none the wiser to what's in store for her, but she's being kept on a tight leash. We're well aware that she's been ready to die for the past year now and would welcome this information with open arms. Oh…but _you_ don't want her to die, isn't that right?" Yeager's lips curled up into a malicious grin. He was very much enjoying their scornful expressions towards him. "You might as well gather your strongest…but seeing how Fiore is lowest on the totem pole, I can't see you even making it past the preliminaries."

There was a tense silence filling the guild hall before Natsu was the one who finally spoke up. "…You're joining the tournament too, aren't you?" His question caused everyone to look at him. "I can't think of another reason you'd make this call."

…Natsu's surprising astute observation raised a good point. "Yeah, he's right." Lisanna added. "I really can't imagine you all sitting back and watching as this all goes down. In fact, knowing you guys, you'd probably make our job as difficult as possible…"

"HAHA!" Yeager couldn't help but laugh. "I'm surprised! You have a semblance of a brain in there somewhere! I suppose I can let you in on it since you asked. The Wizard Hunters will be taking part in the tournament as per our client's request."

This only made Natsu grin. "Perfect. Now we can kill two birds with one stone. If you're joining the tournament, then you won't be able to run away. That means we can kick your ass and save both the Queen and Mii. We're still on a job after all. I bet that we win and take you guys down!"

So that's the angle they were going to approach this from, was it? Yeager's lips curled into a smirk and once again, he clapped. "You really are an interesting bunch. I can't wait to see what you'll bring to the table, if you can even make it to the seat. Because of that, I'll even make you a better deal. You can save both of them if you win, but if you get second, you'll have to choose who dies; and if you get third or below, they both perish!"

"That's not a better deal!" Cana yelled.

"Who is your client anyway?" Laxus asked.

"Classified information." Was Yeager's expected response. "But we do have some information for you, Lucy."

"Me?" Lucy pointed at herself.

"We've already found Leo's key a nice new home." Yeager said, causing Lucy's eyes to widen.

"You didn't…!" They sold Loke's key!? How in the world was Lucy supposed to find it now!?

"If you're joining the tournament, then pass a message onto your sister." Gray said. "Tell her that next time we fight, I'm kicking her ass."

Juvia's eyes went from Gray to Yeager. She hadn't even seen Lucia, but somehow she had the perfect mental image (much to her dismay) of Gray and Lucia's fight ending in…something else. Now there was a fire in her eyes as she had to take down any one who touched her darling Gray. "Anyone who brings harm to Gray-sama, or tries to steal him away will face Juvia's wrath as well! She will not let this transgression stand!"

"Ah, Lucia was always so popular with the boys and girls. Makes me jealous." Yeager shook his head. "I'll pass on your message, but I doubt it'll amount to much. We'll be contacting you once again when we know the exact date of the tournament. And it goes without saying that you shouldn't blab about this to your friends in other countries. I'd hate to have to press the switch early. I hope you'll be prepared by then~" And with that, the transmission cut off.

"A tournament? I don't like how this sounds." Freed stroked his chin. "Gathering the strongest countries in the world together…something about it just seems off to me."

"We can't worry about that right now, hyahaha." Bickslow cackled. "We should be worried about everyone who wants in! I doubt the other guilds are gonna sit down and let us take it all!"

"He's right…once we inform the Queen, she's going to have to tell the rest of the country about this tournament." Erza crossed her arms.

"But forcing us into like this is unmanly!" Elfman grunted. "We would've entered regardless!"

"They're trying to rile us up…" Carla pointed out. There was something that seemed odd to her though. _"But if we rescued Hisui and she's still like this, then what about Emerald…?"_ It was a concern for now. They had no real way of contacting Emmeraude, and she doubt she'd say anything anyway.

"But…" Romeo started to voice his worries. "This is the second time we've been told we're the weakest country out there. Against everyone else…"

"What are you worried about?" Natsu said while placing a hand on Romeo's head, flashing a wide grin. "Weakest country? I never believed that for a second. Not when we've been through so much together and made it out on top. If relying on our friends makes us weak, then I don't want to be strong. The strength of our bonds has always come through in the end and that's not going to change now either. We always know what's at stake. So this battle will be like every one before it; us winning."

Natsu always did know what to say to lift everyone's spirits. Laxus let out a quiet sigh while folding his arms over his chest. "I don't think I need to say anything then. You all already know what you have to do."

"I hate working on their time…" Gajeel grunted. But this gave him a reason to train again.

"We've got to get ready!" Natsu said and the first thing he did was grab Lucy by the wrist. "Come on!"

"H-Huh!?" Lucy's eyes widened as she was suddenly pulled off. "Where are we going!?"

"We have to train! You want to use that power again, don't you?" Natsu asked.

He was right. It bothered Lucy that Emmeraude said she was holding back when she didn't even realize it. Lucy's brown eyes held a determined stare and she nodded firmly. "Yeah!" She couldn't lose hope just yet. They still had a job to do, and she still had to get Loke's key back one way or another. Their battle was only just beginning anew.

.

.

Next Time: Fiore's Finest?


	118. Chapter 118: Fiore's Finest?

With the communication over, Yeager dusted himself off and let out a lighthearted chuckle. It was at that moment that Lucia walked into the room. "So, how did it go?"

"We've successfully coerced Emmeraude Verde into joining the tournament." Lucia told her brother while leaning against the wall. "How was Fairy Tail?"

"It's as you said." Yeager began. "The moment one of them asked if we were joining, they spun it around as a chance to try and corner us. So as soon as they figure out the people who are entering, they'll be joining as well. But I seriously doubt they'll even pass through the preliminary rounds."

"It's just as he said. They're very easy to bait." Nodding, the wielder of Excalibur sat down and crossed her legs. "Holding Mii hostage? I didn't think you'd go that angle. The Queen alone was fine."

"Yes, but I liked raising their stakes. They want to save her. Plus, we've made a little bit of drama. If Alvarez wins, Emerald and Hisui are safe; if Fiore wins, Hisui and Mii are safe." Yeager started to chuckle at the situation they created.

"And did you think about what would happen if one obtains first, while the other obtains second?" Lucia asked. "Because with the deals we've made…"

"Worry not, dear sister. I've built a contingency plan around such a shortcoming." Yeager smirked. "This will be good for both us and our client. Everyone wins! Also, that Gray Fullbuster fellow says he'll kick your ass if you fight again."

"If you say so…" Lucia let out a quiet sigh. "And who? …Oh, yes, the devil slayer." Gray's words were disregarded. He wasn't the first to say such a thing to her, nor would he be the last. "Regardless, everything has been set. Yumia, Yukia, and our little friend Zelos have been wonderful at keeping us up to date on the happenings in Fiore. The others have been scouting the other countries as well. By the time the tournament begins, we'll be fully prepared to destroy each and every one of them."

Mii was standing in the doorway, arms crossed. Unfortunately for the Silverwind siblings, she happened to overhear everything. "Holding Mii hostage? That's a pretty strange tactic."

"Oh. You're back already." Lucia turned, unfazed by Mii's appearance. "I thought you and Emmeraude would spend some quality time together."

"I've been barking up that tree for over 20 years." The angel sighed. "I swear I'm gonna get it one day…but you guys really put her in too bad a mood though. Right up where with Lucy. But that aside…you really think you can hold me hostage like that?"

"It's easy." Yeager chuckled. "You're already a prisoner in this twisted game of fate. You want to die, they don't want to let you die…"

"They won't win." Mii stated immediately.

This caused Lucia to tilt her head. "You don't believe in their abilities, even after being with them for so long."

"Not at all." Mii shook her head. "They wouldn't have beaten Alvarez alone. Fiore is without a doubt the weakest country I've ever seen. The fact they've survived everything is just luck. But that aside…you can't kill Mii." Mii's tone lowered ever so slightly. "That Prometheus guy can turn me into an empty husk, sure…but I won't be dead. Besides, who cares if they want me alive or not? What's the point in trying to protect someone if they're going to die anyway?" Her mind flashed back to Makarov's Fairy Law. Everything she did; turning her back on Pergrande for a moment to help them…it was all for naught. That was the moment that broke her. "As long as this sword and I are bound, I'm not going anywhere. You don't really have a method to kill me, you were just bluffing."

"Well, we most certainly wouldn't tell you if we could kill you or not." Lucia added.

"Oh come on…don't you think I've tried?" Mii lifted her shirt up, revealing all the self-inflicted stab wounds on her chest and stomach. None of them compared to the scar on her chest from when she was stabbed by Dhegensea. "All of these…I've tried so many times with this sword to see if it was true or not. Guess what? It is!"

"Fascinating…" Lucia leaned in, staring at the scars that riddled Mii's body. "You've stabbed and twisted the blade so fiercely that these marks have been left. I know your wounds heal, but to leave such scars…"

"It makes me wonder…you were presented with two choices, were you not?" Yeager questioned. "Was the other choice truly so horrifying to you that you'd rather take eternal life, when you hate living?"

"Horrifying? Hm…" Mii put her shirt down and rocked back and forth. "Maybe I just hate myself so much I get off on torturing myself. I'm a dead woman walking at this point. You know, part of Mii is starting to understand why Zeref was so crazy. When nothing can kill you, you start to get a little unhinged and start testing ways to end your miserable life before you give up on it entirely." The angel's lips curled up into a deranged smile. The past year negatively affected her already fragile mind.

"Your fixation with death is honestly…strange." Yeager said. "You are aware that once you die…"

"Once you die, that's it, right?" Mii placed her hands on her hips. "I heard that once before, and it's not true. I know people that have come back from the dead. Most would say they're lucky, but I think it's the opposite. I think they're unlucky. You can come back from the dead but you won't be all hunky-dory. You can't just say 'I'm fine!' and expect things to be normal again. You can't live on borrowed time and expect anything to be okay."

"My my…you are a very damaged individual, aren't you…?" Lucia honestly couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Mii. "But that's precisely why we've devised one way to kill you. If you aid us in the tournament, we'll bring your life to the swift end that you desire. You have my word."

"You can really kill me…?" Mii stared up at Lucia. There was a desperate look in her eye.

The blue haired woman placed a hand on Mii's shoulder, giving a soft smile. "I won't ask you to trust me, since I know trust is a fragile topic for you. But if we triumph over Fiore or Alvarez, we'll give you what you want. I promise. I will personally end your life. I swear on my blade."

* * *

Laxus and Erza had to request a meeting with Hisui. It was a little sudden and did cut into her duties, but since it concerned the Wizard Hunters, she could afford to spend a little time discussing it. But the news she received was anything but pleasant. Hisui let out a very heavy sigh while placing a hand on her chest. "I see…so that's what they've done to me. I was wondering why I felt so exhausted."

"That seems to explain why you don't look surprised." Laxus said while crossing his arms.

"No…I had a feeling they'd done something to me before you all arrived. However, there is something else strange that I've been feeling since the war ended." The Queen shook her head.

This caught Erza's attention. "Something…strange?"

"Yes…I can't describe it. But it has offset the sluggish sensation I've been feeling." That aside… "But if they did something like that to me, I can only imagine that they did the same to Emerald! And then…"

"We've assumed as much as well." Erza regrettably said. "We allowed them to kidnap you and Emerald, thus spawning this situation to begin with. There is no doubt in my mind that they've likely put Emmeraude under the exact same circumstance; win or lose your mother."

"That's awful…" Hisui's gaze lowered to the ground. "We have to help her…"

"No." Laxus said. "Right now, we have to help you." What happened to Emmeraude's mother was of no concern to Laxus when they had their own stakes to worry about. "You know how that woman is anyway. I don't expect her to lie down to such demands easily."

"Yes. She's stubborn and defiant. She won't give into their demands." Erza agreed. "But for now…we have to worry about what we can do for you. Natsu intends to save everyone and I believe he'll find a way."

"That sounds like something he would say." Hisui offered a small smile. "But you are right. I must figure something out. I know I left the task of catching the Wizard Hunters up to Fairy Tail, however…"

"I know what you're thinking." Erza shook her head. "The news of this tournament has is no doubt going to reach the ears of the other guilds if it hasn't already. Which reminds me…didn't you say the Games wouldn't be happening this year? Did something happen?"

"Actually…" The queen trailed off. "I was in the midst of preparing for a Grand Magic Games. As you may have heard, the previous Games last year came to a grinding halt when Natsu interrupted the proceedings."

"Yeah, that sounds like something that idiot would do." Laxus shook his head. Even while he was away for training during his time at Blue Pegasus, he heard all about that.

"So what happened that made you hold off the Games?" Erza asked.

It was at this moment that Hisui began to pace around. "Earlier this year, I received a message from the Wizard Hunters. As you know, they've been watching Fiore for a while now. As you could guess, they tried to threaten me, but I did not flinch at their words."

"But that's not something you could take a chance on, is it?" Erza frowned a bit. She could understand where the Queen was coming from.

"Yes…" Hisui's tone held regret. She wanted to hold her ground, but underestimating the Wizard Hunters was a mistake she couldn't take a chance on. "That is why I decided to cancel the Games this year, but if things with the Wizard Hunters are solved quickly, we can simply postpone them."

"That explains that…" Laxus said. "But what about the other issue?"

"I know the other guilds will want to try their hand at entering the tournament. So I have devised a way for everyone to get a shot." Hisui explained. "It is called Fiore's Finest. I'm afraid I'll have to keep the rules a secret for the time being. I do not wish to spoil the surprise. But knowing Fairy Tail, you'll find a way through it."

"Understandable." Erza nodded. That about wrapped up their meeting, but Titania still had some concerns. "Are you going to be all right on your own?"

"I feel fine." Hisui said with a smile. "I initially felt a little sluggish, but the feeling has subsided. But it is a little unnerving knowing that my life is hanging by a thread in someone else's hands. Whoever is behind this must truly enjoy watching people squirm…"

"We learned that the Wizard Hunters are taking part in the tournament as well. So worry not; once we defeat them, we will figure out who their client is and bring them down as well." Erza said firmly. "I swear on our guild name, we will not let them have their way."

"That's very reassuring. I knew I made the right choice entrusting you all." Hisui gently clasped her hands together.

"…I do have one question though." Laxus began. "Let's say that we don't make it…what happens next? Your father retired and you don't have any children. So what happens to the throne?"

"Ah…" Hisui didn't think too much about the worst case scenario since she believed in Fairy Tail and Fiore as a whole. But in the event that things didn't pan out the way she thought…

"What an excellent question." The voice belonged to none other than Kemuri, the Council Chairman. His appearance made Laxus and Erza both frown. "In the event that the royal line should be no more…the power of the throne then goes to the Council Chairman. It's an old, almost forgotten rule. The Fiore royal family has been ruling the country for such a long time with plenty of royals to spare; this has never really come up as of late."

Hisui's nose wrinkled at Kemuri's arrival and his willingness to share such information. Not that he was in the wrong for knowing it, because it was a worst case scenario. But it was no secret that tension existed between the Queen and Council Chairman, so she wasn't sure how she felt about his wording. "The Chairman is correct. If something should happen to be before a give birth to an heir…the throne goes to him."

Laxus just sighed. "Then I guess we really have to make sure we don't mess this up."

"I agree." Erza quickly nodded.

Their reaction only made Kemuri smirk. "Then you good little mages should get your job done. I too would hate if anything bad happened to the dear Queen. She's done far too much…the shoes to fill are pretty huge." But if he had to, he would…is what he wouldn't say for the time being.

Erza didn't like the vibe she was getting from Kemuri. How he seemed oddly calm despite Hisui's circumstance. It wasn't just her, Laxus clearly felt the same way, but this was a feeling that they didn't have the time to pursue at the moment. Right now, they had to focus on ensuring Hisui and Mii's safety. "Right…we'll make sure no one has to worry about that."

"I'll make an announcement later this week about what is to come." Hisui told the Fairy Tail mages. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I must get going now. I am very busy after all…"

"Of course, we understand." Erza nodded. "We'll inform the others." With that said, Erza and Laxus departed. Hisui was a busy ruler after all.

Once the two mages left, Hisui turned to Kemuri. "Chairman…"

"Don't worry, Your Highness…" Kemuri started to walk off. "It's no secret that you and I butt heads, but I truly hope the best for you. It's just a shame that your fate is in the hands of…them."

"I believe in them." Hisui said. "You may call it naïve or foolish, but I trust them after all they've done."

"I place my trust in my people…who are far more competent." Kemuri said, unafraid to hold back his words against the Queen. "If things fall short, you shouldn't be too afraid to ask me for help."

"I'll keep that in mind…" Hisui said, starting to walk off. There was that uneasy feeling again… "I can only wonder what's going to happen…"

* * *

"Mmm…." A woman with black and red hair slowly awoke. She stretched, her blue eyes opening while taking in the scene around her. She was resting in a small bedroom that was…taken by force. This woman stood up and started to dress herself. "Hm hm…has it really been a year since I was freed? I still don't understand this time at all…oh well. I can sense the chaos and discord swirling in the air. I wouldn't miss this for the world…~"

* * *

"Hm…" Julius stood on a hill, overlooking the country before them. While it was far from a short trip from Fiore to Alvarez, Julius had the means to cross continents quickly. In fact, he wasn't alone in this matter. A few other hooded figures, fellow Spriggan of Emmeraude's rule, stood in various locations within Fiore, overlooking similar scenery; Brandish, Jacob, and Dimaria were exempt from this little gathering.

One person stepped forward; a female with tanned white hair and red eyes grinned. There was an ominous purple miasma swirling around her and in the skies above. This was Alice Homura of the Spriggan 12. "So…this is Fiore. The country that caused Her Majesty so much grief. How unforgivable…."

.

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Next Time: Inferiority.


	119. Chapter 119: Inferiority

After informing her Spriggan of the situation that was upon them, Emmeraude made a quick trip to a lab within the palace. There was but one thing she needed to check up on. There was a small test tube within the lab, containing a small pink light inside. It was a dim light and it made her frown just slightly. "If only I had realized sooner…I would have been able to bring you back with minimal trouble." The Empress let out a quiet sigh. "Your light is so very precious to me…"

Brandish and Dimaria followed Emmeraude down out of curiosity. Emmeraude was aware of their presence but it was of no concern. A few of the other Spriggan decided to go out somewhere, leaving the palace somewhat empty. "…I came to ask if you were feeling all right. I understand that the drag of the situation must have you at least a little irritated." Brandish said.

"I'm fine." Emmeraude responded, not turning to face the two of them. "The person behind this is simply attempting to make me squirm, but I refuse to bend to anyone's will no matter what they hold over me. This is just a temporary setback. I won't let my mother or Hisui die."

"Your unwavering attitude has always been admirable." Dimaria folded her arms over her chest. "Although I…"

"Do not fret." Emmeraude already knew what Dimaria was going to say. "I know you're still shaken up and I will not blame you for that. I do, however, have another task in mind for you."

"Does it…involve whatever that thing is? What even is that?" Dimaria asked.

"This is…Sophie." Emmeraude explained.

"…Sophie?" Brandish tilted her head to the side. "I do not understand. I thought she was dead?"

"Yes…" Emmeraude gave a slow nod. "My daughter sacrificed herself to save me and a few others. Her light rained down on us and has been with us ever since. It was something I didn't realize until she vanished from Neinhart's magic last year."

"I'm afraid I do not entirely follow." Brandish tilted her head curiously. "Her…light?"

"When Sophie died, she turned into light; a warm light that rained down upon a few individuals, including myself." Emmeraude explained. "That light was her essence and magic. It fell upon those who within the throne room at that time; myself, Lucy and her friends, Hisui and…Koryuji. It was only recently that I realized I could extract this light and potentially rebuild Sophie thanks to _her_ joining our ranks."

"So you can bring your daughter back? That is wonderful." Brandish smiled slightly, clasping her hands together. "What is the wait for then?"

"Unfortunately, I need all of Sophie in order to reconstruct her. That means I require the pieces from… Lucy…" She groaned lowly. "And her friends. Hisui is not an issue, but the true problem is…Koryuji. I can never get a hold on her for as long as I need to. All of us haven't been in the same location since that battle two years ago. Always one person missing, and I don't have the means to extract and contain Sophie's magic outside of this lab…"

"This sounds like a hassle." Dimaria placed her hands on her hips. "Wouldn't it be easier to bring them all here? Actually, I don't think I want them stepping foot on our soil again, so never mind. But as for that one, wasn't she here?"

"Yes, but gone far too quickly." Emmeraude held up the eyepatch she made Mii wear. "I tried to steal it out of her without her knowledge. I couldn't have the Wizard Hunters or their client know what I was planning."

"She is exactly as you told me…" Brandish recalled dealing with Mii every so often during the war. "It sounds like it would be easier to take hold of her leash."

"I've been trying to do that for over 20 years. I feel as though she's dangling it in front of me only to rip it away." Seriously, Emmeraude's life would be so much easier if she could have some control over the woman who continued to vex her in one way or another. "Regardless…since Hisui's magic has been stolen, there's no doubt a part of Sophie is with the Hunters. Which means I'm going to have to pry that lacrima from their cold dead hands."

"We'll assist you in any way we can." Brandish said with a slight nod. "…Which reminds me, where have the others gone? The castle has been quiet…and while I do appreciate the lack of noise, it is also a little unsettling."

"I had a task for Julius and the others in Fiore. How they wish to carry it out is all up to them." Emmeraude explained. "It's all in preparation for the tournament…ah, I dislike those words."

"And what about…?" Dimaria trailed off.

"Unfortunately…I can't do anything about them just yet." Emmeraude let out a quiet sigh. They were talking about a certain someone who wasn't quite there.

* * *

It had been a few days since the initial proposition was made with the Wizard Hunters. As such, Hisui made an announcement to everyone Fiore about the Fiore's Finest tournament about to take place. The rules still had yet to be announced, but this was still more than enough to motivate a number of people into training once again. Supposedly in a week or so, the tournament was going to happen and everyone wanted to be prepared.

Gray was ready to get training. He always did prefer to do this sort of thing alone, but there was no way he'd shake Juvia off of him. They trained together before so this was nothing too different…well, it was a little different. Ever since Gray's 'confession' Juvia was understandably didn't have too many plans to stray away from her beloved. He accepted this. It was just Gray, so he always had that usual unhappy look on his face. "Are you worried, Gray-sama?" Juvia questioned.

"Huh?" Gray turned to Juvia. "Worried? No." The ice maker responded. He thought back to his fight against Lucia. It frustrated him that he was unable to land a single blow on her. How she completely trounced him without breaking so much as a sweat. He made a small, inconsequential mark on her that she didn't even acknowledge. "Just…that woman. I knew there were plenty of strong mages out there, but she really made me feel…inferior. Nothing I did worked against her. I couldn't land a single clean hit. I couldn't get Loke's key back to Lucy…"

"Gray-sama…"Juvia frowned at Gray's words. No wonder he'd been working so hard during their training.

"And then there was Mii to top it off. She took us all out like we were nothing…" That was the second time Mii had beaten him. During the S class exams, she managed to beat him and Natsu at the very end. As of late, his track record did nothing more than irritate him and he couldn't stand this feeling of inferiority. "I got complacent over this last year."

Juvia balled her hands into fists. She knew that Gray would never normally talk about this sort of thing, but he was venting to her and that meant more to Juvia than he'd realize. "Gray-sama is strong. Juvia knows that you'll bounce back from this! You always do."

"…" Gray was silent for a moment, but Juvia did have a point. Gray did have his downs, but he always came back from them. A very, very tiny smile appeared on his lips at Juvia's encouraging words. "…Yeah, you're right. It's not like me to stay down like this for too long. I can't fall behind anymore."

That was the Gray Juvia knew and loved! "While we take a break, Juvia has prepared some lunch for us. I'll be right back!" Without further ado, Juvia went off to retrieve their lunch!

"What am I doing, getting stuck like this…? Lyon would mock me if he saw me like this…" And he was in no mood to get berated by his other rival.

It was at this moment that a man slowly approached Gray; a tall man with his hair tied back in a ponytail and had stubble on his face. He didn't seem like anything special at first, but… "Not feeling like ya've been left behind, eh, Fullbuster?"

Gray spun around at the sound of his name. The fact this stranger approached him so casually had him a little on edge. "Who the hell are you and how do you know me?"

"Not much for using your head, huh?" The man shrugged and shook his head. "Ya wanna act like a nobody when you and your guild are world famous…especially after the war last year. Not too bright. Not too bright at all…"

Yeah, Gray was starting to feel pretty irritated that this stranger had the audacity to walk up to him and insult his intelligence. An icy mist began to emit from his body and he snapped back with a scowl. "Who the hell do you think you are talking to me like that? Sounds like you're just asking to get your ask kicked!"

"Hah…hahahaha…" All he could do was laugh. This all seemed too easy. "I didn't take you for being such a hot head, Fullbuster. I thought you'd be…ya know, more cool, calm, and collected." The man shrugged from Gray's threat and it was and Juvia returned with a curious tilt of her head. "Who knows, maybe I am. If I were, I don't see anyone here who could pull it off. Definitely not from a little shit like you. But you can call me Ken Sanada…"

* * *

Natsu and Luke, arguing over something stupid as usual. Natsu and Happy were supposed to be waiting for Lucy, but as luck would have it, they just so happened to bump into Luke. And anyone knew that Luke and Natsu could not be in the same place for very long without getting into a verbal argument. "Why don't you just leave before I kick your ass!" Natsu yelled.

"You, kick my ass? We both know that's not how this works!" Luke exclaimed. "You guys lost to the Wizard Hunters! Those guys aren't even a threat!"

"We didn't lose to them!" Natsu retorted. "Mii was more of a problem then they'd ever been!"

"Oh yeah, you lost to someone who wasn't even a part of your guild anymore. Because that's much better." Luke said with an annoying smirk.

"You wouldn't have done much better either." Happy pointed out. "You aren't as strong as Natsu." The Exceed said, having his partner's back.

"Shut up, you stupid cat!" Luke growled at Happy. "I could beat his ass any day, any time!"

"Why don't I kick your ass now then!?" Natsu and Luke were head to head.

"I almost want to save it for the tournament, so everyone can see me kick the shit out of you!" Luke yelled. The two then backed up, preparing to throw hands right then and there. It was actually about to go down. Luke began to stretch so he could limber up and kick the shit out of Natsu. And then…

"Did you know that stretching before any rigorous activity is actually the cause of pulled muscles?" Julius Grandeur asked while stepping into the scene. "Ironic since that's what stretching is for."

"What the-" Luke, Natsu, and Happy all turned to the stranger. "That's…news to me." Luke said.

"It's comment sense that passes us regularly." Julius said. "To stretch is to pull your muscle fivers just past their limits. Once they repair, yes, you'll be more limber. But imagine if you stretched, then immediately went into a very strenuous course of action. Like so…" The man held out both hands, and before him, a small book levitated, flipping through the pages before coming to a stop. The book shone brightly between all parties involved. "Holy Spark." From the heavens, a powerful bolt of silver lightning dropped down to smite the trio.

"WAAAAAH!?" Happy noticed this but wasn't fast enough to avoid it. Luckily for him, Natsu dove in to grab him and avoided the bolt, while Natsu jumped to the side. "WHAT THE HECK!?

"…." Luke was admittedly shaken at that level of power. But he played it off with a slight smirk. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to take us out…."

"Who the hell are you?" Natsu's fierce gaze was redirected towards Julius.

As he expected, they evaded. Julius closed the book with his hand and gave a slight grin. "Luke Cloud. Natsu Dragneel…" The Spriggan looked up at the two with unfathomable malice. "I know your names. My name is Julius Grandeur. Whatever you two are capable of, it isn't even a milestone compared to my developmental stages. I've actually come here to deliver a message today, for I hail from a familiar place you should know of, Alvarez."

"Huh!? What's Emmeraude doing now!?" Natsu's eyes narrowed. Was she really that mad at them for failing against the Wizard Hunters!?

"This guy is crazy…" Happy placed his paws on his face.

"A message?" Luke tilted his head. "What kind of message?"

"Why, I'm glad you asked, Luke Cloud!" There was a brief joyous expression that immediately switched back to malice. The book opened yet again until finally, one hundred magic circles covered the field beneath the trio, all of them glowing brightly in an array of different colors. "The message is simple. You've caused the wonderful Empress a great deal of grief in the past and in the present; therefore, I've taken it upon myself to pull the issue from the root. Any last words before you all perish?"

* * *

Tristan was walking through the streets of Clover Town. But it wasn't a leisurely stroll. As of a few moments ago, he felt eyes on his back. The Ace of Black Phoenix took careful steps when traversing through the town. Whoever was watching him held a fierce presence. "…"

Eventually, Ragen decided to make himself known. He stood at the end of the street Tristan was walking down. The masked mage stared at the prey before him and asked a simple question. "Are you Tristan Gareth of Black Phoenix?"

Tristan came to a stop a few feet before the man. He could already sense the malicious intent and prepared himself for the worst. "That depends on who's asking, and what they want."

"…There's no point trying to hide your identity from me." Ragen stated calmly. Whether Tristan liked it or not, he was about to be forced into combat.

* * *

"Excuuuuuse meeee!" Alice approached Sting out of the blue with a wide smile on her face. "Are you Sting Eucliffe!"

"Yeah, that's me!" Sting said with a grin. "Did you need something?"

"She probably wants your autograph, Sting-kun." Lector said while waving a paw with a smirk.

"I did, actually. I heard that you were among those who fought against the Spriggan 12! No easy feat…" Alice placed her hands behind her back.

"Oh yeah. Those guys…" Sting recalled that all too well. At the very least, he was able to defeat Rahkeid and get revenge for Orga. "They were tough, but I haven't been slacking this past year. I think I could take them on again if I needed to."

"Sting-kun is amazingly strong." Lector puffed his chest out; pride swelling within.

"Wow, he must be." Alice knelt down and ruffled Lector's head, causing the Exceed to back down. "I'm sure that would be true…for the old 12." In the next second, a pitch black scythe was drawn and aimed for Sting's head, an air of death following the swing as the air itself died and became toxic.

"…!" Sting sensed the aura of death and grabbed Lector, jumping back. "What the…? What do you mean old 12?"

"Aww…I whiffed." The scythe stabbed into a nearby building and the building started to decay into nothing. Alice twirled the scythe around with a smile. "You're not very bright, are you? It's exactly how it sounds. Did you think Alvarez just sat still with the old wounds it suffered from the war? Of course not. The new 12 are filling the power vacuum with Empress Emmeraude at the helm."

Sting clenched his hand into a fist, a bright light illuminating from his hands as he grinned confidently. "New or old 12, I'm stronger than before, and I won't let you stomp on anyone ever again! This is perfect; too, I was just looking for a warm up for the tournament…"

"Oh, is that a fact?" Alice quipped as a purple miasma began to seep out of her body, contaminating the air around them. "I think I'll offer your heart up to the Empress. Let's have a little fun!"

* * *

Lucy was getting ready to meet Natsu for some training. Not only did they have the tournament to worry about, but she wanted to try and figure out how to access the Spirit Kings Star Dress again. That was another thing pretty high on her priority list. "We have a lot to do in such a short time…" The blonde said while getting dressed in clothing attuned more for training; she didn't want to take the chance of Natsu accidentally burning some of her nicer attire. On her way out, she stopped for a brief glance at Mii's painting. "Just wait for us, okay?" She mumbled under her breath before exiting her apartment and headed down the quiet Magnolia street. Everything was fine and dandy until the air next to her exploded. "GAH!?" It was so sudden she was thrown off her feet and nearly rolled into the canal nearby. "What the heck!?" Who in the world would attack her like this!?

"So…you're the one…" A feminine voice called out from somewhere.

"Who are you?" So much for training. Lucy was already prepared to fight. The voice was unfamiliar, but there was something inside her that sensed a familiar presence nonetheless. This only put her more on edge because of it. There was no verbal answer. The only thing Lucy received in response was another blast of air that blew her into the canal this time. "Ugh!" And downstream she went, too winded to fight back against the gentle current at first. "This is the last thing I needed…" She grumbled before pulling herself out, groaning at the fact she was now wet. "Are you done blasting me now!?" Because she wasn't about to have any more of that nonsense.

Dots of purple light swirled around Lucy before flying out a few feet in front of her. The dots converged onto a single point, turning into a single person; a woman with purple hair and eyes, donning a modest green dress that covered her appropriately. "You are in the presence of a Queen, therefore you should bow down."

The Emmeraude vibes Lucy got from this woman were astonishing. In fact, this only put her more on edge than before. "Who are…" She trailed off. This girl…she looked so much like… "Sophie…?"

"Sophie?" The woman shook her head. "My name is not Sophie." A hand was pointed forward, a violet glow appearing in her palm. "As I said, you are in the presence of Midi's Queen and member of the Spriggan 12; Little Queen. So bow, peasant."

"Little Queen…?" Lucy tilted her head. That name sounded so familiar…why, why…? OH! Wasn't this the girl that Heartless was looking for!? Lucy opened her mouth to voice her question, but as soon as she did, a blast was sent in her direction. She avoided it narrowly, feeling a cold sweat bead on her forehead from the raw power behind it. "…!?"

"I. Said. Bow." Little Queen demanded. She wasn't taking no for an answer either.

.

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Next Time: Ultimatum.


	120. Chapter 120: Ultimatum

Lucy found herself in a tough spot. Facing off against one of the new Spriggan 12 under Emmeraude's command. Little Queen, Heartless' daughter, ruler of Midi, and now Spriggan 12? This was a lot for Lucy to process in such a short time, but she didn't have a lot of time to do so since Little Queen was intent on making her bow. "H-Hold on a second! You can't just go attacking someone out of the blue like this!"

"Oh? I think I'm free to do whatever I like." Little Queen swiped her hand forward, unleashing multiple purple spheres upon Lucy's location.

So she really wasn't going to listen? Lucy let out a quiet groan while changing to Star Dress: Sagittarius and unleashed multiple arrows to explode against the spheres. Luckily for Lucy, Fairy Tail wasn't too far away. Surely someone would notice this commotion going on just outside of Magnolia. She didn't have time to think, as in the midst of more spheres coming her way, Little Queen was already at her left. "Huh-!?"

"Peasant!" Little Queen exclaimed before slamming her leg into Lucy's side. The blonde's eyes widened in pain as she was sent tumbling across the ground, reeling from that single kick alone.

" _W-What…a single kick…"_ Lucy was on the ground, one hand on her side while the other was against the ground. A single kick nearly took her out!?

Little Queen landed on the ground, arms folded over her chest, a smug grin on her face. "That's a much better look for you; groveling on the ground at my feet."

"You remind me far too much of Emmeraude…" Lucy groaned while slowly making her back up to her feet. "…Which isn't a compliment. You're following the wrong person."

Little Queen's gaze narrowed. What Lucy just said was an insult to everything she believed and she certainly wasn't having any of that nonsense. "How dare you? Who in the world do you think you are to talk to a Queen like this!? No wonder Her Majesty despises you so much!" Little Queen pointed her hand down, causing the ground under Lucy to begin swelling up. "Vortex!"

"Eeep!" Lucy quickly dove to the side and just in the nick of time too. A powerful tornado exploded from the ground. It probably would have torn her to shreds if she hadn't moved. But just as her feet touched the ground, she noticed another magic seal directly underneath her, taking the shape of a cross. "Huh!?"

"Ethereal Rift!" Little Queen exclaimed while lifting her hand up. This caused a blast of pure Ethernano to rise up, throwing Lucy into the skies.

"Kyaaaah!" Lucy's body was thrown up and her eyes were shaking from the impact. She already felt herself slipping into an unconscious state but quickly snapped herself awake when she realized that Little Queen was far from finished.

The young woman leapt into the air, now diving down feet first with the intent to crush Lucy into the ground. "Dragon Dive!"

Acting fast, Lucy whipped out a golden key. "Aries!" She exclaimed at the last possible second. Little Queen's legs slammed into her crossed arms and she hit the ground, but luckily, Aries appeared and summoned a soft cloud of thick, pink wool to cushion her master's landing at the last second. The wool shielded Lucy and Aries from view and Little Queen leapt back to observe. "That was far too close…ugh…"

"I'm sorry…!" Aries bowed apologetically.

"Do you think you can hide in there forever?" Little Queen slowly sauntered around the cloud of pink wool. "Come out!" She got her wish. Capricorn came lunging from the wool with a sharp elbow to her jawline. Little Queen was able to block the strike, but was still sent skidding backwards.

"I shall not allow you to lay another hand on Lucy-sama." Capricorn stated while assaulting Little Queen with a flurry of close combat strikes, and she responded in turn with her own.

Lucy used this as a chance to catch her breath and observe Little Queen's fighting style. It was astoundingly shocking that she not only resembled Sophie, but sounded and fought like her too! She honestly though she was fighting Sophie for a second, but there was something far more sinister about Little Queen. Not to mention, Lucy could hardly believe she was combating the girl that Heartless told them about two years ago.

"W-What should we do?" Aries stammered. "I sense a very strong aura emanating f-from this girl…"

"She's really strong…" Lucy took aim with her bow, preparing to provide Capricorn some covering fire. "Star Shot…!" Several arrows of energy were unleashed just as Little Queen found herself blocking an attack from Capricorn.

"Huh?" Little Queen glanced up, only to see the arrows as they exploded on her. Capricorn jumped back as the arrows exploded against the Spriggan, leaving a cloud of smoke and dust around her. There was nothing but silence in the air.

"Did I do it…?" Lucy mumbled under her breath. It seemed a little too easy if that was the case. Far too easy…

"So this is where you were…" Little Queen appeared behind both Lucy and Aries. Before they had the chance to figure out what was happening, the Spriggan extended a hand with a violent purple glow within her palm. "Frenzy Blast!" A widespread explosion blew apart the wool, sending Lucy and Aries flying.

"Gaaaah!" The blonde cried out, tumbling along the ground before coming to a halt thanks to Capricorn. "How did she…?"

"Get there so fast?" Little Queen asked. It was then that a horrible realization was made; there was one Little Queen in front of them, the one that Capricorn threw hands with, and another, the one that struck Lucy. She could clone herself.

"You're kidding me…" Lucy groaned. What was this!? Little Queen looked like Sophie, sounded like Sophie, fought like Sophie, but wasn't Sophie.

Before Little Queen could attack again, multiple swords rained down on her, causing her and her clone to jump back and stand side by side. Erza landed in her Black Wing Armor, pointing her sword towards Little Queen. Mira was also right next to her in her Satan Soul. "I don't know what's going on here, but this is going to be the end of it."

"Erza! Mira!" Lucy sure was glad to see them.

"Hm…" Little Queen and her clone stared at Erza. "More who brought Her Majesty grief…."

"Who are you?" Erza demanded to know. Because she needed to know what to write on her tombstone for daring to mess with a guild member.

"My name is Little Queen. I am a member of Her Majesty's Spriggan 12." Little Queen and her clone spoke in unison.

"Little Queen…?" Mira titled her head ever so curiously. "That name…isn't Heartless looking for you?"

"…." Heartless? Little Queen turned her head. How strange. There was a very faint tug at the back of her memory at the name, but ultimately. "I don't know anyone by that name."

"…Is that the same person…?" Mira mumbled, but she was still ready to fight.

"Whatever the case is…I've come to deliver a message from Her Majesty. Well, we all made it ourselves, but think of it from her to you." Little Queen began.

* * *

With one hundred magic seals threatening Natsu, Luke, and Happy, things were already looking dire as Julius had the duo precisely where he wanted them. "So, any last words before you perish?"

"Yeah, how about screw you!?" Luke said while flaring up into his Chaos Unison state, creating multiple Eclipse Mirrors in the skies above the magic seals. "Eclipse Mirrors!"

"And!" Natsu roared as his fiery aura flared to life, lightning infusing with the flames around his body. "Lightning Flame Dragon King's Demolition Fist!" Natsu brought his hand down to the ground, a gigantic explosion of fire and lightning occurring just as the Eclipse Mirrors rained down to destroy the magic seals.

The grand explosions seemed to be a deadly combination…that was supposed to be the plan, but all of that magic flowed into Julius' open book. Once it was done, the book was closed and he smiled to the trio before him. "Ah, that's right. You are the old emperor's younger sibling, Natsu Dragneel."

"He absorbed it all!?" Happy's paws were squishing his own face.

"You're kidding me…" Luke grit his teeth.

"I supposed I should properly introduce myself then." Julius said. "My name is Julius Grandeur. In Alvarez, I'm properly known as the Prince of Magic. Since you've managed to survived, you may be of some use to me. I have questions that need answering."

"And what makes you think we'll answer what you have to say!?" Natsu said while sprinting forward, fire and lightning igniting around his fist. "Iron Fist…!"

"So brash and impatient…this was precisely what Her Majesty said would happen." Julius sighed as Natsu came rushing in. "Conqueror's Realm." Just before Natsu swung, Julius swapped places with an unsuspecting Luke. Luke was able to block the hit, but was still sent sliding backwards.

"Hey, what the hell?!" Luke snarled in annoyance.

"WAAAAH!" Happy yelped as Julius was now standing next to him. Before he could move, Julius' foot slammed onto Happy's tail to keep him in place. "Ow!"

"Happy!" Natsu snarled at Julius, preparing to lunge again, but halted for a moment when Julius held his hand out.

"Now, let's calm down, shall we? If you play nice, I'll leave your feline friend unharmed. All I want to know is a few things." Julius held a calm, yet condescending tone. The two mages before him were well aware that Happy could be blasted into nothing if they weren't careful. Natsu hated this and was barely restraining himself from leaping out. Could he make it before Julius moved? It was an option he was weighing…

"What do you want?" Luke asked, still ready to fight just in case things went south.

"Two simple questions really. The first question…do either of you know where Lucy Heartfilia is? She is the one who's caused the Empress the most grief, and with upcoming events, I would sincerely like to nip that issue in the bud." Julius said.

"I don't know where she is…" Luke muttered. It was no secret to anyone that Lucy and Emmeraude's relationship was the rockiest one in the world.

"Like hell I'd tell yo-!" And before Natsu could finish, he was struck by a continuous beam of magic! "Ghnk!?" Above Natsu and Luke were two needles and they reacted to the answers that they delivered. This was Julius' Revealing Compass spell.

"Lies are unbecoming." Julius said while opening his book once more. "You won't be able to hide the truth from me. So, next question. Are you aware of the whereabouts of Mii Koryuji? It seems Her Majesty has some business with her that is very important – I hear they are old acquaintances."

"Ggggg…!" Natsu was still being struck by the magic beam. They wanted Mii too!? No way! "Like I'd…tell you…" He didn't know the answer to that either, but since he still refused to answer the question about Lucy, he was stuck. And there was no way Luke would know anything.

"How troublesome. It's a problem if we can't find that woman before time runs out…" Julius shook his head. "Next question – this one is for you Luke Cloud, do you know where Prometheus and Pandora could be?"

"Huh!?" Luke's eyes went wide at that question. "How am I supposed to know that?!" Nobody saw those two since the war ended. "What business does your Empress have with them anyway?"

"They have something important belonging to Her Majesty…" Julius left it at that. All he was doing was trying to aid the Empress in the only way he knew how, but these mages really chose to be difficult. Or rather…they were just as useless as Emmeraude had said, but he had to give them the benefit of the doubt. "Last question, you are aware of the Princess' whereabouts, are you not?"

"Stop it! Let him go!" Happy pleaded, but Julius' foot had a firm grasp on his tail.

"The what!?" Luke shook his head. "Princess…?"

"What the hell…are you yammering on about you bastard…!?" Natsu placed his hands on the ground, slowly pushing himself up despite the magic still striking him.

"…Ah, it seems you are unaware of what you house within you." Julius flipped through his book yet again. "You have the young Princess within your magic reservoir. We need to get her back as soon as possible; therefore it will be of great assistance if you don't struggle. This is going to hurt."

Luke, however, had enough of this nonsense. A Black God's Bomb was directed to the needles above them, destroying them. "All right, I've had enough of your bullshit, Prince of Magic." The title was spoken with sarcasm behind it.

"Oh, no easy feat…" Julius said with a grin, completely unfazed with the power the two mages held before him. "Do you know why I'm called the Prince of Magic? It is because once that old man, August, finally bit the dust, it allowed me the chance to claim what was rightfully mine. Thanks to the Empress, I can show the world the extent of my magical prowess. My magic is endless. You two don't stand a chance here." Julius then snapped his fingers, causing a rain of needles to fall down upon the two before him.

"Guh!" Natsu and Luke both saw the needles before they were too late. The two rolled to the side, but not unscathed. Natsu's right leg was clipped by a few needles while Luke's left arm was struck. The pain was more than enough by itself, but then, they realized the secondary effect of this attack. Their limbs felt numb and heavy; they were barely able to use them. "Oi! How many spells does he have?! Put that book down and fight for real!" Natsu shouted, trying his best to stand on his leg until the feeling returned.

"Natsu…!" Happy cried out in worry.

"This guy has more magic than I do…" Luke grumbled, and that was no easy feat considering he copied numerous magic over the years. He gripped onto his injured arm while staring at Julius. "Prince of Magic, huh…?"

"The one and only." Julius boasted. "All of my studies of magic, all of my training for it…it was all for the moment that fool August went down. It took the old man giving his life for me to finally take the place that was rightfully mine. I am, without a doubt, the decider of your fates. Here you stand, at your strongest, while I have yet to peel back a single layer of my magic. You don't stand a chance against the new Spriggan 12, so lease concede before more than the one you protect becomes a victim to the Empress' wrath. There's absolutely nothing any of you can do to withhold us. The strength you acquired and the strength you require are two different things, Luke Cloud, Natsu Dragneel, and I am the only one. Those you knew before were child's play compared to our capabilities. The more you resist, the harsher this reality will be."

"I don't care if you're a prince or whatever!" Natsu yelled. "I don't even know what you're going on about concerning Sophie…but…" The Salamander placed pressure on his right leg, despite the numbness he felt. "It doesn't matter how much you think you're better than us! The Spriggan before you were monsters and we took them down too! We'll do the same to you as well! I don't know if Emmeraude sent you because she's mad at us or whatever, but I'll tell you the same thing I told her. I'll keep fighting until I can't move anymore, until my soul withers away, if that means keeping Lucy safe from either of you! She's done nothing to you, only protected what she cares about. If you wanna hold a grudge about it, then I'll kick your ass until you give up! But nobody…" The fiery aura around Natsu's body returned once more, dragon scales forming along his body. "And I mean nobody…IS KILLING HER!"

Happy held a wide grin as Natsu managed to stand back up. "Yeah! That's right Natsu!"

"He's right…" Luke groaned while standing back up. Lucy was his friend too. "I don't know what your motives for this are, but you're out of your mind if you think we'll just bend over backwards for Alvarez. We beat them once before and we can do it again. So I advise you not to place a hand on anyone. Isn't this bad for the Alvarez Fiore relation as well? This can be taken as an act of…"

"The relationship between countries is rocky. All because Fiore's 'strongest' failed a simple task the Empress asked of them. The world over knows about Fairy Tail's failure." Julius said with a grin. "Dimaria Yesta, the former Spriggan. The name does ring a bell to you, yes?" He was talking mainly to Luke, but Natsu was included in this as well.

What a strange thing to bring about. Luke did try to steady his arm, only to mostly fail. "Yeah, what about her…?"

"Dimaria Yesta. The Takeover and Vessel of the God of Time, Chronos." Julius began. "Your camp soundly defeated her, a god, but I'm here to warn you, my ignorant friends…" The book before him started to flip pages once more, a blackened aura seeping from it. "What Spriggan past have given you is nothing compared to the forces Her Majesty has prepared. We are, what they weren't. During this entire back and forth, I've yet to use magic that is my own, only those I've acquired from my studies. And yet you expect to save Heartfilia with your abilities? I'll tell you what. I will hold off on my duties to retrieve Heartfilia and Sophie from you and your friends…if you can defeat him." Julius snapped his fingers – and from that glowing book, that blackened aura rose into the sky, opening a portal to the heavens. "Dimaria was merely a vessel for a powerful god known as Chronos. So I decided to study on how to summon such a divine class. So behold, the Titan with the strength to carry the entire world on his shoulders! Atlas!"

"What the…!?" Luke's eyes widened as a gigantic humanoid stepped out of the portal. Just the size of his foot compared to that of a house. The titan towered over Natsu and Luke and Julius took a seat on an iron throne swiftly constructed from a simple snap of his fingers. This freed Happy at long last.

"Why don't you show me how much she means to you then?" Julius stated. "Atlas, crush them." And on that command, a giant foot of Atlus fell upon the Natsu and Luke duo, a fierce earthquake reverberating through the land upon impact.

"NOOO!" Happy shouted.

* * *

Gray and Juvia stared down the man who called himself Ken. With the way he talked down to Gray, the ice maker couldn't help but want to kick his ass! Juvia hung back, but was ready in case Gray needed her. She took his feelings into consideration but would not hesitate to jump in if she deemed it necessary. "Gray-sama…"

Ken rotated his shoulders, wearing a confident grin as Gray scowled at him. "C'mon then, Fullbuster. Why don'tcha show me what ya can do?"

"You don't need to tell me twice, asshole." Gray threw his shirt off and then placed his fist in his palm, the usual chilling aura emanating around his body. "Ice Make: Freeze Lancer!" Gray threw his arms forward, a blue magic seal forming in front of him. Numerous frozen lances ejected from the seal, flying out from various angles to strike and converge on the unknown enemy.

"Heh…" Ken merely smirked before taking a fighting stance. The man kicked off, weaving through the incoming lances of ice with little difficult and high speed. There was a familiar golden light that focused along his upper body; strange metal gloves appeared, covering his hands and as soon as he reached Gray…lights out. Before Gray could even put his hands down, Ken delivered a solid punch to his stomach, causing Gray to fold over.

"Guh…!" A sharp blow like that winded him. Gray's eyes widened and spit flew out of his mouth. The instant he hunched over, a blow was delivered to his chest and the finisher was a rising uppercut to his chin that sent him flying backwards. That three hit combo was all it took to leave Gray sprawled out on the ground with bruises covering his body from the chest up.

"Tsk tsk…" Ken clicked his tongue while walking over to the downed Fairy Tail mage, speaking softly to him while crouching down. "I figured ya woulda had a bit more fight in ya, but you seem to be more hubris than anything, eh Fullbuster? Guess the Empress was right about ya. That makes 38-0…"

Juvia watched the entire thing with wide eyes. She didn't miss a single second of it, but it all happened so fast, her mind needed a moment to process what she witnessed. As soon as the situation clicked the clouds overhead started to darken and a downpour began to ensue. This man harmed her beloved right in front of her. "GET AWAY FROM GRAY-SAMA!" Juvia screamed while whipping her arm forward, using her Water Cane technique to strike Ken from afar with boiling water. Since she was so mad, the temperature of her water attacks only grew higher and higher.

"Oh!" Ken hopped away from Gray and deftly evaded Juvia's enraged attacks. She continued to swing at him, but he was moving in a manner she hadn't seen before. Not that it mattered because she was nearly blind with rage. "Right, right! His little lover, ain'tcha!?"

"HOW DARE YOU BRING HARM TO GRAY-SAMA?!" Juvia screamed while switching things up. The woman retracted her arm and began to release multiple water scythes in Ken's direction, all of them incredibly sharp for the sole purpose of seriously injuring the man who harmed Gray.

"I think ya could do a little better." Ken responded while closing the distance just as he did with Gray's previous attack – weaving in and out of the incoming water scythes with such speed and precision, not a single one even managed to clip a small piece of hair from his head.

He wanted to get close? That was fine with Juvia, for she knew that he wouldn't be able to fight her the same way he did Gray just a few seconds ago. Her Water Body was going to have a nasty surprise in store for her the moment he swung! Juvia was already anticipating Ken's strike so she prepared herself, drawing back her right arm as a large mass of water gathered around it, largely due to the rain as well. "…."

"If that's your finisher…" Ken began while closing the distance. Juvia didn't think this movement was much, to Ken, it was everything. She telegraphed it to the point where he didn't even think about it. Juvia swung right for Ken's skull to crush him into the ground, but he moved around her arm with no effort at all. Juvia's eyes went wide and suddenly, the gear around Ken's body shifted to something much more fiery. A flaming punch struck Juvia's ribcage, the initial impact causing her flinch and broke her stance – in the next instant, that same type of punch struck her stomach, completely knocking the wind out of her. "Then ya've got a lot to learn little lady."

Juvia's eyes widened at both blows. Before she knew it, she was falling to the ground on her knees, one hand on her stomach while the other was pressed against the wet ground. She was left gasping for air before she even realized what had happened. "W-What…how…"

"Don't ya worry, I'd never hit a lady as hard as I did him." Ken gestured to the downed Gray. "Besides, I need one of ya to deliver a message for the good little boys and girls back in Fairy Tail…and the rest of this country."

* * *

Tristan was on the back foot against Ragen. No matter what Tristan did, none of his moves were connecting! The ace of Black Phoenix tumbled along the ground before coming to a halt on a knee, glaring up at the masked man before him. "This man is dangerous…" Tristan mumbled. It was a good idea he decided to lead Ragen away from the civilians. Standing back up, the ace of Black Phoenix placed his hands together. "Steel Make: Ballista! Archery Line!" Multiple Ballista formed in front of Tristan, each one loaded with steel arrows. On his command, the bombardment began and these arrows began to soar towards Ragen to take him down.

"…" Ragen didn't say a single thing as the arrows came his way. Instead, the masked Spriggan began to sprint forward, making absolutely no effort to dodge. All because he was able to phase through the arrows as they flew at him.

"No…!" Tristan's eyes widened that his spell was far from effective! Most people would at least block or counter, but Ragen wasn't even bothered to do so! The Spriggan neared Tristan and the Ace swung his fist forward, only for the same result!

As Tristan's fist phased through him, Ragen drew his own fist back, slamming it right into Tristan's gut! The impact caused Tristan to fold over; it felt as though a cannonball slammed into his stomach and that impact alone was enough to wind him. "Is this all Fiore has to offer? I expected more from one who donned the title Ace." And the follow up strike was a round house kick to the temple that slammed Tristan into a building, dazed from that impact alone.

"Who…are you…" Tristan groaned while steadying himself. Those two hits alone left him barely conscious.

"One of the Spriggan 12." Ragen said, only to glance up feeling another presence above him.

"Hono Hammer!" Asuka yelled with her entire arm alight in fierce flames. She swung her arm towards Ragen's chest, but he didn't budge and her fist landed true…only for her to recoil immediately. "Owowowow!"

"What?!" Tristan's eyes widened. "Asuka, what are you…!?"

Asuka shook her fist, cringing from the pain before taking a step back. "We saw that creepy guy lurking around and couldn't leave you to fight him!"

"We…?" Tristan asked.

"Take this!" Ethan emerged from behind Ragen in his Neo Shining Blitz takeover, swinging his leg at the man's head. Unfortunately for him, his leg phased through and just as it passed his head, Ragen grabbed it, spun around, and threw Ethan right into Asuka! "Oof! The two of them tumbled back across the stone street violently.

As soon as Ethan and Asuka were down, Alexander appeared to Ragen's left with territory magic, while Chiara was at his right! "I think it's time you made your exit." Alexander stated while throwing his hand forward, releasing said beam towards Ragen!

"Die!" Chiara yelled! Usually she said such a thing but without the full meaning; but with a guild member on the line, it was safe to assume the words carried that weight. A potent blast of lightning was unleashed to sandwich Ragen in the middle! Chiara also played another card while the Spriggan was briefly unaware of her existence.

"…" Ragen didn't say anything, but he felt it. Chiara's anti-support magic. Unlike Wendy, Chiara didn't increase attributes – she decreased them! Speed, strength, and defense, all lowered! There was an explosion as the blasts collided against the Spriggan.

"Did we get him…?" Alexander questioned, but Team Asuka remained on guard.

Ragen then lunged from the smoke in a blur, appearing behind Chiara before the girl could even react. One solid blow to the back of the head crushed the teenager into the ground before she had the chance to react! "One."

"Chiara!" Asuka's rage flared and lightning sparked around her body, signifying the activation of her Rajin's Tempo. One step forward was taken and…Ragen was already in front of her. "…!" Eyes widened for a split second and a solid blow to her chest sent her flying into a nearby building.

"Two." Ragen said.

"ASUKA!" Ethan clenched his hand into a fist, flames igniting around his mechanical body. "Inferno Blitz!" Pointing his hand forward, a massive wave of flame shot forth to strike Ragan and take him down.

Ragen moved to the side, the gap between him and Ethan closing in an instant. Ethan predicted this and swung his arm towards Ragen's chest, but unlike before, it felt as though he was hitting his fist against something extremely hard. This left an opening and Ragen grabbed Ethan's face, slamming him into the ground. "Three."

"Tch…!" This was bad! Alexander didn't think they were up against this strong a foe! But it was already too late to turn back so they had to fight. Alexander whipped his hand back, creating multiple spheres of territory magic that unleashed multiple spikes to rain down. _"He's either taking our attacks head on, or just phasing like some sort of ghost. What sort of magic…"_ His brain was moving fast to figure out the secret of their opponent's magic. Unfortunately, Alexander was not able to come up with an answer in time. Ragen was in front of him. Alexander tried to block the incoming punch, but it went right through him! "Huh!?"

Ragen slipped behind Alexander, gripped the back of his neck, and slammed him right into a wall. "Four." Dropping the territory mage, Ragen started to make his way back to Tristan, who was unable to do anything but watch in his condition. "Now, to make it five…" But before he could make it any further, he felt something strike his back. "Huh?"

Asuka unleashed a small bolt of lightning to catch his attention. She was still standing and a little weary, but she wasn't done yet. "Who said…you could get away with hurting my friends?"

"Asuka, no…!" Tristan grit his teeth and tried to stand up, but to no avail.

Ragen stood over Asuka, preparing to finish her off, but at that moment, several diamond spears struck his back. Due to the composition of his body, they did nothing but catch his attention. "What is it now…?"

Diamond Ice stood on a rooftop, one hand pointed at Ragen. There was a scowl on her lips. "I don't appreciate you attacking my other set of friends. So I'm going to have to ask you to take your ass elsewhere."

* * *

Sting was within his White Drive, assaulting Alice with a flurry of punches and kicks. Unfortunately for Sting, he was making little leeway as Alice was blocking them with her scythe. The white dragon grit his teeth before sliding back, gathering magic within his cheeks. "WHITE DRAGON'S ROAR!" Howled the Sabertooth guild master, unleashing a potent beam of white dragon slaying in Alice's direction.

"Oh my…!" Alice gasped as the beam struck her person. At least, that's what it looked like from first glance. The magic Sting released decayed the instant it drew near the woman, the Ethernano itself becoming nothing. "That might have tickled."

"No way! She blocked it!?" Lector gasped.

"My turn~" Alice sprinted towards Sting, swinging her scythe in various ways. Sting was able to dodge, but he could feel the strong scent of death with each whiff. The air died, the magic in the air was dying, and even the ground was turning to nothing! Alice spotted an opening and kicked Sting right in the stomach with a surprising amount of force that sent him tumbling back.

"Guh…!" Sting rolled but caught himself on knee. The white dragon began to cough. The purple miasma leaking from Alice had to be poison. "Lector, stay back!" Sting warned before cupping his hands together. "White Dragon's Holy Ray!" Shooting his arms forward, multiple holy beams wildly shot out to explode against Alice. Once again, she didn't bother moving, but Sting was counting on that and kicked it up to Dragon Force, a potent white sphere forming within the palm of his hand. Just as he thought, Alice was right there! "Holy Nova!" He pressed the sphere to Alice's stomach and let it explode!

"Go Sting-Kun!" Lector cheered while backing away as told.

The smoke cleared and Alice was still standing; admittedly pushed back a foot or so from Sting's attack. There was no damage on her person, however. "That did tickle." The woman mused.

"Tch…" Sting started to cough again.

"That little light of yours? I'm not gonna let it shine~" The red eyed woman mused while snapping her fingers, causing an explosion of poison to occur under Sting. He avoided it, but with what was already in his system, it was growing difficult to move.

Sting caught himself, smirking at the woman in front of him. "Not gonna let it shine? Who the hell do you think I am!?" Pushing forward once more, the magic around Sting's arms intensified. Even if his magic was being rendered ineffective somehow, he had an idea to push through. "White Dragon's Drill Punch!" Several blows were aimed for Alice's body, all of which she either blocked or avoided. "There's one thing you seem to be unaware of! It's that Tigers hunt in packs! NOW!"

From several rooftops surrounding them, Rogue, Minerva, and Rufus were all stationed and in the midst of attacking. "Shadow Dragon's Roar!" Rogue yelled while his body flared up to Dragon Force, unleashing a potent funnel of darkness in Alice's direction.

"Memory Make…" Two fingers were placed upon his temple. Rufus lifted his free hand up, a rainbow blade of light towering into the sky. "Luminous Saber!" And he swiftly brought this blade down as quickly as it appeared!

"Ih Ragdo!" Minerva swiped her hands. This prompted a large statute to appear in front of Alice, one already leaking overwhelming energy. All three attacks converged and exploded at once, shaking the entire city. The civilians were already told to clear by Yukino and Sorano, so the Sabertooth mages doing battle didn't have to worry about an innocents being swept into this sudden mess.

"Did we get her!?" Rogue asked.

"Hehehehe…" Alice's voice carried out through the smoke. All of the attacks did indeed land, but the only thing that received noticeable damage was Alice's jacket, which was completely in tatters now. "This is fun…"

"No damage…" Minerva sucked her teeth in annoyance.

"I don't recall a foe ever having this level of durability…" Rufus mumbled.

"Fro thinks so too…" Frosch said, worriedly.

"Ahem…" Alice tossed her jacket to the side, speaking out to the mages around her. "Now listen well people. We Spriggan have come here today to deliver a very important message in the name of Empress Emmeraude! Getting in our way is getting in her way, and we only wish the best for our Empress. Fiore's failure has forced our hand; so how you proceed is simple. If you choose to get in Alvarez's way yet again, the Spriggan will have no choice but to destroy all of you. So make your next decisions count."

Alice's message was the same across the board for all the Spriggan who attacked thus far. Little Queen, Ragan, Julius, and Ken said the exact same thing. The ultimatum of Fiore's was now resist Alvarez or suffer the consequences.

.

.

Next Time: Message Delivered


	121. Chapter 121: Message Delivered

"What sort of message is that!?" Erza asked Little Queen. "Stay out of Alvarez's way? Surely you realize how outlandish that is."

"Did Emmeraude really send you out here?" Lucy asked. "I thought she was getting better about not being so petty, but she really does have problems letting things go. We're still going to catch the Wizard Hunters-!"

"Silence." Little Queen held her hand out. The motion causing Lucy to halt due to the authority the woman held within her voice. "The Empress has nothing to do with this. The Spriggan 12 act of our own volition with her interest in mind. Fiore's failure has forced our hand and now we must pick up the slack that you've left behind. Because of you all, Lady Emerald is…" Little Queen stopped herself, realizing she unintentionally said more than she meant to.

"What happened to Emerald…!?" Lucy asked.

"I SAID SILENCE!" Little Queen swiped her hand forward, creating a chain explosions upon Erza, Mira and Lucy. The trio of women were barely able to avoid such powerful blasts and were forced to scatter in various directions. "I did not come here with the intention of destroying you, however if you refuse to bend your knee to the Alvarez Empire and I, I will be forced to show you the extent of my power."

"You don't seem to have a problem showing us your power right now." Mira snapped back. They were just outside of Magnolia, so there wasn't a need to worry about the nearby people or buildings in the event this encounter continued to escalate.

"You don't seem to understand the full magnitude of my capabilities." Little Queen and her clone both held a hand up. The magic power emanating from the both of them caused the surrounding area to quake. "It took very little effort for me to destroy that pitiful forest due north of here one year ago – even less to bring Midi to its knees."

"You were the one who destroyed Waas Forest…!?" Lucy's eyes widened. She remembered hearing about it, but to think that the person who did so was right in front of them! "Where did Emmeraude even find you…let alone convince you to join her cause?"

"That is for me to know and you to not." Little Queen stated as she lifted a hand up, manipulating the Ethernano in the air to form a violet sphere within the palm of her hand.

"What is she doing…?" Erza kept her guard up as the air around them grew dense. However, instead of deciding to wait, Erza leapt into the air with her Black Wing Armor. Little Queen hurled the large sphere at Titania; however she used Rune Save to slice through it as though it were nothing! The S class soared through the sky, switching the spear to Mel-Force. "Take this!" And just as Titania thrusted the spear forward, Little Queen stopped it with the palm of her hand, allowing the tip to stab into it. "…!?"

"….So it seems you don't understand your place in this hierarchy. Then allow me to show you." With a forceful tug, Little Queen pulled the spear and Erza forward with one hand, using her free elbow to violently jab the opposing woman in the face with more than enough force to send her rocketing to the ground.

"Oof!" Erza grunted. She was able to flip and catch herself, but she was going have a headache after this was over.

After seeing that Erza was all right, Mira flew forward with darkness shrouding her fist. Unfortunately she was intercepted by the clone of Little Queen and had to do battle with her. Little Queen was extremely adept at close combat and kept Mira on the back foot. It took all Mira had in Satan Soul just to keep up with throwing punches, and even then, she was falling behind and a few hits slipped past. "Ugh! She's tough…!"

"Reaper's Toll!" Slipping past Mira's arm to slam a potent palm strike into her gut, causing Mira to fold over and gasp. The impact sent the demoness soaring back and before she had the chance to recover, the real Little Queen was above her with her leg reared back. "And another!" A fierce kick slammed into the back of Mira's neck, smashing her into the ground with force.

"Mira!" Erza stood up and moved to defend Mira, only to find herself assaulted by a third Little Queen! She was all over the place! "Ngh..!? Another one!? How many can she create!?"

"Hm!" Little Queen and the clone that attacked Mira pointed their hands together, side by side, and unleashed a blast of raw magic at the downed Mira.

"I won't let you!" Lucy fired a condensed arrow at the incoming blast of magic, piercing right through it before it had the chance to strike her comrade. After destroying the beam, she unleashed a flurry of arrows upon her foe(s). "Now get out Fiore and go back to Alvarez!"

Much to Lucy's dismay, her arrows completely failed to hit their mark. Little Queen and her clone were dancing around them, all while closing the distance. Little Queen herself lifted her leg up high. "Critical Blade!"

"Eeep!" Lucy jumped back to avoid a blow that would have, without a doubt, knocked her unconscious. Little Queen's left shattered the ground and left a small crater. But Lucy had no time to fully complete the action of jumping, because the other clone was already to her left. "Oh no-!"

"Raging Blast!" Little Queen's palm pressed against Lucy's side, erupting in a condensed, yet powerful burst that sent the celestial wizard soaring!

"Kyaaaah!" Lucy cried out as she was flung back, but luckily, Mira caught her before she went too far. "Oh…thanks Mira…"

"Mhm…" Mira gave a slight nod before setting Lucy down.

Erza just finished fending off the third clone, who returned to Little Queen's side. It was now a three on three, but the numbers weren't in their favor despite it being even. "She's very powerful and it seems she can summon clones that match her power. Where in the world did Emmeraude find this person?"

"Hm…" The main Little Queen tapped her chin, remembering another thing they were supposed to do while here! Her violet gaze went from Lucy and then to Erza to confirm Her Majesty's words. "I see…so it's true. It's faint, but I can sense a magic power vaguely similar to mine deeply dwelling within you two. Now, how to get it out…"

"What is she talking about?" Lucy glanced at Erza, but she also had no idea.

"I have one question and I require an appropriate answer." Little Queen directed her voice to all three of them. "If you give the answer I desire, I shall spare your lives. If not…I will bring you ruin."

"That's a pretty big threat coming from such a little person…" Lucy couldn't help but snap. After all, Little Queen was…just barely up to their shoulders.

"Hmph." Spitting at the remark that came her way, Little Queen waved a hand, displaying a lacrima image of Mii. "Have you seen this woman? Her Majesty has some urgent, unfinished business with her. Mii Koryuji, I believe."

"Emmeraude is after Mii now?" Mira could only guess it was because of what happened with the Wizard Hunters.

"She has been a thorn in Her Majesty's side for quite some time now, as I take it. And in order to ensure that Her Majesty can lead the world, such a nuisance must be dealt with accordingly." Little Queen stated. "So I will ask again. Have you seen her?"

Erza didn't like the fact that Emmeraude's Spriggan were after Mii. There was a huge target on the angel's back as of lately, making the hunt and fight for her even more difficult than it needed to be. "We haven't seen her." It wasn't a lie either. Nobody had a clue as to where Mii was hiding after they'd seen her.

"…" Little Queen let out a quiet shame. "That's a shame. Your answer is entirely unacceptable." She and her two clones then floated higher into the sky, each one shooting off to a different side of Magnolia and held their hands up, large spheres of Ethernano forming within their palms. The clouds overhead started to darken and the ground trembled. "So as promised, I shall bring you ruin."

"What is she doing!?" Lucy's eyes went wide. "Stop it!"

"We won't be able to stop her in time!" Erza grunted, yet still made an attempt with Mira anyway.

"We have to try…!" Mira said while switching to her Stiri form, using the higher speed to try and corner a Little Queen, but they were too slow.

"Goodbye." Little Queen and her clones said calmly as the three spheres crashed down onto Magnolia. There were large explosions and screams in various parts of the city…at least, that's what was supposed to happen, but that wasn't the case. What happened next caused the Spriggan's brow to quirk just slightly. "Pardon me?" There was a barrier surrounding Magnolia. It was heavily damaged, but the town was safe. "…Huh?"

"A barrier!" Lucy let out a huge sigh of relief.

" _I managed to make a Jutsu Shiki in the nick of time. Even so…that attack was extremely powerful…"_ Freed spoke through Warren's telepathy. _"We don't know what's going on, but it would be in your best interests to end things quickly."_

"On it!" Lucy aimed her bow up towards the real Little Queen, firing off yet another arrow in her direction.

"Again with this?" Little Queen sighed and moved her head back, but right at that moment, the arrow exploded in a flash of light that temporarily robbed her sight! "Ugh! What a foul trick!"

"Right! Thanks Freed!" Mira said while speeding towards a Little Queen, gripping onto the back of her head to hurl her towards the real one!

Erza did the same, donning her Giant's armor in the midst of her flight, using the monstrous strength the armor possessed to hurl the clone towards the real one. Both clones slammed into Little Queen and ended up leaving only her remaining. At that moment, while she was still stunned, Erza shifted into her Amadura Fairy armor, pointing the twin blades forward. "Fairy Burst!"

Mira cupped her hands together, only to throw them forward to unleash a potent blast of darkness across the skies. "Soul Extinction!" Her blasts combined with Erza's, creating a unison attack that exploded against Little Queen and shook the surrounding area around them. "I felt that hit!"

"As did I, but stay on guard…" Erza cautioned.

The dust around Little Queen cleared and she had a hand extended, a pink barrier having formed around her person. Despite the powerful attack that came her way, she was easily capable of shrugging it off with just a bit of elbow grease. Her eyes slowly opened and she scowled. "Such impertinent subjects…"

"She's completely unharmed…" Erza grumbled.

"No way…" Lucy didn't like where this was going.

"I do not have time to play around with you peasants. I've done my job. But heed my words. Stand in Alvarez's way again, and Fiore shall properly be put down." These were Little Queen's parting words as she vanished in a flash of pink light, leaving Mira, Lucy, and Erza alone with her message.

* * *

There was nothing but silence as Atlas' foot crushed Natsu and Luke. Happy stared with wide eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks as he immediately feared the worst. "N-NATSUUUUU!"

"Hm. How disappointing." Julius said while casually resting his face against his fist. "Here I thought…" Before he could finish, the ground started to rumble. "Hm?"

Atlas' leg started to tremble. The titan's foot was forcefully lifted up against its will. A closer look and one could see both Natsu and Luke were on a knee, both hands pressed against the large foot attempting to crush them. "So all we have to do is beat this guy!?" Natsu boasted, yet his glare was filled with anger. "If that's the case, consider yourself leaving empty handed, you shitty prince of magic! You're not taking Lucy and I'm not letting you have Mii either! I won't allow it! I'll use everything I have, even more, if it means keeping my friends safe from bastards like you! So I won't…"

"You know, this whole thing has me pretty pissed off…" Luke said as his body began to flash a myriad of colors, entering a state that was completely different than his maximum at Chaos Unison. It was admittedly not something he wanted to unveil so soon, but considering the circumstances he had to tap into it. "I don't know what the hell you're all going on about, but you're out of your mind if you think I'll sit here and be a part of this! Lucy? Mii? I don't know what's going on, but after all this; you're out of your mind if you think we'll…"

"LET YOU TAKE THEM!" The two rivals exclaimed in unison, using all of their strength to push Atlas back.

"LET'S GO NATSUUU! Luke too!" Happy said, pumping a paw into the air.

"We don't care how strong you are!" Natsu roared. "Getting past us won't happen! This won't be the first big guy I burn to ash! You can carry the world on your shoulders all you want, but the guild mark I carry on my shoulder weighs a lot more than that! So bring it on, I'm standing right here!"

Overall, Luke was just highly annoyed by this whole scenario. An asshole from Alvarez waltzing up and attacking them? He didn't even have anything to do with Fairy Tail or Emmeraude. But Lucy was at least his friend, and this became his business the moment Julius attacked them.

"Hm…" They had Julius's attention now. A titan pushed back? Was this what Her Majesty was referring to – that fire in Natsu's eyes when the odds were stacked against them? What an intriguing look. The outcome of this little skirmish would only confirm or deny the suspicions the Prince of Magic had within. Atlas regained its footing and lifted a fist into the air, now promptly bringing it down with a powerful impact following suit.

"Ah…!" Happy wasted no time, soaring to grab Natsu and lift him into the sky.

"Sure, leave me in the dust…" Luke groaned before placing his hand on the ground, unleashing n explosion of darkness to propel him high into the sky. They managed to avoid an earth crushing blow that caused an earthquake for miles. Once in the sky, Luke cupped his hands together, generating a multicolored sphere. "Holy Ray!" Throwing his arms forward, large piercing beams shot out from various angles, all of them colliding against Atlas's chest. The continuous impacts caused the titan to stagger backwards.

With Happy's assistance, Natsu was able to say in the air. Perfect as he too cupped his hands together, generating a potent sphere of fire within his palms. "Flame Dragon King's…Gleaming Flare!" Shooting his arms forward, this beam of flame launched through the air before violently exploding against Atlas' chest. This caused a large gaping hole to form and the titan started to fall backwards, defeated. It may have looked so simple, but he and Luke had to unleash a high amount of magic to combat this Titan.

As Natsu and Luke dealt with Atlas, Julius comfortably watched, a brow lifted in amusement. As Atlas fell backwards with a gaping hole in its left pectoral, the titan began to fall and there was the faintest of smiles on his lips. Atlas was seemingly going to land where Juilus was, but it vanished before impact and left nothing in its wake. There was a moment of silence before the sound of slow clapping filled the air. His book opened yet again, but there was nothing malicious from it; instead, lettering took to the sky for everyone in Fiore to see. "I've been entertained. I understand now, how the Spriggan before us fell to such mediocrity, and it tickles me to know that they were so selfish in their own personal motives – the same motives that drive you to fight against the impossible. Now I understand what Her Majesty was referring to…it's so amusing."

Luke and Natsu landed, the two of them panting heavily. They were still on guard in case Julius was trying anything funny. "…."

"Rest assured, Fiore…the new Spriggan do not hold any personal ties to your country. The failure of Fairy Tail becomes a failure of Fiore as a whole. Her Majesty has done nothing but bring Alvarez the prosperity it deserves after the war." Julius said. "Even so…there are still two thorns in her side that must promptly be dealt with and removed. That of Mii Koryuji, and Lucy Heartfilia. The Princess must also be returned as well. I surmise that Fiore will be planning to take part in the coming Earthland's Strongest tournament, is that right? Well, if neither are handed over to the Alvarez Empire before that time, we will crush Fiore before they have the chance to make it out of the preliminaries. You have been warned. This is a message from the Spriggan 12 to Fiore. Apologies, Queen Hisui, but we are acting in Her Majesty's best interest." The ultimatum was now set. With that being said, the message Julius delivered was over, and the Prince of Magic vanished in a flash of light.

"What an asshole…" Luke said while reverting back to normal. Now he didn't even want to fight Natsu anymore. He just wanted to go home and sleep…

"…." Natsu, however, ended up taking those words to heart. He didn't understand why Emmeraude wanted Mii; it didn't exactly sound like Emmeraude herself was after Lucy, only the Spriggan; and lastly, what on earth was he talking about concerning the Princess!?

"…Natsu…?" Happy turned his head to Natsu. He was pretty concerned about the whole thing.

* * *

Purple miasma leaked from Alice, filling the air around the Sabertooth mages. It was toxic and inhaling too much was clearly fatal, meaning that keeping distance was the only way to survive against this mysterious woman. "Honestly, you all should feel so terrible…" Alice swayed back and forth, her red eyes gleaming with playfulness. "Ganging up on a lone girl like this…"

"Stay back! That poison is dangerous!" Minerva told everyone. She was using her magic to rid her territory of the noxious gases, but as soon as she removed it, it just came back! The only way to get rid of it was to move the source, Alice, but the magic she tried to use on the Spriggan just decayed into nothing.

"Allow me to deal with this promptly." Rufus took to the air while placing two fingers upon his temple yet again. "I seem to recall Alvarez suffering a defeat by our hands. That being said, you would do well to etch this into your memory: we do not intend to bow to threats. Memory Make: Purifying Air Cannon!" A magic seal formed before Rufus, unleashing a potent twister of devil slaying wind. This twister formed around Alice to keep her within the eye of the storm while also drawing in all the poisons.

"Nice one, Rufus!" Sting exclaimed.

The victory was very short lived. The tornado rapidly deteriorated into nothing and the toxic mist spread out once again. "Cute!" Alice hummed as draconic wings sprouted from her back – six of them, in fact. Before anyone could register what they were looking at, Alice appeared before Rufus in the blink of an eye, swinging a fist at the Memory Maker's chest. It was a direct blow and Rufus was sent soaring backwards, crashing into a building and landed unconscious.

"Rufus!?"

"Are those dragon wings!? Is she a dragon!?" Rogue exclaimed while exhaling, unleashing a Shadow Dragon's Roar at the same time.

"Half-right~" Alice twisted her body in the air, evading the incoming roar without allowing it to so much as graze her person. The Spriggan landed on her feet, glancing around as Minerva created multiple orbs of territory around her person.

"Out of my sight." These orbs then unleashed large scale beams to rain down upon the Spriggan violently, causing haphazard destruction in its wake. The surrounding area was completely annihilated with the power Minerva was unleashing, but she wasn't going to let Alice leave without even a single scratch on her body. She was also making sure to steer clear of the purple mist, but at this rate it was becoming impossible and some of it already entered her body, causing her to cough up blood.

Yukino and Sorano arrived on the scene, but were immediately pulled back by Lector and Frosch. "What is going on here!?" Sorano huffed.

"That mist is poisonous! Stay back!" Lector warned.

"W-We've already gotten as many people away from this as possible!" Yukino said while going for her key ring. "Sister and I are prepared to help!"

"I think Minerva's got it under control…" Sorano blinked at the countless explosions still raining down on Alice's location. Minerva truly was not relenting…until she started to cough profusely. The mist got to her and she had to use a hand to clear it once again.

"Damned mist…" Minerva snarled.

"Fro thinks we won!" Frosch cheered, but that was a little too prematurely…

"Honestly, I just got these clothes…" The smoke around Alice cleared and there was not a single scratch on her. Upon closer inspection, one could see that her skin was far from human – there were dragon scales on it. Presumably these lowered any and all damage taken, but it was hard to discern. "Is that the best you can muster?"

"Rogue, I'm going in…" Sting said while sprinting forward. They weren't going to make any progress striking from afar! They had to get in close!

"Right behind you." Rogue said and sprinted alongside Sting. The two of them were in Dragon Force, braving the poison mist while closing the distance towards Alice. As soon as they got close, they began assaulting her with their usual tag team strikes!

"Sting-sama! Rogue-sama! Be careful!" Yukino pleaded.

"We can't do anything with this mist…" Sorano had to cover her mouth.

"You two are something else!" Alice said with a wide grin on her face, red eyes gleaming with excitement as she ducked, weaved, and blocked the Twin Dragons dual assault. They were unable to get a clean hit on her!

"White Shadow Dragon's Rough Silk!" Sting slid to the left, while Rogue did to the right. Thin, yet piercing beams of white and black extended from their fingers to skewer the Spriggan before them. Unfortunately for the Twin Dragons, these beams broke apart into nothing shortly after coming into contact with Alice. "Shit…!" Sting cursed, now coughing up some blood due to being so close to the origin point of the mist.

"Why is nothing working?!" Rogue coughed.

"Everything I touch turns to nothing. That is the curse of The Creation." Alice said while swinging her scythe around before bringing it forward in a horizontal manner, attempting to decapitate Sting and Rogue. They were able to dodge, but she still nearly had their heads. "I'll give you one more shot, Sabertooth. I'm getting a little bored of this hunt. It's supposed to be fun when your prey can't fight back, but it's getting a little sad at this point…"

"Damn you…talking down to us…" Sting pulled his hand back, a brilliant white light exploding from behind him with all the magic power he was gathering up. "You truly don't know what you're up against!" As he roared, there was coughing and blood coming from his lips.

"The might of Sabertooth is far stronger than you could ever think!" Rogue added while drawing his opposing arm back, a large sphere of darkness forming and slowly merging within Sting's own.

Minerva was standing behind Alice, generating a large amount of magic herself. At a time like this, she wished Rufus was conscious, and that Orga were still with them as his pure might would help in a situation like this. Alas, they were going to have to go all out without them. "We Tigers shall devour you." Minerva said as the sphere in her hands condensed, surging with overflowing power to the point it could no longer be contained and released itself in a large multicolored beam.

"WHITE SHADOW DRAGON'S FLASH FANG!" Sting and Rogue unleashed their signature unison raid, unleashing a brilliant beam of perfectly blended light and darkness to soar towards the Spriggan.

"Oh, now we're cooking…" Alice licked her lips before spinning her scythe around, stabbing it into the ground before holding her arms out at her sides. Alice unleashed two small purple orbs that were seemingly consumed by the incoming blasts. Before those blasts even reached her, they broke apart into absolutely nothing, leaving discolored specks of Ethernano to linger in the air.

Everyone was stunned at how easily she dismissed their attacks. Sting couldn't believe it. "W-What the…what are you…?"

"The Creation." Alice stepped forward before flapping her wings. The purple miasma she released lifted into the air, some of it splitting off to create clones of Alice that all pointed down, focusing on a large mass of poison. "This has been fun. Expiation." The poison sphere was going to crash down with no resistance and the Sabertooth mages braced for the worst, but Yukino was fast enough to summon Libra and caused the sphere to cease movement completely. "Oh?"

In truth, Yukino was frightened. Alice's power was somehow even more frightening than Neinhart's or even Rahkeid's. But standing up to her wasn't the issue…it was dealing with this purple sphere. She couldn't carelessly dispose of it! It was active poison and who knows what would happen! "That is enough. You're fighting me now."

"Sister…" Sorano was ready to fight as well.

"Aw…I wanted to flex…" Sighing, Alice snapped her fingers and the clones dispersed to nothing more than mere mist and she picked up her scythe. At that moment, Julius' message was displayed for all of Fiore. "Oh. What a showoff, I wanted to do that…oh well. Take those words to heart! Also, if you find either Prometheus or Pandora, be sure to report it!"

"Wait, huh!?" Lector didn't understand.

"Bye bye!" Before Alice flew off, she snapped her fingers to cause the sphere of poison to explode. At that moment, Minerva used her magic once again to be rid of it for real this time, although it was far too close for comfort.

"Damn it…" Minerva rested against some rubble, coughing still from the poison. Yukino and Sorano rushed to the injured mages, hoping that the poison didn't cause any lasting damage.

"Alvarez…again…" Sting placed a hand on his side, powering down for now. This left a bitter taste in his mouth…

* * *

Diamond stood on a rooftop, staring down at Ragen and the Black Phoenix mages he was making short work of. To think she just wanted a friendly visit only for this to happen. "So what the hell's going on here?"

Asuka stared at Diamond with wide eyes. She heard of this woman! "Is that Diamond Ice!?" Diamond was pretty popular around Black Phoenix. She also heard Diamond was pretty strong…

"…" Ragen tilted his head at Diamond curiously. "…Attacking a mage from Seven isn't on my agenda."

At that comment, Diamond swiped her arm to the side, instantly generating a blizzard in the surrounding area. It was cold and those around weren't exactly prepared for it. "Looks like you're going to have to pencil me in." Lifting her hand, several large sharp icicles formed within the blizzard and began to rain down on the Spriggan. "Icicle Crash!"

"Hmph…" Ragen scoffed before showcasing an incredible amount of speed, zipping between the incoming icicles while racing towards Diamond. When he got close she intended to block him off with a diamond wall, but to her surprise he phased right through it!

"What in the-!?" Diamond's eyes widened before she received a powerful punch to the chest, causing her to stagger back, cringing from the impact. "Huh!?"

"This fight is not in your favor." Ragen stated. The mask he wore hid his expression, but not his that gaze he gave Diamond.

"Try me." The Dealer mage responded, unleashing a bombardment of diamond lances in Ragen's direction. It was nonstop and she also needed to see how what the deal was with his magic.

"….If you wish." Ragen would entertain her for just a moment – nothing more. The Spriggan sprinted forward as the incoming diamond lances crashed against his body. His body was now so solid, not even the hardest material in the world could withstand it and shattered. Diamond realized this and moved to evade the incoming punch, feeling the wind pressure as Ragen's fist just narrowly grazed her head. "Do you understand?"

A sharp knee was coming for Diamond's gut, which she barely managed to block with one hand, and as soon as contact was made, she gripped tight and immediately used her diamonds to hold Ragen there. "I understand…that I'm gonna break you!" A golden light formed within Diamond's hands as her signature Break Hammer returned from its long recovery in the war. A powerful two handed swing slammed the mallet against Ragen's chest, sending him soaring backwards!

"A direct hit!" Alexander said.

Ragen flew back but caught himself with a flip, landing with no issue. There didn't seem to be any injuries on his person and he eventually phased through the diamonds. "…Hm."

"Seriously? Nothing!?" Diamond groaned. "Guess I'll be chipping away at this brick wall for a while."

"Be careful…" Tristan warned while standing up. "He's very dangerous."

"No kidding, that punch would've caved my chest in if I wasn't already dead…" Diamond remarked.

"…" Ragen stood up properly and turned his back. "I'm done here. I've delivered Her Majesty's message to that man there. I have no time to quarrel with the likes of you."

"WH-!?" Diamond's eyes widened as she just felt utterly insulted now. "Get back here and fight me!" The blizzard raged on, but Ragen used this to his advantage and vanished into the ground before Diamond could even freeze it. "HEY!" The blizzard did die down, but she was just fuming now.

"Wow…she's pretty strong…" Ethan said with a pained chuckle.

"She totally chased that guy off!" That's how Asuka saw it. And in the next instant, she was all up in Diamond's face with eager eyes. "Hey! I've heard about you! We should fight, I heard you're strong! C'mon, give me a round!"

…Suddenly, Diamond had a massive headache. "…Please, don't. I don't want to."

"Come on! Just one!" Asuka didn't want to pass this up. Diamond found herself palming the girl's face just to keep her away.

"I don't want to fight you! Moving on…what was that guy?" Diamond turned to Tristan. At that moment, Julius' message was displayed for all of Fiore to see. Needless to say, that answered her question pretty quickly. "….Oh, I see…"

* * *

Back in Alvarez, Emmeraude just so happened to catch wind of what happened from…Alice. "Your Majesty, we've delivered a message to Fiore. The vessel I sent to Fiore got all of it."

"Oh, have you now?" Emmeraude glanced at Alice. "I suppose that explains the amused grin on your face."

"The others will be returning shortly. Unfortunately, it appears as though neither Prometheus nor Pandora were sighted." Alice reported with a frown.

This made Emmeraude release a somewhat annoyed sigh. "Of course. Although my quarrel isn't with Pandora in the slightest. I just want Prometheus for stealing that which doesn't belong to him." Motioning for Alice to follow, the Empress of Alvarez began to walk.

"If it is not too much to ask, Your Majesty…what did he steal?" Alice followed Emmeraude without question. Pretty much everyone in Alvarez did.

"I'll show you. But first, I assume that there was no information on Koryuji either?" Emmeraude asked and Alice shook her head. "I see. I'm going to ramble for a second as we walk. To make a long story short, I already know that Fiore is entering Earthland's Strongest. The Wizard Hunters have likely goaded them the same way they tried to me."

"But with what prize? You have your mother and Fiore's Queen at stake…" Alice asked. "So they must have Fiore's Queen…"

"If you're going to spur Fairy Tail into action, it's best to dangle what they want in front of them." Emmeraude was speaking from experience after all. "They are looking for Koryuji and she's with the Wizard Hunters…combined with the data I pulled from Koryuji's eye, the conclusion is that even with her current condition, they have a way to kill her, and are confident that Fairy Tail, or rather, Fiore, can't save her."

"Ah…" Alice just nodded.

"And I can't allow her to perish before I extract Sophie's magic from her…" Emmeraude's voice trailed off for some odd reason. They arrived at the door to a sealed off room and it was opened. "As for what Prometheus stole…" There was a lone healing pod in the room. Similar to those found in Tartarus, but Emmeraude was able to tweak it to remove the demon particles. She didn't send Ross to the remains of Tartarus two years ago for nothing – the data of Mira, Minerva, and Cynthia in those pods told her a lot about the process. But that aside, it was what was inside the pod that was the most important. The body of Eileen Belserion. "He stole the soul of my friend. And I plan to pry her soul from the Grim Reaper's grim with my very own hands."

.

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Next Time: Mii and I.


	122. Chapter 122: Mii and I

One year ago. The war against Alvarez came to a close and Acnologia had just been defeated. Port Hargeon was in a victorious uproar after the long battle had come to a close. Lucy attempted to speak to Emmeraude, but the woman brushed it off and instead pointed to the sky, where Natsu and Happy, along with the other dragon slayers who did battle against the dragon's soul fell out. "I am tired…" Emmeraude let out a quiet sigh, but her duty wasn't done yet. She approached Tristan and placed her hands on her hips. "This is the last time I'll ask something of you. Take me back to Magnolia where my mother is waiting. You have enough magic for one more round trip, don't you?" Mest was around too, but she didn't trust him at all; that went without saying.

"Very well." Tristan figured he could do this one thing for her. After all, had it not been for her, Lucy would have fell unconscious during Fairy Sphere. The Steel Make mage gave Emmeraude one more round trip, taking her to Magnolia before returning to Hargeon to celebrate with everyone else.

Emmeraude was placed right in the town square. The woman didn't even take a moment to glance around, she already knew where she was going: Fairy Hills. Along the way…

"Em! You're all right!" Emerald rushed over to her daughter. "Did everything turn out all right?"

"Yes, Mother." Emmeraude nodded. "Acnologia has been defeated. The battle is over, and now that it is, the adrenaline has rushed out of my body and left my exhausted. But there is one more thing I must do before I can rest."

"What is that…?" Emerald followed alongside her daughter with a curious expression.

"I have to preserve Elieen's body." That was all Emmeraude said. Unfortunately she was unable to save her friend before Acnologia stomped what little life she had left out of her. Had they just a little more time, she may have been able to do something and she regretted that. She couldn't bring the body onto the ship either – she thought about it, but considering how things turned out, it was better she didn't risk losing the enchantress' body to the ocean.

"I didn't know you two had gotten along so quickly…" Emerald's lips lifted up into a slight smile.

The Verde pair made their way to Fairy Hills, only to be greeted by a horrifying sight: Prometheus and Pandora standing over Elieen's corpse. Prometheus was holding something within his hand with that heinous smile on his lips. Emerald was about to gasp but Emmeraude held a hand out to silence her mother.

"Kyahaha…rest in peace, Elieen. Your soul, along with August's, will make excellent additions to my ever growing collection." Prometheus grinned madly. It was definitely a good call on his part to depart from Hargeon once Acnologia had been defeated.

"It is a shame that Zeref's soul escaped to a place beyond even our reach…" Pandora lamented. "But the Alvarez Empire has suffered heavy losses…"

"Who cares!?" Prometheus turned to Pandora, his back now facing the two who he was unaware of. "We have no reason to stay in the kingdom anymore. We've more or less accomplished what we aimed to do."

Oh. High treason, was it? "I think I've heard enough." The demon and goddess were unaware of their presence and Emmeraude intended to make use of this. A hand was pointed forward, a large beam of crash magic soaring towards Prometheus. They were pretty beat up and she was fairly confident she could take him out with an unsuspecting strike.

"…!" Pandora sensed it. The Goddess of Balance turned, pushing Prometheus out of the way while using her scepter to block the strike. She managed to hold her ground for a few seconds before ultimately being thrown back. "Kyaaaah!"

"Huh!?" Prometheus watched as Pandora landed on her back. "Pandora!?" And then he turned to Emmeraude, wearing his usual grin. "Oh, if it isn't our Emerald Empress! Whatever brings you here?"

"The battle is over…" Pandora slowly pulled herself up. "There is no reason for you to be here."

"I could say the same for the both of you." Emmeraude continued to hold her hand out. "And yet, here you are, robbing my friend of that which belongs to her. I care not about the other souls you've collected, but I'm going to ask you to give this one back."

"Not a chance!" Prometheus laughed while numerous 'wisps' surrounded his body. The more potent ones were the souls of the Spriggan he personally reaped: Neinhart, Bradman, August, Ajeel, and now Eileen. There were few more, such as Orga and various others. "This is my calling! To reap the souls of the departed! I'd go for Acnologia's soul too, if it were in a place I could reach!"

"Not even you can hold that level of power…" Emmeraude's yellow gaze narrowed. "Return her soul. Now."

"We're no longer allies. If you want it, you'll have to take it." Prometheus taunted as a rift appeared behind him and Pandora.

"I'll pry it from your corpse." Emmeraude's hand unleashed numerous chains to pierce Prometheus, but unfortunately he and Pandora escaped before they could reach. The woman's gaze narrowed and she drew her arm back, annoyed.

"Em…" Emerald honestly had a little trouble processing what it was she just witnessed.

"…We are no longer allies indeed." Emmeraude knelt down, lifting Eileen's body into her arms. "Come, Mother. We can still preserve the body."

* * *

"And that is the story of what happened after the war." Emmeraude told Alice while exiting the room. "Prometheus and Pandora are no longer allies of the Alvarez Kingdom, especially my kingdom. Therefore I want nothing more than Eileen's soul back where it belongs so she can return to the world of the living."

"As expected of Your Majesty." Alice bowed her head. "But if I may…playing God is a dangerous game. I can't help but express my concern…"

"And your concern is greatly appreciated, Alice." Emmeraude smiled. "But worry not. Playing God is a fun hobby when you're good at it. After all, my will is god's desire and my existence is god's will." There was that confidence Emmeraude was known for. "The demons of Tartarus toyed with the concept of life and death without a second thought of the grander scale. So that pod is nothing more than loophole in the rule's Ankersham holds so dearly."

"Oh…" Alice couldn't help but shudder from such overwhelming confidence. This was but one of many reasons everyone in Alvarez adored the new Empress. "Truly, Your Majesty…we are truly blessed to have you."

"Your words are flattering, Alice." Emmeraude merely smiled. Alvarez truly couldn't ask for a better ruler in place of Emperor Spriggan. "It's ironic, really. Elieen would be excellent in detaching Sophie's magic from those listed, but first I must detach her soul from Prometheus. Quite a long list."

"Worry not, Your Majesty. The second we spot Mii Koryuji or Prometheus, know that they will be brought to you!"

"I trust in the 12 of you to carry out your duty. You were all handpicked by me, so my faith in your abilities is only natural. I have high expectations for all of you." Emmeraude started to make her way towards her quarters. "You are free to do as you wish until the others return. When they do, we have much to discuss about the coming tournament."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Alice bowed and made her way off for the time being.

* * *

In the meantime, Emmeraude returned to her quarters. She grabbed the eyepatch she forced Mii to wear and held it up. It was more than just a method of restricting the visual lacrima in Mii's eyes – it scanned the woman inside and out, displaying an image of her via lacrima screen for Emmeraude to examine. The Empress already surmised that Mii was being used to goad Fairy Tail into action, but if that was the case, what did they have up their sleeve? "They're threatening to kill my mother and Hisui based on our results, and they have the methods to do so. But even in Koryuji's case in mind, they're boldly dangling her life in front of them…" Furrowing her brows. Out of some strange instinct, she shifted the screen to expose Mii's skin, spotting all the self-inflicted scars on the woman's body. This made her frown for some reason. "I see…"

There was soon a knock on her door. "Em? Are you in there?" It was Emerald.

"…It's open." Emmeraude replied after hearing her mother's voice.

Emerald opened the door, closing it behind her to keep their conversation. "Em, you've been pacing about a lot lately. You should get some rest."

"I'm fine." Emmeraude replied without turning to face her mother. "You should be the one resting."

"I've gotten all the rest I needed. It won't exactly help now, will it?" With a slight smile, she decided to see what it was Emmeraude was looking at. "Oh. That woman – Mii, was it? You've been very fixated on her as of late. You're scowling, too…"

"I'm scowling because my fate is tied to this cursed being." The Empress replied. "Ever since the day we met, she's done nothing but find new ways to annoy me. Even now, she's found a way to get under my skin."

"Knowing you, that's no easy feat." Emerald placed her hands together. "You know, Em. I know you haven't said very many nice things about her, but while I was held captive by those Hunters, she talked about you as much as you do her."

"Is that a fact…" Emmeraude sighed.

"In fact, she was the one who suggested she be the one to escort me back to you." As soon as Emerald said this, Emmeraude glanced back. That seemed to have caught her attention. "Things were going to go much differently…"

* * *

[Flashback]

It was just after the Wizard Hunters escaped with Emerald in tow. Their airship was already long gone and Fairy Tail hadn't the slightest clue where they were going. Furthermore, Mii just finished stalling for time in a very violent manner, forcing them into a dead end with Hisui, the only one of the kidnapped women they could recover. Their ship landed past the border of Seven and Mii rejoined them after landing. "Well, that was fun." Mii said while landing.

"Did you kill em!? Eh? Eh!?" Yukia asked while leaning in.

"Nah. They weren't worth it." Mii shook her head. "They just screamed their usual bullshit at me."

"Sounds about right." Aeon tapped his chin.

"So…this one…" Rajaron stared at Emerald, who didn't flinch despite his huge stature. "Can I eat her?"

"I would prefer if you do not." Emerald stated.

"She is off the menu." Lucia shook her head. "We never intended to truly take them to begin with. This was just…a little game we wanted to play with Fairy Tail to test them after toppling the previous Alvarez Empire."

"But they…" Aeon began.

"We are aware they did not fight alone." Yeager interjected. "But alas, it is still a fact the war was started because of them. Nonetheless, I wanted a good showdown against those you've encountered. I must say, they did disappoint."

"I see…" Aeon nodded. "So what's next in the plan, then? Hisui was rescued due to this one…" The man in the white suit pointed at Emerald, who gave a coy smile.

"The plan resumes." Lucia folded her arms over her chest. "I will escort Lady Emerald back to Alvarez and use her as the bargaining chip to coerce the Empress."

"Uhm…are you sure that's a good idea? I don't think it is." Mii spoke up. "The second you step foot in Alvarez with Emerald, Em would throttle you. Besides, I heard she's got a new Spriggan 12 already; who knows what those guys can do."

"She's a smart enough woman to know that violence is not the option. Besides, 12 mages do not frighten me – I can handle such a number without breaking the smallest of sweats." Lucia stated with confidence that may as well been arrogance.

"Ah, that's my sister. Ever so confident in her sword arm." Yeager mused.

Mii crossed her arms and shook her head, releasing a heavy sigh. "You may be Excalibur's wielder, but boy you gotta work on that arrogance. I have absolute faith that if you were within arm's reach, she would physically choke you out."

"I would welcome the attempt." Lucia brushed her short hair. The others weren't surprised by their leader's display of absolute confidence, but Mii honestly couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Although I will set the record straight, I do not intend to prematurely start any conflict with the Alvarez Empire."

"We already kidnapped her mom, conflict has started. Plus, I don't think you know how serious Em can get." Mii shrugged her shoulders. "One time, when I was younger, I accidentally ate her last cupcake. When I told her, she said it was fine, but her eye was totally twitching – I think that was the first time she got mad at Mii. A few weeks later, she bought me some cupcakes. She waited until just the last one was left and then ate it! With that smug grin on her face too." That story had the Hunters both confused and shocked.

"….." As for Emerald, she could only shake her head. That sounded exactly like something her daughter would do and she knew it.

"And you told us this fascinating story because…." Yumia asked.

"That sounds incredibly extra and unnecessary…" Yeager shrugged.

"And now you understand how Em works. Even the slightest offense can put you on her petty list! I mean, I'm 100% she still holds a dislike for Lucy just for the sake of it at this point. With no intentions of letting that little grudge die." Mii wagged a finger. "So if any of you tried to do the return, she'd probably make an example of you. Mii, though? I'm sure I can provide a nice sense of comfort in this trying time."

"How do you know she won't flog you alive?" Yukia asked.

"She'll probably be unhappy to see Mii at most, but I know how to defuse her anger." Mii said with a grin. "Surely that won't be a problem, will it? Plus, I just want to see how she's been doing. I haven't seen her since the battle ended a year ago…"

"…." Emerald didn't say a word. She just listened to the way Mii talked about her daughter.

[End flashback]

* * *

"The way she talked about you…" Emerald continued. "I could tell you've made a very deep impression on her. You two haven't just known each other for a long time…you've spent a lot of time together, haven't you? And the way you're looking now…"

"I don't care or not if she dies." Emmeraude said. "She can die after I retrieve the traces of Sophie from her."

Such a cruel remark made Emerald frown. "You talk about each other a lot from what I gather. Would you at least tell me how you two met? I know your previous companions were very close to you, but Mii…"

"22 years." Emmeraude said. "That is how long I've known her. Ever since that Holy War 22 years ago…"

* * *

X774 – 22 years ago. The Pergrande Kingdom was recovering from a heavy war with the angels above. The war was known as the Holy War of Pergrande – and the strongest nation in Ishgar claimed victory. Of course, since it was war, it didn't go without saying that they suffered their own damages, but they were recovering fast. Emmeraude was no Commandant just yet, but a high ranking official within the army, overseeing the military's recovery. "That battle was extremely harrowing. I had no doubt we'd emerge victorious, but those angels were stronger than I anticipated…"

"Oh, Em, there you are…" That voice belonged to a familiar face. The pink haired witch of the Pergrande Kingdom: Takeba Vermillion. Her black tinted yellow eyes looked tired – everyone was tired. "Listen, I've got a bit of a job for you…"

"I'm afraid I'm not too interested in taking up more work." Emmeraude replied while waving a hand. "As you can see, I'm also busy…"

"Aren't we all?" The witch sighed. "But we do have something important to keep an eye on." Takeba glanced back at the nearby wall, where a small red-headed child was poking her head out. She seemed a little shy. "Come here, it's all right."

"…." The girl slowly nodded, shuffling to Takeba's side.

"…?" Emmeraude lifted a brow at the young child. She was adorable. "Is this?"

"Indeed. This is Mii Yggdrassil Koryuji. The reason we fought and won this little war of ours." Takeba said proudly. "His Majesty wishes to keep this child in a safe place, but without making her feel uncomfortable. We've cycled through a lot of people we can think of and she didn't like any them."

"So I'm a last resort, is it?" Emmeraude didn't seem too pleased. She didn't want to add babysitting on her to do list. "I'm honored to know I was your last option." And as such, her voice gave out the perfect amount of sarcasm to go along with it.

"Actually…" Takeba began. "She just pointed at you."

"…?" Emmeraude stared at the shy child. "Did she now?"

"She won't tell me why. I guess she's just drawn to you. I would take care of her myself, but I have to be by Queen Nercon's side since she's due to give birth soon." Takeba tilted her head. "Can you watch her for a little while? If you don't like her, I'll just find someone else."

"You ask, but I have a feeling you're asking as a formality more than anything else…" Emmeraude crossed her arms.

"Only if you said no." Smiling, Takeba waved and made her way off, leaving Mii and Emmeraude alone.

"…" Mii rubbed her arm, shyly glancing away from Emmeraude.

Emmeraude crouched down to be at eye level with Mii. Dealing with children was her forte, so she was pretty sure she could get through to her. Maybe she could even be like the daughter she's always wanted? It was worth a shot. "My name is Emmeraude Verde. You're Mii, aren't you?"

Mii's green eyes looked up towards Emmeraude. "You're pretty."

"…Ah…Oh…" Emmeraude was no stranger to people taking a shot at her. She was often called one of the beauties of Pergrande's army. But the childish innocence behind Mii's compliment is what took her aback. It was genuine. "T-Thank you."

"Hehe." Mii managed a very tiny smile. Little did either of them know that this was going to result in 20 year attempt for Emmeraude's affection. Well, maybe Mii knew. Nobody could tell what this child was thinking. Her stomach then rumbled and she poked her fingers together. "….."

"Are you hungry?" Emmeraude stood up, extending her hand out to Mii. "Come on, Mii. I'll cook you something."

"You can cook?" Mii took Emmeraude's hand, staring up at the woman.

"You sound surprised." Emmeraude led Mii off elsewhere. "Do you not know anyone who can cook?"

"I know one person." Mii said. "My uhm, mentor. My mom, before she passed, had him teach me the basics like reading and writing, and a little fighting if I had to defend myself."

"You have a mentor?" Emmeraude asked. "So why aren't you with him?" Why was she stuck babysitting this child?

"After what happened…no one knows where he went to." Mii's gaze averted down. "I want to go look for him, but I'm not allowed to yet. I was told to stay here. I don't…really have anywhere else to go, so King Ashnard said I could stay in Pergrande under some supervision."

Clearly this was a sensitive topic. This was the girl that caused a war after all, and her 'home' was the losing side. So Emmeraude decided to drop things right there for the time being. When she had a closer look at Mii's face, it was clear the girl hadn't slept and had probably been crying. It was easy to piece together that she was likely ostracized from her home. "I see. I won't ask you anymore for now then. Until then, I'll make you some food. Do you have a place to sleep?"

To that, Mii shook her head. "Uh uh…"

"Great…" Emmeraude was seeing where this was going. "Until the witch returns, I suppose you'll be in my care then. I hope that's not too much of a problem, Mii."

"Nope!" Mii flashed a wide grin. "No problem to Mii!"

…Was that a pun? Dear god, she was unfortunately smart enough to be using her own name as a pun. Emmeraude could already tell this child was going to get on her nerves somehow. "I'm going to have to find something else to call you…"

" _And that was how we first met. I thought she'd mature into a lovely young lady, but she was fast to prove me wrong. Over the years, there was a shift in her personality. One I couldn't help but notice or stop…"_

* * *

X777. A very special year for various reasons that needed not explaining. Mii had grown rather attached to Emmeraude over the last few years. The now 11 year old child was practically attached to her at the hip, much to the woman's chagrin. It was hard to get any work done. Ironically, the two of them were in Fiore. Emmeraude had been tasked with overseeing the potential cause of the strange magical fluctuations the country, while Mii just decided to tag along. The two of them were surveying the bustling capital from a hill a few miles away. "There is a strange surge of magic swelling somewhere within that city…"

"It looks like a nice city…" Mii was sitting by a tree. A few moments of silence occurred before multiple shooting stars shot out from Crocus! "Whoa! Look Em! Shooting stars!"

"….I don't think…" No, those weren't shooting stars. They weren't coming down to earth, they were flying into the sky! What in the world? This also happened to cause the magic radar she had in her hands to go crazy! "…So Fiore was up to someth-"

"Make a wish!" Mii tugged Emmeraude's arm, completely cutting her train of thought.

"…" Great. Not like she could figure out where those strange lights were going anyway; they all scattered and she hadn't the slightest clue where to begin looking. Besides, doing so may be overstepping her boundaries. Fine. She'd play along.

"What did you wish for?" Mii asked, peering up at her babysitter.

"…Aren't I not supposed to tell you? That jinxes it, doesn't it?" As far as she knew, anyway.

"Hm." Mii rocked her head back and forth. "Oh! I'll tell you mine then! That should cancel it out."

"I don't think…"

"I want to have a meaningful death." Mii nodded.

Wait, what!? Those weren't the words an 11 year old should be saying or wishing for. Emmeraude crouched down, staring Mii in the eyes with a hint of concern. How could she say such a thing so easily!? "You're 11 years old, Koryuji. What is this talk about dying?"

"Uh,.." Emmeraude reacted to that a little more strongly than Mii expected. "So…when an angel is born, their fate is decided for them. Like…one may end up with a broken limb, or living a poor life no matter how hard they try. Their fate is unescapable."

"Inescapable." Emmeraude quickly corrected.

"Oh. Right." Mii nodded. "Anyway…my fate is to die in about 20 years…so I just want my death to mean something."

That was horrible! This child talking about dying like it was nothing. "Who decides your fate?"

"….My father…" Mii mumbled.

"…" How odd. There was a strange feeling in Emmeraude's chest. "I see. Even angels can be cruel to their children."

"Maybe he knew I'd do that bad thing…" Mii's gaze lowered and her eyes started to water. "So this is punishment for me being a bad daughter. But no one believes me when I say I didn't mean to...no one wants to be around me. So I've wondered…if maybe this is what I deserve…"

And before Mii could continue, Emmeraude wrapped her arms around the child. It was the first time she had embraced Mii – her maternal instincts were just spurred at the sight of this lonely child. "Not another word."

"Huh…?" Mii was honestly about to cry. This was something she hadn't expected.

"When I asked who decided your fate, I wasn't just asking who gave it to you." Emmeraude explained. "You are only half angel, aren't you?"

"U-Uhm…yes…?" Mii didn't understand the question. "But…I don't get it…?"

"I'm not going to explain every little thing for you." Emmeraude pulled back and stood up. "It's your life to live, after all. You can't have my answer everything in your life. But I will say that you'll find something worth it living for someday. You're still a child."

"But you know everything…" Mii pouted. Emmeraude's words didn't quite stick with her and went over her head. "What was your wish?"

"…Sorry. I can't tell you now. I had to change it." Emmeraude said while preforming the zipped lips motion.

"Wha!?" Mii's eyes widened and she stomped her foot childishly. "That's not fair! Fine, I'm changing mine too! When I'm older, I'm gonna uhm…what was that word…court you! Yeah!"

"…" Yeah, Mii was definitely a child. Emmeraude could only shake her head. "If you think you can, by all means." Words she'd come to regret in a few years. "Regardless, we should get moving…" She had a bad feeling about those lights that emerged from Crocus. A personal feeling she just couldn't explain.

"I guess…" Mii stood up. "I like it here. It's a little quieter compared to Pergrande."

"Hm…" Emmeraude was having some thoughts. But alas, they wouldn't matter for the time being. As she and Mii walked off, they just so happened to pass by an older woman with blonde hair and brown eyes. The two exchanged glances, but the woman hurried off since she was in search of something.

"What's with the sour look, Em?" Mii inquired. "You look like you're holding another small grudge…"

"…I can't explain it, but that woman's presence bothers me." Emmeraude said.

"Come on, it's not like you're ever gonna see her again," Mii waved a hand. "Let's go home already."

"…I suppose you're right…" Oh, but how wrong she actually was…

* * *

X782 – 5 years later, shortly after Emmeraude became a Commandant. Mii and Em's relationship was starting to become…a little more what it was akin to in the future. Even so, there was something that had Emmeraude's attention about Mii. The new commandant found herself storming towards the medical wing of the castle, only to be stopped by a few doctors. "Where is she?"

"Ack…!" The doctors looked at each other. It was of the utmost important to keep this bit of information away from Emmeraude, but unfortunately they couldn't do such a thing. "W-We hate to break it to you, Commandant Emmeraude, b-but…the operation was carried out a few hours ago. She's currently resting."

"Remove it." Emmeraude demanded. "There is absolutely no reason such a thing should be imparted onto her. She is irresponsible."

"I-I'm afraid we can't do that either…" The second doctor shook his head. "The lacrima in her eye is firmly attached. We can't remove it without removing her eye as a whole, and well…that would go against the orders we've received. I-I'm sorry…"

"I'm truly sorry…we were aware of how close you two are, but…" The first doctor said.

"Tch….the fact the operation was kept from me only tells me this was to be expected." Emmeraude pushed the doctor's aside and walked into the room where Mii was resting. It looked as though the teenager was completely unconscious and there was an eyepatch over her left eye to allow the wound to heal. "You're an incredible burden to keep track of; I hope you know that…" And so she sat down, pulling a book out and awaited Mii to awaken.

It was a few hours until Mii finally stirred. One eye opened and she groaned, placing a hand over her patched left eye. "Ugh…where am I? Is it over…?" Sitting up, the red head looked around and noticed Emmeraude immediately. "Oh Em…how long have you been here. …Wait, you're here!?"

"Yes, Koryuji." Emmeraude glanced up from her book. "I am here."

"Er…watching Mii sleep again?" Mii tried to wink, but since she only had one visible eye at the moment, it just looked like she was blinking.

"That was when you were 10 and had a nightmare. You wouldn't leave me alone and clung to me…but that aside." Closing her book, she crossed one leg and stared at Mii. "I can only imagine that you knew about such a procedure."

"…Yeah." Mii rubbed the back of her head. "Why do you seem so upset though?"

"Because having a lacrima implanted in your eye is absolutely unnecessary." Emmeraude shot. "Then again, you are the master of making irresponsible decisions."

Mii pouted at that one. "Yeah, it was my decision." And her lying habit was ever prevalent. "It's no big deal, Em, geeeeez. You're not my mom."

"I don't want to be, either. Watching you grow up has been nearly enough to drive me to alcoholism." Emmeraude placed two fingers on her forehead. "Even with my supervision you still somehow manage to make the worst decisions possible."

"But don't you just love that about Mii?" Mii grinned.

"No. I wish you'd stop using your name as a pun. It's why I refuse to call you by your first name." Emmeraude continued to sigh. At this point, she was certain she was the only person in the world who tolerated Mii. She didn't even know why either.

* * *

X784. 18 year old Mii barged into Emmeraude's room while she was busy. Of course this irritated Em and she knew it! "Hey Em! Em!"

"Oh my goodness, can't you see I'm busy?" Emmeraude turned to Mii with a glare. "I'm looking over the new recruits to the military. I haven't been able to find anyone suitable for my unit just yet."

"Yeah yeah, who cares?" Mii waved a hand, pointing to her boots. "These boots you made Mii for my birthday are so good! I love shooting with them! No one expects bullet like that out after a kick!"

"Of course they're good." Emmeraude replied. "I made them after all. Considering how much you enjoy kicking and shooting things, I only thought it natural to make you something that fits your criteria."

For some reason, this made Mii wrinkle her nose. "Seriously? You're just gonna believe Mii, just like that?"

"You can tell as many lies as you want to everyone else, but you should know by now you can't lie to me." Emmeraude responded absentmindedly. "Your lies may work on everyone else, but to me, you're as transparent as they come."

"Pfffft." Mii stuck her tongue out at Emmeraude. "You're no fun."

"I'm not here to have fun." Emmeraude stood up and approached Mii. "More importantly, I have something to ask you."

"Wait, before you do that!" Mii held up a finger to shush Emmeraude. "I have an announcement. I'm going to try and become a Commandant."

That was the complete opposite of what Emmeraude wanted to hear. "I don't think that is a wise idea. I'd much rather have you in my unit than be off doing your own thing."

"See, I was thinking about that…" Mii started to pace around Emmeraude's room. "And as much fun as it sounds being under you…" Since it was Mii, she meant this in a completely sexual manner. "…I'd much rather be on top of you."

SIGH. "Koryuji, think about think for a second. You are an absolutely irresponsible human being who could never make a good decision. You're unfit to be a Commandant."

"So you don't think I can do it!?" Mii shot back. "You don't think I have what it takes to stand next to you?"

"That isn't what I said. If you joined my unit…" Emmeraide began.

"I could stand behind you?" Mii crossed her arms. "I'd love to be behind you, but I don't want to stand behind you. You don't think I haven't noticed you plotting something? I can't see what it is if I'm behind you."

"You're misunderstanding this entire situation." The Commandant shook her head. "If you somehow manage to become a Commandant…"

"You won't be able to keep an eye on Mii anymore?" The angel scoffed and waved a hand. "I'm a grown woman, I don't need you watching Mii like that – I'm 18 now you know."

Emmeraude pinched the bridge of her nose. "As of late it seems like your entire existence is just to oppose me. I'll make you a deal. If you fail then you'll be under my heel, no questions ask. If you somehow manage to pass that trial, then I'll leave the subject alone."

"Deal! Kiss on the cheek to make it official?" Mii teased.

"Leave." Emmeraude started to push Mii out the door. After she shoved Mii out, she closed the door and returned to her desk, tapping her fingers along the wood impatiently. "If you go and become a Commandant, there's no telling what will happen to you. You've already flown off the handles enough already…"

Her life would have been so much easier if Mii failed to become a Commandant. But unfortunately, that just wasn't the case.

An entire day passed before Mii picked the lock to Emmeraude's room. It was early in the morning so she was still sleeping. Mii leaned over the bed, watching Em sleep for a bit before using her finger to prod her awake. "Emmmmmmmmmm~. Wake up."

There was only one person who could consistently pick the lock to her door, even though she changed it every single time. Groaning, Emmeraude groggily swatted Mii's hand away as she woke up. "Stop. Picking. My. Locks."

"Never." Mii grinned while leaning back. "A Commandant has to know all sort of skills to carry out their missions."

That news jolted Em right up! She stared at Mii with a look of bewilderment. "How…in the world…?" She knew the test were personalized from person to person. But Mii? A Commandant? She refused to believe it. "Let me guess…a contest of pure strength?"

"Yup! A walk in the park!" Mii flashed a wider grin. "You should believe in Mii more. I told you I could do it!"

"… _..It was that easy for her, was it?"_ Sighing, Emmeraude started to clean up her bed head. "Very well. A deal is a deal. I'll drop the subject, Koryuji."

"Call Mii Commandant Mii!" The new Commandant snickered.

Just imagining how that sentence looked caused Emmeraude physical pain. "No." And she went to move under her covers again, but was stopped by Mii stripping them away from her. "What!?"

"Nu-uh." Mii's annoying smile crossed her lips. "We're celebrating this occasion. I'm going to annoy you all day since you didn't think I could do it."

Was this karma? What in the world did she ever do to deserve this? Emmeraude stared up at the ceiling and contemplated her relationship with this wretched being. "You are the worst being I've had the displeasure of associating with. You truly do exist just to irritate me."

It was like Mii lived just to hear those words. "I do my best."

* * *

X792. The day Emmeraude's initial Lambda experiment went horribly wrong. The day that she was exiled from Pergrande. She was already on her way out of the country after promising her mother things would turn out all right. But she didn't get too far when Mii flew down behind her, panting softly from how fast she had to fly. "Em!"

"…Koryuji." Emmeraude turned to look over her shoulder.

"What happened!?" She rushed over, but was halted by a line of chains emerging in front of her.

"I failed, that's all." Emmeraude replied. "But it is no concern. I don't see why you came all the way out here, unless you intend to try and stop me before I even get out of the country."

"N-No, I just…" Mii didn't have a clue what was going on. All she heard was that Emmeraude had been exiled from the country. "Talk to me, Em. What's going on?"

"I've been given an opportunity. A chance to finally make my dream become reality." A smile crossed Emmeraude's lips as she thought about it. "I no longer have to be confined to the shackles of this country. I can spread my wings and soar to the throne as I was meant to. Would you care to join me?" The chains lowered and Emmeraude extended her hand. "I'd much rather have you as an ally than a thorn in my side, as you tend to be."

"…" Mii reached out for a moment, only to pull her hand back. "I can't…" The angel shook her head. "I have to leave soon myself for an important mission. I'm going with a few other Commandants to search for…the Isle of the Dragons. It's lurking in the skies somewhere. I was told that on that Isle, I…"

….It was that time? Emmeraude shook her head. "And you don't care of what becomes of you, do you?"

"I wish I could say I did. But…" Shrugging, Mii presented a fake smile. "It doesn't matter, because it's my fate, you know?" Ever since Mii became a Commandant, the two of them spent much less time together. As such, they hardly saw each other and Mii's attitude towards her own inevitable death worsened. "Why be afraid of the inevitable?"

"That is far from the point…" Emmeraude withdrew her hand since Mii had no intentions of joining her. "But if you're so eager to die, then I won't stop you. I tried to help you, but it seems you just haven't been able to understand my words even now."

"…Sorry I'm such a disappointment. But that's expected of Mii." Mii kept that smile on her lips. "I just…wanted to see you one last time." And without giving Emmeraude any time to act, Mii stepped forward to hug her. "I couldn't keep my wish, which sucks. But don't…don't do anything I would do."

The hug caught Emmeraude off guard. She just stared down a Mii for a moment before ultimately prying her off. "Fail? I would never. You haven't lived, and yet you still want to die? You should try living first."

"Haha…" Mii let out a dry laugh. "Of course you won't fail. Because I believe in you." She ignored the rest of Emmeraude's words and flew off fast. It looked like she was about to cry.

"….." And so, Emmeraude was left alone in silence. "…Damn you, Koryuji." At the time, she honestly believed this would be the last time she ever saw Mii. Oh, how wrong she was…and how annoyed she'd be in the future.

[End Flashback]

* * *

As Emmeraude told her story of Mii, she was still cycling through the lacrima image. "For 22 years, she's been nothing but a nuisance."

"Em…" Emerald had no idea! She didn't realize her daughter shared such a complex relationship with that girl.

The screen was closed and Emmeraude walked to the window, gazing out at the vast city below her. "I don't know what to make of her anymore. But I know for a fact that Fairy Tail cannot save her as she is now. They don't understand her like I have. Their words only drive her into deeper despair. As it stands right now, she is nothing more than an enemy to both them and myself, and for the sake of my kingdom, you, and my daughter, I will do whatever's necessary to end the threat that is her."

"Who can save her then?" Emerald asked. "She's not a bad person. Amy means necessary could also mean…"

"The only person who can save Koryuji is herself." The Empress shook her head. _"And I am entirely to blame for her reaching that point. Mii Yggdrasil Koryuji…you are my greatest failure…"_

.

.

Next Time: Fiore's Spirit.


	123. Chapter 123: Fiore's Spirit

After the attack from the Spriggan 12 there was no choice but to regroup and recover. Those who were missing from Fairy Tail slowly returned to the guild all beat up. Natsu and Happy managed to make it back, Lucy, Mira, and Erza were right outside the city, but the biggest concern came from Gray and Juvia. They sustained heavy injuries from Ken. Juvia fared a little better, being able to walk on two feet. Gray had it the worst, limping with a hand on his stomach. Juvia was lightly supporting him in the event he collapsed, but other than that, she left Gray alone. "Are you guys all right!?" Max ran over to support Gray, who had it the worst.

"G-Guh…T-They're…back…" Gray barely managed to speak.

"It's okay, Gray. I'll take you to the infirmary…" Max said, only to be surprised by Gray weakly shoving him off.

"No…" The wounded ice maker shook his head. "I can make it…"

"Don't be stupid!" Warren yelled, objecting to Gray's decision due to his injuries. "You're hurt and…!"

"…Let him." Erza said. Her comment caused the others to look at her. As soon as she saw the way he and Juvia walk into the building, she understood immediately. Titania saw it on Gray's face – his wounded pride. That…and the feeling that he was underserving of the help everyone offered him. She could only assume that they received the worst of it.

"Are you sure…?" Romeo asked Erza, only for her to respond with a nod.

"I can make it." Gray told everyone. There was a silent tension as they all watched Gray limp his way to the infirmary. Everyone wanted to lend a hand and help Gray, but it was made clear that he refused for the sake of his own pride.

"Gray-sama…" Juvia was well enough to just sit down on a chair and be fine. But it did pain her heart to see her beloved like this. She felt even worse considering she was right there, but unable to support him. It all happened so fast.

Wendy, Cynthia, and Carla rushed into the guild. It was early in the morning when all the attacks took place and the chaos caused them to wake up. "We heard what happened! Is everyone okay!?" Cynthia's concern was voiced loud and clear.

"Is anyone injured?" Wendy's eyes rapidly glanced around before landing on Juvia. Without wasting a second, she rushed over to the water mage and started to heal her.

"Gray-sama…has it worse…" Juvia groaned. The soreness in her stomach was slowly fading away. "He's in…the infirmary."

"Okay. I'll go to him next." Wendy gave a firm nod. As soon as she was done with Juvia, the sky dragon quickly made her way to the infirmary with Cynthia alongside her.

"I hope Gray will be okay." Lucy had a frown on her lips. Seeing Gray like that did hurt her a little. But she could also tell he managed to make it to the infirmary without any more trouble.

And there was one more to enter Fairy Tail this morning – Anna Heartfilia. The announcement given by Julius had her rightfully worried. "Apologies for dropping in so suddenly, but after hearing that man's announcement, I couldn't help but drop by." Layla then made her way to Lucy, patting her down. "You aren't hurt, are you?"

"I'm fine." Lucy responded to Anna with a smile. "A little shaken up from the Spriggan encounter, but I'm unharmed."

"I can't believe that woman…" Anna crossed her arms. "I fail to understand how her mother is a saint yet birthed that…"

"Ah, Layla-chan!" Zelos remarked. He had been oddly quiet so his presence was forgotten for a second. But he made sure that Anna knew he was around. "I've missed your lovely presence around here! Please, have a drink!"

"Ah…Zelos…" Anna had a sweat drop on her forehead. "I'm afraid I'll have to pass. I didn't come for a leisurely visit. I'm worried about my descendant. Plus, you'll have a lot of work ahead of you to become a true man like…"

"Please stop." Lucy didn't want to hear the end of that sentence. Anna and Ichiya were very friendly and she just…didn't want to think about that at all.

"I've asked myself that question so many times." Cana said, responding to Anna's prior comment about Emmeraude while lifting up a mug. "To send her little henchmen out and demand Lucy like that! When will she learn!?"

"It was pretty shocking to hear a demand for me like that…" Lucy rubbed her arm. It was pretty unnerving. "But at the same time, I don't think it was Emmeraude that really sent them. The one called Little Queen kept mentioning how she was here on her own accord. She also mentioned something about…the Princess?"

"That Julius bastard said the same thing!" Natsu crossed his arms, fuming as he recalled that encounter. The arrogance Julius displayed truly pissed him off to the point he forgot the details.

"The Princess…" Erza tried to think things over. "If we're talking about Emmeraude, then the only logical conclusion is that she means Sophie. But I fail to understand how she wants Sophie back when she's already dead."

"Sophie?" Carla tilted her head. "It only stands to reason she may want her daughter back?"

"That must be the case…" Erza continued to think about it. "But in that instance, why did it sound like there was only one specific way to bring her back that only involves those who fought in the throne room a few years ago."

"It sounds like we'll have to ask her ourselves." Lucy sighed.

"It's like we can't get away from that woman no matter what we do." Evergreen also let out a sigh. It was a strange twist of fate to continuously deal with Emmeraude.

"Juvia knows she's as unhappy about it as we are." Juvia placed a hand on her side. Thanks to Wendy, she was feeling a lot better.

"If she has business with you, I don't understand why she's going about things the hard way aside from asking you personally." Layla took a seat.

"Because to her, asking us _is_ the hard way." Mira remarked.

"She's a very difficult person to work with…" Lisanna said with a sweat drop. She also wasn't going to be forgetting or forgiving of that time the Empress nearly killed her.

"That Julius guy also said something…" Happy raised his paw.

"You're referring to Mii-chan, aren't you?" Zelos had a mug in his hand and swirled it around. "Such a strange thing to demand."

"Not entirely." Gajeel crossed his arms. "She was involved with the Wizard Hunters."

"But as to what she wants with her, I wouldn't know." Levy sighed. "Those two have a complex history from what we've seen. We should be careful, though. Emmeraude might want to…"

"I won't let her." Natsu already had that thought in mind.

"One more thing." Mira said. "Prometheus and Pandora. The one called Little Queen implied that Alvarez was actively hunting them down as well."

"I wonder why…" Elfman scratched his head. "The Grim Reaper…"

"The last time I saw them, they tried to come for Natsu's soul…" Evergreen nearly shuddered. They escaped that battle against Prometheus and Pandora by the skin of their teeth. Brandish and Dimaria were also at risk. "If the war is anything to go by, those two have become immensely powerful."

"Hyhaha…just let me at that Grim Reaper." Bickslow stated with confidence. "I'll sap all those souls right out of his body!"

"Prometheus…" Juvia subconsciously placed a hand over her chest, right where her second scar was – the scar that was formed when Prometheus took her soul.

"What she wants with them doesn't matter." Laxus spoke from the second floor railing. He had been listening carefully to everything going on but finally decided to weigh in as guild master. "What matters is that her Spriggan think they can demand us to hand over one of our own. It's obvious that Emmeraude didn't send them, because she'd know better than that at this point."

"I absolutely agree." Freed nodded as Laxus spoke.

"They threatened us, so it's clear they don't know what it is they're up against." Laxus stated.

"So we'll properly show those Spriggan bastards what we can do!" Natsu rose up from his seat, his fiery aura igniting.

Anna found herself smiling at the shift in attitude. Everyone was suddenly ready to fight after Natsu made his proclamation. _"What capable people they've become…"_ She was so happy to see the dragon slayers mature into such fine young people.

"Before we can do that…we should check in with the other guilds that were attacked." Laki suggested. "I mean, wasn't Luke with you, Natsu?"

"Yeah, but Happy and I did all the hard work." Natsu immediately replied.

"Aye," Happy nodded.

Lucy had a sweat drop on her forehead at Natsu's words. "Somehow I feel like he'd disagree with you if he heard that."

"I think Sabertooth and Black Phoenix were also caught up in this." Levy said.

"We should contact them and hear their side of the story." Erza said while reaching for the communication lacrima. She was making an attempt to call White Eclipse, Black Phoenix, and Sabertooth, all who were involved with the Spriggan attack. Those who answered were Jaxon, Leon, and Sting. "Sorry for disturbing you all, but we wanted to check in with everyone."

"Yeah, I would appreciate if your personal squabbles didn't get any of my guild mates involved." Jaxon said. "I thought we were passed conflict with Alvarez?"

"We apologize." Erza said. "Things have spiraled in a direction that we didn't anticipate. But is everyone all right?"

"We don't blame you, Erza-san." Sting said respectfully. "We're a little beat up, but we made it without too much issue."

"Tristan and the others are resting." Leon said calmly, but on the inside he was fuming that his guild mates were attacked out of the blue like this. "There wasn't any damage to the town…"

"I wish I could say the same thing." Sting sighed. "But we managed to protect the people in the town, so I can't complain about that. But that announcement that one guy made…"

"We're not adhering to it." Laxus said. "They tried to threaten all of us. They don't know this country well enough at all it seems."

"I didn't expect you to." Sting said with a grin. "There's no way we'd hand Lucy-san over! Furthermore, I can't let that one Spriggan think she really had the best of Sabertooth."

"Do you know who attacked you?" Mira asked.

"The one who attacked Tristan didn't give his name." Leon said, regrettably so.

"The same guy who attacked your dragon slayer attacked Luke. So I think you already know who his name is." Jaxon said.

"Little Queen was the one who attacked me…" Lucy rubbed her arm.

"The one who attacked Sabertooth was called Alice." Sting said. "She also called herself…The Creation, or something like that. I didn't really understand."

"The…Creation…?" Levy tilted her head curiously. "That name…rings a bell."

"You've heard of her?" Lisanna asked.

"I think?" Levy wasn't entirely sure. "Something about that name rings a bell, but I'll have to look into it more."

"That aside, it sounds as though they're against us entering that big tournament." Jaxon said. "But frankly, we aren't ones to take orders from anyone else. When Luke got back and told us what happened, it only had the opposite effect."

"That's just one thing we all have in common." Erza replied with a slight grin. The Spriggan could threaten them all they wanted, but Fiore wasn't going to budge!

* * *

While Fairy Tail held their discussion with the other guilds, Hisui was making her response to Julius' message. A lacrima screen appeared in the sky over Fiore, showing the Queen of the country. "Good morning, Fiore. I am terribly sorry for what has occurred earlier in the day. We did not expect anyone from Alvarez to make such a move. The relationship between our two nations is currently undergoing strain from an outside force. But worry not; we will not bend to any threats made by the Spriggan 12 who made their demands. Fiore will continue to hold its tournament, which will begin in the following week. And when that is over, we will enter the Earthland's Strongest tournament. Fiore is a strong nation and we will remind everyone who has forgotten."

* * *

"Looks like Her Highness isn't going to step down." Cana held a smirk. "Good!"

"I didn't expect her to." Gajeel crossed his arms. "After all, how Fiore does in the tournament affects her as well."

"…I'm sorry, what's going on?" Sting scratched his head. The communication was still on after all.

"…We'll explain things after the tournament. We can't cause a commotion," Erza quickly stated. The situation Hisui was in was tight lipped information that they couldn't let fly carelessly. Otherwise the country would stir into a panic, and Fairy Tail would no doubt be seen as failures and worse for allowing this to happen to the Queen. "Please, trust us."

"All right." Sting and Leon nodded. They could tell that this situation wasn't exactly the best for Fairy Tail in particular.

"…I don't like you keeping secrets from the rest of us." Jaxon was being cautious. There was no doubt in his mind that Fairy Tail was closely tied to what happened with Alvarez. He just needed to connect the dots before anything else. "But we'll be sure to get it out of you after White Eclipse takes it all."

"NOT ON YOUR LIFE-" Natsu immediately yelled, but he was quickly quieted by Lucy and Anna just as fast.

"…I'm sorry; I could never curb his rambunctiousness…" Anna said with a sweat drop. Natsu was so much more of a handful than she remembered. "Has he always been like this?"

"Yeah." Everyone in the guild responded at once.

"Sometimes to our dismay, sometimes to our encouragement." Lucy said with a half smile.

* * *

The message ended and Hisui let out a quiet sigh. "What a stressful situation…"

"I thought you were going to mention the part where the Empress was involved." Kemuri said while slowly taking a drag from his cigarette.

"You know as well as I that Emmeraude had no part in this." Hisui told the Chairman. "I know you despise her…"

"I wouldn't say despise. It just seems that I was the only one willing to get rid of her before she became another problem. And yet, because you refused, you're now a ticking time bomb thanks to those Hunters." Kemuri responded. "But it's my duty to help our Queen in this trying time as Chairman. I couldn't imagine having to fill in your boots."

Hisui's gaze narrowed ever so slightly. "Emmeraude wasn't involved in this because this goes against what she told us earlier. She knows this country very well and knows that a threat wouldn't phase this country in the slightest. So it's very clear that those Spriggan were acting on their own volition, but since they did it so brazenly, I doubt she cared too much."

As much as Kemuri hated to admit it, Hisui did have a point. "Well, you're correct there. I think she's learned her lesson, so it seems as though her Spriggan are green when it comes to information. Nevertheless, we still can't let this aggression against our country stand and you know that. Otherwise it'll look like you're just bending to Alvarez's will."

"I am aware of the delicacy of the situation." Hisui immediately responded. "Emmeraude was acting in the interest of her country and I am as well. Just because the relationship between our countries has been strained means nothing. I have faith in Fairy Tail's ability to see the mission assigned to them through to the end."

"I suppose someone has to." Kemuri shrugged. He already made his stance on the matter very clear.

"Your Highness…" Arcadios was in the room and bowed to politely impose on the conversation. "The preparations for the tournament are just about finished."

"Thank you, Arcadios. This tournament will be vital in deciding who will be entering the Earthland's Strongest tournament." The Queen nodded. "While I do not know which exactly which mages will pass the bar, I have a prediction about which guilds they will hail from. However that will be shown to us in a week's time. But I do know one thing for certain…Fiore's spirit will overcome any and all challenges presented to it. It has in the past and I have complete and confidence in this country."

Kemuri was already making his exit. But there was a tiny grin on his lips at Hisui's small speech about the belief in her country. "Such noble words, very befitting of a Queen…" The Chairman quietly laughed. "But I can sense the fear behind that confidence. It's easy to say you believe in these mages, but in your case, you have no choice but to believe in them. I, however, don't. And that lack of faith works in my favor, Your Highness…"

.

.

Next Time: To Become The Finest


	124. Chapter 124: To Be The Finest

Just with every year before it, Crocus was going to be the sight of spectacular battles consisting of the mages of Fiore. The capital of Fiore was bustling with excited spectator activity and various mages just trying to make it through the crowded city streets to make it to the Domus Flau. Lucy looked around the city somewhat with a reminiscent sigh. "Just as busy as always…"

"You look like you miss the place." Anna said while walking alongside her descendant.

"I lived here for a little while." Lucy said with a small smile. "When Fairy Tail disbanded, I took up a job as a reporter." She wasn't going to mention the underwear model thing to Anna.

"She was also an underwear model." Natsu spoke up.

"NATSU!" Lucy's face lit up in a bright red hue and she thwacked him with the same issue of the Weekly Sorcerer he was using as a reference. "And why do you even have this!? It's a over a year old…!"

"They're selling old issues over there!" Happy pointed out, but he got thwacked too.

"Oh my…" Anna couldn't help but snicker very quietly. She wasn't going to judge at all. She was aware of Fiore's major events since she had been in the country since x777. But that aside, watching Lucy and Natsu interact did bring her some joy. _"She really is just like her mother in so many ways…"_

"And to no one's surprise, you guys are here." Luke had his hands in his pockets. He glanced at Anna, then Lucy, blinking a few times. "…Uh…some sort of relative, I take it? Sister…?" He was taking a shot in the dark.

"I'm not that young, but I appreciate it." Anna said with a slight smile.

"Duke." Natsu's expression curled into a frown.

"Why are you frowning at me!? I should be the one mad at you for what happened the other day." Luke scoffed. "But it doesn't matter. You guys won't be winning this."

"Always so confident." Lucy crossed her arms. Sure, she and Luke were friends, but in this instance, it was nothing but guild rivalry. "Fairy Tail-"

"Got bodied by the Wizard Hunters." Luke really wasn't going to let them live that one down; no one was. "Plus, you guys have a real knack for getting people almost killed."

"I was the reason we made it out of that fight!" Natsu told Luke.

"I did all the heavy lifting!" Luke shouted right back.

"Guys, come on…" Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose.

Anna knelt down towards Happy. "So…this is that Luke person, correct?

"Aye." Happy nodded. "He's the one with a main rivalry with Natsu and Lucy."

"I see…" Anna whispered.

Luke just wore a confident grin on his lips. "Come on, Salamander. You think you were doing all the heavy lifting?" It was then his usual black and white aura formed around his body, but something was different. A few different colors were mixed in with it. It was a subtle difference, but one that caused Lucy and Natsu's expressions to shift. "You think my last year has been spent sitting around doing nothing?"

" _W-What is this..?"_ Lucy thought to herself. Luke was very clearly hinting at some sort of power increase, but at the same time, he was waiting for the perfect time to truly unveil it.

"Doesn't matter how strong you get!" Natsu returned fire with a grin. "We'll put you down!"

"You? Put me down? We both know that isn't how this works." As Luke walked off, he glanced back and gave Lucy a slight smirk. "Isn't that right, Lucy."

"…!" Shots fired. Lucy's eyes widened ever so slightly as she was ever so rudely reminded of the fact she had yet to beat Luke a single time in the years they've known each other.

"…" Anna frowned at that remark. Clearly there was still a little history she needed to catch up on.

* * *

Erza was lugging her usual wagon of suitcases and various other belongings around. Since it took up a bit of room, Titania had a bit of space to herself while walking down the road. "We must check in at the hotel before anything else. I doubt this tournament will take a day."

"You know, Erza-chan…" Zelos was walking beside Erza, curiously staring at her belongings. "I've been wondering this for a while, but why do you carry so many things? I know women tend to pack a lot of stuff, but…"

"I need it all." Erza responded to Zelos with a smile. "You can never be too prepared after all!"

"It's a shame you've packed all that stuff just to go home empty handed." What a familiar, smug tone of voice. A voice that only belonged to Reve Volver.

"Reve." Erza stared at the man she considered a rival.

"Eh?" Zelos looked between Erza and Reve, noticing the shift in the air immediately. He did recall these two had a fierce battle back in the Grand Magic Games two years ago. "This guy's still talking down to a queen? Unbelievable."

Reve blinked once, slowly turning his attention to Zelos. "…And this is?"

"Well, I can't say I'm exactly jumping for joy at introducing myself to a dude, but…" Zelos held a confident grin. "I am the handsome Magic Swordsman, Zelos!" The magic swordsman struck a pose and sparkles radiated off his being.

"…I guess it's only natural that trash attracts trash." Reve stated, ignoring Zelos' introduction entirely.

"And where do you get off calling my guild trash, Reve?" Erza's gaze narrowed. The tension between the two of them was only rising.

"Only trash would lose to the Wizard Hunters." The gunslinger stated with his usual smirk. "Had it been White Eclipse, we would've dealt with them with no loses.

"I severely doubt that." Erza responded. "They are far stronger than you'd think."

"And I'm far stronger than you, so…" The gunslinger's smirk widened.

A few bystanders gathered round, quietly watching the standoff between Reve and Erza. "If I recall, I did best you convincingly in our last fight."

"So you got a lucky strike and brought me down two whole years ago." Reve shrugged, brushing off Erza's victory as though it were nothing – A classic Reve tactic to belittle people and get under their skin. "Fairy Tail wins the Games once and thinks they really are the strongest guild in the country."

"We've won twice. White Eclipse only has one victory a few years ago, if I recall correctly." Titania fired back. The crowd was getting really excited now.

"Heh…" Reve was unfazed. "We're going to take back what's ours. You see, Erza, you and Fairy Tail don't have what it takes to be Fiore's Finest. To be the finest, you have to well, not lose to garbage. Unfortunately for you, that ship's long since passed."

Erza simply smiled at his words. "Subverting everyone's expectations is what Fairy Tail strives for. So I hope you won't be too disappointed by the time the tournament ends."

"Hoo, I love feisty Erza-chan…~" Zelos remarked. Luckily for Erza she was too into her stare down with Reve to notice.

* * *

While walking through Crocus, Laxus and Cana were side by side. Someone had to keep an eye on the drunk. Cana was already a little tipsy but she seemed…okay; okay being the operative word. But nevertheless she glanced up at Laxus. "So, Sparky…you gonna join in the fighting?"

"No." Laxus said, his answer surprising to anyone who heard.

"I must really be drunk…because I think I heard you say no." Cana tilted her head curiously.

"Because that's what I said." Laxus glanced around the area curiously, seemingly looking for something. "Bickslow told me something interesting when we walked into the city. He said he sensed a large gathering of souls somewhere…"

That made Cana blink. "Souls...? What does that mean?"

"Don't worry about it." Laxus replied. It was clear he was keeping his cards close to his chest in this instance. "All I can say is that I'll be too busy keeping an eye out for something."

"That's stupid vague." Cana pouted while drinking from her flask. It was clear that she wasn't a fan of Laxus hiding any information from her, but he seemed to have a reason.

"Trust me on this." Laxus said. "If too many people knew, we might miss our chance." And just as he said this, he noticed someone in the crowd. Not just anyone either – it was the woman who looked just like Mavis, Mio. But she vanished into the crowd due to how busy it was. Nevertheless, it was nice to see her face again. "Heh…"

"She looks good, huh…" Cana said, smiling softly.

"Yeah…" Laxus nodded in agreement. While it was nice to see Mavis's reincarnation doing well, that didn't exactly ease the foreboding feeling he had. In fact, for some reason, that only made it slightly worse. But for the time being he'd act natural. He trusted Bickslow's words, which meant that a certain someone was absolutely lurking in the city…

* * *

Gray walked with his hands in his pockets. Juvia was of course next to him as they walked down the street. The ice maker glanced around, spotting all sorts of familiar faces from various guilds. He could see Bacchus and the other members of Quatro Cerberus hyping themselves up, Mermaid Heel wasn't too far away and the ladies were talking to Kagura about…something. It didn't concern him. "The air is the same every time. I haven't felt this in a while…" Gray said, referring to the excitement and tension filling the air of Crocus.

"Will you be all right, Gray-sama?" Juvia peered up at her beloved.

"Yeah." Gray was much better thanks to Wendy. "I've had a bad run lately, but I'm going to turn that around here.

"Gray! Juvia!" A familiar voice called out to the both of them. When the two turned they spotted Ultear and Meredy, both of them fitting nicely into casual clothing now that they were no longer fugitives from the law. "I had a feeling we'd find you here." Ultear spoke with a smile.

"Ah!" Juvia clasped her hands together, a bright smile appearing on her lips. "Ultear-san. Meredy!"

"Have you guys been holding up well?" Meredy leaned forward, Yes, she heard about what happened concerning the Hunters just like everyone else, but that wasn't a subject she was going to bring up now. Knowing Fairy Tail, they were likely already over it.

"We've been better. But we'll be making up for it soon." Gray responded with a slight grin. "How about you two? Been staying out of trouble?"

"Of course!" Meredy responded. "Ul and I have found a place to stay in Crocus. When we heard about the coming tournament, we just had to watch."

"Yes. We'll be rooting for you." Ultear said with a soft smile.

Cue Lyon stepping into the scene with a confident grin. "You should be rooting for the man who's finally surpassed Ur!"

"…" Ultear stared at Lyon for a moment. "I would say I'm the closest out of us three to that feat." Surpassing her mother? That was an admirable goal she knew both ice makers strove towards, however she intended to be the one to reach that goal first.

"…" Lyon couldn't really say anything about that one. He just gave Ultear a deadpanned stare while Meredy laughed. The dynamic ice mage turned to Meredy, hoping to impress the cute girl in front of him. "But you'll throw a cheer in my direction, won't you?"

That was a little out of the blue. But Meredy shrugged. "I don't see why not! You're like siblings to UI anyway!"

"You weren't supposed to say that aloud." Ultear said with a small sigh. But her reaction only confirmed Meredy's words to be true. "Regardless, we'll be watching."

"You can watch as I beat Gray down to a pulp!" Lyon stated confidently.

"Not in your dreams!" Gray exclaimed. No way was he going to let Lyon of all people show him up!

Juvia watched as the usual back and forth between Gray and Lyon ensued. There was a very small smile on her lips. Clearly Gray still had energy despite his two horrible loses. _"Juvia believes Gray-sama will be fine."_

* * *

Wendy, Cynthia, and Carla encountered Chelia and decided to walk with her around the crowded city. "Are you going to be joining?" Wendy asked Chelia, placing her hands behind her back.

Chelia shook her head in response. "No. I don't think I will." The former sky goddess glanced at the bow on her back. "I'm even more of a liability than I was before. Plus Raven's bow is a lot harder to use than I thought. I still haven't gotten it down."

"That's unfortunate. But I understand." Cynthia gave a slight nod.

"So long as you don't push yourself too hard." Carla said. Their conversation was to continue, however their attention was caught by a rather loud remark from someone nearby.

A woman with green eyes and donning a make-shift witch outfit stood atop a stand, levitating in the air as a few books surrounded her. "Come one, come all! There is a magnificent journey awaiting your taste buds here at the Al Dente! stand! My name is Vernal and you won't regret it! Magikazam!" The woman snapped her fingers and a few fireworks exploded from the Al Dente stand!

"Do you have to be so loud…?" Blair groaned.

"How else am I going to capture the ears of the people passing by?" Vernal questioned.

"It's getting us customers." Rowan, the head chef said. He was getting plenty of orders and with Ezekiel, they were steamrolling through them.

"Tch…" Keele glanced around the crowd. "This is a waste of time. Fiore's Finest? Standing right here."

"We're only really here for the profits." Cloud the hunter said. "After that, we'll move."

"We better…" Keele grunted. Something had him even more agitated than usual.

Sherri and Ren approached the Al Dente stand, having been drawn in by Vernal's loud display and the delicious scent of food. "Hello! An order for myself and my beautiful wife, if you please!" Ren said with sparkles around his being.

"Oh Ren, you're so sweet! The sweetest man a woman could ask for!" Sherri beamed. This lovely dovey couple made some people smile and others sick.

"Pick any dish you like, and we'll make sure it becomes your favorite." Rowan stated.

The Sky Sisters watched Sherri and Ren, all of them smiling at the interaction. "Sherri has been very happy with Ren. Love is such a wonderful thing, isn't it?" Chelia said with a soft smile, only to feel of twinge of pain in her heart.

"Chelia…" Wendy frowned. No one could blame Chelia for feeling sad.

"I'm okay, really." The pinkette responded before turning her gaze up. That's when she saw Blair and that's when she froze. "…!?" _"That woman…why…do I feel like I know her!?"_

To make matters worse, Blair absolutely saw Chelia. Her yellow gaze met the pinkette's and the air grew increasingly tense. "…" Blair's gaze then wandered to the bow on Chelia's back and a not so subtle aura began to appear from her bandaged red arm.

Carla was very aware that something was wrong. "Hey. We're going." The Exceed said, transforming into her human form to usher Chelia away. But when she actually looked at Blair, she got that same feeling of familiarity.

Wendy and Cynthia could smell it. Blair's scent…was oddly similar to Raven's. "She…kinda smells like…?" Cynthia began.

Vernal then appeared in front of Blair, placing her index fingers on the corners of her mouth to force them into a smile. "Come on now, Blair~. If you make such a nasty face you're gonna scare away all the customers again!"

"Tch!" Blair swatted Vernal's hand away. "Get off me."

"Did she say…Blair…?" Chelia connected the dots and the picture that formed was not a pretty one. This was without a doubt Raven's older sister that he talked of so fondly, and she did not look like she was in a good mood. Swallowing the nervous lump in her throat, she decided to follow Carla as she led her away. But she couldn't avoid this meeting forever…

* * *

The early morning was spent getting settled and prepared for the tournament. Now, everyone was gathering within the Domus Flau, awaiting the official beginning of the tournament. Anna took a look around and noticed all of the mages gathering. "These tournaments certainly do have a large gathering, don't they? I've watched the previous Games from afar, but being this close…"

"It's like this every year." Erza crossed her arms over her armored chest. "When it comes to a crisis, the mages of Fiore share a tight knit unity. But in times of competition, we're all rivals. It's been like this for quite some time."

"Everyone has their own motivations, too." Lucy added. "Everyone's really strong. But we have to make sure we do well enough to qualify for the bigger tournament at hand. We have a job after all." And Lucy wanted to do whatever she needed to ensure they had their chance to meet Mii again.

"There are my hunnies!" And that voice…a voice that could cause a chill to crawl up Erza's spine. It was none other than Ichiya, who appeared in the blink of an eye. "What a pleasant surprise to see you here!"

"Oh no…" Erza groaned.

Meanwhile, Anna greeted Ichiya with a smile. "Hello, Ichiya. I'm glad to see you're keeping well. I'm sorry for not dropping by so often, I've been busy as of late."

Striking a pose, the handsomest man in all of Fiore simply grinned. "Worry not! Any chance I have to see such a beautiful woman will be taken with gratitude. Men. Perhaps you and I shall."

"Stop. Please." Lucy didn't want to see any more of this in front of her. Or ever, really. This whole interaction was extremely off putting and she just couldn't take it.

" _Better her than me…"_ Erza was fine with Anna receiving most of, if not all of Ichiya's attention. Because this meant that she'd finally be free of his-!

"Don't look so sad, my dear Erza." And suddenly, Ichiya was on a knee before Erza, sparkles radiating off his being. "I would never forget to give you my love and attention as well, men. I could never neglect such a beautiful, scarlet parfume."

Erza's face paled the instant Ichiya gave her attention. How foolish of her to even think for a second that Ichiya, lover of women, would actually forget about her. Her mistake. "Ugh…"

"Hmhm…" Anna brought her hand up to her mouth and laughed quietly.

* * *

"Thank you all for waiting and coming out tonight!" It was everyone's favorite host, Chapati Lola! "Today is the beginning of the Fiore's Finest tournament, created by Her Majesty. I am your host, Chapati Lola! And joining me in the commentator's seat are…!"

"Good morning everyone." Said famous actor, Alfred Brando.

"Hello everyone." Hisui spoke. The three of them were serving as the commentators for the tournament. "I sincerely apologize about the events of a few days ago, but this will be the beginning of showing the world what Fiore is truly capable of. I am aware of the number of guilds competing and have elected to make this a round-robin style tournament. The first guild to achieve three victories will be the victory."

"Wow, only three?" That didn't seem like much to Sting. But considering how many guilds were taking part, it made sense.

"Unlike the Grand Magic Games, these fights will not be taking place in the arena, but rather the city of Crocus. Furthermore, we will not be announcing individual fighters." Hisui continued. "The first person from a guild to volunteer will be the one fighting." In other words, first come, first serve.

Kagura slowly nodded at the rules. "I see. So this means every guild will most likely get one or two chances at one another. Every victory matters."

"It's like she's just asking for property damage…" Minerva remarked.

"Is that all!?" Natsu pounded one hand into a fist and grinned. "Three wins? Easy! Fairy Tail has this in the bag!"

"I should mention…" Hisui had a bit more to add. "There will be a 30 minute time limit per every fight. Furthermore, in the event of a draw, neither side will be rewarded. Those are the rules for this tournament. If there are no further questions, I'd like to get things started without delay." No questions at all. Everyone was ready to fight! Three wins for a victory. Simple, easy, and everyone just had to do their best. "Now then, let us begin! For the first match, we have Fairy Tail against Mermaid Heel!"

"I'll take this!" Melody Silver piped up immediately. She was going to take this chance to show what Mermaid Heel was capable of. As soon as she made her decision, a few male fans began cheering. Since Mermaid Heel was also doubling as a modeling agency, it was only natural they were getting a few fangs. But the silver make mage took this in stride.

"Guys, let me." Gray turned to the others. "I have to start redeeming myself somewhere. Plus…I have a score to settle with that one."

"Kick her ass Gray!" Natsu grinned.

"You got this!" Lucy cheered.

"The matter has been settled." Alfred commented. "Melody Silver vs Gray Fullbuster. I hope this will be an exciting round for everyone to watch."

On that cue, Gray and Melody were teleported to Crocus' city square, standing across from one another. Both of them were very prepared for the coming bout. This first round was only going set the tone for the rest of the tournament and they knew it. "Are both fighters ready?" Hisui's voice came from a lacrima device. "The first round of Fiore's Finest! Fairy Tail vs Mermaid Heel! Now…begin!"

.

.

Next Time: Frigid Resolve.


	125. Chapter 125: Frigid Resolve

The first two combatants of Fiore's Finest were Gray Fullbuster and Melody Silver. A fierce bout between Fairy Tail and Mermaid Heel was about to commence to kick things off. While Gray and Melody did have an encounter in the Games two years ago, these two first truly met on a mission several years ago and Gray very much recalled being on the backfoot on that fight. Of course, before the fight began, Melody lifted a hand up. "Before we start, I'd like to say something."

"…?" Gray was a little confused, but kept his guard up in the event Melody elected to pull something funny.

"I realized that I never really apologized to you personally for what happened five years ago." Melody said while placing a hand on her chest, yellow eyes displaying nothing but sincerity. "I was on a dark path and nearly killed you."

"I still had some tricks up my sleeve." Gray retorted with a sweat drop. It was true that Melody did throw him around in their first bout, but he didn't recall it being that one sided.

"Nevertheless, thanks to Mermaid Heel I've changed. So I first wanted to extend my apology…" The silver make mage bowed her head, lifting it up slowly as a slight smirk curled on her lips. "…before I totally own you a second time."

And there it was. The cocky remark before their battle got started! Gray held a grin, but on the inside, he was fueled with nothing but determination to break his own streak. Three consecutive losses and people were looking down on Fairy Tail. Gray didn't just want to be the first one to fight, he needed to be the one to show everyone that Fairy Tail had far from fallen from grace. "No point in talking anymore then…" As he spoke, he placed his fist in his palm, a chilling wind swirled around him. "Ice Make…"

"Right. I beat you once, you beat me once. So let's settle the score once and for all…" Melody grinned as a silver aura appeared around her body. 'Silver Make…"

"Lance!" Both maker mages exclaimed at the same time. A blue and silver magic seal appeared before each respective mage, unleashing a plethora of lances that crashed against one another. Silver still proved to be stronger than ice, shattering through Gray's lances while making way towards him.

"Shield!" Gray swiped his hand, creating a shield of ice in front of his person. Unlike his lances, this shield of ice was not going to break so easily against Melody's steel and held strong.

Melody spotted the shield and sprinted forward, throwing her arm back while using the maker motions with one hand. "Silver Make: Drill!" Melody's arm lit up in a bright silver hue, her hand soon being covered by a rotating drill. This sharp drill slammed against Gray's frozen shield, shattering it into nothing within mere seconds, and even striking the ice maker in the chest for a solid hit.

"Guh!" Gray's eyes widened from the pain and he found himself tumbling backwards off that one hit alone. Melody was seriously strong and she wasn't about to relent either.

"I'm not done!" Melody exclaimed, still sprinting towards Gray to keep as much pressure on him as possible.

Gray's hands were on the ground after his landing. "Chill out!" Right as he said this, a frost covered the city street, stopping the silver mage's sprint cold, quite literally. Her feet were glued to the ground! With this opening, Gray slammed his fist into his palm once more and threw his hands forward. "Freeze Lancer!" A larger magic seal appeared before him, unleashing enhanced versions of ice lances that spewed out from all directions, attempting to converge on his foe to deal massive damage.

"Oof! Come on!" Melody was stuck and an attack was coming at her fast. She didn't want to unveil her small trump card just yet, but she had no choice. The Mermaid pointed the rotating drill to the ground and it opened up, revealing the potent orb of electricity that dwelled inside of it. The orb exploded against the ground, its force more than enough to send her soaring through the air just in the nick of time. "Got it!" Now the drill took the form of a cannon that surged with electricity. "Silver Make…!"

Melody wasn't going to have the chance to finish. As she flew into the air, Gray was already crafting his next spell. "Ice Make: Ice Impact!" As soon as Melody took aim, there was a large shadow overcasting her location. That was the shadow of the gigantic ice hammer that lied above her. She didn't have the chance to do a thing as Gray slammed it down on her, crushing her into the ground.

"Nice hit, Gray!" Natsu yelled. "Kick her ass!"

"Come on, Melody! Shrug it off!" Risley shouted.

There was a cloud of smoke after the impact. Gray kept his guard up, unsure of what type of trick Melody would try. The silver haired woman rose from the smoke, a few bruises covering her body. "Zap Cannon." Her arm cannon was pointed forward, unleashing potent orbs of lightning towards Gray.

"…!" That was incoming fast. Gray jumped to the side, sweating slightly at the orb exploded against a nearby tree and completely annihilated it. To make matters worse, Melody was just using her silver cannon to conduct the lightning at a faster rate, thus entering a rapid fire state! Gray was immediately on the defensive, leaping around to avoid the incoming blasts of lightning. Soon did he realize that this particular city street was far too narrow for all this leaping around, and he was running out of space.

"Got you!" Melody smirked and fired off another orb of lightning. Gray had nowhere else to dodge; at least, that's how it appeared at a first glance.

"Hup!" Gray leapt into the air, generating a potent frost under his feet to freeze the air and create a platform to use. Melody took aim and he continued to leap from platform to platform in the air. He even used the side of a building to aid in his ascent, jumping higher into the air. Now that he had some space, he formed a bow and arrow of ice within his grip and aimed down at Melody. "Ice Make: Super Freeze Arrow!" And so he let the arrow fly through the skies and towards his foe.

"I got you now!" Melody yelled, firing off another orb of electricity that clashed with the incoming arrow. The two attacks exploded immediately upon contact, creating a thick cloud of smoke to linger in the air.

"Damn…" Gray had to cover his eyes to protect them from the wind. He remained steady on a platform of ice, trying to peer down below. That's when he noticed two silver chains latching onto the buildings right beside him. "Huh?"

Melody launched from the smoke, using the chains as a slingshot to fling herself forward, Silver coated her leg, electrically charged for added impact. "HYAH!" With a battle cry, the Mermaid slammed her leg into Gray's abdomen, sending him flying through the air with a grunt of pain. "Solid hit!" But Gray had no plans to go down like that! As he flew back, a chain of ice wrapped around Melody's extended leg. "Huh!?"

The chain of ice was within Gray's hand and since he was flying back, Melody now joined him for his unwanted flight. "Haaaaaa!" Twisting his body around, he used his previously unwanted momentum in his favor, fiercely slamming Melody into the city street with enough force to create a small crater. Even the Mermaid couldn't help but let out a cry of pain as she hit the ground. This was Gray's opening and the devil slaying markings appeared along his body as his cheeks inflated. "Ice Devil's Rage!" From his mouth, a gigantic blast of purple ice shot down to freeze Melody solid, a small eruption occurring from contact with the ground.

* * *

"What an impressive display by both Makers!" Chapati exclaimed.

"Maker magic is only limited by the user's creativity, is that right?" Alfred asked for confirmation. "If that's the case, there are an infinite amount of scenarios we could be witnessing in the coming moments. But if there is one thing you should see, it is most certainly the hit movie, The Grid, starring yours truly." Of course the actor did have to plug himself in somewhere.

"Yes," Hisui nodded in agreement to the first half of Alfred's words. "Both Gray and Melody are very capable. It is both a physical and mental battle in every sense of the word. Also, I did enjoy The Grid, although, the followings sequels 2 and 3 were…"

"There's no need to mention those." Alfred said immediately. Even an actor such as him had projects that were less than stellar and would like to be forgotten about.

"Atta boy Gray!" Lucy pumped a fist into the air. Gray was killing it right now.

"You can defeat her, Gray-sama!" Juvia cheered.

"Hitting a girl!? What are you doing!?" Zelos whined. This entire fight was completely deplorable as far as he was concerned!

"How else is he supposed to win…?" Lucy said with a deadpanned look. What else could she expect from the white knight.

"Don't be concerned over her wellbeing." Kagura said so suddenly. "She will not be taken down by an attack of that caliber."

"Oh yeah? Looks like Gray is kicking her ass to me!" Natsu retorted with a confident smirk.

"If that's what it looks like to you, then you must be even more incompetent than I realized…." The Ace Mermaid said.

"Yeah, Melody won't lose that easily!" Milliana chimed in.

"I'll show you what an ass kicking looks like!" Natsu was about to walk over to fight Kagura, but Erza had an ironclad grip on his scarf that prevented him from moving anywhere. "Guh…!"

"Hold still, Natsu." Erza demanded, watching the lacrima screen intently. She knew that anyone Kagura had faith in was absolutely powerful. Of course that didn't shake her faith in Gray, but she did hope he'd be capable of completing what he set out to do.

* * *

Gray landed on the ground, exhaling softly after that attack. There wasn't any response from Melody just yet, and as nice as it would be to know that he won, he had a feeling it wasn't so easy. "You're not done."

Right Gray was! As the smoke dispersed, there was a frozen dome of ice around Melody. It was shattered and the woman stood up, unharmed from Gray's devil slaying attack. "Wow, you're really rough with women huh? I have some cool tricks up my sleeve too."

"And you think I'll give you the chance!" Gray quickly brought his arm down, crafting a longsword of devil slaying within his hand. "Ice Devil Zeroth's Longsword!" He intended to crash this blade down upon Melody and finish her off with its icy powers.

"Absolutely!" Melody smirked as the incoming blade of ice came down towards her. The ice exploded but she was airborne, a pair of silver wings having sprouted from her back. "Silver Make: Wings!"

"Of course…" Gray sucked his teeth in annoyance. She would have something that allowed her to fly. Now he was going to be swatting at this fly with his sword! Gray groaned internally but swung once again, only for Melody to swiftly dodge with aerial mobility. Since they were no longer standing in a crowded street, she had a bit of room to fly. "You can't dodge forever!"

"That's not my goal!" Melody responded with a sly grin. Just as Gray's sword came down on her once more, she split her hands apart, a silver blade materializing into existence, clashing with Gray's own with a crackle of electricity to accompany it. "Silver Make: Lightning Blade!"

"That's not gonna stop me!" Gray swung his sword yet again, only to be met with a rather cruel fate. His sword shattered against Melody's silver, causing his eyes to widen for a split second. "Wh..!?"

"How many times are you going to break your ice against my silver!?" Melody asked while flying down, using this split second opening to fly past Gray, landing a fierce slash along his side. Not only was the blade sharp, but the added electricity did make him feel a little numb.

"Gh…!" Gray sucked his teeth in pain, ripping off his shirt as his instinctive habit of getting serious came out. Just as Melody flew off, he formed another bow and arrow within his grip, although the purple ice gave off a much more threatening aura. "Ice Devil Zeroth's Destruction Bow!" Multiple arrows of purple ice appeared within the bowstring and Gray let loose, firing off these arrows to shoot Melody down.

As the arrows flew, Melody turned back, flying over the first one that came her way. The second was dealt with easily by a simple vertical slash, slicing that one in two; and the last was cleanly evaded. "Silver Make: Sword Dance!" With her one free hand, Melody very quickly made the maker hand signs to generate multiple silver swords in the air above Gray, and set them all down to rain on him!

"Crap…" Gray grit his teeth before placing his hands together and spreading them apart. "Ice Make: Rampart!" A large wall of purple ice appeared before him. The Devil Slaying ice was much stronger than his usual ice, thus providing it with the durability to withstand such an assault. The ice swords stabbed into the thick wall of ice, halting their progress before they could come anywhere near Gray.

"Hmph!" Melody lifted her sword into the air, using her lightning magic to drop a bolt down from above to smite her blade. Electricity coursed through the sword and she reared her arm back before throwing the blade like a javelin. The sword shattered through the wall of ice, breaking it apart to send the silver swords clanging to the ground in various locations around the ice maker. The blade Melody threw nearly hit Gray, but instead stabbed into the ground right beside him.

"Shit…" Gray didn't even want to think about what would happen if that had hit him. But when he turned his attention to Melody, he failed to noticed the smirk on her lips until it was too late.

"Got you." The blade Melody threw was still electrically charged, and various other silver blades were nearby. The electric charge wasted no time in transferring to the other swords, soon creating a net of lightning with Gray right in the middle!

"GAAAAH!" That hurt like hell! Gray's entire body seized up and he tried to fight against the numbing sensation, but he couldn't even move.

"Time to wrap this up!" Melody forged a large broadsword of silver, complete with a potent electrical charge. With Gray right in her trap, she wasted no time in diving down, raising this blade over her head to slam it into his body and finish this fight!

* * *

"Melody has outmaneuvered Gray!? Could this be it!?" Chapati asked.

"…" Lyon crossed his arms, remaining silent on the matter.

"Come on, Gray! Don't let her beat you!" Natsu yelled. Gray couldn't lose after all the crap Natsu had been talking!

"Gray-sama…" Juvia quietly placed her hands on her chest.

"This is precisely why Melody has undoubtedly earned the rank of Mermaid Heel's second strongest mage…" Kagura said quietly. To think Gray ended up going against someone this powerful. In Kagura's eyes, this battle was already over.

* * *

There was a large electrical explosion upon contact, but to everyone except Fairy Tail's surprise, things didn't end in Melody's favor. Gray managed to lift one hand to catch Melody's sword, now within his Frozen Monarch's mode. The temperature emitting from his body alone was enough to freeze and shatter the sword. "Losing to you would put a bad taste in my mouth…"

"W-What the…!?" Melody's eyes went wide at this sudden change.

"Ice Devil Zeroth's…Destruction Fist!" Ice formed around Gray's knuckle and he used Melody's shock to his advantage, landing an extremely powerful blow to her abdomen to send her flying back with a cry of pain. But Gray wasn't going to relent! Before she could even catch herself, he pursued his foe. "Ice Devil Zeroth's Impact!" A large purple hammer appeared in his hands and he swung for the fences, slamming the powerful mallet into Melody's body to send her flying into a brick wall!

Melody slammed into the wall, groaning loudly from the double strike. That hurt a lot more than she expected and she was reeling from it. "Ugh…"

Gray saw this as a chance to finish things off! "Ice Make: Silver." One of the strongest spells in his arsenal. A dangerous spell to any foe that could instantly freeze them solid if they were caught within it.

"Silver Make: Maiden!" Melody spread her arms apart, a large iron maiden composed of silver forming around her body to protect her from harm. Gray managed to completely freeze over a few city blocks with this spell, but unfortunately, Melody was not caught up within this forceful winter. The Iron Maiden was dispelled and Melody let out a sigh, placing her hands on her hips. "You might've almost got me with that…"

"Tch…" Gray sucked his teeth. Not quite enough to finish the job. A direct approach wasn't going to work on a Maker mage with a quick wit and he knew it.

"You know, I was waiting for you to use that spell. My turn." Melody smirked while spreading both arms out yet again, only to point them forward. This prompted a variety of silver weapons to appear, but that wasn't the shocking part. These weapons were held by silver soldiers and Melody managed to create a small army of a few dozen. "Silver Raid."

* * *

"She created soldiers?!" Meredy's eyes widened.

"That doesn't look good…" Ultear narrowed her eyes.

"Unbelievable! Melody has pulled out Dynamic Silver Make magic! Has Gray been backed into a corner!?" Chapati asked.

"This does look like a tough situation to act out of," Alfred said. "However, this does remind of a scene in one of my movies…"

"Gray, watch out!" Lucy shouted.

* * *

This wasn't going to be fun and Gray knew it. Melody issued the command for the soldiers to attack and they did, beginning to charge at him with gusto. "Just because they can move doesn't mean a lot!" Gray slammed his hands together before mirroring Melody's technique in his own way. "Ice Make: One Sided Chaotic Dance!" Time to fight fire with fire. Gray amassed his own artillery of frozen weaponry and launched it at the incoming soldiers. He only managed to take out a few, but the rest were still coming his way! Faced with no other options, he had to duel them in combat.

Melody watched as Gray dealt with her silver soldiers, smiling due to his clear struggle. She was proud of herself. "You know, dynamic magic is kinda hard at first. Things crumble, fall apart, but then we get results like this. It's pretty nice, isn't it? But I can't let you get too comfortable…" With a snap of her fingers, the soldiers exploded into shards of silver.

"Damn it!" Gray crossed his arms, feeling some of the silver pierce his body. But he didn't even bother waiting because he knew Melody was going to try and shock him again! With a swipe of his hand, he instantly froze all the silver in the air to prevent it from biting him. But at that moment, he felt a chain wrap around his wrist. "Huh-!? GAAAH!" A powerful electric shock coursed through the silver chain. Before he had the chance to move again, Melody took the liberty to slam him into the ground. "Ugh…!" With all this electricity, his muscles were starting to feel tense and unresponsive.

"Hold him down." Melody snapped her fingers, creating more silver soldiers to grab Gray's arms and pin him down to the ground. These soldiers were fueled with lightning so he could barely move. The clouds overhead began to darken and electricity crackled between them.

"Shit…!" Gray cursed, trying to fight against the strength of the soldiers, but it was hard when they had not only a tight grip on him, but the lightning was so strong he could only grit his teeth. Crying out in pain was hardly an option for him at this point.

"It looks like this is my win. Legion Fulminate!" The Mermaid wasn't going to waste any time. A large bolt of lightning dropped down from the heavens to smite Gray, causing a large explosion upon impact. With all the silver around them, it only had but one target, and Gray was the bullseye.

* * *

"Oh no!" Romeo gasped. They could see the dark clouds from the stadium, so that was far from a good thing.

"This could be the end…" Alfred said.

"At this rate, it doesn't look good for Gray." Hisui remarked. But she didn't wish to give any premature judgment, because as far as she was concerned, this battle wasn't over yet.

" _What's your move, Gray?"_ Lyon thought to himself. If Gray really did go down like this, then could he truly consider him a rival? Then again, Melody's strength was exceptional, he knew this firsthand.

"Come on Gray, don't let her beat you!" Cana yelled, waving her drunken fist around.

From the stands, Mio quietly watched. She was more into this first battle than she ever thought she'd be. For some reason, she was really on Gray's side and wanted him to pull through. Her green eyes didn't flinch as the bolt of lightning dropped down from above. "…"

* * *

And that's all she wrote. Melody was waiting for the smoke to clear, but something wasn't right. She didn't _feel_ her attack hit Gray, which felt wrong, considering she had him checkmated. As the smoke cleared…Gray was seen still held down, but with a scowl on his lips. "Huh!? What the heck!? How did that not hit you!?"

"Lightning strikes…at the highest point…" Gray grumbled. Just before impact, he used the scattered shards of silver to his advantage, creating a glacier off in the distance that towered just slightly over him. As a result, the lightning struck there and didn't finish him off. It was a quick ploy that saved him. "I already told you, didn't I…that losing to you…would put a bad taste in my mouth." As Gray spoke, he unleashed a frost like never before, using this to freeze the soldiers that bound him and finally stood up, exhausted, bruised, and nearly beaten. But he wasn't beaten yet. Lucia, Mii, and Ken; all loses that wounded his pride for various reasons. There was no way in hell he was going to lose a fourth time. He wouldn't be able to face the others, or Mii, if that happened.

"Feeling cornered, huh?" Melody wasn't about to let Gray beat her after she held the lead for so long! "Silver Make…!"

"HA!" Gray let out a yell, creating a fierce snowstorm that nearly engulfed half the city. Its radius was large and completely blinded Melody!

"Huh!? Damn it, what's with this snow!?" She growled, attempting to keep her senses sharp to find her opponent. She heard Gray's battle cry from within the roar of the snowstorm and turned to face him, a silver blade at the ready. Just when he emerged from the cover of snow, she slashed at his chest and cut deep. "Checkmate! Game over!" Oh…if only it were that simple. Gray fell to the ground and shattered into nothing more than pieces of ice. What Melody struck down was nothing more than an ice clone. "W-Wha…!?"

The snowstorm cleared as quickly as it formed. Gray just needed to buy some time to position himself for his ace in the whole. There was a large tower of ice spanning taller than any nearby building with Gray at the top of it. He had ice swirling within his hands and his target was one single mage. "I'm not going to lose anyone anymore! Especially not before I give that idiot a piece of my mind! But in order for that to happen, I'm going to need you to get out of our way! Ice Make: SUBZERO SLAMMER!" That was his resolve. A resolve so cool, that the flames of this battle, and those to come, could never hope to melt it away. Gray threw his hands forward, unleashing a massive beam of purple ice towards Melody.

"GH…!" Melody did try to come up with a counter spell, but it was far too late. The beam of ice already hit its mark, freezing everything within a several meter radius. The beam of ice lasted for several seconds before it turned into a gigantic glacier that was just almost as large as Mercurius. A moment or two passed before the ice then shattered violently and Melody could be seen with pure white eyes and a shocked expression, falling to the ground in an unconscious state.

"IN A STUNNING TURN OF EVENTS, GRAY FULLBUSTER DEFEATS MELODY SILVER!" Chapati could hardly believe it himself! The crowd was going wild at such a first battle that truly set the tone for the tournament.

Gray's tower broke apart and he had a rough landing to the ground, but his Frozen Monarch's Mode wore off due to all the magic he exhausted in that final attack. However, he stood tall and lifted his index finger and thumb up, giving the Fairy Tail sign to display his victory. "Damn…" He really had to make sure he held on until his victory was announced, because he ended up falling over right after. The damage he sustained, along with exhausting nearly all of the magic he had on that one shot, took its heavy toll. But he won.

* * *

"LET'S GO GRAY!" Natsu roared, grinning widely at his rival's victory.

"GRAY-SAMA DID IT!" Juvia had hearts flowing all out of her being! She was ecstatic that Gray broke his streak!

"ATTA BOY GRAY!" Lucy yelled. The rest of Fairy Tail was more than elated for Gray's victory and for being the first guild up on the board.

"Ahh…Melody really did have him…" Milliana pouted.

"She put up a great effort." Kagura said with a slow nod. A fight against Fairy Tail was a tough one no matter who you were, she knew that herself.

" _Hmph."_ Lyon scoffed. "I can't believe he had trouble with that."

"Not bad, Gray…" Ultear held a soft smile at Gray's victory. "You're going to be all right after all." Why was she worried about him again? Clearly, she had no reason to be. Gray was never one to be down for too long. _"Are you seeing this, Mother? He's really come a long way. They both have…"_

.

.

Next Time: Cat Fight.


	126. Chapter 126: Cat Fight

Fairy Tail was the first on one the board with a solid victory thanks to Gray's efforts. White Eclipse, Mermaid Heel, Sabertooth, Lamia Scale, Quatro Cerberus, Black Pheonix, and Blue Pegasus weren't going While many people believed it to be a fantastic fight, there were those who were far from impressed. As one might expect, one of those people was none other than Reve Volver, who had no issue speaking out on the matter. "I can't believe they're popping off after such a narrow victory. She wasn't even that tough."

"If it were Kuro, pretty sure she would've gone down no contest." Waiston spoken with a quick nod.

"I dunno, she is pretty strong…" Kuro said, although his remarks were overshadowed by a few other White Eclipse members, so he just quietly sank back down in his seat.

"Gaaah, Melody was so clooose!" Milliana whined. The rug was totally pulled out from under her!

"We were almost the first ones on the board too…" Beth sighed. "But it's not her fault. Melody showed everyone the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what we can do! No one's gonna underestimate Mermaid Heel now!"

"I doubt anyone was to begin with." Arana stated. Regardless, Melody's defeat did not shake the morale of Mermaid Heel. In fact, it only strengthened it.

"Gray and Melody will be brought to the infirmary by the paramedics to recover." Hisui stated. It was likely to be the same if the future battles were anything like theirs. "In the meantime, we shall be moving onto the next matchup."

"Juvia will go be by Gray-sama's side." Of course she didn't exactly wait for anyone to speak. Juvia was already gone by the time anyone looked, leaving only a dotted outline in her place.

"…Wow, she left fast." Cana could only take a drink to that one.

"Is it bad I was hoping for the lady to win?" Zelos asked. He knew it was a bad question and pretty much got the expected glares. "What? Can you blame me for rooting for the cute girl!?"

Lisanna let out a heavy sigh. "If you're going to stick with us, you're gonna root for us, okay? You're free to go bother the other guilds, but I doubt they'd put up with you as much as we have." Why _did_ they tolerate Zelos? Well…he was kinda helpful, plus they just got used to him. None of the other guilds would want to put up with him.

"I must say, your guild's strength is impressive as always." Anna clasped her hands together. "I had been watching these tournaments from afar, but seeing them in person is honestly something else. My heart was racing."

"You're going to be having that feeling a lot." Lucy turned to her ancestor with a smile. "Sometimes, my heart can't handle the stress of pivotal battles. If I had to guess, I believe I've lost about 30 years off my life through tournament stress alone, and that's not including the actual stressful life or death situations…"

"The next battle will be White Eclipse vs. Sabertooth." Hisui said.

"We're up already? Wonderful." Minerva was very clearly going to be the first one to step up. "I'll wipe the floor with whatever Eclipse mages stands up and call it a day." And to no one's surprise, she was ever so confident she could take down anyone who stepped up to her.

"That's our Lady!" Sting grinned. "Show 'em how hard we Tigers bite!"

"You can do it, Minerva-sama!" Yukino cheered.

"Oh geez, she's going up first…?" Sorano quietly sank back down in her seat. She actually wanted to be the first one up, but she wasn't about to make an objection to Minerva. Not only would Minerva bring some serious momentum for Sabertooth…but Sorano has also seen Minerva when she's deathly serious, and she was silently frightened by it. "Welp, might as well chalk this one up for us."

"Tch…" Alexander made a disgruntled noise.

"Minerva, huh?" Luke stroked his chin. "I wouldn't mind giving it a go…"

"Sabertooth's strongest mage doesn't even hold a candle to one of us…" Reve's confidence was everlasting. He also made sure his voiced carried so those at Sabertooth could hear him.

"As always, he's spouting that cocky nonsense…" Rogue scoffed.

"He's been like this as far as I can recall." Rufus could only scoff. "But he'll soon see why it is a mistake to underestimate the Lady of all people."

"So, who wants to get the free point? I'll do it." Reve was more than prepared to get things started.

"Allow me." Tayakata said, stepping forward with a small smile on her lips. The demoness' obsidian aura wavered faintly around her body. "I'll gladly put the 'Lady' in her place."

"Ooh, this is gonna be a good one…" Waiston was practically leaning over the railing already.

"Taya's gonna stomp her, no contest." Cygnus nodded.

"You think we'll have a chance to join the fray?" Reiss asked the other rookies.

"It's first come, first serve." Jaxon reminded the curious rookies. "If you want to fight, then you'll have to jump in before anyone else does." And knowing just about every member of White Eclipse that alone was simply the hard part.

"It seems we have our second match." Alfred said, staring at Taya and Minerva. "I must say, the aura these two give off is something else. I'm quite looking forward to this showdown."

"Woo! Go Taya!" Cynthia cheered, although this got her a look from Natsu.

"Why are you cheering for the enemy!?" By enemy, Natsu meant White Eclipse.

This sudden question caused Cynthia to sweat drop. "W-Well…I mean…we're kinda…"

"It's okay, Natsu-san…!" Wendy tried to reassure Natsu that there was no betrayal going on here.

"Come on, Natsu…" Lucy sighed.

"Be nice." Anna said.

* * *

Without further ado, both Tayakata and Minerva were transported to the heart of Crocus. Anyone could tell that this ensuing battle was about to be a messy one. Both women were smirking at one another, similar auras emanating off the both of them. "This must be my lucky day. I've always wanted to take White Eclipse down a peg or three." Minerva stated as her smirk widened.

"That is quite the high horse you're riding. I'll be more than happy to bring you plummeting back down to reality." Taya responded with a simple smile.

"You won't have to worry about that…" Minerva held her hands at her sides, territory slowly forming around them, seeping out into the air around them. "Because you'll be down before long."

"Are both fighters ready? Begin!" Hisui exclaimed and the bell rang, signifying the beginning of their battle. The 30 minute countdown began!

"You've already lost. We're in my territory now." Minerva held a confident smirk on her lips. Upon closer inspection the surrounding area around the two of them was already tinted dark green, showcasing the influence Minerva's magic had. Multiple blasts of territory dropped down from numerous locations overhead, bombarding Tayakata relentlessly. "So bend your knee and accept a graceful defeat." The blasts weren't going to stop either – they had no reason to. In Minerva's territory, she controlled everything.

"And Minerva starts off the battle with a relentless bombardment!" Chapati exclaimed.

"A strong start for a beautiful lady." Alfred said calmly.

"YEAH! NICE!" Sting roared.

"They're getting excited over nothing." Reve just shook his head.

Minerva allowed the blasts to continue, simply waiting for a reaction. She could tell they were making contact with something for a short while, but that feeling vanished only a few seconds ago. This caused the Tigress' eyes to narrow just slightly and now she was on guard. Clearly her opponent wasn't where she was supposed to be, which made her only slightly weary…and that's when it happened. A vector rose from the ground, violently slamming itself into her chest! "…!" Eyes widened briefly and Minerva was sent skidding backwards after the direct blow. This also caused the blasts to halt.

With the blast subsiding, Taya was seen shielded by a few other vectors. Minerva's blasts did have some kick behind them, but she was able to properly defend herself against such an assault. Unimpressed with Minerva's opening assault, she wore a simple smile. "At the very least, you knew to abide by the White Eclipse tradition." The tradition of allowing the weaker opponent the first move. "Now allow me to show you some real power." Obsidian energy swirled around the palm of her hand and she slammed it into the ground. Lines of darkness rapidly traversed through the earth before violently erupting, catching everything within a few meters in a rising explosion.

"Tch…" Of course Minerva didn't expect a fight against an Eclipse mage to be easy, which would make her victory all the more savoring, but she didn't appreciate such an opening to be easily negated. The Tigress kept her eyes on the black lines shifting through the ground, only to be overtaken by a large explosion. "Guh…!" Minerva grunted, crossing her arms as parts of the city street were uplifted all around her as she held her ground. Thanks to her magic, she was able to warp the rubble away, but as soon as she did that, she noticed Taya upon her. "Don't get too comfortable." Taya threw a punch, but Minerva diverted it with her own arm before using her free arm to fire back, but it was countered just as her was. With a scowl, she then threw her leg forward, slamming it into Taya's chest to knock her away.

Taya let out a grunt of pain as Minerva's heel collided with her chest. The Eclipse mage slid across the street before coming to a halt, already having an orb of darkness appear within the palm of her hand. "Hmph!" With great force, Taya hurled said sphere forward, allowing it to hurl through the air towards her foe.

"Out of my sight!" Minerva pointed her hand forward, unleashing a potent beam of territory to clash with the incoming sphere. The two powers colliding caused a large explosion that caused part of the city to tremble. As the smoke cleared, Minerva could vaguely make out Taya's silhouette in the smoke. The Tigress swiped her hand forward, creating a thin veil of territory in front of her; from this veil, multiple spikes were launched forward with the sole intention of skewering the Eclipse female on the spot.

As Taya and Minerva fought, the demon was slowly getting an understanding of the Tigress' fighting style. Territory was annoying when you could keep up with it, simply because it allowed the user to manipulate space and the battlefield at will. But that's why Taya was trying to keep Minerva close; that alone would turn the tide of battle in her favor, and she could understand why Minerva was trying to keep her away. With this in mind, the ravenette suddenly vanished as the spikes came forward, much to everyone's surprise.

"What..?" Minerva hadn't expected vanishing act!

* * *

"She suddenly vanished!" Chapati exclaimed.

"I didn't know she could do that…" Sting said. "But it's fine!"

"Is it?" Reve asked Sabertooth's guild master with a smirk.

"Underestimating the Lady will be your guild mate's downfall." Rufus retorted.

"Really?" The gunslinger kept that usual smirk of his. "She's against Taya after all. And I thought she'd be doing a little better."

"Can I punch him?" Sorano asked as she was unfamiliar with Reve's usual belittling of people.

"No, Sister." Yukino shook her head. "Minerva-sama will simply prove him wrong. That is the best method of attack we have against him."

Yukino sure was better at staying calm than she was, that was for sure. "Hmph. She better win then. I wanna rub that victory in his smug face!"

"…." Alexander said not a word. But in this case, he was very much hoping that in this fight, Minerva was the loser.

* * *

Taya still had yet to show herself. Minerva wasn't certain if this was some sort of teleportation, of an invisibility trick. Either way she was absolutely on guard. A few seconds of tense silence passed and she felt it. Turning around, she spotted her foe reappearing behind her! Taya's darkness took the shape of claws around her hands and she aimed low, cutting into Minerva's thigh. The sharpness of the claws easily tore through flesh and it took Minerva all she had not to cry out; she could hiss in pain though. "…Gnk…!" Taya attempted another swing while she held the close combat advantage, but Minerva wrapped territory around her fists to fight back.

Taya's hand clashed with Minerva's. She swung her leg, but Minerva evaded this as swiftly as she could, trying her best to ignore the sharp pain in her thigh. The Tigress then slammed her magic infused hand into Taya's chest, following up with a sharp kick to the woman's cheek with enough force to send her staggering back a few steps. The claws were out and these two women were duking it out. With a grunt, Taya regained her footing and her vectors acted, gripping Minerva's wrists before she had the chance to act. "Enjoy your flight." With a mighty show of strength, Taya's vectors hurled Minerva through the window of a building, effectively taking her out of the zone that was her territory.

"Ugh!" That hurt! Minerva crashed through two windows on her way in and out, landing on a street on her back. She groaned and looked up, only to see that Taya was violently pursuing her in an attempt to end this battle. As if it would be that easy. Minerva swiped a hand to the side, using her territory to bring back the large pieces of rubble from the earlier explosion. It appeared out of nowhere, slamming Taya right into a brick wall!

"…." At least, that's what it looked like. Taya's vectors did protect her from being crushed between a rock and a hard place, but she still took that hit hard. The rock was easily dealt with and she landed on the ground, only to feel a presence above her.

Minerva had the remaining bits of rubble floating above Taya. With a confident smirk, she pointed her finger down. "I'll put you into the grave you've dug for yourself. Goodbye." And on that cue, the rubble violently crashed down on Taya's location. It all happened so fast, but Minerva savored every second of her attack.

* * *

"That one looked quite painful…" Hisui said with a sweat drop. She didn't want to imagine being on the receiving end of something like that.

"That's the way!" Sting pumped a fist into the air. "How'd you like that one, White Eclipse?"

"Are we supposed to be impressed?" Cygnus had to hold back his laughter.

"Someone's getting a little too excited." Luke shook his head.

"No one can beat the Lady!" Lector stated confidently.

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch added his input, as always.

"They have a lot of confidence in her, don't they?" Anna asked.

"She's fine." Cynthia responded. There wasn't a hint of concern on her face whatsoever.

* * *

Minerva was simply waiting for the call. If she hadn't won yet, she was certain she would within a few moments. There was black light piercing through the cracks of the rubble before it suddenly exploded. The Tigress just barely noticed the incoming blast of darkness coming her way and spread her arms apart, crafting a wall of territory in front of her at the last second. It wasn't strong enough to withstand the blast that slammed into her. The Tigress cried out briefly before flipping and catching herself, swinging her arm forward to create a whip that wrapped around Taya's arm. "Allow me to return the favor."

Taya's wrist was caught. She was going to sever the link herself, but she was lifted into the air and slammed into the ground behind Minerva. Such an impact only worsened the bruises and cuts on her body, but as far as she was concerned, Minerva was doing worse. As she made her way to her feet, a brow lifting curiously as Minerva was making way towards her. "Oh? You're approaching now?"

"I can't slam your face into the ground with satisfaction without getting close." Minerva stated as a small orb of territory was condensed within her hands. Taya's vectors and their omnidirectional protection were an issue, so she needed a clear shot with her guard down.

"Feel free to try." Taya's lips curled up into a malicious smile as darkness swirled around her. The magic in her body was expelled, taking the form of a dark tornado with her in the epicenter. The tables were now turned, as Taya could see everything happening within her storm, especially Minerva's struggle.

"Damn it…" Minerva could feel the sharp darkness cutting into her skin. Things were slowly going south, but she firmly believed she could win this. She knew exactly where Taya was and simply had to throw her attack at the right moment…and suddenly there was a sharp pain in her side. When she looked down, she saw that a blade of darkness stabbed right into her before dispersing! With a wound like that, she'd pass out from blood loss now that there was nothing to 'plug' the injury. But she reacted on a dime, throwing her hand forward to unleash the small orb of territory. That tiny orb rapidly expanded to a gargantuan blast that covered what little distance remained in such a short time.

"…!" Taya did try to use her vectors to defend herself, but she was unable to get full protection. As a result she was consumed by the blast of territory and sent flying backwards a great deal before ultimately coming to a halt on a knee. Soft pants escaped her but she wasn't going to let her condition slow her down. "My my…that appears to be the first thing to a real punch I've received from you. Perhaps I've overestimated Sabertooth's strongest wizard."

She was still talking? Minerva grit her teeth. These Eclipse mages were always so annoying to deal with in one way or another. "Perhaps I've overestimated the might of an Eclipse mage. This has been nothing so far." She said that, yet she looked just as beat up, if not more, than her foe.

"Then why don't we end this charade here and now?" As Taya spoke, black lines began to appear and stretch along her body, signifying that she was tapping into her Etherious form. "As fun as this little diversion has been, I'm done playing around. White Eclipse has a tournament to win."

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Minerva's own power started to intensify, wasting very little time in turning into Neo Minerva. That cursed power Tartarus injected her with had its uses, and there was some irony in using it against a former Tartarus member. "I'll crush you in the name of Sabertooth." She vanished, and in the blink of an eye, appeared in front of Taya with her hand drawn back, both magic and curse swirling within her open palm.

"You can only hope you'd be so lucky." Taya's senses were heightened along with her power. So when Minerva appeared before her, she did not flinch and only reacted accordingly. Her own hand was drawn back, and a sphere of darkness appeared within her palm. She thrust it forward, colliding with Minerva's own. There was a bright light before a large scale explosion utterly annihilated the city block, throwing them back along with it. Now the damage was really starting to show on both sides.

Minerva regained her footing before taking a stance, her power rising to cast the spell to finish this battle once and for all. "I don't require luck. I already have what I require: the strength to put an end to this." With her form, she didn't even need the incantation. Not one, but two large statues appeared in front, and behind Taya, both of them brimming with energy to the point where they were going to explode within mere seconds. "Yagdo Rigora!"

Unfortunately, with the statue in front of her, she couldn't see Minerva. That only made things somewhat difficult with the little time she had remaining, however it was no concern. The demoness lifted her hand into the air, an obsidian magic circle forming in the skies above. "Twilight's Rain." From that magic circle, large droplets of darkness poured down on Minerva, resulting in large explosions. Just as this happened, the two statutes exploded, lighting Crocus up in a brilliant display. The force of these two attacks could be felt all over the capital! The only thing that remained after such force was a large cloud of smoke.

* * *

"Incredible!" Chapati yelled.

"…That's a little concerning…" Rogue mumbled.

"I expected this battle to be something to remember…" Alfred began. "But a spectacle like this? I have to say, I'm impressed."

"…" Cynthia had a slight sweat drop on her forehead. Explosions like that were far to be taken lightly. Based on the silence from White Eclipse and Sabertooth, she could tell that neither side was fully aware of the outcome…

* * *

The smoke slowly disappeared to reveal a surprising sight. Although heavily bruised and battered, both women were still standing! The crowd gasped loudly at this sight. More surprisingly, after all the big talk they did, they both looked like they would collapse at any second, but their pride and stubbornness fueled the feeling in their legs they had to carry on. "How annoying…you're still standing?" Taya questioned.

"That one is also my line…" Minerva said, feeling most of her power exhausted after pouring it into what she believed to be the coup de grace. Taya looked the same. So they were sprinting towards one another with their fists reared back. Whatever little power they had left was fueling the final strike! "This will be the finisher!"

"I agree!" And once they were within striking distance, the two of them threw their fists forward. Minerva and Taya both struck one another's cheek. The power they had left was all they could muster, and this final clash ended with the both of them collapsing onto their backs in slow motion. Neither of them were unconscious, but it was very clear that the two of them weren't going to be getting back up after that attack. This battle was over.

* * *

Yukino gasped at the final outcome. "Ah! Minerva-sama!"

"No way…!" Lector gasped.

"UNBELIVABLE!" Chapati's voice echoed throughout the stadium. "After an incredible battle, Sabertooth and White Eclipse have ended this first round in a draw!"

"Minerva got lucky." Waiston shook his head. "She lasted as long as she needed to in the end."

"What do you mean!?" Sting outright rebutted that statement. "The Lady totally had that won!"

"How many hits to the head have you taken?" Reiss remarked. As far as White Eclipse was concerned, Taya won that.

"That doesn't matter!" Sting said.

"Don't just agree with that…!" Rogue sighed.

"A fantastic battle, but a draw nonetheless." Hisui slowly nodded. "As a result, neither White Eclipse nor Sabertooth earn a point this round." And with the structure of this tournament, that set both guilds back immensely.

"I think she won that too…" Cynthia said quietly.

"STOP CHEERING FOR THE ENEMY!" Natsu shouted comically. He felt so much betrayal from Cynthia rooting for White Eclipse. Anyone else was fine, but not them!

"Natsu, it's fine!" Lucy had to withhold the urge to face palm….

So far the tournament of Fiore's Finest had an explosive beginning. On the upper walls of the Domus Flau, Prometheus and Pandora watched from above. "Kyahaha…this has been pretty fun to watch, don't you think?"

"I suppose so." Pandora nodded in agreement, floating on her staff. "Although I'm not one to fight for sport, as you know."

"Nothing wrong with stopping to enjoy the wilting flowers." The Grim Reaper stated while crouching. "That aside…I can tell she's here. And I cannot wait to reap the soul of Fairy Heart from her."

.

.

Next Time: Fine Fights.


	127. Chapter 127: Fine Fights

Fiore's Finest continued on. Fairy Tail was currently the only guild on the board with a single win. White Eclipse and Sabertooth received a draw in the previous match, meaning that neither guild was awarded a point and set back as a result. Currently, the ongoing fight was Blue Pegasus vs Lamia Scale: Ichiya vs Toby. To say the Ace of Blue Pegasus was difficulty was an overstatement, however he knew full well to be aware of Toby's special claws. "What a surprisingly exciting battle!" Chapati said. "Lamia Scale's Toby is putting up quite a fight!"

"He has…a very unique style of fighting." Alfred commented. This wasn't a bad thing; it just made him curious. Toby was someone to keep in mind in case he was ever pulled in for an erratic role sometime in the future.

"Come now, Ichiya! Bring forth victory!" Anna was cheering. It was only natural for Fairy Tail's side to get a few glances, because it was very, very uncommon for anyone from Fairy Tail to cheer for Blue Pegasus…let alone Ichiya.

Cana glanced at Anna with a curious brow. "Wow, she's really into this fight, huh?"

"I can't believe she's actually cheering for him…" Lucy had a small sweat drop. She was unfortunately aware of how…close Ichiya and Anna had gotten, but to see it for herself on multiple occasions on a single day was a little too much for her.

"Well, they did almost die together." Wendy said.

"You kind of tend to feel close to someone when you dive into the abyss of death with them." Cynthia added before smiling at Wendy.

"…" Levy had a sweat drop on her forehead. The fact Cynthia and Wendy could say something so casually was very worrying. "You two have been in those same situations far too many times." The script mage remarked, and she wasn't wrong either.

"I know it was concerning when we were young, but we're adults now!" Cynthia said.

God. That sentence alone made the others realize how old they had gotten. The women of the guild especially felt it and all of them turned a little pale. "…She's right." Carla eventually said. While it went without saying that it was only natural for everyone to have some difficulty accepting such a fact, it was more bizarre for Carla, who had been watching over Wendy, and then Cynthia, for years.

"….?" Cana, however, was a little too drunk to understand it.

This was his time to shine! The current battle far from interested him, unlike Taya vs Minerva, so why not devote his attention to the lovely ladies who looked so pale? Zelos stepped forward with his usual grin. "Don't look so pale, ladies! You're all still beautiful women who don't look a day over 22! The image of pure beauty, if I do say so myself. Anyone would be jealous if they looked even as half as good as you did!" Surprisingly this was effective and brought them back to high spirits.

"That was very nice of you, Zelos. Thank you." Mira offered a kind smile.

"I actually don't feel that bad now…" Lisanna rubbed the back of her neck. "Sometimes he knows how to say the right thing."

"It's astounding, really." Laki added.

"Heh." Zelos felt real proud of himself after that one.

"Wow, he acted faster than I could…" Wakaba was lamenting his slowness.

"Hard to believe this was the same guy drooling during the last fight…" Romeo shot.

"Oh, Romeo…" Zelos shook his head. "Despite your age, you still haven't awakened to the glorious nature of two beautiful, strong women fighting each other for dominance. That entire fight demanded my attention and I simply couldn't look away. It's a shame this fight isn't even close to that. Watching some sweaty dude and a dog fight doesn't quite catch my interest. At all."

Anna then spun around on a dime. "That 'sweaty dude' happens to be more of a man than you'll ever be. You should take some notes from him if you want to be half as handsome as he is."

There was pure silence. Anna's words cut Zelos deep and his entire body turned pale and he just fell over, his spirit comically leaving his body through his mouth. Mira decided to be the one to push it back in before he actually died from Anna's remark. Lisanna watched with a sweat drop. "Talk about a cutting remark…"

With the fight still ongoing, and the ensuing usual antics of Fairy Tail occurring, Bickslow glanced around the area, scanning the crowd curiously. "Hmph…'"

"Is something wrong, Bickslow?" Freed turned to Bickslow.

"Yeah. They're close." Bickslow responded. "Real friggin' close."

"Who's close?" Happy asked.

"Prometheus…" Bickslow answers got a few looks.

"Where are they?" Natsu immediately turned around. "I'll burn them both to ash!"

"Settle down." Freed said. "We can't let them know we're aware of their presence. But now that he mentions it, I do feel a looming air of death hanging over us…"

"Besides, we don't know what they're after yet." Laxus said. "We have to wait until they make their move."

"They wouldn't be here unless something caught their eye…" Erza stroked her chin in thought. Prometheus and Pandora always came in a pair. Not to mention, their motives remained a mystery. "Furthermore, Emmeraude is apparently looking for them as well. We may be able to get some information if things go our way…"

"Considering the recent turn of events, I wouldn't count on that…" Laxus said. Fairy Tail's luck hadn't been the best lately after all…

Meanwhile, in the White Eclipse stand, Ilaria was glancing around frantically. The others seemed fine, which only made her more confused. "Does no one else sense that?"

"Sense what?" Reiss questioned.

"There's like…a torrent of souls lingering above us!" It was driving the soul binder crazy. "How does no one else feel it!?" If Sidney were present, he'd absolutely be able to feel this! But he wasn't.

* * *

Unlike the previous battles, the fight between Ichiya and Toby was far from destructive. Neither mage had such explosive spells in their arsenal. But what they did have was enough for them, especially for Ichiya, who was using his Maximum speed Parfum to zip around the buildings and Toby, making things very difficult for Toby. "Can you match the speed of my handsome parfume!?" Ichiya questioned while circling around Toby.

"AHHH!" Toby let out an annoyed groan as he tried to claw at Ichiya. This was a fatal downside of his magic; he needed to be close to someone to hit them with his Jellyfish Claws. While they were dangerous, they only worked with direct contact. So anyone with even slightly more reach than him spelled trouble. "WHEN I GET YOU, YOU'LL GO DOWN OOON!"

"Unfortunately for you, my unhandsome adversary, I have a beautiful woman cheering me on in the stands. I cannot afford to lose." Ichiya then stuck another vial up his nose, sliding to a halt as lightning charged around his body. "THUNDERBOLT OF MANLIENESS!" Pointing two fingers forward, a potent bolt of lightning flying towards the Lamia Scale mage.

"OOON!" A direct hit! Toby's body jolted comically as the thunderbolt hit its mark directly. That one hit was all it took for Toby to fall over, his body convulsing from the electrical charge. But the result was very clear: Ichiya was the winner!

* * *

"And with that, Ichiya has taken a win for Blue Pegasus, putting them on the board!" Chapati exclaimed. To think that Blue Pegasus would score a single point before White Eclipse or Sabertooth; a harsh reality for those two guilds, but that was something to think about.

"What a perfect display of handsomeness!" Ren said, basking in awe at Ichiya's abilities. No matter the time of day the Trimen would always look up to Ichiya, who was without a doubt, Fiore's most handsome man.

"I knew he could do it." Jenny placed her hands on her hips, smirking confidently.

"You did your best, Toby!" Chelia yelled. The moral support was all she could really afford to do.

"He did have a tough opponent." Sherri placed a hand on her cheek. Despite being married to Ren, she'd always support Lamia Scale no matter what. In a tournament like this, they were on opposing sides. But it was that friendly competitive spirit that made their love and relationship even stronger!

"I expected his victory." Anna said with a firm nod. Her confidence in Ichiya disturbed Lucy and Erza deeply.

"These battles are going by quickly and intensely. I can't seem to tear my eyes away." Hisui remarked with a smile. This was a great reminder of how strong Fiore had gotten over the last few years. "Everyone is very strong."

"Indeed, everyone has their own strengths." Alfred remarked. "Those at my guild are usually inclined to disagree, though I can't say I blame them."

"Now it's time for the final battle of the first round." Hisui said. "Black Phoenix vs Quatro Cerberus."

"WILD!" Rocker was the one who stepped up. "Let me take this one!"

"YOU GOT IT!" Bacchus would forever be the hype man of QC. "WILD!"

"FOUR!" As always, Qautro Cerberus was in high spirits. The members all began to chant Wild Four as Rocker made his way to the arena where he'd be whisked away to the city in a heartbeat.

"I'll take this one." Alexander was quick to stand up, much to everyone's surprise.

"I wanted to fight that guy!" Asuka complained. The two of them were about to be head to head as usual.

"Just let me take it!" Alexander groaned. His reason was simple: Minerva was unable to win her fight, so he if could take a victory, it would certainly sting! It was a little petty on his part, but to be honest, it was his own bit of revenge against her.

"You got this!" Ethan gave Alexander a thumbs up. With a nod, Alexander made his way to the arena.

"And there we have it!" Chapati yelled. "Alexander Khan of Black Phoenix vs Rocker of Quatro Cerberus!" Without further ado, both fighters were warped to the city to do battle and end off the first round of Fiore's Finest.

Minerva stubbornly made her way out from the infirmary, bandages around her body as she watched the ensuing fight. All she could do was roll her eyes. Alexander's ploy was clear to her. "How predictable…"

"M-Minerva-sama, you should really be resting!" Yukino said, gently easing Minerva onto a seat.

"I'm impressed she's back on her feet…" Sorano said.

"That's the Lady! You can never keep her down!" Lector proudly stated.

* * *

Rocker and Alexander were transported to an open city street. Due to the sheer size of the capital, it was no surprised they touched upon an area that had yet to be ravaged by the intense battles taking place so far. "Are both fighters ready? The 30 minute timer starts now. Begin!" Hisui said to signify the beginning of their battle.

"Sorry little man! But I gotta take you down!" Rocker drew his arm back, his Drill magic coming into play as a blue cyclone wrapped around the length of his arm. "Drill Rush!" Throwing his arm forward, this whirlwind shot forward, violently splitting the street.

Alexander narrowly dodged to the size, feeling the drill graze his cheek. As he landed, he had a slight sweat drop on his forehead. That was an unexpectedly powerful blow to be starting off with. Landing on the ground, Alexander placed his hands in the air and brought them down, causing a rain of territory spikes to fall down towards Rocker. These spikes were highly volatile and exploded on impact. He may have been outmatched when it came to power, but a good strategy could trump pure strength; he just had to focus and observe his foe.

Rocker grinned as Alexander evaded his opening move. "Not bad, not bad!" The blonde grinned and sprinted forward, Drill magic forming around his legs. This gave him a boost in speed, allowing him to weave in and out of the incoming spikes and the ensuing explosions. The distance was crossed within seconds and he drew his leg back. "Drill Kick!"

"…!" That fast?! Alexander brought his arm up, gritting his teeth as Rocker's leg slammed against it. With the Drill magic it felt as though even that makeshift defense was worthless and the territory mage was nearly thrown off his feet, sliding back a great deal with his sleeve torn and a large bruise was shown on his arm. "Guh…"

"Come on, I'm just warming up!" Rocker took to the air, spinning around to gain momentum before swinging his leg down for a fierce axe kick. Alexander was able to avoid this at the last second by warping away; leaving Rocker to slam into the ground, but cause a surprising amount of collateral damage in the form of a fissure that split the earth. "He dodged…?"

Alexander reappeared to Rocker's left, pointing his hand forward. "Got you." A blast of territory shot forward, striking the opposition in the side to throw him back.

"Whoa…!" Rocker tumbled across the ground, sliding across the ground before springing up with a grin. "Wild! I like your style, kid! Let's keep it going!"

Alexander narrowed his eyes. Rocker was more resilient than he looked, much to his dismay. But Alexander planned to win this fight regardless. "I'll make this quick."

* * *

"It looks like everyone has been working hard." A familiar voice caused the mages of White Eclipse to turn around. The voiced belonged to none other than Calium.

"Old man?" Reve said.

"Wow, what brings you here after so long?" Waiston asked. No one had seen Calium since he disbanded White Eclipse two years ago.

"I just came for a brief visit to see how everyone was holding up. It seems that you didn't need me around after all." The old master of White Eclipse said.

"Are you kidding me?" Jaxon held a deadpanned expression. "I've had to deal with all the paperwork you've shrugged off the last few years. It's a nightmare."

"But you're still alive, so I knew you could handle it!" Calium laughed, but Jaxon wasn't.

"That's easy for you to say…." Jaxon groaned.

"Is this him?!" Ilaria gasped at the side of Calium, sparkles within her eyes as she looked him over from various angles.

"Yes, that's him." Kuro said with a firm nod. "Calium, the founder of White Eclipse."

"So what brings you back out of the blue?" Luke asked. "I doubt you came just to see the tournament."

"That was part of it." Calium admitted. "But there's actually someone I'd like you all to meet as well. Come on out, weirdo."

"I have a name!" The woman huffed while rounding the corner, arms crossed with a displeased expression; one that was aimed solely at Calium. "I cannot believe you'd introduce me so terribly to your guild, Cal-kun."

"…Who's this?" Cygnus asked. Though she wasn't exerting any effort whatsoever, her magic power was far beyond that of a Spriggan.

"I know there's been news lately of the strongest wizards alive, with me currently being number 1." Calium was proud to list that he was at the top of the list. "This would be number 2: Helena Tiberius, Empress of Valeria."

"Number 2?" Helena's brow lifted immediately. Despite the proper introduction, that was the only part she was paying attention to now. But despite that she did give a smile to the rest of White Eclipse.

* * *

Although the high octane action was very hard to tear one's eyes away from, Chelia ended up having to use the bathroom. She didn't want to miss any of the fights and hurried through a corridor to head back to the main area. But she stopped the instant she saw someone coincidentally passing through just as she was: Blair. "Ah…!"

"…." Blair's yellow gaze turned to Chelia, instantly glaring at the pinkette. "…That bow on your back."

"Y-Yes…?" Chelia swallowed the lump in her throat. Blair had no aura, but this woman was extremely scary.

Blair took a few steps forward, a black and red glow emanating from her bandaged arm. "So you're the one…who killed my brother."

.

.

Next Time: Harsh Reality


	128. Chapter 128: Harsh Reality

This was a chance encounter if there had ever been one. Chelia and Blair, both of them connected by one person who was no longer in this world: Raven. The two of them stood across one another in an empty corridor while Alexander and Rocker fought to finish off the first round of Fiore's Finest. The air between them was tense and Blair's expression was far from a friendly one. "You know Raven…?" Chelia asked quietly. She already knew in her heart who this person was, but she needed the verbal confirmation.

Blair's expression was a fierce scowl that struck fear into the heart of the pinkette. It was clear that she was failing to restrain her growing anger. "I did." The raventte responded, placing her normal hand on her chest. "He was my younger brother."

And it was just as Chelia feared. This was, without a doubt, Blair Elfin. The pinkette's eyes widened in shock and a bit of horror as another realization set in: Blair started off the conversation by stating that Chelia killed him! "W-Wait…! L-Let me explain…!"

"Explain what?" Blair took a step forward. "Are you going to explain to me why you killed my brother and took his bow?" And from what Chelia knew, the only family brother and sister had left. "I don't want to hear it."

Crap. This standoff was about to turn into a full altercation if Chelia didn't do something fast. The last thing she wanted to do was fight Raven's sister, but that seemed to be the first thing on Blair's mind. Instinctively, Chelia reached for the bow on her back while holding her other hand up. "P-Please hold on…! It's not that I killed him, I was just…too weak to protect him…" Unfortunately for Chelia, that reasoning only made things worse. Blair's bandaged left arm came down and she was narrowly able to avoid a crushing grip that reduced the stone to dust. "…!"

"I saw you two…" Blair began in a low, threatening tone. She lifted her bandaged arm back up, allowing its true demonic form to come to light. The enlarged demon limb gave off an extremely threatening aura that matched Blair's rage. "You two were together last year…"

"…!" Chelia did vaguely recall feeling a presence in the village. "So that was you…?"

"Failed to protect him my ass…" Blair was very unaware of the circumstances of her brother's death. All she knew was that Chelia was involved, and as far as she was concerned, she was the murderer. "You were the one right next to him!" The woman's voice turned into a full scream and she lunged forward.

"No…!" Blair wasn't giving Chelia a choice; she was too consumed with rage and heartache to even listen to what Chelia was trying to tell her. The former sky goddess reached for the bow at her back to draw in and fire an arrow of wind, but….

* * *

Sherri perked up suddenly and looked around. "Chelia's been gone for an awful long time…"

"Maybe she got lost?" Yuka suggested, although that seemed very unlikely with how often they'd come to the Domus Flau.

"She'll be back soon." Lyon was certain of this.

Sherri, on the other hand, was no so certain of this. A protective instinct was screaming to find Chelia as fast as possible. "I'll be right back!" With no warning, the doll mage sprinted off, much to everyone's confusion.

Wendy and Cynthia felt the same way. Something was wrong. "We'll be back!" Wendy exclaimed, running off with Cynthia.

"W-Wait, you two!" Carla was just about to bring it up, too. So she sprinted off along with them.

"W-What's with them…?" Lucy asked, but no one else seemed to have a clue.

"Wait for me here!" Ultear told Meredy.

"W-Wait, UI?" Meredy didn't have the slightest idea as to why Ultear was in such a hurry.

* * *

Alexander and Rocker's fight only heated up! The young Black Phoenix mage found himself on the back foot against the Cerberus mage's assault. Rocker reared his arm back, once again gathering drill magic before throwing it forward. Once again, a potent shockwave was unleashed towards Alexander to push him backwards. "You're not bad, kid! This fight is pretty wild!"

"Guh…!" This was getting tiresome to deal with. But if things continued like this any longer, Alexander was certain he'd lose. They still had about 20 minutes left as well, meaning his time was both aplenty and running out simultaneously. This meant he had to think of something and fast! As the incoming wave of drill magic came his way, Alexander swiped his hands to the side, making use of the most basic tricks Territory had to offer: teleportation.

"Huh?" One second, Rocker was watching his attack fly towards Alexander, and now, he was watching it fly towards him! Within the blink of an eye, the two of them traded places. "Whoa!" Arms crossed, Rocker had to deal with the force of his own attack, sliding across the ground as he felt his own power. It was an intoxicating feeling, really. He really packed a punch! When the attack dispersed, the blonde stared at the Black Phoenix mage with a widening grin. "This is pretty wild! I love this!"

"Tch! Seriously?!" Rocker wasn't down yet!? He was bruised and pretty beaten up, but still not down!? Alexander looked worse for wear and his options were running low. He _really_ didn't want to have to rely on Yagdo Rigora, since it was a spell that Minerva had and made known as a staple ace move. If he used that, then he'd never escape her shadow, and that was the one thing he absolutely could not have. "Damn…"

"We still got time! Can you last that long!?" Rocker's entire body was engulfed within his magic and he pushed forward, spinning through the air as a rotating drill. "Drill Run!" The mage howled while soaring towards Alexander.

Alexander had little time but to cross his arms as Rocker made impact against him. But the mage's power was so great; he was immediately thrown off his feet the instant Rocker slammed against his body! "GAAAAAH!"

"It looks like Alexander is having a tough time against Rocker!" Chapati said.

"If the tides of battle remain unfavorable to this young mage, it's very clear where the outcome will lead." Alfred stated calmly.

"…" Minerva merely watched, shaking her head at every mistake Alexander made. This was truly a pathetic showing from someone she actually spent the time to train. Although her methods from before Sabetooth's and her own reform were the reason Alexander despised her so.

* * *

Blair's demonic arm wrapped around Chelia's throat, her monstrous strength keeping a tight grip as she pinned Chelia to the floor. The bow Chelia tried to use had fallen to the side; she wasn't fast enough to take a warning shot, and as a result, Blair got to her. As basic human response, Chelia's hands tried to pry Blair's arm from her neck, but it was no use. "Ngh…"

"You bitch…" Blair had nothing but hatred in her eyes. It was understandable since her only family had been ripped away from her.

" _W-What's happening to me…?"_ As Chelia tried to force Blair's hand off her, she could feel her own life force slipping out of her. It was…being eaten!? She felt like she was dying the longer Blair held onto her and the fact her expression was paling made her realize what reality was awaiting her if this went on any longer. Her strength was being sapped and she felt very, very tired. "I-I d-didn't kill him…b-but it was my fault…that he died." Her words weren't helping and she knew it, but there was no other way to explain this.

"Your fault!?" No, that didn't sound any better to Blair. It only enraged her more and she lifted Chelia from the ground to slam her violently into the wall, holding her up high to continue gazing at her with malice.

"AAAAH!" That hurt! More than it should have. Chelia may not have had magic, but she was still just as durable as she used to be. So why in the world did that hurt so much!?

"You don't have any magic." Blair spat. "And to make things worse, you're parading around with HIS BOW!? What makes you think I'll listen to a damn thing you have to say, you piece of shit!?" It was a disgrace as far as Blair was concerned.

"I didn't…deserve his love…" Chelia said weakly. It was at that moment that her arms just dropped and of her own volition no less.

"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT YOU DIDN'T!" Blair screamed, her anger and annoyance increasing as Chelia refused to fight back. "You didn't have a problem with Raven, so why aren't you fighting back now!?"

"I'm not fighting because…I deserve your wrath…" Chelia's voice lowered and her pink hair shaded over her eyes. This even caught Blair off guard since she expected much more of a fight. Tears began to build up in her eyes and steadily streamed down, yet she was able to meet Blair's gaze somehow. "You know, he…he always knew that you were alive somewhere. He talked about you so much, I was…a little jealous. I wanted to be as important to him as you were…."

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Blair grit her teeth, snarling as her gaze only grew more violently. Her arm flared up with a dark crimson aura. Her eyes were starting to water.

"H-He loved you very much." Chelia attempted a very weak smile. "He really wanted us to meet under better circumstances. I-I'm…I'm really sorry…nothing I can say or do…will ever make up for my lack of strength."

"…Your apologize doesn't mean shit." Blair spat. There was malice in her eyes and her body shook. "You're right. Nothing you can say or do will make up for what you failed to do." And suddenly, she just hurled Chelia's weak body across the corridor. "Piece of sh-"

"CHELIA!" Sherri made it onto the scene, grabbing Chelia just before she hit the ground. Her eyes were wide at Chelia's weakened expression and she found herself glaring up at Blair. "You…!" And then she saw the resemblance immediately, causing her to go silent.

"What's going on here!?" Ultear, Cynthia, Wendy, and Carla then arrived. All eyes were on Chelia, and then shifted to Blair. "What have you done…" Ultear was the first one to step forward, a fierce glare aimed directly towards Blair. A cold mist started to emanate from her hands as she prepared to attack Blair.

"It's that woman from before…" Carla mumbled.

"B-Blair…" Chelia weakly called out to her. That name turned heads.

"Blair!? But that's…!" Cynthia gasped.

"….This aura…" Carla's instincts went wild and she was ready to fight. Blair didn't have a magic aura, but her presence was unbelievably oppressive.

"…Tell her to stay out of my sight. If I see her again, I really will kill her." Blair's arm returned to 'normal', the bandages reforming along the limb as she began to walk off.

As Blair walked off, the attention returned to Chelia, who was barely clinging on. Wendy wasted no time placing her palms over her friend, a soft sea-foam light emanating from her hands. "Chelia? Are you okay!? Hang on!"

Blair rounded a corner, met with the annoying smile of her companion Vernal. "Well now, that was quite an encounter, wasn't it? I didn't know you had a brother!? Do you think he would have approved of us?" The woman said with a mischievous smile.

"….Shut up." Was all Blair had to say. She placed her hand on her chest and frowned.

"Come on now, turn that frown upside down." Vernal placed her index fingers to the corners of Blair's lips to force them into a smile, but as usual, her hands were swatted away so suddenly.

"Leave me alone." Blair mumbled before walking off.

Vernal watched, quietly placing a hand on her lips. "Oh my…did you break already? When something's is hard but not flexible, it tends to snap…"

* * *

"GAAAH!" Alexander cried out as his bruised body tumbled along the stone street. Rocker was really lying into him, despite his best efforts. Now he really didn't have a choice but to go all out! "Damn it…"

"This has been great. But it's about time I wrap this up!" Rocker held a confident grin as he prepared to bring this battle to a close. Drill magic swirled around his lower body and he lunged forward, putting his all into this final attack!

"I have no choice…" Alexander placed his arms apart, powerful orbs of territory magic swirling around his hands. "I have to win for Black Phoenix…" As he began to chant, a large effigy appeared in the center of his battlefield. "Yagdo…"

"I don't think so!" Rocker's speed suddenly increased! There was no warning and he slammed right into Alexander's chest. There was a deafening shockwave was contact was made, uprooting surrounding stone in the process.

"….!" That direct hit caused Alexander's eyes to go wide. His body hit the ground once more, only this time it didn't look like he was going to get back up. His eyes were pure white to signify his defeat.

Rocker held a hand up in victory. "WILLLLLLLD!"

* * *

"And there you have it! Rocker has defeated Alexander and given Quatro Pup—er, Cerberus a victory!" Chapati yelled, just barely managing to avoid the glares of Quatro Cerberus from his near slip up.

"Hmph…how pathetic." Minerva merely shook her head. Such a disappointment and hopefully a realization for the young mage. The harsh reality that no matter what Alexander did, he'd never come close to her level. They would forever be worlds apart.

"Alexa…" Asuka frowned a bit. She wasn't upset that he lost, but more so upset for him. He did give it his all, but in the end, Rocker just overpowered him.

"With this, the first round of Fiore's Finest concludes." Hisui said with a small nod. "Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, and Quatro Cerberus have all scored a point and put them in the lead. We still have many rounds left, however."

"We're tied for first!" Lucy pumped a fist into the air.

"We're far from finished though." Laxus mentioned.

"…I wonder what happened with them…" Erza's gaze went around, searching for Wendy, Cynthia, and Carla. They'd come back soon, she was sure.

"Now let's start the second round with no delay!" Hisui smiled. She wanted to keep things exciting. "Quatro Cerberus, I hope you don't mind having another fight right off the bat?"

"HAHA!" Bacchus lifted a hand into the air. "Hell yeah, let's do it!" Rocker's victory put the guild in high spirits. They were all pumping fists into the air at the prospect of taking a very early lead.

"Fairy Tail. You're up once again." Hisui said.

"Fairy Tail vs Quatro Cerberus. This should yield some interesting results." Alfred said.

"Allow me." Erza was the one to took to the field. And to her surprise, QC chose…

"Well well…" Bacchus Groh laughed as he stood across from Erza. "It's been a long time since we've had a good fight, eh?"

"Indeed…" Erza nodded slowly. "We've fought many times, however we were unable to best one another in the end."

"Seems like today…" Bacchus held a wide grin as he stared right into Titania's eyes. "Is the day we finally settle that. It's gonna be a good day…to finally claim victory over Titania…"

.

.

Next Time: The Knight vs The Falcon.


	129. Chapter 129: The Knight vs The Falcon

"Darn it!" Prometheus snapped his fingers, slightly annoyed. "So close…"

Pandora tilted her head curiously to her partner. Clearly he was agitated about something, but she hadn't the slightest clue what. "…Did something happen, Prometheus?"

"Someone was really close to biting the dust a few seconds ago…" The Grim Reaper said, twirling his scythe around. "I would've enjoyed nabbing that soul as a snack before the main dish…"

"Mio is somewhere within this stadium." Pandora said, staring down at the masses. It was very difficult to pinpoint Mio's position. "We are also not here to cause a riot."

"I don't understand why we need to be so covert…" Prometheus sighed, taking a crouched stance while looking down at the arena. "We are not bound to anyone anymore. Zeref, or Arlos, whatever his name is…he's lucky I can't find him."

"We aren't but…there is a storm brewing in the shadows of the events taking place." Pandora placed a hand on her chest. "A calamity will be wrought by Alvarez, Fiore, the daughter of Yggdrasil, and the Pergrande Kingdom. This calamity will sweep the entire world and annihilate everything. True Chaos will be born soon…"

"Kyahaha…" Prometheus' lips curled up at Pandora's words. "True Chaos, you say? That's me. It's why I must be adequately prepared for the storm that's coming." A number of souls circled around his body; most of them from the fallen Spriggan 12 that did not make it out of the war alive. His particular fixations were on Neinhart, Elieen, Rahkeid, and August's. "You four made for such delicious morsels. Your combined power has absolutely made me unstoppable!" And at that moment, Pandora whacked him on the back of the head with her scepter. "Ouch! What was that for!?"

"Lower your presence." The Goddess of Balance demanded. "There is no doubt in my mind that they know that you are here. The Seith mage of Fairy Tail likely senses you. Who knows who else does. We cannot give away our position."

"Right…" Prometheus settled down. But naturally, with the level of power he was carrying, it was only natural for it to be felt. It was a lingering sense of dread that hovered over the arena. The citizens and combatants felt it, but the excitement of the tournament drowned it out. "She can't hide away forever…Mavis."

* * *

Bacchus and Erza wasted no time getting started. As soon as they were teleported to the city, Bacchus couldn't contain his excitement and sprinted towards Erza at full speed! "Come on, Erza! Let's give them something to really talk about!" Magic swirled around the Falcon's hands, prepping his Palm Magic. At first glance, one would think this battle would be against Bacchus. Who brings bare hands to a sword fight? This drunk.

"I agree. Although, this time, I will be sure we have a desicieve result!" Erza called forth two standard swords within her grasp. She then matched Bacchus' speed, slashing at the S-class mage the instant she got into range. As she was already aware of, Bacchus was exceptionally agile, evading her attacks with swift movements. Any attack he couldn't avoid was swiftly parried away with his hands, which were safe from any cuts due to the magic he imbued into them. "Tch…"

Bacchus held a grin. Erza was going to have to try much harder than that to get a solid hit on him and they both knew it. Titania the then lifted her boot to slam it into his chest, but he caught her leg before it could even make contact. "Nice try!" The Drunken Falcon then pivoted on his heel, hurling Erza towards a nearby tree!

Erza was unfazed as Bacchus threw her. Though he had some might behind it, Erza was easily able to recover by flipping around, pressing her boots against the tree before pushing forward. Just as she did this, a golden light wrapped around her body and she donned her Black Wing Armor. "Black Wing Flash!" She then swung her blade twice, sending a vertical and horizontal blade beam towards Bacchus!

Bacchus' lips never once relinquished his excited grin. As the incoming blade beams threatened to slice him in two, he took his signature stance, remaining absolutely calm. The vertical blade beam was evaded by a calm, swift sway to the side, while the horizontal one was dodged by a perfect lean backwards. Bacchus could feel the sharp magic slice off a few hairs from his head, but other than that he was unscathed. "Oh yeah!"

Erza was undeterred by Bacchus' swift movements. In fact, this was exactly how she expected things to pan out. So she followed after the second slash, rearing her sword up to deliver a diagonal slash across Bacchus' exposed chest. A person could only move but so fast, and Erza thought she had him! But to her surprise, Bacchus was able to move away from her incoming attack. "…!"

"Gotcha!" Bacchus' palm slammed against Erza's exposed stomach. The impact made Erza's eyes widen ever so slightly. Riding this momentum, the Drunken Falcon continued his movement to carry Erza over his head and slam her into the ground! Once he put Erza in the dirt, he lifted his foot and brought it down, the impact creating a resounding shockwave.

* * *

"A fierce combination by Bacchus!" Chapati yelled.

"The two of them appear evenly matched." Hisui said.

"Bacchus' fighting style may seem inferior compared to one who uses weaponry, but he's taught me some surprising techniques." Alfred added. "I've heard him speak many times about his battles against Titania. I wonder if this will be the time they finally end with a decisive result."

"Bacchus is pretty good…" Elfman remarked. It had been quite some time since their last bout, but he could see the improvement from the opposing S-class.

"But Erza's Erza." Mira placed a hand on her cheek. "I'm sure she'll be fine."

"I'd pick Erza-chan any day. Over some haphazard drunk." Zelos waved a hand. "Of course, Cana-chan is more refined than he is." He then added, realizing the woman in question could potentially take it the wrong way.

"Eh?" Cana was a little too drunk to hear him anyway. It completely ruined his point, not like anyone was surprised.

"Yeah, Bacchus! Kick her ass!" Blues shouted from the stands.

"Look at her, having a hard time." Reve shook his head. It was unfortunate that he wasn't going to be the one to put Erza in her place, however watching her fall to Bacchus would not only be entertaining, but add more ammunition to his usual shit talk.

* * *

Bacchus kept his foot down against the ground. He believed he had the upper hand for a moment, but that would be underestimating Erza, and he knew better than to do that. So when he felt the ground push up against his foot, he looked down. "Huh?" Bacchus' stomp, while powerful, failed to crush Erza as he intended. At the last second, Erza was able to change into Adamantine Armor, completely negating any damage Bacchus could have dealt.

"Hyah!" Erza then sprang up, changing armor and weaponry just as quickly. She changed into her Wind God's Armor, equipped with the matching sword and the Flame Sword, first slamming her foot against Bacchus' chest to push him back. It was a successful blow, which allowed Erza the time and space to gain her footing and crouch down, swinging the Wind God's Sword to create a powerful gust of wind to sweep Bacchus' legs.

"Hup…!" Bacchus was indeed caught by the forceful gale, and ended up falling backwards. As he fell, Erza began to close the distance and brought her flaming sword down. Bacchus smirked and caught himself on a single hand, using his natural agility to spring backwards and avoided the fiery slash.

"Now!" Erza had Bacchus right where she wanted up. She swung the Wind God's Sword horizontally, creating another potent gust of wind that caught Bacchus as he dodged. This was a direct hit and sent him flying backwards!

The Drunken Falcon let out a grunt of pain as he was blown away by the wind. He was able to catch himself, but his armor and skin were sliced from the attack. In the end, he was just grinning as he took his usual stance. "Heh…it's been so long since we've had a fight that I forgot how fun it was." The time for warmups were over, as he slowly began to reach his gourd."

" _Here it comes…"_ Erza knew Bacchus had yet to get serious. Even when sober, he held exceptional ability. But in truth, Erza was quite enjoying herself as well. Her rivalry with Bacchus spawned from mutual respect for one another, unlike Reve which was just malice.

* * *

"Here it comes!" The mages of Quatro Cerberus began to cheer.

"Now things are about to get interesting…" Royal said with a slight grin, chugging down his own flask.

"This is where things pick up." Alfred spoke from experience. "Although, I'm sure the audience doesn't need me to tell them that."

"Bacchus has fought many times in the past." Hisui recalled the drunk's efforts.

"So it's only natural that the crowd is getting excited over what's coming next!" Chapati said.

* * *

"You know, I don't just drink because I enjoy it." As Bacchus spoke, he pulled his gourd from his waist and began to chug it all down! "I drink because it betters me, you know." Bacchus then calmly set the gourd down, his cheeks flushed as the alcohol immediately flowed through his system. "Now I'm feeling it…LET'S GET WIIIIIIIILD!" And as soon as he said that, he practically vanished from how fast he became!

This was exactly what Erza was waiting for! As soon as Bacchus charged in, she changed to her Flight Armor to keep pace with him. The speed the two displayed was nearly impossible for anyone to keep up with! Erza swung her swords while Bacchus swung his palms wildly. His movements were difficult to read because he was inebriated, but Erza did her best to keep pace with him. Her sword strikes were parried skillfully by his palms, while Erza had to deflect his palm strikes with her swords. Small bursts of magic occurred every so often, simply displaying the raw power between these two mages. _"His skill has only improved over the last year…!"_

"I've been working out quite a bit since the war ended!" Bacchus laughed while swaying his body to avoid a few stray strikes he was unable to. "Falling behind Fairy Tail ain't something I plan to do!"

"Admirable, but I will not be falling here!" Erza commended Bacchus' efforts before slipping under a palm strike, using this opening to aim a myriad of slashes at him within the blink of an eye, sliding past him in the same second. "Sonic Claw!" That was the opening she needed to land several hits. As soon as Erza turned, her eyes were wide at the lack of damage present on Bacchus' body. "What?"

"Heh…" Bacchus slowly turned his drunken smile widening as he held up his hands. Even though Erza had an opening, Bacchus refused to allow her to capitalize on it and parried her strikes just as quickly. The Drunken Falcon then lifted his leg up and slammed it down on the ground, creating a shockwave that kicked up a large layer of smoke and dust around his person.

"I don't think so!" Erza proclaimed while swinging the Wind God's Sword to blow the smoke away, but just as quickly as she did so, Bacchus was already gone. Before she could even ask the question of his whereabouts, he was already to her left, smirking. In the next instant, she felt several blows land against her frame, causing her to grunt in pain as she sustained multiple direct hits. "Gaaaah!"

"I'm feeling pretty good today…" Bacchus chuckled while taking his stance again, only to strike once more. He didn't want to give Erza any time to breathe. "I feel like I can finally put a victory on our endless streak!"

Erza recoiled from Bacchus' strikes. But she did not allow him to get any closer. Titania swung the Wind and Flame God's swords both, taking inspiration from Cynthia and Wendy to create a fiery twister to strike Bacchus and force him to block! Bacchus did hold his ground and this presented Erza with a chance of her own. She used her Flight Armor's speed to get in close, gripped the Flame Sword tightly, and then swung it up, a rising spiral of flame following her motion. "Flame God's Rising Slash!"

"Gah!" Bacchus let out a grunt of pain as he was forcibly lifted off the ground from the rising flame, which cut into his body. As he was flung skyward, he adjusted his body to quickly gain his bearings, which was great timing as Erza used her Heaven's Wheel Armor to get above him, swinging the gigantic bladed mace from her Purgatory Armor right at him! With a wry grin, Bacchus immediately gathered as much magic as possible before swinging his hand at Erza's sword, the two meeting in a fierce collision that pushed the both of them backwards!

"Oof!" Erza landed on a roof somewhere nearby and quickly stood back up, flying towards Bacchus' last known location. But the instant she got within a few feet of him, she found herself flying into the side of a building! "Ugh!"

"You're not the only one who can swing things around!" Said the Drunken Falcon, happily holding a street lamp in his hands. It was strange ingenuity that only his intoxicated mind could think of, but it worked. And then, he hurled it right at her with no warning!

"What the-!?" Seriously?! A whole streetlight!? Erza could only roll her eyes internally at this, yet the danger could not be ignored. That's why she equipped the Ten Commandments spear, pointing the Cannon Spear forward to unleash a blast of magic that destroyed the incoming streetlight. She then flew into the sky, summoning a multitude of blades above her. "Heaven's Wheel!" And on her command, these swords fell down from the sky, and she chased after them with Rune Save.

Bacchus started to hop in place, prepping himself for the storm of swords coming his way. First he ducked low, proceeding to spin around to kick away incoming blades. He then jump, flipped, and landed with a palm on the ground, exerting enough magical energy to force the earth to break apart and rise up, using it as a makeshift shield against the steel that threatened him. He didn't have the chance to feel safe as Erza herself cut through this, swinging a fierce downward slash to his chest. As Bacchus did before, he tried to parry with his palm, but he was unaware of Rune Save's ability to slice through magic. As a result, his hand was cut! "Ah…!?"

Perfect. Now that she had him off guard, she could land a decisive blow! Bacchus' confusion, though brief, allowed her to strike once again. Erza swung her leg at his chest, but the drunk ultimately slipped under it at the last second. "…!?" She then noticed him aiming a palm strike with his non-bloodied hand, so she instinctively shifted to avoid it…but did not expect Bacchus to carry his momentum, shifting it to his legs to land a rolling kick against her ankle! "Ugh!"

"Achilles Reaper!" Bacchus shouted the very instant his leg shot out in a surprise attack. "Chop Hanging Palm: Rising Sun!" The moment Erza's leg wobbled from his kick, he sprang up, gathering a large amount of magic within both palms and violently pressed them against her chest, an explosive burst of magic forcing Erza skyward until she crashed through a window of a two story building.

* * *

"That one looked like it hurt…" Hisui shuddered a bit. She could feel that impact.

"Keep it up, Bacchus!" Blues yelled.

"WILD!"

"FOUR!"

"Now he's cutting loose." Royal grinned.

"Come on, Erza! Kick his ass!" Natsu yelled.

"Don't let the drunk beat you!" Zelos shouted as well.

* * *

Erza shook her head slowly, feeling a little dizzy after that blow. Regaining her composure, Titania hopped out the window, a little bruised and battered. She and Bacchus looked just as rough. "Not a bad trick." She admitted. Then she glanced at the building she had crashed into…it was the cake shop. That caused her expression to pale. _"N-NOT THE CAKES…"_ She thought internally, feeling her spirit crushed for a bit. How was she supposed to reward herself for a hard fought battle now!? The sound of Bacchus' voice did snap her out of her heartbreak.

"This hand's been cut off before, you know. I wasn't exactly worried about it happening again." Bacchus laughed. "But I'm glad to see that one didn't take you out! I still got more left in the tank!"

"I could say the same thing!" Erza then changed spears to the Explosion Spear, hurling it towards Bacchus with reckless abandon. Bacchus sprinted and shifted his body to the side, but as soon as the spear was behind him, it exploded violently. This gave the drunk unwanted momentum and pushed him towards Erza, who used this change to change into her Rabbit Armor, along with wielding the red and black twin blades, which she merged together. "TAKE THIS!" Bacchus had nowhere to run now, since he was moving against his well. With powerful magic surging from the two swords, Erza aimed a horizontal slash to her opponent's chest. But quick thinking on Bacchus' part saved him from serious injury.

The drunken falcon lifted his arms up, using part of his arm to shield himself from the heavy damage incoming. The armor around his arms still broke off and he received damage, but he mitigated it severely and slid back as a result. "That was close." Bacchus admitted before lifting his leg once more, violently stomping on the ground. Inspiration from his drinking buddy, Jack Royal, came into play here. The ground trembled under his sheer might before his physical prowess caused large, sharp stalagmites to rise up sporadically! This was not earth magic by any means; he was simply manipulating his own magic from the shockwave he sent within the ground, causing it to spike in random places. "Try hopping out of this one!"

What a challenge indeed. Erza grit her teeth, immediately spotting the danger as her ankle had been damaged and hindered her movements. So she had to shakily jump away from the rising stalagmites and change into a suitable armor that could fly! The Black Wing Armor returned and she immediately took to the skies, not too surprised that Bacchus anticipated this and attempted to cut her off with a fierce axe kick, but it was one blocked by her conjoined sword. She then pushed him away with her sheer strength, causing him to flip harmlessly to the ground. "I think it's about time we finally end this."

"I couldn't agree more." Bacchus grinned, their section of the city slowly beginning to shake from the magic aura they both let off. "Give me your best shot…and when it fails to put me down, I'll give you mine."

"Bold words." Erza said while touching down on another roof, intentionally keeping the high ground. The for task of taking down a foe as mighty as Bacchus, it only seemed right to don the Morning Star and the blades it came with. "Let's see if those aren't just your drunken musings." Titania pointed her blades forward, magical energy crackling between the tips as it took the form of a gigantic sphere. "Photon Slicer!" And with that cry, she unleashed one of her strongest attacks directly towards Bacchus!

"That's what I like to see!" Bacchus could _feel_ that magical energy coming his way! It was so strong the ground trembled! "Now…" With a strong surge of magic swirling around his right hand, he reared it back before swinging it forward. "Chop Hanging Palm: Under Moonlight!" A signature technique! Bacchus' palm slammed against the Photon Slicer, causing a fierce stalemate that lasted no more than a few seconds. In the end, Bacchus was able to deflect the Photon Slicer, causing it to crash and explode against one story building, completely reducing it to rubble.

"He deflected it!?" Erza was admittedly surprised about that show of strength.

"Now it's my turn!" Bacchus held his hands out, rapidly palming the air. At first, nothing happened. Then large magical hands rapidly began to shoot out, utterly destroying anything in their path in such a rapid fire pace. "All Out Pummeling!"

"…!?" This was new! Erza saw the danger of this immediately and switched back to her Heaven's Wheel Armor, using its ability of flight to escape harm's way. Unfortunately for her, Bacchus was tracking her with his rapid movements! She hadn't expected any form of a long range spell from him! All Erza could do at the moment was slice though any large magic hand that came close, but she could still feel the raw power emanating from them. "Tch…!" A circle of blades materialized around her as a makeshift defense as she tried to close the gap between them. The closer she got, the harder it became to dodge. Eventually Erza was overwhelmed and a few palms exploded against her, sending her flying back with a cry of pain, but not before she landed a blow against Bacchus, causing the two of them to tumble back violently. At the very least, it was at the tail end of the assault too. "Gah! Ah…" Tumbling along the ground, Erza caught herself and started to pant heavily.

"Heh…so you survived. Not bad at all, Erza…" Bacchus spoke through weighed breaths. "But I ain't done yet!" As Bacchus yelled this, he once again gathered magic on his palms. But this time, the magic aura completely eclipsed his palms, taking the shape of large hands that dwarfed even his own body. "So how about we put it all on the line!? One final clash!?"

Erza could only smile. She enjoyed battling Bacchus far more than Reve. "Very well." Erza's final piece of armor for this battle was the Amadura Fairy Armor. She held both blades at her side and they crackled with magical energy. "I accept your joust. Let us bring this to a close!" Erza intended to win this battle as well. Despite the pain in her leg, she pushed off, striding towards Bacchus in a single motion, preparing to unleash one of her strongest techniques. "Fairy Burst!"

"Chop Hanging Palm: Eclipse!"" Bacchus wildly sprinted forward. With their speed, it only took a second for the two of them to reach one another. Just as Erza swung her two blades at Bacchus, he swung his gigantic palms down to crush her! But at that exact moment, the very second before their attacks landed, the bell rang. The bell that indicated that time had run out. The instant it did, they both froze in wide eyed shock. They had so much fun fighting one another, they were so close to the climax…but they were out of time.

"TIME!" Hisui suddenly yelled. "The battle has reached it's allotted time and neither combatant has fallen! This means it is a draw between Fairy Tail and Quatro Cerberus! Neither party shall receive a point this round."

"….."

Silence befell to the two combatants. They were so close to finally having a victory. They _knew_ this clash would decide it all. But they were unable to reach that point in time…

"Damn…" Bacchus let out a heavy sigh. "So close to winning." He then grinned.

"…That was my line." Erza withdrew her stance and let out a sigh of her own. Clearly they both believed they were going to win in that final clash. But the painful part of a draw was that neither of them would never know…

.

.

Next Time: Eclipse Takeover


	130. Chapter 130: Eclipse Takeover

After the draw, Erza and Bacchus returned to their spots. Both sides were both disappointed in their inability to close out the fight, but there was hidden excitement and curiosity in what the next fight would bring. But for now, Erza was sulking due to the destruction of the pastry shop at her own hands. "….."

"She seems a little more disappointed than I expected…" Anna whispered.

"It's all right, Erza. We can make up the difference next time! I got this!" Natsu said with a wide grin.

"It's not that…" Erza said as comical blue lines of depression wavered over her bandaged body. "…The cake shop…it was destroyed in the fight…" And she was really looking forward to rewarding herself with a nice strawberry cake when the tournament was all said and done. She couldn't do that now!

"Oh…" Mira placed a hand on her cheek. That explained so much.

"It seems that it's my turn." There was a twinkle in Zelos' eyes as he stepped forward, holding a small box forward towards Erza. When he opened it, it revealed a slice of strawberry cake! "I had a feeling that something would befall your favorite shop, so I snagged this just in case."

"…!" Erza's eyes lit up and she practically snatched the cake from Zelos, happily munching on it. "You are a life saver. Thank you so much, Zelos!" Somewhere, Jellal could feel a disturbance in the force.

"Huh…" Anna tilted her head. What a curious individual this man was…

"Of course. I had to be prepared." Zelos took a bow, smiling due to scoring some positive points.

"…That's not the first time he's done that, right?" Lucy stared.

"…I think he did something similar with Brandish." Gray said, arriving on the scene again. He was walking with a bit of a limp and bandaged up, but he was back. "Where did Cynthia and Wendy go?"

"They ran off somewhere." Anna said. "I'm sure they're fine, though. More importantly, I'm somewhat excited to see how this tournament will continue on."

"You're really into this, aren't you?" Lucy asked her ancestor with a smile.

"As I've said, I've watched from afar before. But up close…I have this foreign feeling of excitement." Anna admitted.

Natsu took a step forward with his usual grin. "Just wait until you see me kick some ass."

"Now, onto the second fight of round two." Hisui said. "White Eclipse vs. Lamia Scale."

"I'll finally have a chance to gain us some momentum." Lyon immediately took the stage. The self-proclaimed ace of Lamia Scale was prepared put his guild on the map yet again.

"I was planning on going next." Reve was already walking by the time White Eclipse had been called. Unfortunately for those who were ready to get going, they'd have to wait their turn since the gunslinger was itching to put some people down. "I'll make this quick."

"…You better kick his ass, Lyon." Gray grumbled. Even though he didn't really want to root for either of them, he'd much rather side with Lyon on this matter.

"You got this, nii-san!" Skye cheered.

"Lyon Vastia of Lamia Scale vs. Reve Volver of White Eclipse! This'll be one for the books!" Chapati exclaimed.

"Damn…" Reiss crossed his arms. He was just a little too slow in beating Reve to the combat punch.

* * *

Slowly, Chelia awakened within the infirmary. When her eyes opened, she was greeted by the ever concerned stare of her older cousin. "H-Huh…where…?"

"Oh thank goodness, you're awake…!" Sherri let out a heavy sigh of relief. "I thought my heart was going to burst…" Honestly, Chelia had been making her worry far too much as of late.

"You're in the infirmary." Ultear clarified. "A woman named Blair attacked you. She was going to kill you, but we stopped her just in time."

Oh, that's right. Blair. It was all coming back to her now. "…Ah, right. I remember now."

"Raven's sister, right?" Carla asked. "They look alike and I can't imagine any other motive for her to attack you out of the blue."

"Mhm…" Chelia nodded slowly.

"Are you okay? Did she hurt you?" Cynthia asked.

To that, Chelia shook her head. "Well…not physically, exactly." Emotionally, maybe. "I don't know what she did to me. I still feel really tired."

"The doctor said that you were drained." Wendy said, a little quietly. "If Blair had gone on for just a little longer, you would be dead." Uttering that sentence was a little hard for her to even think about.

"I see…" The pinkette stared down. To think she was only inches away from death's doorstep. "…Don't be upset at her. I don't think she's a bad person, but I deserve her indignation."

"Stop that!" Sherri yelled. Seeing Chelia like this was just breaking her heart. But before the conversation could continue, the lacrima screen in the infirmary clicked to Lyon and Reve's fight. "Huh?"

"Oh, Lyon's fighting…?" Chelia used this to her advantage, quickly changing the topic of conversation to something a little more relevant.

"…" Ultear, however, was not entirely pleased about that. But there was nothing that could be done now. Chelia was good at diverting attention elsewhere, so there was no point in chasing the previous topic now.

* * *

Reve and Lyon were getting into a heated battle. For Lyon, taking down Reve's smartass would be an exceptional boon to Lamia Scale reputation and his own ego; for Reve, Lyon was just another no name to put down. Lyon was of course aware of Reve's mindset and couldn't wait to bring his ego down from the skies and back down to earth. "Ice Make: Snow Tiger!" With great speed and one hand, Lyon hastily created a tiger composed of ice, and it began to sprint down the stone street towards Reve.

The two were fighting in a partially ruined area already. Crocus was big, yet it could never fully escape the destructive prowess Fiore's mages had to offer. As such, there was plenty of rubble already. Reve stood out in the open, his patented smirk on his lips as Lyon actually tried to fight him. "Your motivation is commendable, but you should already know that you won't be the one winning this fight." Right after saying that, Reve's quick draw came into play, the magic seal on his palm pushing his hand up, a single shotgun materializing within his hand in the same second. "Burst Shot." A click of the trigger unleashed a single, potent beam of magic that crashed into the Snow Tiger, blowing it apart into numerous pieces. The beam still continued, soaring towards the dynamic Ice Mage himself!

"Shield!" Lyon held his arms apart, creating a shield of ice that protected him from the Burst shot. The ice shattered but the mage himself was unharmed. He then pointed two hands to the sky and a magic seal formed. "Your attitude has irritated me for a while now. I'm glad I get to do something about it. Eagles!" Frozen birds soared out of the seal, all of them flying in separate directions before moving to close in on Reve.

"You'll fall like all the rest." Reve said with his smirk never fading. With his Precision Eyes active, the fast eagles were just slow flying birds to him, thus making easy prey. His second hand drew a pistol, and a few easy shots was all he needed to take them down; his shotgun was then pointed ahead, unleashing another potent bullet at Lyon.

"…!" This bullet was exceptionally fast. Lyon only had enough time to dodge, but the bullet still struck his arm, causing him to grit his teeth in pain. It wasn't the shot Reve had been looking for, but it was good enough. "You beat Gray once, didn't you? It'll bring my great joy to overcome someone not even he could defeat." A magic seal then appeared once more, but above Reve. "Ice Make: Ape!"

Reve glanced up and as he did, a large ape composed of ice dropped down from above. Its weight was more than enough to crush his body had he not rolled out of the way in time. The gunslinger took a shot at it with his shotgun, but found that the ice the ape was made of was rather thick, and his bullet simply bounced off ineffectively. He wasn't deterred; he supposed Lyon had to put up somewhat of a fight. "Ultear, too. I can't wait to go 3 for 3 on Ur's students." Reve stated cockily. The ape brought its massive arm down to crush Reve. Once again, he rolled to the side to avoid its admittedly impressive strength. Before he could get too far, its other arm swung wide, catching his roll. An arm was brought up and Reve took the hit, sliding across the ground a few feet. At best, Reve had a bruise on his arm.

"I've got you now." Lyon said with a sly grin. "My Ape won't relent."

"And?" Reve brushed aside Lyon's blatantly obvious tactic. It wasn't the first time someone had tried to overwhelm him with close combat. "It's a rookie mistake to assume _I_ would be backed into a corner with close combat." With his usual arrogance oozing from his tone, Reve hopped back while pointing his shotgun to the ground, creating a massive cloud of smoke that obscured sight.

"Damn…!" Lyon grunted as smoke filled the air, shrouding Reve from his line of sight. It was at this moment he got extremely serious, throwing his shirt off in the midst of the fight; a habit that would never die.

"A clever smoke screen! But what will Reve do with it?" Chapati questioned.

"Come on, Lyon…" Gray mumbled. He really didn't want to hear Reve's gloating if he ended up beating his rival, too.

"Here it comes…" Waiston spoke smugly.

The smoke still lingered in the air. Reve could hear the ape rampaging in attempt to force him out of a hiding spot, but it wasn't going to fish him out anytime soon. Reve's eye color shifted from green to red, now using his Thermal Vision to spot Lyon's heat signature from the smoke. "Got you." And he pointed his shotgun forward, releasing a condensed bullet that flew into a rift.

As the ape rampaged in the area, an unsuspecting Lyon was the bullet's target. He sensed the rift open behind him and just narrowly shifted his body to the side. The bullet that aimed for his chest instead hit his shoulder, causing him to grit his teeth in pain. "Where did that come from…!?" There was no use pondering this. Reve was still in the area and he had to fish him out now! Snapping his fingers, the Ape let out a bestial roar before slamming both fists down on the ground. Ice surged underground before erupting violently, causing an earthquake! Ice coated the battlefield before it promptly exploded, forcing Reve out of his hiding spot. The gunslinger evaded the severity of the explosion, but he was still caught by a decent bit and his side froze over. How annoying.

But Reve shrugged it off. While he did sustain some damage, he'd never let it slow him down. Regardless, it was time to take care of the rampaging ape and then the animal tamer. "Spread Shot." Pointing the shotgun forward, Reve clicked the trigger once more. This time, a bullet shot out, then spread out into multiple beams, taking a large fan shape that covered a wide radius. The Spread Shot punctured the Ape in several locations, breaking it apart instantly into nothing but ice chunks. "There."

Lyon used this chance to sprint forward. "Ice Make: Lion!" Rearing his fist back, a lion's head appeared on his hand. The dynamic ice mage then swung his ice covered fist towards Reve's face. Unfortunately, Reve shifted to the side, the spiked ice from the lion's mane grazing the gunslingers cheek and drew a bit of blood. "Damn!"

"Hm!" Reve pivoted on his left leg, swinging his right to Lyon's chest. Lyon brought his arm up to block the kick, but Reve wasn't lacking in the physical strength department. The gunslinger's kick did force Lyon backwards just a bit, where he then followed up with a condensed bullet from his pistol.

Lyon grunted from the force of Reve's kick. It was a little more than he expected, but nothing he couldn't handle. As the bullet came for him, he swung his lion head forward, using that to break the bullet. The force did cause the ice around his hand to shatter, but he escaped unscathed. Lyon then took a crouched stance and spread his arms wide and sharp, causing a sharp trail of ice to jut from the ground and race towards Reve. "Cygnus Bladed Wings!"

"Don't use my name in your attack!" Cygnus yelled, irrationally irritated.

Reve pointed his shotgun to the ground, releasing a beam of magic from it to propel him into the air. He wasn't quite fast enough as the sharp spikes of ice grazed his left leg. It was a strong attack, but since it was Reve, he'd never let his opponent know that. With a flip, he landed on the ground, his usual smirk on his lips. "Well, this has been a fun diversion. But it's about time to end this. Your attempt at standing in the same light as me was entertaining to say the least."

"I agree…" Lyon ignored Reve's provoking words, refusing to be baited. "It is time to finish this. Ice Make: Snow Dragon!" Lyon's greatest creation. The motions were so quick and simple to him, yet he was able to spawn a massive serpentine dragon of ice that towered over Reve.

"I'll spare you the embarrassment. But you'll serve as the perfect reminder for the Eclipse Takeover." Reve dropped his pistol and shotgun, exchanging them all for his signature magnum. "So give me your best shot, and I'll show you your inferiority."

"One shot is all I need!" Lyon pointed his hand forward. The snow dragon gathered an abundance of ice within its maw before shooting it forward in the form of a large beam! This beam threatened to freeze anything in its path. "Snow Dragon Breath!"

The cocky gunslinger held his magnum forward, pointing it directly at the incoming blast of ice. "Bang." A single click of the trigger and a large bullet exploded from the barrel. It clashed against the Snow Dragon's Breath, both attacks fighting for dominance before they inevitably exploded form their own power!

"Guh…!" Ice and dust flew everywhere! Lyon brought his arms up to shield his eyes from the smoke before acting on the offensive. "Eagles!" Once more, he sent eagles of ice to Reve's last known location to surprise him! But the hole the eagles made in the smoke revealed that Reve was no longer there. "Wha…!?"

Click. Reve's magnum was pointed at Lyon's temple. "Three for three." Bang. The widespread bullet absolutely consumed both Lyon and his Snow Dragon before he even had the chance to react. The dynamic Ice mage tumbled along the destroyed street before hitting a nearby building, unconscious from the finishing blow. "All too easy."

"And that's it! Lyon is down! Reve has won!" Chapati yelled.

"With a rather dominating performance at the end, I may add." Alfred said.

"With that victory, White Eclipse is now on the board with one point!" Hisui exclaimed.

"About time." Cygnus said. "Now we just have to keep this up, which will be extremely easy."

"I can't believe he lost!" Ooba was violently spinning around a few poor Lamia Scale members out of frustration. To White Eclipse of all people!

"Damn it, Lyon…" Gray groaned. How annoying that Reve ended up winning!

"Let this serve as a reminder…" Reve began with his ever present grin, making an example out of Lyon just as he said eh would. "That no matter how hard the rest of you try, you'll just never match up to White Eclipse."

"OH YEAH!?" Natsu yelled, ready to lunge, but as usual, Erza held him back.

"This again, huh…?" Kagura could only shake her head. Reve's ego just never died, even if he did take a loss.

Mio watched the battles carefully. The petite female was currently racking her brain at this unfamiliar sense of nostalgia as the tournament raged on. It was especially strong when Erza fought, which was strange. She didn't know any of these people! So why did it feel like she knew them? Had seem them fight? "Hnn…why does my head hurt…?"

.

.

Next Time: Archive of Wisdom.


	131. Chapter 131: Archive of Wisdom

"So Lyon lost…" Chelia frowned. So far, Lamia Scale wasn't doing so well. Not that she thought it as grounds to give up. But rather, she just wished she could contribute more than nothing.

"I hate that guy." Ultear folded her arms. She recalled losing to Reve and it left a sour taste in her mouth. But that was also when she was working with the reborn Grimoire Heart. Regardless, they weren't fond memories.

"You're not the only one." Carla rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, you guys should head back." Chelia told the others. "I'll be fine. Plus, I'm sure the others are a little worried. I assume you guys ran off without saying anything."

"…Yeah, we did." Wendy rubbed the back of her head. They had been gone for a while now.

"I'll watch over her. Don't worry." Sherri gave the girls a smile. "I appreciate you all looking after her."

"Of course." Ultear gave a nod. "I did make an oath to protect these girls a while ago. Even if my sins are forgiven, I don't intend to let this promise go either. I'll see you around." Waving, the time mage made her way out of the infirmary.

"I guess we should be going too." Carla motioned for Cynthia and Wendy to follow her, and they did.

"See you later…" Cynthia gave Chelia a half wave and left with Wendy, leaving the Blendy cousins alone with one another.

* * *

"Say, Pandora." Prometheus was still looking down below, but his attention went to Pandora. "That calamity you were talking about. Know anything about it?"

Pandora shook her head slowly. "I cannot discern details, for I am not sure myself what the future holds. But I do know that it will come from heaven above, instead of hell as before. As I watch these wizards do battle with one another, I am uncertain if they are capable of handling what is to come."

"Kehehe…above huh?" Prometheus' orange gazed glanced up at the skies. "Perhaps I can finally take _him_ down as well."

"Prometheus…" Pandora had an idea of whom Prometheus was talking about. Or rather, not an idea, but she simply just knew. Right at that moment, Pandora's red eyes widened and a black aura suddenly flared around her body. The Goddess of Balance dropped her staff, hugging herself as sudden pain took over. "Ngh…!"

"Pandora?" Prometheus turned, utterly confused at what was occurring with his partner. "This again…?"

Pandora remained silent for a few short minutes, which felt excruciatingly long, the black aura faded and she fell to her knees, panting heavily with a cold sweat. "It gets stronger every day…I can barely fend it off." Shaking her head, she then stood up. "I am sorry if I worried you. I am all right."

"What was that?" The Grim Reaper tilted his head curiously. "Is it another one of those 'lady' things you ha-" And he was promptly smacked in the face. "Ow?! What was that for!?"

"Do not take those matters so lightly. It would be none of your business anyway." Pandora quickly huffed, actually pouting after her statement. To think Prometheus would come to that sort of wild conclusion. "It is just…the aftereffects of Pandora Calamity. My body hasn't quite recovered, that is all."

"Sorry." Prometheus held a rare apologetic look. His chaotic impulses in the midst of war led to their 'fusion'; Pandora Calamity and Prometheus Titan. While he felt fight after the battle was over, Pandora, being a vessel of Ankhersam would of course suffer. At least that's what he believed.

"Do not worry." Pandora shook her head, lips curving up into a rare smile. She only showed any stint of emotion to Prometheus. "I will be fine. Come; let us watch the rest of this tournament. I am curious to see what else Fiore has to offer."

* * *

Reve returned to the White Eclipse stands. Though he was somewhat injured, his usual grin was ever present. "And that's how it's done."

"I'd say you didn't have to humiliate him like that, but it appeared to be inevitable." Cygnus shrugged.

Aira immediately rushed over to Reve, holding her hands over his body to put her healing magic to work. "Your injuries are relatively shallow, but the damage is surprising nonetheless."

"Nothing I can't handle." Reve waved off the analysis.

"So this is the power of the guild you've talked about…" Helena was very curious about White Eclipse after all. "I suppose they aren't terrible, Cal-kun."

"Of course not. I'm Reve Volver after all." Reve responded smugly. "Not that Lyon was a good showing of my true power. But he did make a good warm up."

"I'm glad to see you all haven't changed." Calium simply laughed. "The guild's been doing well without me."

"Why'd you leave anyway?" Luke asked, turning to Calium and Helena. "Was it to hang out with her?"

"Hang out with this weirdo?" Calium chuckled at the idea, but that only seemed to infuriate the Empress. Helena was upset, and the others at White Eclipse just had a sweat drop watching this interaction.

"S-So why are you here?" Skye quickly waved her hands to get the situation under control. Asking Calium for an answer would only cause the situation to escalate again.

Clearing her throat, the Empress regained her composure and stood straight. "I was merely curious. I knew that the dragon, Acnologia, had been plaguing this time for a while now. But a year ago it was finally slain. Cal-kun said his guild was responsible for it."

"Mostly." Cygnus grinned. "Fairy Tail had the plan, but they never would've executed it without us."

"Actually…" Marlene lifted a hand up to speak, but her words were going to be drowned out by the inflated egos of a few members, so she left it alone.

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Natsu shouted from across the way. His acute sense of hearing picked up their words, but they ignored him.

"So far I see that what he's said about you isn't all fictitious." So White Eclipse had Heleba's interest and current approval. "I am curious to see how this tournament ends. When it does, I'll make an offer, should some of you be willing."

"An offer from the second strongest wizard alive? I wonder what it could be…" Selene was admittedly curious.

"Oh yes…I suppose that article was published recently." Helena mumbled. She was now pondering if she should have said a few different things…

* * *

Despite all the talking going on, the next battle had officially gone underway. Hibiki Lates of Blue Pegasus vs. Milliana of Mermaid Heel. The two had already begun fighting. Milliana's tubes raced towards Hibiki, attempting to ensnare him within their grip. Hibiki was fully aware of Milliana's magic; if he even let it wrap around his finger his magic would be rendered null; a truly troublesome magic. That's why he used his Archive magic to make use of the Vernier spell, which granted him exceptional mobility, deftly evading what tubes came his way.

"The battle has just started, but Milliana already has Hibiki on the backfoot!" Chapati yelled. "Her magic is very troublesome for any mage! Anyone caught in it will have no means of escape!"

"Come on, Hibiki!" Jenny cheered. "Put that kitty down!"

"You can do it!" Eve and Ren cheered for their fellow Triman.

"Put him in the ground, Milly!" A bandaged Melody cheered.

"Yeah, you can do it!" Risley shouted.

Hibiki had a slight sweat drop on his forehead. He could only stay evasive for so long, using a one story building for high ground against Milliana's strikes. "I must say, it does bring me great distress to strike such a beautiful lady. Are you sure we can't call it a day and have a nice conversation over a cup of coffee?"

"Not interested! I have to win!" The kitten had her priorities straight. Milliana held her palms forward; a kitten shaped magic seal appeared before her. "Kitten Blast!" A pink blast of her magic shot forward at the Archive mage.

"Unfortunate. I have no choice but to give it my all for my guild, but it's a shame we can't have some quality time after!" The archive mage bent his knees, twisting around to a flip while bringing up his archive once again. He avoided the blast and at the same time, brought forth wind magic at his disposal. "Wind Burst!" The golden archive then turned into a magic seal, one that unleashed a potent burst of wind at Milliana's location.

"Nyah…!" Milliana dove to the side, but was still caught by the wind's explosion radius. The burst of wind was so strong, it caved the ground it and the female still sustained a moderate amount of damage. Tumbling, the Mermaid Heel mage used her feline senses to land on her feet without any trouble, then pounced the airborne Hibiki before he had a chance to react, clawing at his face!

"N-Not the face!" Hibiki was shocked at this tactic! Milliana did have unique physical abilities and she made the most of them. The Archive mage used his arms to cover his face, groaning as she clawed at his arms! They fell to the ground and Hibiki had to act fast! "I didn't realize you wanted to get this close to me!"

"Shut it!" Milliana huffed while tossing Hibiki aside, now unleashing various tubes in his direction with the intention of wrapping around him and bringing this fight to a close!

"Oof!" Hibiki flipped and landed elegantly, bringing up his archive once more. "A formidable foe; I expected nothing less from a beautiful lady!" Blades emerged from the Trimen's archive, slicing through the incoming tubes before they had the chance to get close to him. "However, my handsome archive must win the day. Snow Warning!" On that call, Hibiki's archive released a strong blizzard to freeze Milliana over.

"Ngh…!" Milliana crossed her arms, growling at the cold snow that was not only freezing her solid steadily, but it hurt quite a bit! It was hard to move when all her limbs felt stiff.

"That's Hibiki for you." Ren stated coolly. "His Archive has kept track of all our spells, and even the spells used from past tournaments. To see him use it in such a fashion is the epitome of handsomeness."

"That's it, Hibiki! Finish her off!" Jenny continued to cheer for her beloved. She was so intent on seeing him win that she could excuse his flirting with the enemy. In fact, the intensity Jenny was giving off was almost frightening; almost as if Hibiki _had_ to win to avoid any repercussions for his actions.

"Truly, it is the perfect combination of wisdom and handsomeness…Men." Ichiya said, sparkles around his body.

"Men…" Nichiya added. "I can sense many men jealous of the aura he gives off alone."

"You can do it, Hibiki-san!" Eve cheered.

"Come on, Milliana…" Kagura mumbled. She had faith her guild mate could escape this predicament.

"Ngh…" Milliana had to think of something fast. She wasn't going to be able to last against this for much longer. Clearly Hibiki was smart enough to avoid the direct approach, so she had to think outside the box. Her tail lowered to the ground, a pink magic seal forming just behind her. Tubes emerged from the seal, wrapping around several pieces of rubble to fling them forward!

"…!" Hibiki noticed this and had to cut his attack short. Diving to the side, the Trimen was just narrowly able to avoid the large chunks of debris falling towards him! "That was close…" And just as he tried to attack again, he felt something wrap around his ankle! When he looked down, his eyes were wide; a tube had emerged from underground and held him in place. "How-?"

"Nyeh…" Milliana held a smirk. Her body was shivering and she sustained quite a bit of damage from Hibiki's attack, but she withstood it long enough to initiate her counter attack. "Got you…"

"Ngh…!" Hibiki was in a bind! The tube was only tightening around his ankle and now he was incapable of using magic!

"Uh-oh!? Is this the end for Hibiki!?" Chapati questioned. The situation looked grim for Hibiki Lates!

Milliana's movements were slow and sluggish due to the cold. But she slowly picked up speed, sprinting towards Hibiki full throttle! She bent her knees, and leapt towards the Archive mage, capturing his head between her thighs and used her momentum to toss him towards at brick wall! "Hah!"

"Ah-!" Well, this was a mixture of emotions. On the one, his head was squeezed between thighs for just a brief moment, but at the same time, he was hurled into a brick wall and that hurt quite a bit. "Guh-!" Hibiki bounced off the wall with intensity. Milliana was physically stronger than her form let on.

"I got you now!" Milliana pointed her arms forward. A magic seal formed and several tubes shot forth, wrapping around Hibiki's wrists to keep him bound both physically and magically. Using all her strength, Milliana swung Hibiki over her head and promptly slammed him down onto the ground! It was a heavy impact that caused a minor tremor and created a Hibiki shaped hole in the ground.

There was silence after impact. All awaited to see what happened to Hibiki and…he was completely unconscious. "…"

"And she's done it!" Chapati roared to the crowd. "Milliana of Mermaid Heel has defeated Hibiki Lates!"

"Whew…" Melody let out a sigh. That got pretty close for a second there! The rest of Mermaid Heel was ecstatic about her victory!

"This means that Mermaid Heel is now awarded with a point." Hisui said. Things were getting pretty close. So far, the only guilds who had yet to obtain a victory were Lamia Scale, Sabertooth, and Black Phoenix. But that didn't mean they couldn't make a comeback; it was still anyone's game!

"He did his best! I've never seen anyone more handsome!" Ren and Eve were hugging one another, comical tears flowing from their eyes at Hibiki's unfortunate defeat. He may have gone down, but he did so handsomely, and that was all they could ask for!

"Good job, Milliana…" Erza said with a soft smile. She was glad to see her old friend do so well.

Zelos was applauding at Milliana's victory. "And so the cute girl seizes the day. All is as it should be!"

"I'm not sure how I feel about that being your only basis for cheering…" Levy had a sweat drop. Of course she knew that since it was Zelos, this wasn't going to be changing anytime soon…

* * *

"This second round has an interesting amount of progression." Alfred said, looking over the current results thus far. "I'm intrigued to see which direction it will take as we near the third round. I also wonder if anyone has picked up the hint Her Highness dropped when announcing the rules." Alfred and Chapati were already aware, but it seemed the competitors hadn't realized it just yet.

"Perhaps. They're all very smart." Hisui nodded. "But until then, it's time for the final battle of the second round. Sabertooth vs. Black Phoenix!"

"Allow me." Rogue stepped forward. "I'll put Sabertooth on the board."

"You got this, Rogue!" Sting said with a wide grin. "Bring it home for us!"

"You can do it, Rogue-sama!" Yukino cheered.

"Fro thinks so too! Rogue will win!" Frosch happily said.

"…Don't lose."Sorano scoffed.

"I'll go." Tristan said while making way to the arena. While he wasn't much for tournaments, he did want to display Black Phoenix's strength just once. Plus with a few members glancing at him immediately, he'd let it slide this one time.

"Kick his butt!" Asuka pumped a fist into the air. As much as she wanted to fight, she was very eager to see the Ace in action.

"We have our contestants!" Chapati displayed the lacrima screen as the two combatants prepared to do battle. "Rogue Cheney of Sabertooth vs. Tristan Gareth of Black Phoenix!? Which one will claim victory for their guild!?"

.

.

Next Time: Shadowed Steel


	132. Chapter 132: Shadowed Steel

The final battle of the second round of Fiore's Finest: Rogue Cheney of Sabertooth vs Tristan Gareth of Black Phoenix. Neither guild had yet to get onto the board, but this was the chance for one of them to turn the tides in their favor! Momentum was riding on this battle and both mages were aware of it. Whichever one broke through this fight would likely carry on to the following. Both mages were set in Crocus. While some of the capital had been destroyed in the current fights, it had seen far worse days.

"Come on Rogue, kick his ass!" Sting cheered. He was always excited to see his partner go to work!

"Fro is cheering for you!" Frosch said, waving a hand. Frosch was more excited than Sting could ever be, and that was saying a lot.

"I hope he doesn't lose." Sorano crossed her arms under her chest. She'd only been a part of Sabertooth for a year and hadn't seen Rogue's abilities to their full extent, but she did hear many stories from Yukino.

"Rogue-sama will be fine, Sister. Just watch!" Yukino clasped her hands together.

"He has been working the hardest out of us over the last year." Rufus noted and his memory was always perfect. "Perhaps to compensate the loss of Orga…" A loss that still weighed heavily on the minds of Sabertooth. Sorano could only sympathize with them.

"Raios…oh, I'm sorry." Anna shook her head. "He goes by Rogue these days, that's right. I haven't seen his growth in person yet."

"He's not bad, gihehe." Gajeel chuckled. "But he's still got a long way to go if he wants to keep up with me."

"Same with Sting!" Natsu added.

* * *

"The timer starts now! Begin!" Hisui officially started the battle between the two! Rouge vs Tristan was set to begin!

As soon as the fight began, Tristan was the first one to act. His fist met his palm and he threw both hands forward, a silver magic circle appearing before him. "Steel Make: Lance!" From the magic seals, multiple steel lances shot forward with the intention to strike Rogue down.

"Shadow Drive…" Rogue mumbled, a shadowy aura lightly flaring around his body, his hair spiking upwards in the process. With his parameters increased, he practically flew forward, his ability to weave through the shadows proving to be extremely useful in this scenario. With brief intangibility on his side, the steel lances phased through his body and he continued to Tristan unhindered, darkness swirling around his left hand. "Shadow Dragon's Slash!" Once close, Rogue swung his hand forward, attempting to slice Tristan's chest to inflict some damage. The shadows intended to pierce Tristan's chest.

Tristan anticipated this, instinctively moving his body to the side to avoid the blow before it could reach him. Before Rogue could draw his hand back, Tristan latched onto the shadow dragon's wrist, using the brief moment of tangibility to his advantage. "Steel Make: Knight's Armor!" The ace's body was coated in steel knights armor that fortified his natural defenses, and his armored fist slammed right into Rogue's chest, sending him flying backwards!

"Guh!" Rogue grunted as the force of the punch sent him back. But he was able to recover extremely quickly, skidding across the ground while his cheeks inflated. "Shadow Dragon's Roar!" Exhaling, the shadow dragon parted his lips, unleashing a potent funnel of darkness that swirled towards Tristan, intending to consume and blow him backwards.

Tristan was more than prepared to deal with the incoming blast of magic coming his way. Drawing his right hand back, a golden light shone brightly before a claymore manifested in his hand. The phoenix swung the sharp blade down, using it to cleave through the Shadow Dragon's Roar, parting the magic to his sides before it had a chance to touch him. But once he forcibly dispersed the roar, he saw that Rogue was no longer where he once stood! "Where did he vanish to?"

Much closer than one might think. A pair of crimson eyes appeared within Tristan's own shadow, his legs suddenly being bound by the power of darkness. But the time Tristan realized what was happening, it was too late. Rogue emerged, using his shadowy form to constrict his armored form. The tiger then slammed his shadow infused palm into Tristan's plated chest. "Shadow Dragon's Waxwing Flash!" A powerful hit indeed! The explosion that ensued was enough to force the two combatants away from each other! Rogue landed on his feet, keeping his gaze on Tristan to see how much damage he dealt. Unfortunately for Rogue, Tristan's armor soaked up a large portion of the hit, but he did manage to damage the knight's armor fairly well. "Guess I'll need more firepower if I want to punch through that armor…"

* * *

"Tristan and Rogue are really going at it!" Chapati yelled. "These two fighters refuse to give an inch!"

"Go Rogue!" Frosch bounced up and down, giving his all in cheering for his best friend.

"If he loses, I claim Frosch." Kagura added. That despite was still ongoing and she'd use any chance to claim the adorable Exceed, no matter what.

"That's not how it works." Minerva remarked from afar. She couldn't allow Frosch to fall into hands that weren't Rogue's.

"Let's go Tristan! Kick his butt!" Asuka pumped a fist into the air.

"Show that knight the true power of darkness, buddy!" Sting shouted louder than Asuka, intentionally trying to drown out her voice as if it had any effect on the battle itself.

* * *

Tristan realized that his usual tactics weren't going to work against someone who slithered in the darkness. That mean he was going to have to work a little creatively if he wanted to obtain victory against Rogue. With this in mind, a golden light flared around his body and he donned a sapphire suit of armor, equipped with a matching lance. "Sapphire Crusader!"

Rogue didn't like how his opponent was changing tactics so suddenly. "Great…" This just meant he had to act fast and take Tristan down quickly. Wasting no time, Rogue dipped into the shadows, hastily moving across the ground to cover the distance between them considerably fast.

"Hm!" Tristan swung his lance up and its effects became apparent immediately. The Sapphire Crusader armor had the ability to manipulate any nearby water. At first glance this seemed pointless, but the underground pipe system of Crocus said otherwise. Several pillars of water exploded in various locations, cutting off Rogue's direct route to the steel phoenix.

To make matters worse, a rising pillar of water caught Rogue and forced him from the shadows, lifting him into the air in the middle of the high pressure. "Gah!" With Rogue temporarily trapped, Tristan swung his lance around, manipulating the water to Rogue into the closest building! The ensuing impact caused a small explosion that inflicted a heavy amount of damage onto Rogue while causing large amount of debris to scatter in various directions.

"You won't get away!" Tristan was not going to waste this momentum! The ace of Black Phoenix swung his lance around again, merging the other pillars of water to create a gigantic vortex to slam it down on Rogue's last known location, resulting in a large eruption of water.

"A powerful blow from Tristan! How is Rogue faring after that?" Hisui was genuinely curious. These two were certainly powerful and that attack looked as though it hurt.

"He's fine." Sting scoffed.

But were Sting's words true? There were no signs from Rogue for a few seconds. If this persisted for even a moment longer, Hisui would have no choice but to call the match. But Rogue was not one to go down that easily. From the darkness of the rubble, a dark shadow crept out, emerging from Tristan's blind spot! Before Tristan realized what was going on, Rogue slipped past him, thin beams of darkness protruding from his fingers, piercing through the armor his foe wore. "Shadow Dragon's Rough Silk!"

"Gnk!" Tristan grunted in pain! Rogue's attack punctured several holes in his armor and his skin! Some blood did spurt out as Rouge managed to inflict more damage that he would have liked, but it wasn't enough to slow him down. Before Rogue could make a follow up attack, Tristan's hand clapped together and he used his teleportation magic to take the high ground on a three story building. "Steel Make: Ballista!" Magic circles spawned on the roofs of several buildings around Rogue, turning to ballistae that all pointed down towards Rogue down below. "Fire!" There was plenty of ammunition to use and Tristan didn't spare an ounce of effort. On his command, steel arrows upon steel arrows rained down towards Rogue!

"Crap!" Rogue grit this teeth, having no choice but to dip into the shadows again, slithering across the ruined city street and made his way up the main building. With the bombardment arrows serving as cover, his knew plan was to ambush Tristan and strike hard! Rogue emerged from Tristan's left, preparing to ambush the phoenix and gain the upperhand.

"I got you." Tristan turned on a dime, his lance at the ready. Such a heavy bombardment was only a ploy to draw Rogue to a location where Tristan knew he could strike. The instant Rogue moved to attack, Tristan slammed his lance down on Rogue with crushing force, sending him through the roof and down a floor or two with the raw power behind the attack.

"Rogue!" Frosch's eyes started to water as he grew increasingly worried for Rogue's wellbeing.

"A powerful hit to be certain." Alfred tilted his head curiously. Would Rogue be able to recover from such a blow?

"…." Anna placed a hand on her chest, silently hoping that Rogue could recover from that.

"You worried? Giehehe, why's that?" Gajeel wasn't fazed at all. It wasn't as though he were rooting for Rogue, but he'd be very disappointed if the shadow dragon wasn't able to get back up.

"It takes more than that to knock Rogue out." Sting said confidently. There was a smirk on his lips. "Come on, buddy. Show that guy what you can really do!"

And right on that cue, shadows erupted from the hole in the building! Tristan found himself leaping back to avoid being potentially damaged from the darkness. "It's not over…"

A pair of crimson eyes could be seen from the darkness and when Rogue emerged from it, it was in Dragon Force! "All this time, I've been nothing but a liability to Sabertooth. I can't afford to be that way anymore!" Between being unable to help Orga in his time of need, and feeling like dead weight in the battle against Acnologia, Rogue felt as though he fell behind Sting and everyone else. He couldn't afford to feel this way anymore and truly wished to give his all for Sabertooth's pride. With his speed greatly increased, Rogue practically soared towards Tristan, slamming his shadow infused leg into the armored knight's side, kicking him off the building. "Your steel isn't as hard as Gajeel's!"

"Tch!" Tristan's armor soaked the impact but it cracked in the process. Rogue was much stronger than before and it showed.

Before Tristan even hit the ground, Rogue pointed his hand down. "Shadow Dragon's Eruption!" The ground ruptured, a large pillar of shadows exploded, consuming Tristan in its wake. Even with Tristan's armor, the damage was slowly starting to rack up. If Rogue could continue this fierce assault he had the chance to win. With this in mind he continued to be relentless, moving quickly to catch Tristan before he had the chance to recover. "Shadow Dragon's-!"

One would be foolish to think Tristan would simply lie down and let Rogue control the pace of this battle. Before Rogue had the chance to call out his next attack, Tristan was already in the midst of his counter, hurling his lance at Rogue's shoulder. Rogue was able to avoid this at the last second, but the lance sliced his arm. This brief opening allowed Tristan to summon his claymore again, bringing the blunt edge of the sword down on Rogue's chest to knock him back down. Once landing, Tristan was about to cast another spell. "Steel Make-!"

"Not so fast!" Rogue exclaimed while recovering, sprinting towards Tristan while brandishing the katana at his side. The blade was covered in darkness and he used this sword to clash with Tristan's claymore. Sparks flew as their swords danced, clashing with one another at rapid speeds. Rogue bared his fangs as he tried to use his enhanced strength to push Tristan back, but it should have come as no surprise that the ace refused to budge an inch! They were at a deadlock until they both opted to jump back and gain a few yards in distance. That's when Rogue exhaled quickly, unleashing a roar at Tristan.

"Steel Make: Wall!" With the space he had now, Tristan threw his hands up, creating a wall of steel in front of him that was completely destroyed by Rogue's roar. But on the upside, Tristan was unharmed from the attack. His eyes widened when he saw that Rogue was already upon him! But this surprise only lasted for a split second, as Tristan instinctively gripped his claymore and prepared to strike.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art…Shadow Dragon's Quiet Rage!" Rogue slashed his shadowed katana several times, slipping past Tristan as they struck each other. After that moment, all fell silent at what could have been the decisive blow for either party.

"….gnk…!" Tristan shouted in pain as his armor was slashed to pieces! Rogue's slashes succeeded in shattering his armor and inflicting heavy damage in the process! Tristan looked as though he'd seen better days, but what of Rogue?

"…ugh…" Rogue's scales faded. There was a large gash along his shoulder to his chest. Not fatal in the slightest, but the damage it dealt was more than enough to put him down. Tristan was a forced to be reckoned with. Rogue collapsed and that was all she wrote.

* * *

"And there it is! Tristan has claimed victory over Rogue!" Chapati yelled into the mic and the crowd went wild!

"HECK YEAH!" Asuka yelled.

"So he lost." Sorano shook her head. "…But he was kind of cool, I guess."

"Rogue…" Frosch was crying a bit. He really wanted Rogue to win and was willing to go out there and ensure Rogue wasn't anymore hurt than he already was.

"It's okay, Frosch." Sting placed his hand on Frosch's head. "Rogue's tough. You know he'll bounce back from this like he always does. Especially if you keep supporting him."

"…Fro thinks so too!" Frosch was still crying, but he managed a smile amidst the tears.

"Guess I expected a little too much." Gajeel shrugged.

"I thought he performed admirably." Anna remarked.

"With this victory, Black Phoenix now has a point." Hisui reported. So far, the only two guilds that had yet to get on the scoreboard were Lamia Scale and Sabertooth, but this was only round 2, so these results were highly subject to change. Rogue and Tristan were escorted to the infirmary and the preparations for round 3 were already underway. "We will be moving onto Round 3 immediately."

"I like this." Natsu grinned. "Getting right into the action! Come on, give it to Fairy Tail again!"

"Do you really want to start all 3 rounds?" Lisanna said with a sweat drop. "Then again, I guess it can't be helped if it happens…"

"Oh…" Hisui cleared her throat. "It seems we have a fan favorite to start this round off. A battle between Fiore's more popular guilds…White Eclipse vs. Fairy Tail!" An age old clash! There was no surprise that everyone in the audience roared in cheer at this matchup alone.

"This time…!" Reiss was wasting no time in getting ready to hop in the ring. But unfortunately, just like last time, someone beat him to the punch by just a few seconds.

"My turn!" Luke said, leaping over the railing to stand in the arena. "I got this, don't worry. After this we can let our rookies show their stuff. Granted, they may just bring in the last victory we need."

"Duke!?" Natsu's face lit up in a wide grin, flames blazing around his entire body. This was the perfect chance to settle the score and finally shut him up! "Oh I got this! Lemme at him!" Natsu was about to leap forward, but an arm stopped him. "Huh-!?"

It was Lucy. Her hair created a shade over her eyes and all eyes on Fairy Tail turned to her. Wendy, Carla, and Cynthia just returned at that moment after hearing and seeing what was going on, so it was no surprise they joined on the silence. "…Natsu. Let me do this. I have to…no, I need to do this."

"Lucy…" Happy wasn't sure what to say.

"…" Natsu didn't say a word at first. Though Lucy's expression was hard to see, he just knew the kind of face she was making right now. With the tone in her voice, he found it hard to deny her the request. "Heh…kick his ass."

"Lucy…" Levy placed a hand on her chest.

"….." Anna didn't have anything to say. She hadn't seen Lucy make such a face before.

"Thanks." With a nod, Fairy Tail's celestial wizard hopped from the railing and stood in the arena.

"Is this the battle?" Hisui asked.

"It looks like it!" Chapati's eyes were wide with excitement.

"Really? I didn't think Fairy Tail would just throw us a victory like that!" Waiston started to laugh.

"They must really want to lose." Ilaria nodded. Even the rookies knew where this was going!

"…Really, Lucy?" Luke had his hands in his pockets. "Don't you think we've done this song and dance one too many times? It always ends the same way, you know."

It was true. Lucy and Luke had clashed many times in the past; when White Eclipse's rivalry with Fairy Tail began, they fought three times, and Luke won all three. Previously in the Fight for Fiore, Luke beat her again; in the Grand Magic Games Naval Battle and Free for All, she was defeated by Luke, even when under Lambda's influence. Waiston's words stuck with her since that day, how she's never been able to defeat Luke, not even once. He was always there as some obstacle that she couldn't overcome, but she would never stop trying. "…I know we've done this a lot. But this time will be the last."

"Oh?" Luke lifted a brow at her words.

Lucy's determined gaze went right to Luke. "One last fight, Luke. If you win this one, I'll admit that I'll never be able to defeat you. But if I win…" She hadn't that far ahead, but truthfully, just winning would be more than enough for her. She was so tired of losing to him every time they fought. If she couldn't beat Luke now, how would she muster the strength to face Mii and Emmeraude again?

Suddenly, Sorano got extremely fired up. "You better not let that goofy Eclipse idiot beat you!"

"You can do it, Lucy-sama!" Yukino added.

"You got this, Lucy!" Natsu was more than happy to cheer Lucy on, along with Happy and the others as well.

Reve shook his head, waving a hand dismissively at the cheers Lucy was receiving. "We've seen this fight too many times. We all know how it's going to end."

"Fine." Luke shrugged. "One last time, for old time's sake. But allow me to thank you in advance for the win."

Lucy's hand clenched into a fist. This was her final stand against Luke; her last chance to prove everyone wrong. The support of her friends meant a lot and she'd take this fight on with all she had. "You don't have to thank me for anything. Because this time…I won't lose to you!"

Prometheus and Pandora, those watching from above, both peered down to the arena with interest. "Looks like we got a good one, Pandora! I can't wait to see this!"

"And there you have it folks! We're starting off round 3 strong!" Chapati yelled to everyone. "Luke Cloud of White Eclipse vs. Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail! Which one will claim the second victory for their guild!?"

.

.

Next Time: Lucy and Luke; The Final Bout.


	133. Chapter 133: Lucy & Luke The Final Bout

The first battle of round 3 was one for the ages. Fairy Tail vs. White Eclipse; but the root of this classic matchup was a rivalry that just about everyone knew about: Luke vs. Lucy. To Luke and White Eclipse, this battle was more or less just another inevitable victory for them to claim, but to Lucy, this was far more than that. If she wanted to confront Mii and show Emmeraude up, she had to overcome one of the biggest hurdles in her life. No matter what, she absolutely had to succeed! That was the determination that fueled her entire being as she stood across from Luke in the open city square of Crocus.

"Are both combatants ready?" Hisui asked, giving them both only a few more seconds to prepare for this fated clash. "The timer starts now. BEGIN!"

"I think we both know what it is I'm about to say next." Luke took his hands out of his jacket pocket. "So why don't we just skip that part?"

"Tch…" Lucy scowled at his implications. The annoying White Eclipse tradition: the weaker opponent makes the first move. How many times did she feel forced to oblige to this stupid rule? It got under her skin that was for certain. But this would be the final time, whether she won or not. So she would follow the tradition and hopefully put an end to it on her part. "Fine." A golden light wrapped around Lucy and she wasted little time in using Star Dress: Sagittarius! "This time, I will win!" Pointing her bow into the sky, six arrows of light formed within the bowstring and were launched skyward. "Six Falling Stars!"

These arrows of magic were large and planned to crash down to the ground, Luke's location to be more specific. It was clear Lucy was going for a strong start right off the bat, and Luke acknowledged this. "Not a bad start! But you know you have to do better than that!" Luke swiped his hand to the left, six magic seals forming in the sky above him. These seals turned into circular mirrors that were facing an angle. Lucy's arrows immediately rebounded off these mirrors, returning to sender at greater power and velocity!

"…!" Lucy expected as much, but it was still faster than she was immediately prepared for. The blonde quickly fired several more arrows towards the incoming ones, but it was no use. While she was able to shoot down two arrows, four of them still struck around the mark, exploding violently, utterly destroying the surrounding area. But as the smoke cleared, she was unharmed. At the last second, she summoned Aries, who put up a large wool shield around the two of them. "That was close…"

"Is that all you got?" Luke asked tauntingly.

"Aries, let's go!" Lucy exclaimed, pointing her hand forward.

"R-Right! I'm sorry about this!" Aries threw her hands forward, squealing as she unleashed a gigantic cloud of thick, pink wool that filled the entire area!

"Whoa-!" Luke would always be taken aback by the sheer amount of wool Aries could conjure. While it did make him drowsy, he smirked. "Seems like you've forgotten what I can do!" Luke made use of his Adaptability technique. Being submerged in Aries' magic allowed him to copy its properties, now becoming that very magic himself. Because of this, its sleep inducing effects were rendered null and he carried those properties himself! An explosion then occurred to shred the wool to nothing, but Lucy herself was nowhere to be seen. "Huh?"

Above! Lucy used the wool as cover to gain an aerial advantage, using Star Dress: Taurus to gain the needed boost in strength. "Taurus Lucy Kick!" Lucy violently swung her leg down for an axe kick, aiming for Luke's skull! Unfortunately for her, Luke sensed her presence just before she could even shout. Her leg came down but struck his arm. Thanks to the properties of Aries' wool, he effectively softened the hit and sustained no damage. "…!?"

"Try this one on for size! Black Wool Bomb!" Luke raised his free hand, fusing Black God Slaying with the Wool magic, resulting in a large burst of black wool that caught Lucy in its wake. The ensuing explosion annihilated part of a nearby building while throwing Lucy back!

"Gaaah!?" Lucy expected to shout in pain, but it was the opposite. While she was hurt, the sensation that slowly overcame her was drowsiness!? It was heavy, too, exactly how Aries' magic was. "Tired…" She shook her head as she tried to shake it off.

"Don't sleep yet!" Luke was now making an offensive, sprinting from his location as he made use of his own magic this time. "Ice Make: Inferno Lance!" Throwing his hands forward, he unleashed a plethora of frozen lances with flames expertly woven inside. No doubt that was going to hurt if it hit its mark!

Aries hopped in front of Lucy, putting her hands out to make a dense wall of cotton before them. The wall of cotton held well, but a few lances did pierce through and struck Aries in a few locations, inflicting moderate damage, but not enough to send her back to the Spirit World. "A-Are you okay!?"

"Y-Yeah, thank you." Lucy smiled at Aries. She shook off the tiredness and pulled another golden key out. "Gate of the Maiden, I open thee!"

Luke was nearing the wool shield. He intended to blow it down. "Not gonna le yo-!" But before he could take another step, he fell forward as something had a sudden ironclad grip on his arm. "What the…!?"

It was Virgo. Lucy summoned her in the nick of time and Virgo's upper body was poking out from a hole in the ground. She had a tight grip around Luke's ankle. "I cannot allow you to hurt the Princess."

"You again!?" Luke groaned. But he knew how to deal with this one, even if it meant uttering some awkward things he usually wouldn't aloud. "So, listen, let me go and I'll punish you. I mean, if you do, she'll probably punish you too…"

"…." Virgo thought about this for a moment.

"VIRGO!" Lucy yelled. She couldn't have her spirit being coerced by the enemy!

"Yes." Virgo sighed sadly before her entire body hulked out. The very unsightly transformation caused Luke's jaw to drop because he always forgot about this. With her monstrous strength, Virgo hurled Luke into a nearby building with enough force to make him stick.

"Gh…!" That one hurt a lot. Before Luke had the chance to freely move, Virgo's body returned to normal and she used her chains to keep him bound to that wall he was attached to. "..!?"

"Nice job, Virgo!" Lucy gave her spirit praise while sprinting alongside her. "Now, let's do it!"

"Yes, Princess!" Virgo nodded.

The two pushed off, pointing their legs forward as they aimed a dual kick for Luke's chest! "Lucy and Virgo Kick!" With the strength they had, the building crumbled! Lucy took a leap back, certain that they hit. "I think we got him." But when the dust settled, Luke was nowhere to be seen! "What!? Where did he go!?"

Black mist crept in the area, swirling around the two of them before it moved to the top of a building to their left. It was Luke, who used his Adaptability: Darkness, to replicate a similar effect of Mist Body. At the last second before impact, he used this to slip away from damage. "You almost had me there."

"Tch…!" Lucy sucked her teeth in annoyance. Luke's bag of tricks had only gotten bigger since their last fight.

"It's not enough though!" Luke then snapped his fingers, causing a familiar magic circle to appear under Lucy and Virgo's feet.

Everyone knew what this was! Lucy didn't even take a second glance. "Virgo!" She exclaimed while the two of them jumped back. Virgo used her earth magic to smother the magic seal before it could unleash its usual electrical discharge. But while they were so focused on what was beneath them, they didn't notice the seal in the sky.

"Got'cha." Luke smirked. By the time they looked up, the seal dropped down a strong bolt of lightning to zap the both of them. While they were stunned by the lightning, Luke inhaled, bits of darkness swirling around his lips in a miniature vortex. "Black God's Bellow!" Exhaling, he unleashed a potent blast of Black God Slaying directly towards Lucy!

Aries was still on the field and wouldn't let any harm come to her friends! "I-I'm sorry, but I won't let you!" Aries pulled up an obscene amount of wool and Virgo recovered from the shock fast enough to pull up a wall of earth. This was sufficient in protecting Lucy from the blast, but it was still strong enough to send the three of them tumbling backwards.

* * *

"This fight is only growing more intense! I can't take my eyes off it!" Chapati yelled.

"Come on Lucy! Kick his butt!" Cynthia waved a fist around.

"You can do it, Lucy-sama!" Yukino cheered.

"Luke's got this! Clear as day." Waiston laughed. "It's only a matter of time until she falls again!"

"So, those two…" Anna questioned, placing a hand on her cheek. "I've gathered that their rivalry goes back…"

"Yeah…" Cana was the one who answered that question. Natsu was too into the fight to give a response at the moment. "After we won the games in x791, all sorts of guilds wanted to fight us. Makes sense, ya know? Of course, nothing was more annoying than White Eclipse."

"As soon as they stepped to us, they wanted to make it clear that they were better than us." Gray added, scowling at the memory. "We squared off against them numerous times even before we met Cynthia. No matter how many times we fight and beat them, they don't stay down."

"I'm sure they'd say the same about us." Carla said and her statement was true.

"Luke and Lucy were among those who brawled when the rivalry started." Gray continued. "They fought three times and Luke won all three and every match beyond that." As he spoke, he could understand more and more how Lucy felt. It was his creed to never lose to the same opponent twice and yet White Eclipse was the one guild that made him break it.

"I see…" Anna nodded. She slowly understood how much this meant to Lucy. "No matter what, I wish her the best against this foe."

"….." Natsu remained silent still. He didn't once pry his eyes away from this screen.

* * *

Lucy panted softly, taking a look at her two spirits. Virgo was still okay, but Aries looked worse for wear. "Thank you Aries. Gate close!" Aries gate closed, leaving just her and Virgo on the field against Luke, who descended from the building he stood on.

"I think that was a good warm up. It's time to get serious now…" As Luke spoke, his body lit up in a black and white hue. His Pseudo God state was now in play, bolstering his abilities greatly. "If you can't hold your own against this then you won't beat me."

"I'm _going_ to win." Lucy sharply replied, pulling out another golden key. "Taurus!"

"Moo!" Taurus flexed his muscles. "I'm ready to Moooow down my foes!"

"Taurus, Virgo, you know what to do!" Lucy said as her body was cloaked within a golden light.

"Yes!" Virgo and Taurus responded at the same time. Virgo made use of her earth magic while Taurus used his herculean strength, slamming his axe onto the ground. The result of these two in tandem was a powerful earthquake. "Rending Quake!"

"Whoa…!?" Luke was admittedly taken aback by this. The ground was caving in and he had no choice but to jump away, but wherever he went, the ground shattered! This was pretty annoying but he hardly had any time to stay ground! One leap and he saw something he didn't expect to. "W-!?"

It was Lucy. She was right in front of him, but donned a different Star Dress. It was a fusion between Virgo and Aquarius Star Dress! A somewhat reveal two piece maid outfit, complete with stockings. Appearance aside, Lucy had a confident grin on her face as she swung her arms forward. "You are the only one who can combine two aspects of magic! Aqua Metria!" The ground that Virgo and Taurus manipulated so strongly served to her advantage. Lucy was able to use their earthquake to create a massive tidal wave! The earth replicated that of water and crashed down onto Luke!

"That's a hit!" Levy exclaimed.

"She…fused the Star Dress!?" Yukino gasped.

"What the…" Reiss took note of this.

Lucy wasn't done there! The dual power of this merged Star Dress had much more to offer! She used the Aquarius part, now it was time to use Virgo's as well. "Aqua Break!" Lucy spread her arms apart and pointed them down, using Virgo's magic to cause said ground to explode! This swirling tidal wave erupted violently, throwing Luke high into the air as a result. It was clear she finally landed a hit on him and a strong one at that!

"Nice one, Lucy-chan!" Zelos had hearts in his eyes watching Lucy do work.

"Ngh…!" Luke was reeling from that hit! He couldn't deny that she played him well right there! But despite the pain he was in, he wore a smirk. "Now things are getting fun…!" It was his turn and his reprisal was going to be just as strong as Lucy's. Cupping his hands at his sides, a sphere of black and white appeared in the space between his palms. "Unholy Ray of the Black and White God!" As one would expect, a series of black and white rays shot from Luke's hands towards Lucy.

And now Lucy had to face the flaw in her previous positioning. She was still in the air with no means of evading. The only thing she could do was create a barrier of water around her person to mitigate the damage. While it was a good idea in theory, the execution fell short. The barrier was pierced by the numerous rays and Lucy sustained some damage. "Aaaah!" She fell from the sky, but Virgo elegantly caught her before she hit the ground.

"Are you all right, Princess?" Vrigo asked.

"Yes, thanks." Lucy nodded and stood up from Virgo's arms. Part of her really wished she had Loke in this bout and Aquarius, but she had to manage without them.

"Relaxing are we!?" Luke came down with his Eclipse Sword in his hand. He intended to strike both Virgo and Lucy down while they were busy talking, but Taurus came in at the last second, clashing his axe with Luke's sword. The result was a strong shockwave due to the raw power the both of them had. All parties were pushed backwards, allowing for just a little bit of space. "Heh…"

"Taurus, distract him! Virgo and I will attack." Lucy told him.

"As you wish, Lucy-saaaan!" Taurus huffed and turned his attention towards Luke, meanwhile Lucy and Virgo burrowed their way under the ruined earth. "You've caused Lucy-san a great deal of stress! I will not forgive anyone who harms such a nice body without any constraint either!"

Cue Luke sweat dropping. "You can play white knight all you want, but I don't think that's going to change the outcome of this battle…"

"MOOOO!" Taurus let out a battle cry while raising his axe up high, a powerful aura coming from the weapon. "DIAMOND AXE!" With all his might, the strongest zodiac spirit swung his axe down, showcasing his strength. Luke was able to dodge the axe, but the aftermath itself was truly shocking. The instant the axe struck the ground, it created a large crevasse deep in the earth that continued on for several meters, eventually toppling a building from the sheer might of its strength.

"…Guh…" Luke had a small sweat drop on his forehead. If he _had_ been hit by that, it was not going to be pretty. But since it was a heavy strike, this left Taurus open to a strong kick to the jaw that sent the mighty bull flying backwards. "And he's gone!" Right after he did that, he could sense the surge of magic behind him. Virgo and Lucy emerged from the ground a few feet behind him, both of them swinging their arms at his chest. He was able to block but their conjoined efforts did manage to send him skidding backwards.

"Virgo, go!" Lucy said while taking to the skies, donning another Star Dress combination: Leo and Sagittarius!

"Yes, Princess!" Virgo swung her arms forward, sending her chains in another attempt to bind Luke in place. "You shall be punished!"

Luke quickly regained his bearings, swinging his Eclipse Sword at the incoming chains to slice through them. "I don't think so!" He had no choice but to turn his attention to Virgo, which bought Lucy the time she needed to prepare her attack.

While in the sky, she had the usually bow at the ready. With Leo's magic, the arrows shone even brightly. "Star Sign: Leo!" Lucy then let the arrows fly. These arrows of light resembled the Leo constellation in the night sky. These 'stars' linked together, soon turning into a large lion's head that shone brightly with the power of Regulas!

With little options, Luke spread his arms out, a barrier of darkness appearing around his body. "Black God's Bubble!" This hasty defense was enough to prevent him from being completely swallowed up by the light, but the damage this attack caused to the surrounding area was immense. As the smoke cleared, Luke was seen moderately damaged from the attack, but he avoided serious injury. "Not bad. I like these new tricks of yours. But you know…you're not the only one who can make use of stars."

"Huh…?" Lucy landed on the ground alongside Taurus and Virgo. Just what was Luke thinking?

Luke lifted hand into the sky, causing several golden lights to manifest above him. "Nine Thunder Stars!"

"What!?" Heavenly Body Magic!? Lucy's eyes widened as these stars fell to the earth. With little time, she drew her bow to shoot a few of these stars down, but in the end, several of them landed and exploded, catching Lucy and her two spirits in the explosions. "Kyaaaah!"

* * *

"What!?" Erza practically jumped from her seat. "How does he have that magic!?" Did Jellal have something to do with this?

"Heh…" Reve just chuckled at Erza's surprise. "There's a lot you don't know about what we've been doing over the last year."

"But you can know this." Cygnus added. "We've done everything to surpass you second-rate mages."

"Second rate!? You wanna fight right now!?" Natsu was going to lunge, but the one to hold him back was Anna.

"Calm down, Natsu. Do not let their words rile you up." Anna said. She did manage to calm him for the time being, but everyone knew Natsu's fuse was short in these situations.

"It doesn't matter what magic you throw at Lucy, she'll win!" Cana said confidently.

"How nice it must be to be so ignorant…" Reve chuckled mockingly.

"Luke unveils a new trick!" Chapati was taken in by this battle.

"I can hardly take my eyes off this battle." Alfred nodded.

"It is very intense. I cannot discern a winner…" Hisui said quietly.

* * *

"Ugh…" Lucy and her spirits sustained some heavy damage after that previous attack. But she still had enough magic to keep going, despite how rapidly she was draining it by fusing two Star Dresses into one. "Are you two okay?"

"Yes." Virgo nodded curtly.

"I won't be mooooving anytime soon!" Taurus said while standing up, gripping his axe tightly.

Luke landed a few feet in front of the trio, smirking. "Gotta say, this has been pretty good so far. But I think it's time we got to the main event and ended this, don't you?" As he spoke, his body briefly returned to normal, only to flare up in a green light. As one would expect, Luke was finally entering his Chaos Unison state, amplifying his magical power greatly. "We don't have all the time in the world after all…"

" _There it is…"_ The amount of power Lucy found herself dealing with was staggering, especially as she was now. But this was the moment she was waiting for; Luke at his strongest. "Virgo, Taurus. Gate close." In a surprising turn of events, she closed the gates of the two helping her.

"Eh!? What's she doing!?" Sorano stood up from her seat. "Don't be an idiot!"

"Fighting me alone, huh?" Luke asked while getting ready.

"Alone? No." Lucy shook her head, allowing her dual Star Dress to fade while pulling out another golden key. "Gemini!" A golden slash of light surrounded Lucy's body as she summoned Gemini! Not only did she don another Star Dress combination: Gemini and Taurus, but she also had Gemini transform into her. Two Lucys stood side by side, ready to fight Luke.

"Oh great, so we're doing this now…" Luke rolled his eyes before pointing his Eclipse Sword forward, unleashing a burst of raw Eclipse magic from the point of the sword.

"…!" Both Lucy and Gemini's eyes widened and they leapt to the side to avoid being consumed from this raw blast. They were separate for a moment and Luke used this chance to close in on the actual Lucy, speed increasing with a fusion of Meteor and Lightning Body. He was before her in the blink of an eye, swinging his leg with all his momentum at her side for a direct hit. "Agh!" A strong hit and Lucy tumbled along the ground before coming to a halt on a knee. "Ugh…"

Luke wasn't giving her any time to rest. He intended to strike her down before she had the chance to counter. "Whatever your plan is, I won't let you go through with it!" Closing the gap again, he raised his sword overhead and sought to bring it down, but was halted by Gemini-Lucy, who donned Cancer's Star Dress to stop his strike with their blades. Gemini-Lucy was still struggling though.

"Thanks, Gemini!" Lucy used this opening to not only catch her breath, but support Gemini. With Taurus' strength with her, she swung a punch for Luke's chest. The blow was enough to knock Luke backwards, giving them the opening they needed! All she needed was to touch him! Now, Lucy and Gemini-Lucy locked hands, a golden light flaring around the both of them.

"Tch…!" Luke staggered back one step too many for his liking.

"Are they preparing unison raid!?" Yukino asked.

"Would something like that even finish him now?" Sorano doubted Lucy's chances at this particular moment.

Nobody but Lucy knew what she had in store as the light around her and her spirit grew stronger and stronger. Once that light reached its apex, Lucy and Gemini-Lucy pointed their hands forward, unleashing a beam of light towards Luke. "HAAAH!"

"Shit…" Luke didn't have the time to dodge this. He crossed his arms and braced for an impact…that didn't come. The beam did strike him, but there was no damage dealt, leaving him visibly confused. "What…?" There was an odd sensation he felt for just a moment, but it wasn't anything detrimental to his health, leaving him further confused. That light then returned to Lucy, causing a rising pillar around her person to appear. "What she…?"

That pillar of light then faded and everyone was met with a surprising sight. The magic aura that Lucy now gave off was identical to Luke's in every single way! Gemini was gone but Lucy's appearance was vaguely similar to Luke's own. "…Heh."

"W-What the…What the hell did you do!?" Luke asked, although in his heart he already knew the answer.

"I copied your magic." Lucy responded with a smug grin.

"HOW!?" Luke's voice rose considerably. It was easy to forget that the copycat hated being copied himself, most of all in a fashion like this.

* * *

"Huh!?" Waiston's eyes widened.

"How did she do that!?" Kuro leaned over the railing.

"I thought Gemini couldn't copy things stronger than it…?" Yukino turned to Sorano.

"That's true." Sorano nodded. "I don't know what she did, but she must have planned for this somehow."

"How do you like that!?" Natsu grinned over at White Eclipse. "That's what you get for counting Lucy out! Who's superior now, jackass!"

"It's Lucy, that's who!" Gajeel added.

"That's so…" Selene wasn't sure how to wrap her head around this.

"That's my Lucy-chan! Always defying the haters!" Zelos was loving every second of this.

"You can do it, Lucy-san!" Wendy was cheering as loud as she could.

"I think I understand what she did…" Anna couldn't help the smile on her face. Watching her descendant fight so hard filled her with a sense of pride she hadn't felt before. "While it's true that Gemini is unable to copy the magic of those far beyond its strength…"

* * *

"….I had to think outside the box." Lucy said. "Star Dress Gemini allows me to copy the magic of those I touch, similar to how Gemini and your own magic works. While it's only temporary, I used our contact earlier to copy the basis of your magic. Then, the Unison Raid I performed with Gemini was a ploy to combine our magic together to rival your own! Together we created a force strong enough to copy your magic at its strongest state!" She wasn't going to mention that she had copied him during the War.

"You used…a Unison Raid multiplier to copy me…?" Luke was pretty shaken by this. Never before had he been copied like this. Lucy was really giving it her all to beat him.

"We've fought so many times and I lost every fight…" Lucy clenched a hand into a fist. "And yet, despite that, I've been thinking of so many ways to beat you. Then I decided that perhaps I have to fight you with your own game! So now that I've done this…we're finally even. And that means I can beat you!" Not giving Luke any time to recover from this shock, Lucy pushed off, closing the gap between them herself, finally going on a strong offensive. "Darkness Crash!" Lucy swung her darkness infused fist at Lucy's cheek, scoring a direct hit and the ensuing explosion sent Luke flying backwards!

"Gaaah!" Luke cried out, flipping to regain his balance. "What goes around comes around, huh? You're really a fool if you think that you can win like this!" Once he recovered, he pushed off to meet Lucy in close combat, black and white magic merging to form gray. Their fists clashed and shockwaves boomed out, shattering nearby glass and caused the ground to tremble.

* * *

"Go Lucy! Kick his butt!" Romeo exclaimed.

"You can do it, Lu-chan!" Levy yelled at the top of her lungs!

"This is the moment you've been waiting for!" Cana was loving this! Every member of Fairy Tail was cheering Lucy's name as she held the potential to finally score a win over Luke!

"If she keeps this up, she may actually win." Evergreen remarked.

"You can do it, Lucy! Show him how much manlier you are!" Elfman said, although the latter half of that cheer didn't exactly work.

"…" Laxus, however, remained silent.

"You noticed it too?" Freed asked. What was he referring to? The oddly silent White Eclipse members. While a few of them were cheering for Luke to pull through, something just didn't sit right with their sudden quietness.

"Yeah…" Laxus nodded.

"My my…" Helena peered carefully at the fight, watching with intrigue. "They do appear to be even, but…"

"This battle is so intense, I can't even blink!" Chapati was speaking faster and faster, unable to control his hype from this battle.

"…" Mio remained silent before… "Come on you can do it! You can finally beat him!" Finally? Where did those words come from? The young woman wasn't even sure, but watching Lucy and Luke fight filled her with some nostalgia. It was strange, because this was absolutely the first time she'd seen them do battle. But then why was she feeling like this? Those feelings of confusion were drowned out by her anticipation and hopes that Lucy could come out on top.

* * *

"If I beat you like this, then that just means you have to admit I'm stronger, don't you!?" Lucy added, ducking a punch from Luke and firing back with her own, but he dodged it by shifting to the side.

"You can copy me, but you can't beat me!" Luke defiantly exclaimed while grabbing Lucy's arm, using her own momentum against her to throw her skyward. With his Eclipse Sword, he summoned various swords of Eclipse magic in front of him, all of them shooting forward to strike Lucy. "Sword Rain: Eclipse!"

"Aaaah!" Lucy yelped as she was thrown into the air, but she regained herself and swiped her hand forward creating a large mirror in front of her body. This caused the incoming blades to return to Luke! "Not this time!"

"Damn it!" How annoying! Luke found himself performing the same move. A mirror appeared in front of him, rebounding the blades back and forth until their own power was too great for them. The surge of power caused the swords to explode and the mirrors along with them, sending both combatants flying back with the sheer power. "Ugh!"

"Kgh…!" Lucy landed on the ground, stumbling a bit from her injuries. But if she continued at this pace, she could finally beat Luke. That was her thought, but nothing could prepare her for a speeding Luke throwing his fist at her. She barely had time to defend; crossing her arms in front of her face, but Luke's momentum caused her to slide back. He was continuously pushing her backwards and she had no time to counter.

"Chaotic Crash!" The magic around his fist exploded violently, finally throwing Lucy back and she hit a wall hard, causing her to cough up some blood as a result.

"Ugh…!" Lucy coughed, landing on her hands and knees after an impact like that. That one hurt a lot and her body was recoiling from that. She took a deep breath, but if she was going to catch her breath, that wasn't something Luke was going to allow.

"It's over!" The copycat said, preparing to bring his sword down one last time.

Lucy lifted her head up, a sly grin on her lips as she exhaled. "Chaotic God's Bellow!" She roared, unleashing a near point blank blast of Black and White god slaying at Luke. Due to the range and timing, Luke had no time to muster a counter attack and was blown back a considerable distance. "Got him…" She said, panting heavily.

Luke landed on the ground with a flip, panting hard himself. "You never cease to surprise me…I didn't think you'd go so far as to copy me. But all that magic you've been using has been wearing you out hasn't it?"

"…" Lucy didn't respond. Mostly because she didn't want to. Luke had a point. Between her Star Dress, summoning spirits, and copying such high level magic, she was draining herself faster than she would have liked.

"I'm getting a little tired too. But that's all the more reason to put you down once and for all." In a surprising turn of events, Luke's body returned to normal, but before any shock could set in, his aura flared up. Not just black and white, but a myriad of colors that represented all the magic he had copied. "You're not the only one with an ace in the hole, Lucy. You were wrong when you think you had me at my strongest. Adaptability…Ultima." Luke's body flashed as he adapted into every single bit of magic at his disposal, causing the area to quake violently.

"…!?" Lucy's eyes widened as Luke was…getting even stronger!? This couldn't be right! "W-What is…?"

There Luke stood, his body flashing in various colors. "I've told you how Adaptability works, right? I can turn into magic I've been struck by, or turn into my own magic and give it a sizable boost. It hit me one day…what happens if I use every magic I've acquired all at once? Well…this was the result. The ultimate state of my magic: Ultima!" This was the thing he was hinting about to Natsu and Lucy prior to the tournament.

* * *

The entire stadium was in awe at Luke's display. "T-This is unprecedented for any copy mage!" Chapati stuttered. "To copy magic to this degree!?"

"I didn't think anyone was capable of this…" Kagura was stunned.

"That's pretty wild…" Bacchus was enjoying this. This fight had been spectacular so far.

"Oh she's so screwed…" Sorano wasn't mincing her words. This situation was spiraling out of Lucy's control.

"He was hiding that the whole time!? What a dirty trick!" Romeo growled.

"A dirty trick?" Reve laughed at the thought. "If you really think that's what it is, then you really have no business fighting against us. When I say we're superior to you, I'm not just talking about strength. This whole time, Luke has been one step ahead of Lucy. He had an ace in his sleeve just as she did. Lucy unveiled her ace and it only forced Luke to unveil his superior trump card, only when he realized that it was all he needed to do to win."

"So you're saying that he was waiting for a chance to spring his trap…?" Wendy asked and Reve's condescending chuckle was her answer.

"It's just as he says…" Anna didn't like this either. "I could sense that he wasn't so much hiding it was he wasn't trying to unveil it so early. But Lucy forced him to use it, and now…"

"So what!?" Natsu objected to the notion that Lucy had no chance. "That doesn't mean anything! We've never given up in the face of danger! Lucy can win!"

"Oh, is that what makes you so special?" Reve shook his head. "And just what have you accomplished? Or better yet, tell me what Lucy has accomplished compared to Luke in the last few years? Not a whole lot, isn't that right? And who lost to the Wizard Hunters? Oh right, that was Fairy Tail again." The gunslinger then smirked. "I enjoy the air of resignation."

"No one's resigned to anything yet!" Happy declared.

"You sure about that?" Reve pointed at the lacrima screen.

* * *

"…." Lucy was shaken to the core. Just when she thought she had Luke, he pulled this on her! No! She couldn't think like this. She could still win. It wasn't in her nature to give up.

"If you think you can copy this one, give it a try!" Luke challenged her, already knowing that she couldn't, because it took all she had just for Chaos Unison.

Lucy gathered black and white god slaying in both hands, turning it into a large orb that rested between her palms. "Chaotic God's Bomb!" Throwing her hands forward, this highly volatile sphere shot forward, soaring through the sky to explode against whatever it came into contact with!

Luke gripped his Eclipse Sword tightly, giving a single swing once the incoming orb was close. The sphere was sliced cleanly in half. The two halves split between Luke and exploded violently behind him. The copycat could only give a smirk in response and he pointed that blade down and lifted it up. "Not enough."

"…!" Lucy couldn't believe this. She took a step forward, only for a pillar of various magic to consume her entire body. It hurt more than anything Luke had ever thrown at her before! It was way too strong compared to Chaos Unison. "KYAAAAAAH!" The pillar faded and a wounded Lucy was barely standing up straight; she was hunched over, Star Dress torn as it exposed the fused Zodiac symbol on her chest along with the various wounds she sustained. She couldn't take much more. "A-Agh.." But she continued to force herself to move, drawing her whip to infuse it with magic and the physical strength of Taurus she still had. "Take this!" Lucy brought her whip down towards Luke, the power it held shattering the ground with ease, but he evaded it. Lucy drew her whip back and started to dash, swinging at Luke to knock him down, but he was much faster in this state and she could hardly keep up! After a few steps, she took notice of the large magic symbol under her feet; a symbol that spanned several meters.

"This is the end." Luke said. The magic seal was reminiscent of that of the White Eclipse guild mark. "Secret Art: WHITE ECLIPSE!" A geyser of various magic erupted with no warning on Lucy's location, spewing magic in all directions.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Lucy screamed out in pain. As the ground erupted, she was knocked into the air, leaving her completely defenseless against the attack. Her eyes went wide and her body just stopped moving. That sounded like the scream of someone who had hit their limit. Lucy then hit the ground on her side, her eyes shaking before she…fell limp, hair shading her expression.

* * *

"Ah…!" Levy gasped.

"No way…" Yukino placed her hands over her mouth. "Lucy-sama!"

"LUCY!" Natsu's eyes went wide.

"And there it is." Reve shook his head. All that false hope Fairy Tail had crashed and burned.

"I…Is she…?" Cynthia couldn't bring herself to ask the question.

"No, she can't be down yet! She was working so hard to win!" Lisanna didn't want to believe it.

"And where did that bring her?" Cygnus chuckled. "Back in the ground, for the last time."

* * *

Because no one could see Lucy's expression, it was tense and silent. If she didn't get up within a few seconds, Hisui would have no choice but to call the match. Luke didn't say a word, but he remained on guard in case Lucy stood up. Would he be surprised? No, because Fairy Tail never went down when you expected them to. "…Are you gonna get up? Or stay down?" He asked her, unsure if she was even conscious or not.

"…." No response.

"…." Hisui sighed. "Lucy is unable to continue the fight. That means the winner is Luke Cloud from White Eclip-"

"W-Wait…" Lucy's cracked voice was just loud enough to be heard by all. Her body was bruised and battered, but despite all of that, she did what any Fairy Tail mage would do: stand up. It was a terrible attempt but she did manage after nearly falling over several times. "I…I'm not…finished yet." She had a golden key in her hand and it was shining brightly, as was the zodiac symbol on her chest.

"I saw this coming!" Luke had a sphere of magic already prepared. In case Lucy stood up, he planned to put her down before she could act on any of that Fairy Tail nonsense! He threw it just as she made her way to her feet. "We always have to put you down twice!"

"LUCY LOOK OUT!" Happy cried.

" _This is my one chance. If I can't do this now, then I won't be able to face either of them when the time comes. I HAVE TO DO THIS NOW!"_ Lucy didn't budge. This was her now or never moment. She took the golden key and stabbed it into the zodiac symbol on her chest. Unlike before, the key did not break, but it did lose its luster. But most importantly she knew exactly what she was doing, and just before the bomb could strike her, a pillar of golden light exploded from around her body, towering high into the sky. The bomb was repelled and flew off into the sky, exploding there instead of its planned target. "COME ON! ONE MORE TIME! STAR DRESS…!"

* * *

"Lucy's not down yet! Just what we've come to expect from Fairy Tail!" Chapati bellowed.

"That light!?" Happy vaguely recalled this light.

"I've seen that light before…" Yukino was trying to remember.

"When did it get so damn bright…!?" Tyson growled. That light could be seen even from the arena!

"It's so pretty…" Aira was mesmerized.

"There it is!" Cana knew immediately what was going on. She'd never forget it for the rest of her light. "That's the same light that flashed when she fought Emmeraude!"

"What?!" Natsu, Gray, and Erza looked Cana's way.

"If that's the case, then that means…" Gray started.

"Lucy's far from finished." Natsu said with a wide grin.

* * *

A sword cleaved through the pillar of light. There stood Lucy Heartfilia within Star Dress: Spirit King once again. It was a sizeable boost in power compared to what she had before. _"I did it…! I feel weaker than when I used it to fight Emmeraude, but I can….I can work with this!"_

"Damn, you really are stubborn!" Luke snarled. No matter what he did, she just wouldn't go down! Before Luke could even take a single step forward, Lucy was already in front of him, swinging her sword. Luke was fast enough to bring his own blade up, the collision of steel causing a shockwave to ripple out. The two were in a deadlock, struggling to overpower the other. "You just don't know when to give up, do you!?"

"I can't lose to you…!" Lucy replied. The adrenaline pumping through her veins made her ignorant to the pain she was in. As such, she could fight Luke without having to worry about her injuries for the time being. "I said that I would beat you and I will!" This was her last chance to prove she could after all.

The two eventually settled on jumping back, blades at the ready. Luke scoffed at Lucy's notion. She may have been stronger, but he refused to allow her the victory. "Fine then, Lucy. Let's finish this once and for all."

.

.

Next Time: To The End of a Rivalry.


	134. Chapter 134: To The End of A Rivalry

Ultima vs Star Dress: Spirit King. It was time to end it all. Lucy was capable of pulling herself from the jaws of yet another defeat by the hands of Luke, tapping into the power several people had been urging her to unleash as of late. Now that she had unleashed this power, she could not afford to lose. _"The Star Dress feels weaker than before. But I can still fight with this!"_ "I WON'T LOSE!" Lucy declared, using the increased power of this Star Dress to fly forward, a bright neon blue light shining from the blade.

"I'm not letting you win!" Luke proclaimed while bringing his sword forward. Unfortunately for him, Lucy was much faster than he anticipated. As such he had to hold his blade in a defensive manner as Lucy's horizontal slash collided against his sword. Lucy's momentum forced Luke to continuously slide backwards against his well, causing him to grit his teeth as she temporarily had him on the backfoot. "Gh…!"

"Meteor Burst!" Swinging her sword upwards, a burst of blue light exploded from the sword, throwing Luke into the skies while damaging him. While he was thrown into the air, Lucy used the Star Dress' power of flight to pursue, gaining the aerial advantage while lifting her sword once again. "Meteor…!" When she swung the blade down, Luke's body once again turned into a shadowy mist at the last second! This caused Lucy's eyes to widen, as she was stuck in the swinging motion as Luke appeared behind her. "…!"

"Chaotic God's Impact!" Luke's leg slammed into Lucy's back, a burst of magic occurring the instant impact was made. Lucy cried out and was sent right to the ground violently. He was far from finished then, as he swung his sword, unleashing several crescent slashes of Eclipse magic in Lucy's direction to keep the pressure on.

"Agh!" Lucy groaned, flipping at the last second to catch herself, landing on a knee on the ground. When she looked up, she saw that multiple waves of eclipse magic were honing in on her. There was hardly any time to dodge, so she had to flip this situation around and go on the attack! "Meteor Blade!" Lucy held her sword up, a bright blue light shining from the blade, then swung it down, unleashing a large linear beam of magic that cut through Luke's attack and made way to the copycat himself.

"Damn!" Luke held his sword up defensively, attempting to hold fast against the Meteor Blade. But in the end he was unable to. Lucy's newfound power broke through his defenses and he was sent flying as the Meteor Blade sliced through the ground and sent Luke right back down. "Gah!"

* * *

"INCREDBILE!" Chapati's voice was even louder than before. "Lucy's new Star Dress is pushing Luke back! Will she be able to win now!?"

"The Celestial Spirit King…" Hisui was amazed that Lucy could go so far. As a Celestial Wizard herself, this was inspiring.

"The Spirit King?! Really?!" Sorano was taken aback by Lucy's efforts. "She had something like that sleeping in her back pocket this whole time!? How did she do that!?" That was a million jewel question right there.

"Lucy-sama is amazing, isn't she!?" Yukino's eyes lit up as she desperately hoped Lucy was able to prevail over Luke this time!

"THIS IS WIILLLLD!" Bacchus roared, adding onto the hype. The usual "FOUR" followed up his words instantly.

"What incredible power…" Kagura was amazed. Her expression showed it unconsciously.

"Such a magnificent, beautiful perfume…" Ichiya muttered, basking in the glow of Lucy's beauty.

Those at Lamia Scale were among those who were stunned by this display. "Amazing." That was the only word Lyon could utter.

"COME ON LUCY!" Cynthia cheered as loud as she could. "YOU CAN DO IT!"

"KICK HIS ASS!" Natsu joined in on this.

"There's no way she can't win now!" Romeo was prematurely leaping for joy.

"This battle is hers!" Zelos added with confidence.

"You really think so?" Cygnus asked with a smug grin. Despite Luke being on the back foot now, White Eclipse hadn't lost any confidence. "I think he still has the advantage."

"Of course you'd say that!" Gray scoffed. "Luke's getting his ass kicked now! Lucy doesn't need more much to win this."

"Is that all you see?" Reve shook his head. "I think your excitement has left you blind to the circumstances."

"…What are you talking about?" Gray couldn't help but ask.

"Lucy may have gotten stronger, but that won't do her any good if her body gives out, which it will soon." Reve said.

"After all…" Taya added. "Remind us of something, Fairies: what was Lucy's condition prior to unleashing this power? I believe she was on the verge of passing out from her injuries, is that not correct?"

"So it only stands to reason that Luke, the one who received less damage, merely has to land one more decisive attack to finish her off." Jaxon said, finishing off their collective statement. "Granted, if Luke allows this to get to him, he might pay for it. But he's better than that."

As much as Erza didn't want to admit it, White Eclipse was right. Lucy's second wind needed to be fast and decisive. If it dragged on for too long, Lucy would burn out. "…You can do it, Lucy. We're all behind you."

Anna was more fixated on this fight than any other. She could not take her eyes off Lucy. Within her gaze was pride and admiration for her descendant. To think she would be able to go to such lengths as a Celestial Spirit mage. That prideful feeling swelled within Anna and suddenly…. "YOU CAN DO IT, LUCY!" Her voice rose without her even thinking about it. The sudden outburst from the usually calm women took those at Fairy Tail off guard for a moment, only for them to smile and join in on the collective cheering.

* * *

"Kyaaah!" Lucy was thrown back by a powerful explosion, her back hitting a nearby wall and that hurt. She hunched over, panting heavily as bits and pieces of the Star Dress started to break off. The adrenaline was still pumping through her body, but the pain she was in started to rear its ugly head once again. "Ngh…"

"What's the matter?!" Luke was using the Meteor Spell to soar forward at rapid speeds, slashing at Lucy with his sword. Lucy was able to defend, but now the roles were slowly reversing. "I thought you weren't gonna lose!" A diagonal slash barely missed its mark, leaving Luke wide open! Lucy aimed a punch for Luke's chest, but he blocked it with his arm, her power causing him to slide back.

"I didn't say I was finished yet!" Lucy retorted. Before she could move anymore, a black bubble appeared around her person. "Huh!?" This was Luke's Black God's Bubble, but increased greatly in durability due to his Ultima State. "What is this?!"

"Ultima Bubble." Luke grinned while panting softly. "I need you to hold still for a second so I can finish this." The copycat then began to inhale, various magic swirling around his lips as his cheeks began to inflate. "Ultima Breath!" Exhaling, a large, colorful torrent of Luke's various copied magic soared towards Lucy! While the bubble Lucy was in was durable, it was only durable enough to withstand any inside resistance. An attack like this would easily shatter it!

"Luke has Lucy trapped! Will she be able to escape!?" Chapati desperately wanted to know the answer to the question he just asked himself.

This was bad. Lucy didn't have much time to think of a way out. But then she had an idea. Planting her feet in the ground, Lucy held her sword in front of her, a bright blue light shining from the blade. "Haaaaaaa…!" The tip of the sword pressed against the bubble. With a little effort she was able to pierce through, but things didn't stop there. Lucy pressed onward, flying forward with her sword extended. The blade pierced through the incoming Ultima Breath as she continued to make way towards Luke. "Starlight Cataclysm!"

"What-!?" Luke barely had the time to register what happened. The next thing he saw, Lucy was flying right towards him! Lucy fly past him, piercing him with his sword in the process. It was a direct hit and Lucy nearly tumbled to a halt behind him due to her own momentum, falling to a knee after. A pillar of light exploded on Luke and he let out a cry of pain, falling to a knee shortly after. The two of them had their backs to one another, both on a knee while panting heavily. "Damn, you don't cease to surprise me…"

"I told you…I wasn't done yet." Lucy panted heavily while slowly standing back up.

"You're on your last legs…I just need one more good push!" Luke sprang up faster than anyone expected, a flashing sphere appearing within the palm of his hand. "Ultima Bomb!" And he chucked that sphere right at Lucy, who barely had the time to defend herself.

"…!" Lucy had to hold up the flat side of her blade to block the bomb. She expected it to explode upon impact, but instead it continued to push her back! She was unable to properly dig her feet into the ground to hold her position. "Nggggh…!" If she could just…deflect it…! With all her might and a battle cry, Lucy was able to deflect the bomb by throwing her sword up! The bomb exploded in the air and with its size, she feared to think what would have happened if she was caught within that.

"You're open!" Luke appeared before Lucy, holding his blade at his side. Instinctively, Lucy moved to slice at Luke, but to her surprise, he parried her strike! At that moment, it all played in slow motion as Luke's hand lit up in various magic. "I got you." And he slammed his fist into Lucy's chest, a torrent of Eclipse, Heavenly Body, and lightning magic fused into one, carrying Lucy backwards with a cry of pain.

"Oh no!" Wendy gasped.

The torrent carried Lucy for a few seconds until it died out. Lucy's brown eyes were wide with pain and shock as she could feel her body slowly starting to give in on her. _"Not…yet…!"_ She had to will herself to keep going, even as her pained body collapsed to the ground. Groaning, she slowly picked herself up. But it was worth noting that this attempt was much more strenuous than the previous times. It was clear she was starting to lose steam.

"…They only have 3 minutes left." Hisui said. Had they really been fighting for that long!?

"Only three minutes? I wouldn't have guessed." Alfred leaned forward. "But if I had to say…I doubt these two will allow their battle to end in a draw. This fantastic performance will only have one actor left standing, of that, I'm certain."

"Only three minutes?" Luke smirked. With Lucy's condition, he was certain he could wrap things up in the next second. In fact… "I think it's time to unveil my trap card then!" As soon as he said that, seven magic circles appeared in various locations on the ground, all of them linked together. These magic seals represented the different magic Luke had at his disposal: Fire, Ice, Lightning, Light, Dark, Eclipse, and Heavenly Body.

Erza's eyes widened the instant she saw those seven circles. "No! He can't be…!"

"When did he draw that!?" Levy asked.

"Earlier in the fight…or when they were duking it out just a few seconds ago." Freed answered. He wasn't the only one sweating; the rest of Fairy Tail was too.

Lucy was the most surprised out of everyone. "No way!"

"It's been fun! GRAND CHARIOT!" Luke brought his hands down, calling upon the wrath of his magic to smite Lucy. Each magic circle exploded into large magic pillars, each one visible from the Domus Flau and beyond. But the seven pillars of magic were disrupted shortly after they rose! "What the!?"

A bright neon blue light shone from the middle of the pillars before dispersing it all! Lucy sustained some damage from being in the center of the attack, but she was able to disperse it before that damage finished her off. "Galaxia Blade!" A spell used not for offensive purpose, but to dispel those of malicious intent towards the user! That was a close shave, for she was certain that would have finished her. "Ngh…" Lucy's legs felt weak and she nearly collapsed again. She was burning through magic fast.

"…You just…won't stay down…will you?" Luke was also burning through his magic supply. He didn't intend for the fight to last this long. Quite literally using all of the magic at his disposal meant that his magic was burning out fast as well. "All right then, I see there's only one way to finish this." Luke held his sword up, the blade brimming with magic power. This was his gambit: The Ultima Blade. "A head on clash to finally settle this. What do you finally say?"

Lucy narrowed her eyes. Honestly, she didn't particularly want to clash with Luke in her condition. But they had very little time remaining and it was clear they both refused to allow this final battle of theirs to end in a draw. There needed to be one, clear, decisive winner standing at the end of it all. "Survey the heavens, open the heavens." Lucy began to chant, the surrounding area around them growing darker, while her longsword began to shine ever brighter.

"All the stars, far and wide, show me thy appearance.

With such shine.

Oh Tetrabiblos…

I am the ruler of the stars…

Open thy malevolent gate…

Oh 88 stars of heaven…

SHINE!"

This was the chant for Urano Metria. While Luke expended and hastily prepared to defend himself from exploding stars, that wasn't the case. The power of Urano Metria flooded into her sword. The 88 stars fueled Lucy's final stand and she confidently held the blade at her side, her eyes staring into Luke's own. "Urano Metria Blade. Let's finish this, LUKE!" Lucy was the first one to step forward, preparing to meet Luke halfway for their grand finale.

"I couldn't have said it better myself, LUCY!" Luke said while rushing forward, swinging his sword just as Lucy did. The two blades met in the middle, and as soon as they did, a powerful surge of magic exploded on contact. Their resulting magic caused a swirling pillar to appear in the center of Crocus, both mages stuck within the eye of the storm as they tried to finish one another off. The pillar of magic towered miles high into the sky during this final power struggle.

"This is it! THE FINAL CLASH! WHICH MAGE WILL COME OUT ON TOP!?" Chapati nearly fell out of his seat.

"FINISH HIM, LUCY!" Natsu could literally not shout any louder than he was now.

"PUT HER DOWN, LUKE!" Selene and a few other White Eclipse members exclaimed.

Not that either could hear the cheers for them right now. Luke and Lucy were locked in a power struggle, attempting to overpower the other. It was dead even as their arms, blades, and legs shook from exerting themselves so hard. Lucy grit her teeth while Luke smirked, feeling Lucy's legs finally starting to give in! "Gnnnk…!" Lucy tried her best to hold fast, but her legs started to bend to Luke's strength.

"She's losing ground…!" Wendy gasped.

"You did well, Lucy! But I told you…that I wasn't going to let you win!" Luke was making his push now. Lucy was losing ground and now this was his chance to finally finish this! The moment Lucy fell to a knee was the moment he won. This match looked as good as his.

And yet, Lucy refused to yield until the bitter end. She pushed back with all her strength, even though her body ached, her muscles burned, and her magic was running dry. She still had things she needed to do! _"I can't lose here…"_ If she lost here, how would she be able to try and convince Mii to come back? How could she even face Emmeraude if she lost using this power? She refused to be mocked by that woman again…she refused to lack the strength needed to pull Mii from her own darkness! "I can't lose here…" Lucy said aloud, her words causing Luke's gaze to turn into a glare. "If I lose here…I won't be able to face her. If I lose here…I won't be able to save her!" Lucy started to push back, much to Luke's surprise. "THAT'S WHY I CANNOT LOSE TO YOU, LUKE! _**I WILL NOT LOSE!**_ AAAAAAAAAH!" A sudden burst of magic flared up within Lucy, the golden light of hers overpowering the rising pillar of magic while causing it to expand greatly. Not a single sound was heard as the pillar then vanished and Lucy appeared behind Luke, her blade at her side as though she just finished slashing him.

Not even a second passed before a large explosion occurred on Luke's location. "GAAAAAH!" That was, without a doubt, a direct hit. The smoke lingered around Luke's person and as it cleared…..he was still standing, slowly turning to face Lucy with a serious visage. "…Is that the best you can do…?"

Lucy turned around immediately, the two of them glaring at one another. The tense silence filled the air, as not even the wind dared to make a sound. The entirety of Crocus was quiet as these two stared one another down, the only sounds in their ears being the rapid thumping of their hearts. Who would fall first? Nobody knew the answer to this question. Lucy's eyes widened for a split second as the pain finally caught up to her and she fell…to a knee, using her sword for support at the last second. "…."

"…." Luke said not a word, nor did he move. But in the end he…collapsed, falling onto his back as his body returned to normal. Eyes pure white to signify…his defeat.

* * *

It took a moment for things to register, but the first one who could actually speak was Chapati. "AMAZING! LUKE CLOUD OF WHITE ECLIPSE HAS FALLEN! THAT MEANS LUCY HEARTFILIA IS THE VICTORY!" The crowd exploded into the loudest cheer thus far.

"That means that Fairy Tail now has 2 points. They only require one more if they are to win the tournament." Hisui said, placing a hand over her chest. That battle was beyond words.

"Lucy-sama did it!" Yukino was hopping up and down with her sister.

"N-No way…that's crazy…" Sorano absolutely could not believe what she witnessed.

"YEAH! LET'S GOOOOOO!" Natsu's flames were blazing just off this victory alone!

"Lucy took him down!" Happy hopped in place excitedly.

"She did it!" Cynthia and Wendy said in unison, hugging one another out of pure happiness for Lucy.

"About time." Carla scoffed. She said that, yet there was no attempt to hide the grin she had.

"Finally…she's claimed victory over him after all this time." Pantherlily had a smile on his face.

"I knew she could do it." Zelos nodded firmly. "I never doubted Lucy-chan for a second."

"She beat him!" Lisanna and Mirajane were jumping for joy.

"Now THAT'S MANLY!" Elfman said.

"Heh…she finally beat him. Not bad." Laxus said with a smirk.

Anna felt immeasurable pride swelling within her. This was the first time she'd seen her descendent fight so fiercely. "…I'm so proud of her. I'm sure her mother would be, too."

"How's that, White Eclispe!?" Gray turned smugly.

"No way…" Reiss was in awe.

"I can't believe he lost…" Micaiah didn't have words.

"She just got lucky!" Cygnus retorted. "Luke was outplaying her the whole time!"

"It doesn't matter, since Lucy won in the end!" Natsu was relishing in this. Lucy's victory over Luke was a win in more ways than one.

"…At long last, she won…" Mio was smiling. But why? Not even she had a clue. Yet, seeing Lucy triumph over Luke filled her with an odd sense of pride.

"Kyahahaha!" Prometheus was laughing. "Now THAT was a battle!"

"I agree." Pandora nodded in agreement. "Dare I say, I could not look away."

"Everyone here would make an excellent addition to our ranks." The Grim Reaper smirked.

* * *

Luke groaned, lying on his back. "…So, you got me…" To be honest, it was rather hard for Luke to come to terms with. Lucy had always given him a challenge in their constant fights, and now she finally bested him. "…You win."

Lucy reverted back to normal herself, nearly collapsing on the spot. But she stood tall and over Luke, holding a confident grin. "You were my last hurdle. I had to defeat you no matter what." She explained. "If I couldn't, then I had no right to pursue the person I needed to save."

"That so…?" Luke sighed before letting out a soft laugh. They were rivals, but in the end, also friends. That showed now as their heated battle and rivalry came to a conclusion with this battle. "Well…if I was the only thing stopping you, I don't think you have anything to worry about now…You better not lose to anyone from this point on. I'm gonna feel pretty insulted if you do."

Lucy shook her head. "I won't lose to anyone anymore. But I'm not saying that just for you. For Fairy Tail as well." Lucy then pointed her index finger and thumb into the sky, showing everyone the prideful Fairy Tail hand sign.

" _Hold on just a little longer, Mii. I'm coming…"_

.

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Next Time: 3rd Round Strike.


	135. Chapter 135: Third Round Strike

A bandaged Lucy returned to the Fairy Tail stands and she was immediately greeted with another round of cheers. It was almost embarrassing at this point, but she was also proud to return to her guild with a solid victory in hand. "Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone. But I did it."

"You kicked his ass!" Natsu gave Lucy a proud grin. "We knew you could do it. Best of all, White Eclipse had to eat their stupid words!"

"We never doubted you for a moment." Zelos winked. "That was the pinnacle of beauty. In those final moments, you shone brighter than any star in the night sky."

"A-Ahaha…" Normally Lucy would ignore such a remark, but considering she was on the high of victory, she couldn't help but feel a little bashful about it.

"You were amazing, Lu-chan!" Levy said, offering a bright smile.

"Here, let me heal you." Wendy made her way over to Lucy, extending her palms out to heal Lucy's injuries. They weren't deep, but she was pretty badly injured in her battle.

"But that was so cool!" Cynthia was bouncing up and down. "That Star Dress was amazing! Is that what you fought Emmeraude in?"

"Yeah." Lucy nodded. "Although with the method I used, it was noticeably weaker than when I fought her. But I managed to win despite that."

"How _did_ you manage to use that Star Dress again?" Erza asked. It was a pretty big question all things considered. "You said that you had to break Loke's key before, didn't you?"

"Mhm." Lucy nodded. She pulled out Cancer's key, which lost its golden sheen and was black instead. "But I didn't want to resort to such a drastic measure again, especially if it's not a life or death battle. So I talked with my spirits to devise another plan. By using all of a Zodiac Key's magic, I could replicate the effect of breaking a key to use that power. But there are a lot of downsides to this…"

"What happened?" Anna asked.

"First, the key I used as a substitute is unusable for a while…I'd have to guess 24 hours or more." Lucy said. "Secondly…that took so much magic, I honestly can't tell you how I'm even standing right now. I really wouldn't want to do something like that unless I really had to… Truthfully, I feel even worse than I look…"

"I didn't want to be the one to say it, but you look pretty bad." Happy said, almost as if he wanted to be the one to say it.

"So you pulled a Natsu…" Gray rolled his eyes, yet had a grin all the same.

"HUH!?" Natsu was immediately up in Gray's face. "The hell is that supposed to mean!? I don't like the way you said that!"

"You know what you do!" Gray immediately replied. "That whole 'using tomorrow's magic today' thing!"

"WELL…!" Natsu began, but Erza stood between them.

"That's enough, you two." Titania began. "This is about Lucy's victory, is it not? With that, we are only one more battle away from winning the tournament. We may be able to close it out in the next round."

"Natsu has definitely been a bad influence on dear Lucy-chan. But I guess it worked out for the best, didn't it?" Zelos shrugged his shoulders. "In the end, the beautiful girl wins the day."

"We're all very proud of you." Anna said with a soft smile. "I'm very proud of you, Lucy." The praise from her ancestor did make Lucy flash a soft smile of her own.

* * *

It wasn't going to be very easy to follow up from Lucy and Luke's fight. There were a few mages who were capable of such an exciting feat, but as it stood right now, they were not going to be fighting this round. After the thrilling bout of Lucy vs Luke, Lamia Scale and Mermaid Heel were going to have a very tough time matching up. At the moment, the current battle was between Yuka and Risley.

"This is Mermaid Heel's chance to score yet another point! If they do, they'll also be in the running for a potential victory in the next round!" Chapati explained. Fairy Tail was currently the only guild with 2 points thanks to Lucy's victory. A few other guilds had a lot of catching up to do.

"Conversely, if Lamia Scale is unable to secure this victory, they may be out of the running entirely." Alfred added. The tournament was pretty deep into the 3rd round. If a victory could not be claimed here, it was safe to assume that Lamia Scale would never get the chance to come close.

"It's all riding on Yuka's performance, then…." Hisui said.

Talk about no pressure. Yuka was well aware that the fate of his guild in this tournament rested on his shoulders. Usually such a task would fall to Lyon, Chelia, Raven, or Jura; but with the circumstances presented before him that simply was not possible. "I will win this for the sake of Lamia Scale." As he said this, he pointed his palm forward, firing off several waves of Anti-Magic towards Risley.

"That's nice and all, but Mermaid Heel has to win!" Risley exclaimed. With Fairy Tail in the lead, all she had to do was win here. With that, she was certain Kagura would be able to secure victory in the next round! That's why she absolutely had to defeat Yuka here and now. With her Gravity Change, she was able to bounce around fluidly to avoid Yuka's attacks. She then rose into the air, diving down with an intense change in gravity while also reverting back to her usual short and stout size, which she was very proud of. "Impact!" With the sudden shift in momentum she aimed to slam her leg into Yuka's chest.

"…!" Yuka had no time to dodge, so he could only cross his arms as impact came. It was a crushing impact that destroyed the ground and formed a crater. Yuka cried out as he was thrown backwards from Risley's power, but he was able to catch himself. "Man, that hurt." He admitted, but after witnessing how Risley moved and used her magic, he formulated a plan to bring this fight to a swift conclusion.

"Finish him off fast, Risley!" Arana said.

"Don't let him get the chance!" Melody added.

Risley planned on doing just that! The swift defeat of her opponent is absolutely what she yearned for. Gravity change came into play once more and she used it to decrease her center of gravity, amplifying her speed to close the distance between them. "I'll end it now!"

Yuka spread his arms out, circles of anti-magic forming within his palms. He then slammed his hands into the ground, creating a shockwave of anti-magic that pushed Riley back. "I've learned from my mistakes."

"Gaaah!" Risley was damaged by the anti-magic, groaning a bit as she recoiled. But she was quick to stand up. "That won't save you for very long!" And she tried to do the same trick again, but… "Huh!?"

"Anti-magic cannot be defeated in a head on fight. I know this." Yuka learned first-hand with his battle with Natsu all those years ago. "Magic can be used outside the barriers I form, and that momentum can be used to break through. However…I can use Anti-magic to disrupt the magical flow of my opponent and create a barrier with us inside."

It was just as Yuka said. That shockwave was not only to push Risley back and disrupt her magic, but to also entrap the both of them within a barrier where any opposing magic could not be used. "W-What is this?!" Risley was looking around in complete shock. When she tried to use Gravity, she found that she was completely unable to.

"Your demise." Yuka remarked.

"An anti-magic barrier? What a clever move!" Chapati said.

"A double edged sword." Alfred recalled a film of his that had a similar situation. "It reminds me of one of my movies, which you should watch if you haven't already. The Calling of The Anti-Mage."

"…Er, do you have a point?" Hisui said with a sweat dorp.

"I don't want to spoil for those who haven't seen. But the issue now becomes who is trapped with who." The actor stated with a small grin. "I for one am intrigued to see who will come out on top."

"That's not good…" Milliana said. "But Risley will be able to win!"

This was a pretty bad situation and Risley knew it. Even more so as it was clear Yuka was able to make use of his Anti-magic in this barrier. Still, she wasn't going to go down that easily! "If you think this is enough to stop me, you're sorely mistaken! The ladies of Mermaid Heel don't know the meaning of the word quit!" That said, she jumped forward, preparing to strike Yuka with a flying kick.

Unfortunately for Risley, she lacked the speed and power to properly reach Yuka in time. "Anti-Blast." The Anti Mage held his hand out, unleashing a strong full power beam of Anti Magic that crashed against Risley's body. It was a direct hit, blowing the woman backwards into the edge of the barrier he created, only to break through it and send her crashing into the side of a building after. At the end of it all, Risley was unconscious.

"And Risley goes down!" Chapati gripped his mic while standing up. "Lamia Scale has taken their first victory! They may be behind, but they are certainly not out of the running now!"

"Not bad, Yuka." Lyon nodded. He was very glad that his shortcoming didn't mean Lamia Scale wasn't out of the game. Thanks to the Anti-Mage, they were still in it. But how would they come close now? That was a tough question to answer.

"Darn, she was so close…" Melody pouted.

"Don't worry. We'll simply have to make it up in the next round." Beth said with a firm nod. There was no shortage of confidence from Mermaid Heel, even with the second loss.

"It'll be fine." Kagura said simply. She had no doubts they could pull through in the very end. They wouldn't lose to Fairy Tail, White Eclipse, or anyone else.

* * *

The next battle taking place was Black Phoenix vs. Blue Pegasus! Asuka Ichiro vs Eve Tearm! Both guilds had their second victory riding on this battle, so it was imperative that they break through the other to take the lead! "I'm not going to let you beat me!" Asuka was bouncing up and down, ready to take Eve down for her guild.

"I have the same words prepared." The young blonde said with a suave smile. "But perhaps after this battle, you and I could go out for dinner? I'd love to get to know you better, such a free spirit has caught my atten…"

The bell rang and Asuka wasn't going to wait! Plus, she didn't quite understand what Eve was getting at, nor did she want to. "Rajin Tempo!" Lightning surged around the young mage's body and she nearly vanished! Her speed increased and she reappeared in front of him, a fist drawn backwards.

"Oh!" She was an impatient one! But in Eve's eyes, that only added to her charm. Despite Asuka's speed, he was able to ready a counter attack! "White Claw!" Snow gathered around his hand and he swung his fist forward, clashing with Asuka. It was a stalemate and the two of them were forced to jump backwards to gain space. "It would be unfitting if I held back on a beautiful girl such as yourself. As much as I don't wish to hurt you, I must display a paragon of handsomeness similar to Ichiya-san!"

"What are you talking about!?" All of this was going over Asuka's head. But it sounded like Eve was going to go all out, which is what she wanted anyway. "You can do whatever you want, but I'm taking you down."

"I welcome your attempt!" Eve said, swiping his hand. This prompted a snowstorm to immediately surround the two of them. "White Storm!"

"Huh?" Asuka looked around. The snowstorm was pretty nippy. But more importantly, the snow was oddly sharp, and the raging blizzard was cutting into her skin! "So that's your game, is it?" The Black Phoenix mage held a grin. If Eve thought this was going to stop her, he had another thing coming! Unfortunately for her, she was having a hard time making use of the snow as it was, so using her water affinity to negate the damage was out of the question for the moment.

"Eve is starting off strong with a powerful snowstorm!" Chapati said.

"Kick her butt, Eve!" Jenny yelled. "Show her that she's no match for your handsomeness!"

"You can do it, Eve!" Ren and Hibiki cheered from the sidelines. All of Blue Pegasus was rooting for him on this bout!

"You can do it, Asuka!" Ethan said with a loud cheer.

"You better not lose." Alexander said with a soft huff. He had already taken his own loss, so all he could do was leave it to the others.

Asuka wasn't on the back foot, far from it. She just needed a moment to figure out where Eve was. To combat the snow, flames surrounded her body, keeping her warm while melting what threatened her person. "Where…."

"White Fury!" The voice came from somewhere within the cover of the snowstorm. Eve fired off a potent gust of snow at Asuka's location, attempting to sweep her off her feet! It was a strong attack that even rendered fire powerless to some extent.

"…There!" Asuka, however, wasn't going to fall for such a ploy. She was able to sense the incoming snow coming, jumping to the side to avoid the White Fury. Her eyes quickly tracked the trajectory and traced it back to Eve's location. "I got you!" Sprinting off, she flew forward, rearing a fist back as flames ignited around her fist. "Hono Hammer!" Lunging through the snow, she found Eve and slammed her fist into his chest for a direct hit! "Got…" And then Eve's body melted away into snow! "Him…?"

It was snow clone! A cleverly placed one to lure Asuka precisely where he wanted her! Asuka was stuck in the motion of her punch, but that wasn't all! The snow clone densely compacted around her person, weakening the power of her flames a bit. This left her open! The real Eve appeared to her left, hand pointed upwards as a magic seal was already above her. "Avalanche!" Snow continuously poured down from the magic seal, the heavy amount smothering Asuka while inflicting heavy damage in the process.

"Wh…!" Asuka hardly had the time to react. By the time she realized what was going on, it was already too late; she was already buried in the snow! And as one would expect, being buried alive by an avalanche was the furthest thing from pleasant.

"A heavy attack from Eve buries Asuka! Will she be able to recover from this?" Chapati asked.

"Of course she can." Ethan said without hesitation. If they really thought that was going to take Asuka down, they had another thing coming.

Eve also felt that it wouldn't be so easy. That's why he kept a careful eye on the pile of snow that buried Asuka, and as he thought, the snow was beginning to let off some steam. It only took a few seconds for Asuka's fiery aura to erupt, melting a good portion of the snow! This only made Eve grin. " As thought, such a burning spirit filled with passion would not be extinguished so easily."

"You're darn right…" Asuka was panting softly. Her flames were snuffed out within the snow, so she felt a crushing force on top of her, along with her body being extremely chilled for a few seconds. Eve's attack was a lot more dangerous than he let on. This Trimen was more of a danger than he appeared. "Take this!" It was time to make use of all the elements in her arsenal. Before Eve could move, two pillar of earth appeared right beside him, sandwiching him to the point he couldn't move.

"Ugh…!" Now this was bad! Eve was having a hard time worming his way out of this one, but to make matters worse, Asuka was coming his way!

Water exploded from the soles of her feet, propelling her forward as wind wrapped around her ankle. Riding her momentum all the way to Eve, Asuka pivoted on her opposing heel, swinging her wind infused leg at Eve's chest. "Hah!" A direct hit! Eve had nowhere to go and was forced from the pillars of earth, now violently tumbling along the ground after the strike.

"Oof!" Eve grunted, but managed to regain his bearings fast. Asuka hit pretty hard. He wouldn't enjoy taking another one of those hits directly. "Beautiful. Absolutely stunning." Asuka was clearly attempting to close the gap to finish him off, but Eve wasn't having it. As the rookie came closer, he pointed his hands forward, a bright blue magic circle appearing before him. "White Blizzard!" Combined with the snowstorm still in play, another powerful blizzard was unleashed to strike Asuka directly!

"Tch…!" Asuka's flames were strong enough to ward off the snowstorm, but not the blizzard! She was losing her momentum and had to come to a halt, gritting her teeth as she felt the cold slice her body. For a moment it seemed she was backed into a corner by Eve's relentless assault!

"A beauty you are! But I must handsomeness must prevail!" Eve exclaimed, pouring his all into this attack to put Asuka down. "The flames of the Phoenix shall be smothered in snow!"

"You're pretty tough…" Asuka had a slight smirk on her lips. "But for the sake of Black Phoenix, I'm not giving up!" It was time to put her gamble into motion. Asuka's flames grew stronger, melting the incoming snow. That wasn't enough to stop it, but that's where another element came in: water. By melting the snow around her, it turned into water, which then had no effect on her due to how her magic worked. So long as she used one of the elements at her disposal, that very same element was useless against her! That also applied when she used more than one element! With this, she was able to continue her sprint forward, gathering a large amount of fire magic along her dominate arm!

"What!?" Oh no! Eve didn't expect her to work around his snow magic like this! All he could do was amp up the intensity in attempt to slow her down, but it was no use. She was already closing the gap and there was very little he could do to stop it. While she may have been sustaining damage, it wasn't going to stop her now. She found her stride and nothing could kill that.

"For Black Phoenix to win, I need you to get out of the way!" The flames around Asuka's arm took the shape of an enlarged fist! "HONO HAMMER!" Screaming at the top of her lungs, she slammed her blazing fist against Eve's chest! The direct hit caused Eve's eyes to widen and he flew back a considerable distance, hitting the ground completely limp. Asuka panted heavily, holding a fist into the air to declare her victory.

* * *

"And Asuka takes it!" Chapti said, and the crowd went wild in turn!

"Black Phoenix is raising powerful mages." Hisui recalled Black Phoenix in the games last year. They made it all the way to the finals before Natsu ended up ruining it all. It should have come as no surprise with Leon as the guild master these days. "With that, they have scored their second victory and are now in the running to win the tournament in the next round."

"She better have one." Chiara scoffed, her outward appearance contradicting the joy she felt for her teammate winning!

"I knew she would." Ethan was firm in his belief, and as expected, Asuka pulled through.

"Everyone's been doing great work. I'm proud." Leon said his piece, smiling at the excitement the Black Phoenix mages had.

"Eve did his best…" Ren said with comical tears. Watching the youngest Trimen work so hard brought tears of joy to his eyes.

"He's grown so much…I'm so proud…" Hibiki also had tears in his eyes!

"Truly, it was handsomeness in motion...men." Ichiya held a handsome pose, sparkles radiating off his being.

"Now then, it's time for the final battle of round 3." Hisui said. "Sabertooth vs. Quatro Cerberus!"

"I got this!" Blues wasted no time leaping over the railing to do battle! All these battles, especially Lucy vs Luke, had him itching to throw down! He would sit on the sidelines no more!

"It's my time." Sting was the one to step forward. Rogue and Minerva fought their hardest, now he had to do the same and bring a victory home. He would not allow Sabertooth to fall behind ever again. "I have a debt to repay to this one, anyway."

"You can do it, Sting-kun!" Lector was shouting. He really wanted Sting to win!

Blues stood across from Sting, bearing his fangs in the form of a wide grin. "Oh, Sting? I haven't had the chance to fight you in a while. I can't wait to see your improvement. But I haven't been slacking either. It's sink or swim in this fight. I hope you're ready."

.

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Next Time: White Waters.


	136. Chapter 136: White Waters

The finale of round 3: Sabertooth vs. Quatro Cerberus. Blues vs Sting! If Blues was able to win, he'd push his guild into the threshold to potentially win the tournament in the next round! Meanwhile, Sting was faced with the pressure of winning here, or having Sabertooth fall in the tournament. There'd be no chance for the tigers to win and he simply couldn't allow that. "I got Sabertooth's pride riding on my back."

"I figured you'd say as much." Blues responded with a slight grin. There was no point with formalities. The two had done battle and fought alongside each other, so Blues knew exactly what he was in for. That's why a blue aura wavered around his body, signifying the activation of his Blue Drive. "There's no need to warm up, is there?"

Sting couldn't help but grin. He knew he was in for a tough bout, but it was his duty to come out on top. In response to Blues showing his power, Sting was to do the same. A bright white light flared around his body as his White Drive activated. "You're right. Let's give this our all."

The bell rang and the battle was to begin! "The battle starts now!" Hisui proclaimed.

Sting was the first one to move, sprinting towards Blues as bright white light shrouded his fist. "White Dragon's Punch!"

Blues wasn't going to stand around and do nothing either! His legs moved fast and he pulled his arm back, water swirling around his fist. "Blue Dragon's Fist!" The two swung their fists, both colliding against one another. The result was a shockwave that pushed both dragon slayers back, but that contact made the two of them grin. This fight was going to be a good one.

"Not bad! But I'm just getting started!" Sting placed his hands at his sides, a bright white sphere of light forming between the empty space of his palms. "White Dragon's Holy Ray!" Throwing his hands forward, Sting unleashed numerous rays of light shooting forward from various angles to strike his foe, each beam holding a considerable amount of power.

"Heh…" Blues placed his fist in his palm, making use of his Water Make magic. "Water Make: Fishnet!" Throwing his hands forward, a dense watery net appeared in front of him, acting as a shield to block the incoming rays of light, stopping them in their tracks completely. "And Bomb!" His stance changed, hurling a massive orb of dense water right at Sting!

"…!" Sting didn't have much room to dodge, so he had no choice but to cross his arms and brace for impact. The orb collided against his arms, exploding in a geyser of water upon contact. The master of Sabertooth was sent skidding backwards across the ground a few feet, but he held his ground fairly well. "That all you got!?" Sting said with a smirk, pushing off once again.

"I'm just getting started!" Blues sprinted forward yet again as well. Long rang or close, he'd keep this fight however Sting wanted, confident that he'd be able to best the White Dragon in any sort of situation.

Once the two were in close range, Sting leapt off his left foot, spinning around while putting all the weight into his glowing right leg. "White Dragon's Talon!" The spinning axe kick was sent directly towards Blues' side, but he was able to block it with his forearm. Sting's power did make him slide back a little bit, but not so far as to escape close combat range.

"Tch!" Blues grunted from pain, but it wasn't so much as to stop him. As soon as Sting pulled his leg back, Blues retaliated with a flying knee to Sting's chest, landing a direct hit! But Sting wasn't going to let the water dragon slayer best him so easily, so he took the hit, but had white magic swirling around his fingertips.

"White Dragon's Claw!" The slayer exclaimed, raking his claw of light magic across Blues' chest to counter. The return hit was enough to force Blues backwards, the two of them now having ample space to gather their breath – literally at that. Their cheeks inflated in unison, accumulating their respective magic within their mouths. "White Dragon's ROAR!"

"Blue Dragon's ROAR!" Blues and Sting exclaimed at the same time. They opened their mouths, unleashing torrents of water and light towards one another! The two roars slammed in the center, resulting in a fierce power struggle that only lasted a few seconds before an explosion took place, blowing both slayers backwards, but they were able to land on their feet.

* * *

"Neither side is giving an inch! This is a fierce battle between two dragon slayers for sure!" Chapati yelled. "The fight has just begun and it's incredibly intense!"

"You can do it, Sting-kun!" Lector was cheering as loud as he could.

"Fro thinks so too!" Fro shouted as well.

"Sting-sama, give it your all!" Yukino said, nudging her sister to begin cheering as well.

"Ah…er…don't lose!" Sorano said, awkwardly. She wasn't the best at cheering…at least, not when it wasn't Yukino fighting, which would come sooner or later. "Seriously, don't. I don't feel like picking up slack."

"Come on Blues, knock his lights out!" Bacchus roared.

"Show him your WILD fighting spirit!" Jager added.

"YEAH!" Rocker and Warcry exclaimed.

"Sting and Blues have grown as well." Anna was fascinated with the battles of every dragon slayer thus far. She was always eager to see how strong they had become now that she was actually able to watch them.

"…." Lucy remained silent while watching the fight. Although it was clear her mind was elsewhere…along with the overall exhaustion she felt from her battle still plaguing her.

"Is something wrong, Lu-chan?" Levy inquired.

"No." Lucy shook her head. "I was just thinking about something, but I can mention it when this fight is over…"

* * *

As Blues slid backwards, he was already preparing to jump into the action once again. But he found it impossible to even move his body! "What the…!?" Try as he might, he was unable to force his body to move. It was clear what happened when his eyes glanced down at the holy symbol that was sneakily engraved on his chest.

"I got you…" Sting spoke with a smirk. When he slashed Blues' chest earlier, he planted the stigmata on him and waited for the right time to activate it. Now Blues was a sitting duck for a few precious seconds, which allowed him to move in, rearing his leg back. "White Dragon's Drill Kick!" The White Dragon spun around, slamming his heel into Blues' chest with all his might. Since Blues could muster no defense, the opposing dragon slayer was thrown back a considerable distance, crashing into lower floor of a two story building! "Nailed it."

"And Sting counters with an incredibly powerful technique!" Chapati said.

Sting wasn't finished yet! With Blues currently at a disadvantage, the white dragon inhaled once again, only to puff his chest out and lurch his upperbody forward. "White Dragon's Holy Breath!" Similar to a roar in execution, but much stronger. This white blast soared across the sky, slamming and exploding against the building Blues was in. The explosion didn't last a mere second before the white magic was funneling into something. "Huh?!"

A familiar inhalation sound filled the air. As the smoke cleared, Blues was seen standing, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. "Not bad…that was just what I needed." The meal Sting provided pushed Blues into his White Water dual mode. While Sting was in shock, Blues used this chance to bend his knees and lung forward, dense water and light wrapping around his body. "White Water Dragon's Sword Horn!"

"Sting-kun, move!" Lector screamed.

Sting didn't have the speed to move. By the time he realized what was happening, Blues slammed into his gut, causing his eyes to widen in pain. "GAAAH!" Crying out in pain, Sting flew backwards before rolling across the ground. Due to the water encasing the light, Sting was unable to solely consume the opposing light and simply had to deal with the attacks. Luckily he was able to catch himself before flying too far, sliding to a halt in a crouched position with a smug grin despite the damage he took. "I forgot you could do that. But you should know, it's not gonna help you against the bond of black and white Sabertooth has established!" To fight fire with fire, Sting entered his White Shadow mode. The two dragon slayers weren't playing around and this became a battle of dual modes.

"I wouldn't have it any other way!" Blues roared while rearing his arm back, a dense sphere of water and light forming within the palm of his hand. "White Water Dragon's Bomb! Blues declared while hurling this highly volatile sphere towards Sting!

As the sphere came his way, Sting drew a single hand back, light and darkness perfectly harmonizing along arm and into his hand, taking the shape of a black and white claw. "White Shadow Dragon's Claw!" Swinging his arm down, the blonde cleaved through the incoming sphere right down the middle. The two halves of the sphere passed Sting and exploded behind him in a fierce eruption of water and light. With that done, Sting then dipped into the shadows. After learning the sensation of falling from Kagura's gravity, it was a technique he had quickly gained a grasp of, and was now using that understanding to his advantage, slithering towards Blues.

Unfortunately for Sting, he didn't quite have a mastery over it. As Blues could still see a black streak snaking across the ground and sensed its malicious intent. The White Water Dragon slammed his hand into the stone earth, a white aura flaring around his body. "White Water Dragon's Purge!" From his entire body, a dome explosion of water and light expanded, utterly destroying and uprooting everything within a few meter radius. This included Sting, who was just about to emerge from the shadows and strike.

"Ugh!" Sting was thrown into the air, suffering a considerable amount of damage from Blues' Purge. But he wasn't going to let his foe think he had the upper hand! That's why he flipped in the air, caught himself, then pointed down at the ground. "White Shadow Dragon's Eruption!"

"Huh-?!" Blues felt the surge of magic welling up underneath him, but there was very little he could do about it. A rising pillar of light and shadow completely consumed Blues, dishing out an equal amount of damage that he dealt to Sting. He let out a small grunt of pain, but held on strong. "If that's the game you want to play…" A magic circle appeared behind Blues and the ground trembled violently. This magic circle unleashed a gigantic tidal wave that towered over most of the city.

"Uh oh…" Sting gulped. He didn't have a lot in his arsenal to deal with this and could only brace for impact, and he knew this was going to suck. The tidal wave crashed down onto him, the intensity and volume of water alone hitting like a truck. He was thrown about in the rapids and it was a struggle to hold onto his breath and even figure out where he was! To make matters worse, Blues, a master of the water, was rapidly approaching him with his swimming!

"White Water Dragon's…" Blues began, now placing his fist in his palm as he made use of his Water Make and God Slaying magic, turning it all into a terrible combination for Sting. "Godly Lance!" Blues formed a trident within his hands, swimming towards Sting to slash at him violently. Sting's only defense against Blues' superior movement in these conditions were to parry any dangerous slashes. That left him defenseless against most blows, but there was very little he could do in his position. "It's over!" Blues roared, aiming to finish things off with one final thrust, which then unleashed a vicious whirlpool!

At least…that was the plan. But Sting had one ace in his sleeve and this situation called for it. Just before Blues' final attack, Sting allowed his body to enter a shadowy, intangible state! This caught Blues off guard and gave Sting the desperate opening he needed. His shadowy body wrapped around Blues' own, constricting tightly while light and shadows formed in his hand. "White Shadow Dragon's Waxwing Flash!" Sting pressed his hand to Blues' chest violently, creating a burst of light and shadow that ripped into Blues' body, pushing him backwards. Sting could now safely escape the water, jumping onto the roof of a tall building that was a safe haven, luckily. "Too close…"

Blues was in hot pursuit, leaping from the dying waters while rearing that trident backwards. "You think it's over!?" He shouted, throwing that lance at Sting. Sting noticed this at the last second and was capable of dodging with a roll to the side. The power of the lance was on display as the location Sting was formerly at was completely annihilated. "He's strong…but Sabertooth's riding on me! I can't let them down here!" Sting suffered some pretty bad hits and had no choice but to wrap things up now! If he didn't, Sabertooth was as good as done in this tournament and he would not allow that! "Let's finish this, Blues!"

"Agreed!" Blues smirked as he landed on the building, his right hand gathering a large amount of magic. Water and light took the shape of a rapidly spinning drill that looked as though it could pierce through anything. "All or nothing, right now! White Water Dragon's Piercing Drill!" And so, Blues lunged forward, throwing this drill forward to pierce through Sting and finish this bout for Quatro Cerberus!

"It's time to show you…just how strong our bond is!" Sting rushed forward in time with Blues. "White Shadow Dragon's Rough Silk!" Just as Blues struck Sting, the guild master of Sabertooth pierced the water dragon with various beams of darkness and light that emitted from his fingertips, creating numerous wounds on his foe's body. At the same time, Sting received a rather grievous wound himself on his lower left side, causing him to grimace and his legs to buckle. He felt himself giving out…

"Grrrrr!" Blues growled from the pain but turned despite their final cry to end it all. This caused Sting to turn and hastily prepare an attack, because Blues was coming in hot. "White Water Dragon's…!"

"White Shadow Dragon's…!"

Sting stopped in his tracks. His wound caused his body to seize up! In his hurry to counter, he didn't notice that Blues used his own trick against him. A watery Stigmata infused with light was on his injury, preventing his movement! Sting's eyes widened as he realized he was a sitting duck, but then…Blues collapsed from his injuries. The piercing power of the Rough Silk was enough to stop Blues from acting any further as his fist was centimeters away from finishing Sting off. Blues was down.

"AND BLUES COLLAPSES! MEANING THAT STING IS THE WINNER!" Chapati did not miss a beat with his announcement. "SABERTOOTH IS STILL IN THE GAME!"

"Ooooh…" Yukino let out a sigh of relief. "Sting-sama did it!"

"I knew he could!" Lector was jumping up and down. "Sting-kun is the strongest, after all!"

"Fro thought so too!" Frosch nodded with that usual big grin of his.

"Aw, so close!" Bacchus laughed. "That was a pretty wild fight though!" In the end Quatro Cerberus didn't seem so upset at this loss.

"…" As Sting powered down, he felt… unsatisfied with that victory. Yes, he kept Sabertooth in the game, but at the same time, it didn't feel right to him. But he could think about that later. Right now, they had a tournament to win.

"All the dragon slayers have matured so much." Anna gently clasped her hands together. "It's a pleasure being able to watch their progress firsthand in an event such as this."

"I'm still the strongest one, though." Natsu said without missing a beat.

"Wendy and I are pretty strong together! The strongest pair, without a doubt!" Cynthia said with a smug grin, and once again, Natsu gave a strange look.

"You wish you were as strong as me." Gajeel scoffed.

"Clearly, it's Laxus." Freed objected. Laxus didn't even say anything, but he simply nodded in agreement. There was very little to convince him otherwise.

"….." Anna had a sweat drop on her forehead. She didn't mean to spark an argument between them.

"With that, Sabertooth now has one point. I believe at this point, every guild now has a single win. But as it stands right now, Fairy Tail and Black Phoenix are the only ones that has the chance to potentially win the tournament in the next round." Hisui stated. "Now, before we begin round 4, this time will be used to have a brief one hour intermission. I ask the guilds to use this time wisely to rest of discuss their next plan of action. The snack stands within the stadium and the area outside have remained untouched from the battles thus far. Once we reconvene, it is likely that this tournament will continue until the very end." With that said, the tournament was set for a small break.

* * *

"An intermission, huh…?" Prometheus stood up from his seated position. "About time the crowd dispersed…"

"This will be our chance." Pandora pointed at Mio down below, who was moving along with the crowd to disperse for a short while.

"Exactly…" The Grim Reaper held his usual heinous grin, a purple aura steadily flowing from his being. "The perfect chance…to finally snag Fairy Heart and claim it as our own."

"We only have one chance." Pandora sharply reminded her partner. "If they catch us, we will likely not have another opportunity."

"And that's fine with me." Prometheus chuckled. "One chance…is all I need."

.

.

Next Time: Intermission.


	137. Chapter 137: Intermission

The end of Round 3 of Fiore's Finest came with an intermission. The tournament had been going on for the most of the day and the Queen figured it would be best to give the people a short break. As it stood right now, Fairy Tail and Black Phoenix stood the highest chance of winning the whole thing; one more victory was all it took for them to be the champions of this impromptu Grand Magic Games. The pressure was on for the other guilds to pick up the pace or risk falling behind to Fairy Tail yet again.

"We're so close to winning! Only one more match to close it off." Lisanna was pretty excited. Things were going very well for Fairy Tail and the guild was bouncing back from the defeat from the Wizard Hunters.

"I don't suspect it will be so easy." Erza remarked and her words held a certain truth to them. "Our next opponent will be giving it their all and more to ensure we do not win."

"And I'll respond by kicking their ass!" Natsu immediately responded. "Lucy gave us the opening we needed! Now we just win!" Classic Natsu, saying things that were far easier said than done.

"It wasn't easy." Lucy said. It was clear the blonde was still little exhausted from her battle with Luke. "Honestly, it was closer than it looked. I think I actually did black out during that fight near the end…but then I heard a voice calling out to me."

"A voice?" Wendy blinked.

"Yeah…" Lucy nodded. "It was faint, but it sounded familiar. I didn't know where it came from, but it did wake me up. I know you guys were cheering for me, but it wasn't anyone in Fairy Tail…"

"How odd…" Anna placed a hand on her cheek. "I wonder who was speaking to you, then."

"It sounded like…." Lucy trailed off before shaking her head. There was no point in making an assumption at this point. "But anyway, we're close to winning! I hope our efforts will be enough to qualify for Fiore's team in the Earthland's Strongest tournament."

"It's not just about victory." Laxus reminded everyone. "Individual performances are also a factor. That being said, coming out on top looks better in the eyes of those judging you."

"If it were up to me, all the ladies participating would be a part of the team!" Zelos laughed, but everyone just gave him a deadpanned expression. "All the beautiful women taking part have given 10/10 performances; I honestly can't decide between my favorites!"

"Uh-huh…" Lisanna just held her blank stare.

"Right…" Levy joined in.

"Anyone else wondering why he's still here?" Romeo scratched his head.

"At this point, I've just given up all hope that we'll ever be able to be rid of him." Evergreen rolled her eyes, using her fan to cool herself. As it were, her statement was too solid for anyone to break down.

* * *

Hisui let out a quiet sigh, surveying the destruction to the capital. "I'm very glad I was able to hire a few building mages beforehand. The destruction to the city is even greater than usual. But I suppose that only goes to show how far along everyone has come over the years. Last year paled in comparison to this…"

"What of the qualifications, Your Majesty?" Arcadios said with a respectful bow.

The Jade Queen turned to Arcadios. "Based on the fight so far, I've only a handful of mages already selected. The tournament may end in the next round, and truthfully I wanted to see more fights. Those I've chosen are already strong contestants and will benefit Fiore's team greatly."

"I trust your word." Arcadios gave a firm nod. "By the way…have you been feeling any worse since the incident?"

"I'm fine." Hisui said with a smile. "The Wizard Hunters are attempting to use me as bait for some nefarious deeds. As Queen, it is my duty to face them head on. I will not back down, even if my life is in danger." She would see this through to the end and nothing would deter her.

Arcadios smiled at Hisui's words. "Your father would be proud to hear you say that."

* * *

Off in an undisclosed location, Gildarts Clive was carrying out his own mission. It was an SS class mission and one of the utmost importance; at least, that's what the request had said. But just because he was busy did not mean he wasn't unaware of the tournament going on. The people in the off far town were watching it and he was curious. "Heh. Looks like they're doing pretty well out there." The ace of Fairy Tail chuckled. Though Fairy Tail did go through a bit of a losing streak, he wasn't worried. They always found the strength to stand up and keep fighting.

The quiet area wouldn't remain so quiet for long. From heaven above, two pillars of light crashed down onto the town and the people went into a panic. "Ah…they're here!" A townsperson said.

"They're going to take us too! Just like the other towns before them!" Another person said.

"Hoh?" Seems like Gildarts' mission was already upon him. But he didn't make a move just yet; he wanted to see what exactly was going on with his own two eyes.

Two angelic warriors stepped forward as the light faded away, both of them holding their hands out forward. "We are divine messengers sent from heaven above! This world has been ravaged by war and chaos for far too long!"

"We are here to spread the divine message on your mortal souls!" The second warrior stated. "If you resist, then we will have no choice but to force you to bend to our power, in the name of Yggdrasil! This is for the sake of heavenly justice!"

"Is that a fact?" Gildarts questioned while stepping forward to confront the angelic warriors, a wry grin stretching upon his lips. "Oh? That's some nice armor ya got there…takes me back, actually."

"That man…" The angelic warriors stared at Gildarts. They vaguely recognized him.

"I dunno what this Yggdrasil business is all about, but…" Gildarts' cape began to flutter in the wind, his aura wavering only slightly, yet it was extremely oppressing. "I'm not gonna let you roam around here like you own this place. So I'll tell you this nicely and only once; go back home." Gildarts didn't receive a verbal answer. The two angels only prepared for battle and that told him everything he needed to know. "So we're doing this the hard way? All right. Don't say I didn't warn you."

* * *

"Hm…?" Zelos glanced around for a moment. Something seemed off, but he wasn't entirely sure.

"Is something wrong?" Kinana asked. "You're usually more attentive, Zelos…"

Zelos snapped out of his trance, grinning at Kiana while draping an arm around her shoulders. "Ah, Kinana-chan! Your concern for me is greatly appreciated! I'd love to repay you by taking you out sometime!"

With a sigh, the purple haired woman removed Zelos' arm from around her. "I hate to tell you this again, but I do have a boyfriend, you know…"

"Details, details…" Zelos waved a hand.

"I swear, this guy doesn't get a hint…" Gray shook his head. It was then that he recalled something. "Oh yeah. Wendy, Cynthia. Where did you two run off to?"

"Oh yeah, you two were in such a hurry…" Lucy turned to the two dragon slayers. "Is everything all right?"

"Chelia was attacked." Carla said. Those words caused everyone to glance at her in shock.

"By who!?" Natsu asked. "Are they still around!?"

"It was by a woman named Blair." Cynthia said. "It was Raven's sister…" And the tense silence ensued.

"Raven had a sister…?" Erza tilted her head.

"Mhm. She had hair like his and a scary claw arm…" Wendy explained.

And that's when it hit Erza; she recalled the woman who matched that description exactly. "The woman from the jungle…?"

"Blair…?" Lucy tilted her head. "I feel like I've heard that name before…"

"I wonder why anyone would attack an innocent young girl like that…" Anna placed her hand on her cheek. How perplexing.

"I feel like I've seen someone like that, too…" Gray furrowed his brows.

"Juvia thinks so too." Even Juvia could vaguely recognize this. But the woman's identity would have to wait for the time being.

" _The fourth round is going to begin soon! All contestants return to the arena in 10 minutes!"_

"Time to go win this thing!" Natsu said while pumping a fist into the air. The topic of Blair could rest for now.

"Hm…" Bickslow was still keeping an eye out. When Laxus glanced at him, all he could do was shake his head. There was no visible sign of Prometheus or Pandora just yet, despite being aware of their presence.

"Keep an eye out." Laxus told Bickslow before electing to head back to the arena early.

"…What are they doing?" Romeo asked, gesturing to the Raijnshu's secretive nature.

"Dunno…" Cana shrugged her shoulders. She did remember that Laxus was up to something, but she wasn't privy to the specifics. "But I'm gonna grab more booze before the fightin' starts again!"

"I think you've had plenty…" Levy said meekly with a small sweat drop.

"I haven't had enough!" Cana objected and she was off before anyone could object! All they could really do was sigh as Cana rushed off.

"We should head back for now." Erza said. "This will be our chance to wrap things up nice and easy."

"Wendy and I will take care of it!" Cynthia smirked.

Anna quietly giggled. Cynthia's confidence was adorable. "I have faith the two of you can do whatever you need to."

"Let's hurry, then!" Lucy took a step forward and almost fell over! "Huh…!?"

"Geez, Lucy. You're still exhausted and you're clumsy?" Happy snickered.

This made Lucy puff her cheeks out. "No, you dumb cat…! I mean, I am still tired, but I bumped into something…!" She tried to defend herself, but there was nothing there, and this also gave her a vague sense of déjà vu.

"She's even more out of it than we thought." Natsu held a judgmental stare.

"…Ahhhh!" Lucy cried out in embarrassment since it seemed no one would believe her! So she just marched off and soon the others followed.

As the coast cleared, he appeared. Jacob Lessio from the Alvarez Empire was shuddering since he accidentally bumped into Lucy from behind and unintentionally touched her rear. As a gentleman, this was the worst thing that could happen to him. With his composure regained, he once again activated his stealth and vanished from sight. "They almost spotted me…"

* * *

"Ugh…" Luke groaned, covered in bandages as he met up with White Eclipse. "Guess I botched that one, huh…?"

"You really lost to Lucy, huh?" Cygnus shook his head. "If it were me, she would've been down a second time!"

Yeah, Luke wasn't ever going to hear the end of this one. "She got me. I wasn't expecting…whatever the hell that was!"

"The power of the Celestial Spirit King." Helena said. "I didn't think there were any in this time who forged a bond so strong with him. The mages of this time period are an interesting bunch, hm, Cal-kun?"

"Don't look at me." Calium shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't have anything to do with that one. That being said, I'm still impressed at how far you've come even after the war. I was afraid you'd all start sitting around being lazy. That would be betraying me, and yourselves for the lack of effort."

"You've nothing to worry about!" Aira smiled while clasping her hands together. "We've all been training hard to ensure we don't do that! At least, I have…" The blonde glanced to the others and received numerous mixed signals.

"So, what is your plan now?" Helena was curious. "You're at a disadvantage in terms of numbers. The tournament could end in the very next round."

"Nothing to worry about." Reiss said with confidence. "I'll make sure to get the win we need to stay in the game!"

"…Provided Fairy Tail or Black Phoenix don't fight and win first." Vanya said. Her comment made a few of the others go pale.

"I-I'm sure that bout will be last…" Reiss kept his confidence.

"I dunno…" Micaiah tilted her head. "It doesn't look good right now. That being said, I have the feeling someone will screw things up somewhere…"

"You all worry too much." Reve was unconcerned for the situation. "We're White Eclipse, Fiore's strongest guild."

"Well, yes…" Marlene said with a sweat drop. "But I don't think that…"

Before she could finish, the announcement of the reconvening tournament occurred. "Looks like we'll have to save the chatting for later. Let's finish this." Waiston said confidently, although there were a few doubts about their success considering the situation.

As the others began to depart, one person stayed behind: Ilaria. Ever since the tournament began, something had been plaguing her for the longest time. "I can't ignore this anymore. That's it! I'm going to find out what's causing me to feel this way once and for all!" With comical steam coming from her nose, the Soul-Binder opted to move in the opposite direction of the others. If no one else could sense what was going on, then she'd get to the bottom of it herself!

* * *

Mio was wandering around the empty halls, looking around. "Oh…it appears I've gotten lost. I swear the arena was this way. I wanted to speak with Lucy…" The fight was so inspiring, the reincarnated woman wanted to congratulate her! But the moment she stepped into the corridor, it was quiet and empty! "The tournament is about to resume? I haven't been wandering around for that long, have I…?" Mio was very concerned. Something was telling her that this wasn't right' something was wrong and she needed to find someone fast.

"Lost? Not at all." Prometheus said while appearing from purple wisps of flame, Pandora right at his side. "You're exactly where you're needed, Mavis."

"H-Huh….?" Mio turned, eyes widening at the two strangers in front of her. "M-Mavis? I'm afraid you two have the wrong person. My name is Mio."

At that statement, Prometheus could only laugh. "Kyahaha! Do you really think you can fool me with that lost memories act!?"

"I-I'm not acting!" Mio waved her hands. "I really don't know who you two are…"

Pandora stepped forward. "She is telling the truth, Prometheus. While her soul may remain the same, it has given life to an entirely new person. That is the process of reincarnation – the soul and body remains, but it is no longer the previous person. That being said…she still remains our target nonetheless. That is why I've taken the liberty of separating you from any who man interfere. Considering the Fairy Tail wizard who can detect souls is about, it was very difficult to mask Prometheus' presence, but I've bought us enough time to avoid him finding our current location."

"Exactly, Pandora!" Prometheus' heinous grin spread across his lips. In short, Mio was cornered and there was no sign of her getting aid. "In the end, you still have Fairy Heart inside you! You're only lucky that we cannot locate Zeref!"

Mavis? Zeref? What was going on? Mio had no idea, and yet these names were tugging something at the back of her mind that she just couldn't quite figure out. It made her head hurt and she took several steps backwards. "I don't…understand…"

"I'm sure watching this tournament has been an ordeal for you." Pandora lifted her scepter up, a blue magic circle appearing at the tip. This prompted a blast of ice to freeze Mio's body against the wall, restraining her limbs. "Reincarnation means losing all that you were, yet there are those that cling to what they once had. There may be remnants of your previous life's memories lingering about, but you needn't worry about that any longer."

"Ngh!" Mio tried to move, but nothing was working!

"With the power of Fairy Heart at our disposal, I'll be able to combat even Ankersham himself." Prometheus reared his scythe back, a violet glow shrouding the sharp sickle. "I must thank you for your offering, Mavis Vermillion! I'll make more use of Fairy Heart than the Black Wizard ever could! KYAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"N-No! Wait! Stop…!" Mio pleaded, her green eyes widening in fear. There were so many things happening at once, so much she didn't understand, but it was too late for her. As Prometheus' scythe came down, her scream of horror filled the air, but it didn't seem like a single person would be able to hear her….

.

.

Next Time: Chase.


	138. Chapter 138: Chase

"AAAAAAAAH!" Mio screamed in fear as Prometheus' scythe came right for her chest! She was helpless and unable to do anything, so the scythe cleaved…nothing but air as it phased right through her body.

"What?!" Prometheus' eyes widened as he struck nothing but the wall, despite Mio being right there in front of him.

"An illusion?" Pandora glanced around, her eyes quickly scanning the area before spotting the real Mio sprinting away in the opposite direction. "…I see that her tactical mind has not left her. We spurred it into action when we cornered her."

Despite the situation, Prometheus was laughing. "I knew she'd make it interesting for us! That's just like you Mavis. But you know that no one is coming to help you! You can't escape the clutches of the Grim Reaper!" And so Prometheus and Pandora immediately followed behind Mio, refusing to allow her to slip away from them!

Mio was panting softly as she sprinted away from her assailants. _"Mavis? Zeref? Fairy Heart? I don't know what any of that means! When I try to think about it, it makes my head hurt. But I have to get out of here and find someone that can help! I don't know if I'll be able to lose them, let alone give them the runaround for too long…"_

Mio was right to be worried, because when she rounded the corner, Pandora was right there, her scepter pointed in her face. "You cannot run."

"Ah…!" Mio found herself diving to the side as a blast of fire was unleashed, causing a low rumble in the Domus Flau. But it wasn't noticeable. _"That's it! They cannot draw too much attention to themselves, or else they'll lose their chance to get me. If I can force their hand, I might be able to make it out of this…"_ The gears were turning in her mind. She had no idea she was capable of such quick, tactical thinking!

Prometheus was right behind her, swinging his scythe for her head! Mio's short size allowed her to duck, but the attempt on her life was frightening nonetheless! "You won't escape!"

" _If is the keyword here…"_ Mio thought to herself.

* * *

The intermission was now over and the Fiore's Finest Tournament was going to begin. "I hope everyone managed to get some rest and planned out their strategy." Hisui said. "The tournament is now going to resume. The first match will be Mermaid Heel vs. Sabertooth!"

"As I thought." Erza said. "We'll likely be facing off with Black Phoenix at the end of the round to decide the victor."

"I guess the Queen wants everyone to get as much action in as possible. Can't say I blame her." Gray said.

"I'll take this battle." The statement came from Mermaid Heel's Ace, Kagura Mikazuchi. The moment she rose up, Mermaid Heel's morale rose dramatically! Not just that, but since Mermaid Heel was Sorcerer's Weekly models, there were a few cheers.

"If anyone can win, it's you!" Melody said with a grin.

When Kagura made her way to the arena, she paused for a brief second. For a moment, she was expecting to hear a certain someone's obnoxious voice, only to be reminded that they weren't here. These thoughts had been plaguing her as of late, but she shook them out for the time being and proceeded onward. "I'll ensure Mermaid Heel's victory."

"She owes me a jacket!" Taya exclaimed, loud enough to ensure Kagura heard that she was still in debt for the jacket that was ruined during the Alvarez war.

One could see the sweat drop on Kagura's forehead. She hadn't forgotten about the debt she still had to repay. "I'm working on that…"

"Who do we have left to fight…?" Lector stared at the two sisters. "Yukino and Sorano. I wonder…"

Sorano stood up immediately. "I'll battle her."

"Ah…!" Yukino was surprised to see her sister stand up, especially since she was about to stand herself. "Sister, are you certain? I don't doubt your strength, but she is a rather formidable opponent…"

"Don't worry about me. I'll be sure to take her down." Sorano said with a confident grin before heading down to meet Kagura.

"You can do it!" Sting wanted to see Sorano's power for himself! He hadn't seen her fight seriously, so this was something to look forward to.

"I wonder how strong she really is…and if it can really be comparable to Kagura's strength." Minerva pondered this thought.

"My sister is quite strong. I believe in her." Yukino said with a firm nod.

"And there we have it!" Chapati said. "Sorano Aguria vs Kagura Mikazuchi! Is this perhaps a chance for payback!?"

* * *

Mio could hear the sounds of cheering from within the hallway. The fighting must have already begun! This was not good. That meant that everyone was distracted and her chances of receiving help only dwindled. "Not good…"

"Still trying to run!?" Prometheus was gliding along the air right behind Mio. He was not intending to let her go so easily! "You have no chance of escape! Kyahahaha!" And then he ran into a wall. Or rather, Mio constructed an illusion of a wall that he ran into, obscuring his sight for a moment and allowing her to slip away from him. "Gah! I love a good hunt!"

"I won't be able to hold them off for very long like this…!" Mio said while panting softly. She was starting to run out of breath from running for so long. She really wasn't going to be able to keep this up for much longer.

And Pandora was right in front of Mio, pointing her scepter forward yet again. "That is correct. You will fall. Thunder Snake." From the scepter, several trails of lightning shot forth to collide against Mio's body.

Crap. Mio acted on instinct, throwing her arms up to create an illusion of a barrier in front of her. This was capable of withstanding the Thunder Snake, but not in its entirety. The barrier was destroyed and Mio was thrown backwards. "Aaaaah!" The petite female tumbled along the ground before coming to a halt, panting with her landing. She avoided serious injury, but…

Prometheus was standing behind her, his hand cloaked with an ominous purple glow. "Got you!" And with a victorious grin he thrust his hand into Mio…or her illusion. Once again, he'd been duped. "Huh!?" When Prometheus glanced around, he saw numerous Mios wandering around him and Pandora. "What the hell…?!"

"I believe she's recalling how to use her magic effectively." Pandora said while swatting at a few illusions. They were not against harming Mio, but as it stood, they couldn't even find her! "Mavis is gone, but her potential remains…" The Goddess of Balance stated.

While Prometheus and Pandora were busy trying to fish out the real Mio from the fakes, the woman herself was hiding around the corner. With this tactic, she managed to buy herself some time and used it wisely, quietly and quickly making her way far away from the assailants. _"This should buy me a little time to escape…I need to find help!"_

* * *

The fight between Sorano and Kagura kicked off with the former making the first move! Her magic had seen a lot of improvement over the year and she was ready to display it. A few coins were tossed into the air and an angelic bow appeared within Sorano's hands, composed of angel magic. "I heard you gave my sister quite the beating some time ago…" The elder sibling said while giving Kagura a glare. The two of them were standing in a section of Crocus that had yet to be ruined from all the fighting, but it was only a matter of time until it was.

"If you want to be technical, her life still belongs to me." Kagura said while placing a hand on the hilt of her sword. "But that's neither here nor there. I intend to cut you down just as I did her."

"That's what you think." Sorano said while pointing her bow forward, drawing the bowstring back as angel magic gathered within. "But I won't allow you to take me down so easily. I have my sister watching, and with Cupid's Bow, Sabertooth will climb above everyone else. Angel Blast!" Niceties aside, it was time to get this battle started! As soon as Sorano released the bowstring, a potent blast of white magic cut through the city street, tearing it apart while soaring towards Kagura!

"Whoa!" Lector's eyes winded at the display of power.

"Amazing! I didn't think Sorano had such a trick up her sleeve!" Chapati yelled excitedly.

"..!" Kagura was admittedly not expecting this level of power right of the bat. While it did take her off guard, she did not falter and drew her blade. Just as the Angel Blast came her way, she swung her sword, cleaving the attack down the middle, leaving her unharmed as the remainder of the blast flew past her.

Sorano was impressed; just as Yukino told her, Kagura's strength was not to be underestimated, but Sorano was far from finished as well. With a smirk, she kept her bow pointed forward, another arrow of light forming within the bowstring. "Angel Arrow!" Upon releasing the string, several arrows of angel magic shot out haphazardly in various angles, all attempting to swarm Mermaid Heel's Ace from numerous locations.

Kagura sucked her teeth, shifting her stance while sprinting forward. "Archenemy: Flipped Form!" Sheathing her sword created a slashing effect, cutting through the incoming arrows before they could bring harm to her person. With the arrows out of the way, she made her way towards Sorano. "Slashing Form!" Without the need to unsheathe her blade for this technique, Kagura simply swung her sword forward, the action alone creating numerous slashes to catch Sorano in her blade's fury. That was her plan, but…

"And like a graceful angel, I soar to the skies!" Sorano exclaimed after dropping a few coins onto the ground. This created a pair of angel wings for her to use and soar above Kagura before she could even be touched by the Slashing Form technique.

"I see we have an angel in our presence." Alfred commented.

"Ahhhh! She's such a beautiful angel!" There were hearts in Zelos' eyes. "I simply must have a talk with her after this. It would be a crime not to speak with a fellow angelic beauty; it's no wonder her looks surpass that of a normal humans!"

"You know she's not _actually_ an angel, right…?" Lucy said with a deadpanned expression.

Now above Kagura, Sorano took aim once more. "Now, take th-!" Before she could continue, she found herself suddenly plummeting to the ground. "Ahhh!?"

Kagura's Gravity Change brought the angel to be back down to earth, and the Mermaid was prepared to meet her head on. "Strong Form!" Just before Sorano hit the stone road, Kagura slammed her sheathed sword into her opponent's stomach. The blunt strike was strong enough to send Sorano flying into the base of a building, leaving her a little stunned after hitting the wall so fiercely.

"And Kagura manages to land a stunning blow! Can Sorano recover from that!?" Chapati questioned.

"Ugh…" Sorano groaned as her Cupid's Bow vanished. She was still reeling from the impact and Kagura wasn't going to give her the chance to get back up. But just as Kagura drew near, a slight smirk drew itself on Sorano's lips. "The cost is 40…"

"Huh..?" Kagura didn't understand what she meant at first, until she noticed the gigantic shadow that was above her! When she glanced up, she saw a gigantic angel wielding an equally large mallet coming down to crush her! At the last moment, Kagura was able to jump back as the angel and its mallet created a large crater! "…What in the world…?"

Sorano was able to capitalize on this timely arrival to not only recover, but go on the offensive! She sprang up, using her Angel Wings to fly forward while dropping another handful of coins. These coins granted her the use of twin blades decorated with an angel-esque motif. "Take this!" She exclaimed while lunging towards the retreating Kagura, aiming one slash to force a block. This allowed her to use her second sword, landing a clean cut on Mermaid Heel's ace by slicing her side!

"Tch…" Kagura quietly grunted before landing on her feet, staring at the two opponents now in front of her. If anything, Sorano and Yukino were alike in the way they fought, but Kagura intended claim victory over the elder sibling as well.

* * *

It had been a few minutes since Mio last saw Prometheus or Pandora. Her previous trick must have seriously slowed them down. To make matters better, she could see an exit up ahead, along with hearing the cheers of the crowd. "Finally!" She managed to outrun them! They didn't make it easy, but in the end, Mio was able to prevail over the duo. Now if only she could find someone who could make any sense of what they were saying. Shaking her head to push those thoughts aside, Mio pressed onward with a bright grin on her face. "Help, someone! I'm being chased!" She hoped her voice could reach someone as she stepped outside, but the only thing she stepped into was…a wall. It was no exit, just a dead end! "What!?"

"You are not the only one capable of creating illusions." Pandora said while sitting on her scepter, slowly floating towards Mio. "This chase has grown rather wearisome, do you not agree? I believe it would be best for us to end it." Her expression was just as apathetic as it usually was.

Drat! She was so close! At least, she thought she was. "Ugh…" Mio tried to make a break for it, but Pandora wasn't having anymore of her stunts. The entire corridor began to freeze over, making Mio's direct sprint fail as she stumbled on the ice. "W-Wah…!" Even worse, her body was starting to succumb to the cold. Why did this feel oddly familiar?

"You will not be running from us again, Mavis." Pandora stated firmly. "Prometheus will arrive momentarily. We split up to find you and it seems that luck was on my side today…"

* * *

Kagura was now stuck i scenario. Not uncommon but still annoying nevertheless. As the gigantic angel brought its mallet down once more, Kagura used her Gravity Change to decrease the center of gravity, thus resulting in a severely lackluster impact. Following this, she increased the mallet's gravity greatly to prevent the angel from picking it up again, thus taking it out of the fight for the time being. Now she just had to deal with Sorano, who was assaulting her with her twin blades. Kagura was able to hold her ground, but Sorano was fierce with her attempts. _"She's trying to force me on the defensive…but I won't allow it."_

"You might be strong, but I won't let you get the best of me! My sister is watching after all!" Sorano proudly declared while continuing to pile on the pressure on Mermaid Heel's ace, yet despite her efforts, Kagura refused to step back even once, much to her annoyance.

"Come on Kagura! Don't let her push you around!" Beth yelled.

"Kagura refuses to move even an inch against Sorano's assault! Can she keep it up, or will she be forced to retreat!?" Chapati asked.

Kagura would hold out as long as she needed. Unfortunately this stubbornness came with some consequence, as she was unable to completely defend against Sorano's twin blades, and another slash landed against her side, causing her to wince. Finally deciding to move, Kagura shifted her body to the side, allowing the twin blades to miss, and she fired back with a downward slice aimed for Sorano's shoulder. Sorano blocked this strike at the last second, but Kagura continued with her ferocious attacks. A horizontal slash followed suit, but it was avoided by the elder sister who leaned back to dodge it, who then fired back with her own slash with her right sword, but Kagura parried this one. Sparks flew from the sword dance the two were engaged in. Just as Sorano brought her swords down, Kagura countered with her own, the two blades meeting in a fierce deadlock. "You're very good with a sword…" Sorano remarked, only to be stopped short as a blast of gravity blew her backwards and dealt a surprisingly high amount of damage to boot. "Oof!"

"And you talk too much." Kagura said while taking a small breath.

"Ugh! Hey! What's taking you so long!?" Sorano questioned her idle angel.

Just as the angel mage asked that, Kagura leapt on top of the mallet, decreasing the gravity of it so the angel could pull it out with ease. In turn, this propelled Kagura high into the air, who used her magic to flip her center of gravity, now descending to the ground with incredible momentum. "HAAH!" Before Sorano could react, Kagura cleaved through her angelic companion in a single slash, forcing it to return from whence it came. Kagura stuck the landing, letting out a soft exhale afterwards.

"INCREDBILE!" Chapati declared.

"Very impressive." Hisui nodded in agreement.

Minerva flipped her hair. "I was expecting a show of strength."

"Heh…" Erza held a rather proud smile for Kagura.

"Grrr…" Sorano came into this battle expecting it to be difficult, but actually dealing with Kagura's strength in person was an entirely different beast. Regardless, she would not give up! Her time as a fugitive was far tougher than whatever Kagura could throw at her. "Luckily for you, I have more beautiful angels in store!" The woman said while tossing several coins into the air, summoning another angel: Shamsiel – the stone-like cherub with pigs hiding about in its pompadour.

"Another one…" Kagura almost sighed. This battle wouldn't end if she just kept fighting Sorano's angels, but unlike her sister in the previous bout, Sorano was very much capable of holding her own in close combat.

"Shamseil: rain destruction from the heavens!" Sorano commanded and her angel did just that, firing off intense beams of light to overwhelm Kagura from the skies above.

"…!" Even Kagura was taken aback with the mass destruction coming her way. The beams of light were so scattered that the buildings they struck were completely destroyed. As Kagura attempted to defend against the onslaught of light beams, one landed on the ground in front of her, and it may as well been a direct hit with how large the ensuing explosion was. "Gaaaah!"

"Kagura-chan!" Milliana gasped.

"You can do it, Sister!" Yukino cheered.

"This angel isn't even my strongest one! I've done a lot of improving since my fugitive life came to an end!" Sorano boasted, feeling herself with her noticeable improvement. She had become a forced to be reckoned with.

That hurt a lot, but she could take it. Unfortunately for Kagura, the onslaught wasn't ending until she dropped. "Fine then…" Quickly making her way to her feet, Kagura faced the rain of destruction coming her way and sprinted forward, showcasing that speed of hers that astounded everyone. With her gravity change, she decreased her gravity to nimbly evade the beams of light, hopping from building to building and using her sword to deflect any stray beams that threatened her.

"Hopping around like that won't get you the victory you seek!" Sorano pointed out, dropping her twin blades in favor of using a coin total that amounted to 70! Just what was she planning using such a high cost? That was for Kagura to find out, if she could make it past Shamsiel.

Ignoring Sorano's words, Kagura propelled herself into the air over Shamsiel, raising her blade up high, while the angel attempted to gather as much magic as it could to fire at her. Kagura beat it to the punch, slicing through the second angel with little difficultly, defeating it in a single slash just as the one before it. Just as Kagura finished her slashing motion, her eyes went to Sorano, only to see what was waiting for her and her eyes went wide. "Wh..?!"

"She didn't-!?" Lucy gasped.

"What the…?" Sting's eyes widened.

"What is that…?" Minerva blinked in awe.

Resting on Sorano's shoulders was a double barrel canon; extremely reminiscent of the Reset Cannon those angels used a while ago. She could never forget the incident that caused her to lose her memory, but rather than dwell on the past, she decided to use it. "Reset Cannon!" And she fired it, a gigantic sphere of angel magic burning through the sky as it traveled towards the defenseless Kagura! There was no time to react as the sphere exploded directly on Kagura, a resounding 'DOOOOOOM' shaking the earth with how potent that blast was, leaving a thick cloud of smoke in tis wake. "Direct hit…"

"Kagura…!" The members of Mermaid Heel all cried out in worry.

"A resounding blast…! Can Kagura recover from that!?" Chapati was all too curious. Was the Ace of Mermaid Heel defeated!?

Sorano found herself panting extremely heavily after that blast. It consumed a large cost in both coins and magic, but it was well worth the payout considering how powerful it was. The woman squinted, spotting Kagura fall from the sky with torn, tattered clothes ripped in choice places that left little to the imagination. Had she done it? Had she defeated Mermaid Heel's Ace? "Is that it…?"

Kagura continued to fall, but she flipped and landed on the ground, her chest heaving up and down after taking a direct blow like that. She could not help but wince as her stomach injury from all those years ago still weighed her down just a bit, always flaring up in the heat of battle. Said injury was exposed with her clothing torn, yet she wore the regrettable injury with pride thanks to Daryan's words. "I'm not finished yet…" Was all the bruised and cut Kagura had to say.

"SHE STANDS!" Chapati yelled, and the members of Mermaid Heel started to cheer.

"No way…!" Sorano grit her teeth before aiming another shot at Kagura. If she could land a second one, then surely she could win! But that was a very huge if…because by the time she gathered the amount of magic she required, Kagura was already in front of her, blade at the ready. "W-"

With speed at her side, and now at the ideal range for a decisive strike, Kagura sought to finish this battle in one blow. "JUDGEMENT!" She declared, swinging her blade across Sorano's torso. It was a direct blow and the force was more than enough to knock Sorano backwards and take her out, her eyes closed after colliding with a brick wall. As soon as Sorano fell, Kagura was seen panting heavily, but stood tall, sheathing her blade once more. "You should know that the mermaid can even devour the tiger."

"And Kagura does it! Mermaid Heel has claimed victory over Sabertooth!" As Chapati said this, the crowd entered an uproar of cheer.

"This means that Mermaid Heel now has 2 points as well." Hisui reported.

Yukino frowned before putting on a smile. "Sister did great out there."

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch exclaimed.

"She's a lot stronger than I thought." Rufus said. "I will engrave that match and its contents into my memories."

"I knew Kagura would be able to win!" Melody nodded.

"She had me worried for a second…" Risley admitted.

"I feel as though the angel should have won that one…" Zelos bobbed his head back and forth. "But the fierce beauty of Kagura-chan was simply to awe inspiring to avoid…"

"This guy…" Gray shook his head…

* * *

Mio was back in the corner. Prometheus and Pandora had her freezing body against the wall with no method of escape this time. "You've given us the runaround for far too long…" Prometheus said with a winding grin, slowly extending his hand towards Mio. "But this is where the game ends, MAVIS!"

"Ah…!" Mio closed her eyes, accepting her fate. But at that moment, she felt herself whisked away at the last second. "Huh?"

"What…?" Pandora turned around immediately. To her surprise, an unexpected guest made their appearance on the scene.

Mest arrived, holding Mio safely in his arms. It was a close shave, but he just narrowly managed to save Mio from the reaping. "That was too close…"

"I-I'm safe…? Who…?" Mio looked up at Mest, first noticing the Fairy Tail mark on his shoulder. Despite being around so many strangers, in such an adverse situation, seeing that mark put her at ease immediately.

"Prometheus…" Pandora turned to her partner, only to see that his arm was restrained by a ghastly sickle that stabbed into it. "Prometheus!?"

"Grnk…" Prometheus was in pain, but he had a smile on his lips despite this. He was going to attack Mest, but was halted with a chained sickle suddenly stabbing into his arm. As his eyes turned to his assailant, he saw Ilaria, White Eclipse's Soul Binder attacking him. "Kyahaha…now what do we have here…?"

Ilaria didn't have the slightest idea of what was going on, but the vibes she got from Prometheus and Pandora were enough to inform her that they were dangerous. "This game of tag ends now."

.

.

Next Time: The Reaping.


	139. Chapter 139: The Reaping

"Well, what do we have here…?" Prometheus turned his head to Ilaria. Unlike all the other people he'd encountered over his hundreds of years of life, she was vastly different. "You and I…we're very alike, aren't we?"

"…" Ilaria couldn't say anything at first. But the serious demeanor she had instantly faded when she stared at Prometheus' face. "…I'm sorry for being rude, but your face looks like one of those…"

"I know what you're going to say, and I would prefer you didn't." Prometheus said with a sigh. "Now, if you wouldn't mind releasing your hold on me…I have a soul that I intend to reap."

"I won't allow it!" Mest said, holding onto Mio protectively. But despite her feelings, she wiggled out of his grasp. "Huh…?"

"I don't have any idea what's going on here!" Mio exclaimed. "As far as I'm concerned, you're all a bunch of strangers to me!"

"Ah…" Mest had a sweat drop. This sort of reaction was expected, but he had to convince Mio that he was on her side. "I know this is a lot to take in, but I'm going to need you to trust me. We're here for your safety."

"I felt a disturbance…" Ilaria said. "No one would listen to me! So I decided to look for myself, and this is what I find!" She still kept a firm grip on Prometheus, who was attempting to tug his arm out from the chain of soul binding that held onto it.

"This is getting out of hand." Pandora shook her head, swinging her staff at the chain Ilaria had on her partner, but to her surprise, her staff just phased through it. This caused her eyes to widen. "What…?"

"Her magic cannot interact with anything else…nothing other than the soul." Prometheus explained. "A double edged sword. In this instance, she has latched onto one of the many souls I've taken."

"I see. Then I will leave her to you." Pandora turned to Mio and Mest, her staff lighting up with magic. "I will not allow our target to escape."

Mest began to sweat. He knew that he wouldn't be able to take on Pandora, so he had to retreat with Mio and fast. He also had to convince Mio that he was an ally. "We have to go, now! Look at the emblem on my shoulder! I'll let you decide based on that if you can trust me or not!" This was a gamble. The chances of Mio even remotely feeling anything upon seeing his Fairy Tail could have been nonexistent, but he had to try!

"….." Mio stared at his mark, feeling a sense of familiarity. It was strange, but she could trust it. "…Okay."

It worked! Mest was couldn't be more thankful that it did. "Hold on!" He grabbed Mio and used his magic to teleport away, but Pandora was in hot pursuit despite his 'speed'. "Huh!?"

"As I told you…you would not get away." Pandora was gliding towards Mest and Mio. "Fairy Heart will be ours."

* * *

As the conflict with the corridors of the stadium unfolded, the next battle of round 4 had already begun: Cygnus Gywdion of White Eclispe vs Ren Atasuki from Blue Pegasus! As far as Cygnus was concerned, this battle was absolutely free! Even those of White Eclipse agreed and still cheered him on. "Kick his ass, Cyg!" Luke exclaimed.

"Pound him into the dirt!" Kanade said while waving her fists around.

"Show him your warrior spirit!" El Rayo proclaimed.

As far as Cygnus was concerned, this was just a battle he'd have to get over with and get White Eclipse that second victory they needed to not fall behind. "I have to make this quick. I don't have much time to waste." He told Ren.

Ren simply laughed in response to Cygnus' words. "What a coincidence, you took the words right out of my mouth! Allow me to show you the resolve of Blue Pegasus!"

Sherry returned from the infirmary; Chelia had fallen asleep and upon hearing that her dear husband was taking to the field, she had to be the supportive wife she was and cheer him on! "You can do it, Ren!"

Despite not being in earshot of his loving wife, Ren could feel her support. That alone empowered him to take on the White Eclipse mage in front of him. "The power of love from my beautiful wife's support…it will be more than enough to bring you down!" Ren crossed his arms in front of him, his magic aura beginning to waver.

"What the hell are you talking about…" This was going over Cygnus' head, but it was clear that Ren was about to make the first move, which only made him grin. "Either way, I'm glad to see you abiding by the White Eclipse tradition."

A whirlwind circled around Ren's body and he stared directly at Cygnus. Ren then spread his arms apart before bringing them forward, unleashing several cutting gales of wind that sliced through the ground while racing towards Cygnus. "Wind Cutter!"

Cygnus crossed his arms, not expecting this attack to be as strong as it was. The rush of wind sliced into his clothing and skin, even managing to push him back just a little bit! The damage he received was higher than he expected, but in the end this just made Cygnus smirk. "That the best you got, lover boy?" The demi god spoke while pulling out his trusty sword, Rebellion, rearing it back as a golden wave of gravity shrouded the blade. "Try this!" Exclaimed Cygnus, swinging his blade forward to release a crescent wave of gravity towards his foe.

"Hmph!" Ren could dodge this attack easily! At least that's what he thought, but he then felt a tremendous force weighing him down. Cygnus was controlling the gravity to ensure Ren didn't have an easy time escaping this! "…!" With not a lot of time to think, Ren allowed air to explode from his hand, pushing him into the sky and above Cygnus' attack. "I will not bend my knee to you!"

Cygnus was in hot pursuit, already above Ren by the time he jumped into the air. "I'll settle for having you fall at my feet then!" And the demi god then slammed his gravity infused fist into Ren's chest, sending him crashing into the ground!

"Gah…!" Ren let out a cry of pain as he hit the ground hard. That was a strong blow, but not enough to take him out! How could a man go down easily with his wife cheering him on? "Is that the best you can do!?" Ren questioned while standing back up, panting softly from the impact.

* * *

"The battle has only just begun, but neither Cygnus nor Ren are giving each other an inch!" Chapati yelled.

While the fight was raging on, Bickslow brows furrowed under his mask; something was off and now he was finally sensing it. Turning to Laxus, the Seith mage nudged him a bit. "Laxus. They're here."

Freed and Evergreen turned at Bickslow's words. "Are you certain?" Freed asked.

"Here and now?" Evergreen said.

"Yeah." Bickslow nodded and his babies repeated his words. "They're close by. In the stadium, in fact. Mest is here too."

"I see…" Laxus stood up. "Then we better get moving before they get what they came for."

As the Raijinshu began to leave, Mira turned her head curiously. She was the only one to notice as the others were so engrossed in the fighting. "Laxus? Where are you all going?"

"Taking care of some business." Laxus responded. "We'll be right back. Don't worry about it."

"…Okay. Be careful." Mira said. She didn't know what was going on, but she trusted that Laxus knew what he was doing and only hoped for their safety.

* * *

Prometheus twirled his scythe around, using this to cleave through the chain that Ilaria had attached to him. The woman was a little surprised that he managed to do so due to the properties her magic possessed. "There are not many like us." Prometheus stated while twirling his weapon around, his heinous grin appearing on his lips. "Abilities that deal with the soul directly are far and few in-between; there is the Seith mage from Fairy Tail, the demon Franmalth who no longer exists, myself, and now…you. And unlike the living Seith mage, you aren't human. Why even defend that woman when you don't know her?"

Ilaria remained silent as Prometheus spoke. When he asked the question, she shook her head. "Because it's wrong to take souls without consent. I don't know why you're after that woman, but I do know that your evil presence tells an even more wicked story than my favorite drama!"

Prometheus sighed. "Oh well. I thought I'd be able to convince you that my cause is just, but you seem intent on not listening. I'll reap your soul and be done with it! I've already figured it out just by contact; your magic interacts with the soul and nothing more! So there's nothing you can do if I did this!" Prometheus drew his hand back, flames wrapping around his palm as he made use of God Serena's flames. "Purgatory Dragon's Blazing Hell!" He threw his hand forward, unleashing a potent wave of fire that took up a large majority of the narrow corridor!

"…!" Ilaria's position was not great. Due to the properties of her magic, she couldn't simply just use a defensive spell. All she could do was cross her arms to soften the blow, biting her tongue as the searing flames scorched her being. As the flames died down, she was still holding firm after taking a bit of damage.

"Oh ho? Here I thought you'd be a little frail! But I'm glad to see I was wrong!" Prometheus continued to attack, now bringing his scythe forward to slice at Ilaria's head! Unfortunately for Prometheus, Ilaria wasn't as reliant on her magic as he thought, as she flipped over his scythe, swinging her leg towards his skull for a swift roundhouse kick. "Ugh!"

Catching Prometheus off guard worked well in Ilaria's favor. With the first kick sending her foe staggering back, the Soul Binder swung her other leg to collide against his chest! Now pushing Prometheus back proper, she pointed her hands in front of her, soul magic gathering within her palms. "Soul Blast!" And the burst of soul magic exploded directly upon Prometheus. "…I think that hit?" The white haired woman wasn't too sure; Prometheus was an enigma.

The smoke slowly cleared and… "Kyahahaha! Is that the best you can muster!?"

"Huh?" Ilaria's purple eyes widened. For her, this was the first time anyone had taken her magic and laughed.

"Your magic targets the soul, as I've said before. Against anyone else, that would cause irreparable damage…but against the Grim Reaper, it's all for naught! With my cornucopia of souls, you'll never damage my true one!"

"…!" It was true and Ilaria realized it just now. She was one of the few people who could see the souls swirling around Prometheus, acting as a protective barrier against her attacks. Even worse, she could hear those souls screaming and wailing for some type of release. It pained her in so many ways.

"This little skirmish has been fun…but I can't afford to play with you for much longer." Prometheus cackled while holding his hand up, purple, ghastly flames forming within his palm. "Skull Flare!" And he then threw his hand forward, releasing four skulls of fire towards Ilaria, all of them intending to explode on contact.

Ilaria had little choice but to dodge the incoming Skull Flare. The limitations of her magic forced this reaction, but that didn't mean she was trapped. The girl was fast, weaving through the exploding flames with little difficult while preparing her own counter. "Take this!" Ilaria exclaimed, throwing her hands forward to release another chain of soul binding, but this chain had a scythe like tip which stabbed into Prometheus' arm.

"Oh? What are you trying to do-?" Before Prometheus could finish his question, Ilaria tugged forcefully, yanking a soul out of Prometheus' body! To anyone else, they wouldn't have seen what just happened or what came out, but the two of them saw the soul of Orga Nanagear pulled out of him. "….!?" Even Prometheus was shocked!

"…That's one." Ilaria said.

Prometheus was admittedly stunned, but this shock then turned into pure hysterical laughter. "KYAHAHAHAHA! SO THAT'S HOW IT IS!" Unfortunately for Ilaria, she flipped a switch she shouldn't have. "You just gave me a fun little idea…but that's all the time I have to play with you for today. So instead of keeping this little skirmish going, I'll leave you a nice treat!" With a swing of his scythe, Prometheus made use of wind and ice magic to blow Ilaria backwards and freeze her limbs against a nearby wall!

"Ack…!" Now she was stuck! Try as she might, she wasn't going to free herself anytime soon. Ilaria was in a bind, but Prometheus wasn't going to reap her or anything of the sort.

"I think leaving you there would be for the best. I really must thank you for the idea you've given me, demon!" With a sinister sneer, the Grim Reaper left Ilaria to her icy confines and proceeded to pursue Pandora and Mest.

* * *

Cygnus shift his body to the side as Ren came in with an air infused punch, The demi-god could admittedly feel the pressure Ren put behind the attack and grinned, ducking low while gravity swelled around his own fist. "Not bad, but you aren't hitting harder than me!" Cygnus declared, swinging his fist upward to Ren's gut! It was a direct hit and it winded the handsome mage, causing him to take a sharp gasp while stumbling back. With this opening, the gravity god then aimed another heavy punch towards Ren to finish it off…only for Ren's body to dissipate into air at the last second! "What the!?"

"Air Faze!" Ren's voice carried through the air, leaving Cygnus momentarily confused as to the man's whereabouts. Ren then emerged directly behind Cygnus, his hands pointed forward as a large accumulation of air already gathered within his palms. "And Air Burst!" BOOM! A large explosion of air magic erupted directly on Cygnus, throwing the Gravity God off his feet and towards a nearby building.

"And Ren strikes Cygnus back hard!" Chapati yelled.

"That's my Ren!" Sherry proudly exclaimed, comical hearts flowing from her body.

"Ren-san is truly incredible!" Eve said proudly.

"Gooooo Ren!" Jenny happily yelled.

"He's fine." Waiston said confidently.

With Cygnus taking a direct hit and slamming into the building, Ren ran his hand through his hair smugly. "And that is the power of Chocolate Swirl…"

The dust around Cygnus cleared. He was in a sitting position against some rubble and he coughed, that blow taken much stronger than expected. "Yeah, I'm gonna need you to stop calling yourself that…" Groaning, Cygnus stood up and rotated his shoulder. "Like I said before, you can't hit harder than me, because you'll be the one in the dirt pretty soon." As he spoke, his cheeks began to inflate. "Gravity God's Bellow!" And upon exhaling, a golden wave of gravity was sent forth towards Ren, intending to crush the Pegasus under its massive weight and power.

Ren wasn't going to go down that easily, however. He brought his arms up before swiping them down, releasing another sharp wave of air to slice through the ground and match Cygnus's attack. "Air Cutter!" The two attacks ended in a stalemate, causing an explosion that filled the air around them with smoke. Ren used his magic to disperse the smoke before Cygnus could launch a surprise attack, but he was too slow, as a few poisonous clones were already rushing him! "…!"

Cygnus's clones of poison assaulted Ren with various punches. While he was attempting to dodge them, a few struck, and the poison would already begin to work its magic against him. With the advantage in numbers on his side, Cygnus used this opening to draw Rebellion back, flinging the blade towards Ren while he was occupied dealing with the clones. "Roundtrip!"

Ren was in a bind. Entrapped on all sides, and he wasn't ignorant to the blade coming his way. This did seem like the end, but it wouldn't be very handsome of him to fall here, especially not with his wife watching! So with this in mind, Ren simply began to gather all the magic at his disposal and exerted all of it, creating an overwhelming dome of air magic that encompassed a large area of Crocus, easily swallowing the current battleground within its wake. "AERIAL PHOSE!"

"He's going all out…" Hisui remarked.

"It is a pure display of handsomeness! It's beautiful!" Hibiki said with comical tears flowing from his eyes. He was always happy to see his fellow Trimen pushing as hard as they could.

Cygnus was swallowed within the Aerial Phose. The intensity of this attack was extreme and the constant wind current was cutting into his body. By using his gravity, he was able to anchor himself to the ground, but that wasn't doing anything for his situation. "If you think that this can stop me, then you've got another thing coming!" A white aura flared around Cygnus's body as he activated his God Trigger, giving him a substantial increase in all parameters, allowing him to rush towards Ren despite the damage he was taken. Gravity and Solar god magic began to surge within Cygnus's palms as he closed the distance between the two of them rapidly. "It's time to finish this! Gravity God's Solar Flare!" Cygnus then unleashed his own outward shockwave of magic, overpowering Ren's to eclipse the Aerial Phose. The result was a brilliant flash of light that blinded everyone watching. When that light faded, Ren was seen lying on the ground while Cygnus was seen standing victoriously. "Like I said…the one in the dirt would be you."

"AND HE'S DONE IT!" Chapati yelled. "Cygnus claims victory over Ren, thus taking a victory for White Eclipse!"

"White Eclipse now has two victories. What an interesting turn of events." Alfred stated.

"So White Eclipse claims 2 points…" Hisui said. There were gears turning in her head, but ultimately it depended on how the final battle between Black Phoenix and Fairy Tail panned out. There was no telling what could happen, but she did have her reasons for padding the tournament out just a little longer,

"An easy victory. Cygnus had it." Luke said with a nod.

"Oh, my dear Ren…" Sherry held a smile. "You were so wonderful out there…" And even though her husband lost, watching him do battle so valiantly only made her love burn even stronger.

* * *

Mest was having no luck outrunning Pandora. No matter which way he went, she was there, waiting for him. "Damn it!" Mest grunted, making a sharp turn. His teleportation was useless against someone who could keep up with him like this!

"She's attempting to corner us…!" Mio said.

"I know…but I don't have anywhere else to run." Mest grunted before setting Mio down. "I'll hold her off. You get to the nearest exit. I won't allow either of them to take you, Ma…Ma'am."

Mio nodded, but also felt a little offended at the use of ma'am. "I'm only in my 20s…but I understand. Please be careful."

"I won't allow you to run…" Pandora said while closing the distance between her and Mest. She swung her scepter at his chest, but he was able to block the hit. What he didn't account for was Pandora's raw strength which easily knocked him into a wall. "Hmph."

"GAH!" Mest cried out as he slammed into the wall.

"Mest…!" Mio gasped and for more than one reason. They hadn't even given each other names yet she knew his? They never met before…but that wasn't important, Mest was hurt.

"Damn…" Mest grit his teeth. He had been trying to bide his time and use his magic to warp Pandora's memories to pit her and Prometheus against one another, but it wasn't working!

"I am sure you are wondering why your memory manipulation has no effect on me…" Pandora pointed her scepter into Mest's chest, pressing forcefully to get her point across. "I am above such petty magic. If Brandish's magic, the magic of a Spriggan 12, has no effect on me, then it's suffice to say that your meager existence pales in comparison."

"Tch…" Mest couldn't even move. But his eyes did widen as Pandora's scepter began to charge with electricity. "…!"

"I will not kill you. I have never taken a life. But I will incapacitate you." As she said this, she released a potent discharge that gave Mest quite a shock.

"Wait, stop!" Mio went to step forward, but Prometheus grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. "Ah…!"

"There we are! It didn't take me long to find you. Thanks for leaving a trail." Prometheus smirked at Pandora, who nodded in response/

" _So that's it…she was never trying to catch us…she was simply stalling…"_ Mio felt like a fool for realizing it too late.

"And now…" Prometheus drew his hand back, a ghastly purple glow forming around his palm. "It's time for the reaping!" And nothing could stop him now! At least, that's what he thought until a strong bolt of lightning struck his hand. It was so strong he was forced to recoil and release Mio. "Guh!?"

"Huh?" Pandora turned, and that's when everyone saw him.

Laxus Dreyar stood with his arms folded over his chest, glaring down the Grim Reaper and Goddess duo. Behind him were Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen. Mest had a small grin on his face that he was able to last this long, while Mio once again felt at ease due to another timely arrival. Sparks of lightning danced around Laxus's body and he clenched a hand into a fist. "So the rats have finally come out of hiding. Now it's time to exterminate them…"

.

.

Next Time: Dragon's Intervention.


	140. Chapter 140: Dragon Intervention

Laxus and the Raijinshu intervened just before Prometheus could reap Mio's soul. Mest was down on the ground, a relieved smile on his face at the Fairy Tail master's timely arrival. "What took you so long…?" The exhausted man breathed out.

"How did you find us?" Prometheus asked. "I've been suppressing as much of my magic as possible!"

"Hyahaha…" Bickslow's emerald eyes flashed under his mask as he pointed to them. "That may be true, but I've been aware of your presence ever since you stepped foot in this city. You can't hide your soul from me. And a little birdie gave me a precise location just a few seconds ago."

"I don't understand…" Pandora frowned. She had done everything in her power to ensure that Prometheus and her presence were masked, but somehow they were found out.

"Ah…I get it." Prometheus smirked. "That soul girl ripped out one of the souls I had on me. I got it back of course, but it must've been on this masked freak's radar long enough for him to find us." The man chuckled while spinning his scythe around.

"This is the end of the line for you." Bickslow said with a menacing grin, his dolls floating around his body in tandem with the sinister aura he was giving off. "You've brought harm upon our comrades..."

"Far too many times to count, and for that…" Evergreen continued.

"You have earned a fate worse than death." Freed finished the statement while drawing his sword, a purple glow emanating from his left eye. The members of the Raijinshu came for a fight and they were going to get it.

"You can move, can't you, Mest?" Laxus asked.

"Kind of…" Mest slowly stood up. He was in pain, but he could move.

"Get her out of here." Laxus demanded, his gaze never leaving Prometheus's.

"Right." Mest limped towards Mio, extending his hand. "We have to hurry."

"Mmm." Without hesitation, Mio took Mest's hand. As soon as she did, the two of them began to vanish in a flash.

"I won't allow it!" Prometheus cackled while swinging his scythe towards Mest! However, before his weapon could reach his target, Freed intercepted with a swing of his sword! Prometheus had him outmatched in terms of raw power, but with the aid of a barrier of rune magic, he was able to block the strike with some difficulty. "Tch!" And by the time this happened, Mest and Mio were long gone. "Damn you!"

"Prometheus, watch out!" Pandora exclaimed suddenly.

"Huh?" When Prometheus turned, that's when he saw it.

Laxus was closing in, both arms raised over his head as lightning violently surged within them. "Lightning Dragon's Jaw!" And with that cry, Fairy Tail's master brought his full strength down for a mighty crushing blow aimed for Prometheus's skull. The Grim Reaper was capable of evading this at the last second, but Laxus's impact with the ground caused a shockwave of lightning to shoot out and chase Prometheus.

"Hm!" Pandora extended her hand, creating a barrier that dispersed the lightning before it could bring harm to her partner. But just as she did this, Evergreen went on the offensive.

"Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!" Swinging her fan forward, Evergeen unleashed a plethora of bullets composed of Fairy Magic rapidly shot towards Pandora to strike her while she was defending Prometheus.

But it would not be as simple as that. Prometheus and Pandora were a formidable duo for a reason. As Evergreen attacked, Prometheus slipped behind Pandora, swinging his scythe to release a crescent shaped slash that cut through the incoming bullets with ease, now passing on towards Evergreen herself.

"…!" Evergreen wasn't expecting such a powerful attack, but she was just able to narrowly avoid the incoming beam by shifting her body to the side. Luckily this section of the stadium corridors had a little more wiggle room, but it was still a narrow fit for this type of clash.

"Babies! Byron Formation!" Bickslow yelled as his dolls lined up, Seith magic gathering within the dolls before they released multiple beams to converge on Pandora.

Freed joined in on this, swinging his blade as purple characters flew from the sword. "Dark Ecriture: Pain!" A basic, but highly effective spell within his arsenal; for each letter that connected, the amount of excruciating pain multiplied tenfold. Combined with Bickslow's technique, this joint attack was capable of inflicting high amounts of damage.

Pandora turned to the two who were attacking her, she held her scepter forward. "Elemental Volley." Various elements were released from her weapon, clashing and exploding against Freed and Bickslow attack. This resulted in a thick cloud of smoke that filled the corridor, practically obscuring any and all view. "Ngh…"

This smoke was dangerous. Anyone could take advantage of it, and that person who would do so was Laxus, using his Lightning Body to zip past everyone now that an opening was created. He only had one target in mind, speeding past Pandora while rearing his fist back, directing all of his focus towards Prometheus. "Lightning Dragon's Iron Fist!" Emerging from the smoke, Laxus's target was directly in front on him. With Pandora unable to stop it, the lightning dragon swung with all his might, a thunderous impact roaring out and echoing within the corridors of the Domus Flau.

* * *

While the battle within the stadium was occurring, the next one was already underway: Sherry Blendy from Lamia Scale vs Jeager from Quatro Cerberus. The doll mage vs the plant mage! "To follow in my love's footsteps, I'll be giving this battle everything I've got!" The pink haired woman exclaimed while conjuring several dolls forged from the broken remains of the city from the previous battles so far. This destroyed terrain gave Sherry an early advantage as the battle only just began.

"I don't know much about all of that, but I've got the WILD spirit burning inside of me! After Blues's display, I ain't letting the others down!" The plant mage said while tossing some seeds onto the ground. "Wild Vine!" Vines emerged from the ground, lashing out violently against Sherry and the dolls she made, reducing them to rubble quickly, but this didn't faze Lamia Scale's doll mage.

"Hup!" Sherry jumped from the destroyed dolls, focusing her magic on the ground directly underneath Jeager. Due to her magic, she could possess just about anything so long as it wasn't an actual human being. "Mud Bomb!"

"Huh?" Jeager glanced down, noticing that the ground under him grew muddy before it exploded suddenly, throwing him into the air. "Guh!" But he wasn't going to allow this to slow him down. Flipping, he landed on the ground and swiped his hands to the side. "Vine Whip!" From the ground behind Sherry, another vine wiggled out and struck her from behind!

"Oof!" Sherry stumbled and staggered, but she did not fall. The vine hurt, but…! "This doesn't hurt me! As long as I have love, I will not fall!" As Sherry said this, she pointed her hands forward, taking control of the nearby rubble once more to crush Jeager under it all! "Doll Crush!" But unfortunately for Sherry, Jeager's vines were capable of batting away the rubble before it could even come close to harming him. Sherry scowled a bit despite knowing this wasn't going to be an easy bout. _"I have to prevail…for Lamia Scale's sake…for Chelia's sake!"_

* * *

The tremors occurring within the stadium weren't entirely ignored by everyone. Most of the civilians just assumed that the magic power from those doing combat could be felt all the way from the stadium, but it wasn't as simple as that. Those competing hat doubts about what was truly going on under their noses.

"I'm not the only one feeling that, right?" Luke asked the others.

"Yup. It's annoying." Reiss said. He then glanced around and frowned. "…And where did Ilaria go? She's been gone for a while…"

"Chances are high she probably saw a bunny somewhere and chased it…" Aira said with a sweat drop.

Zelos was one of many, arms crossed as he glanced around. "What in the world is going on down there? I can't focus on watching Sherry fight with all this rumbling!"

"It is a little concerning…" Mira placed a hand on her cheek. "It seems as though something is happening…"

"Should we go check it out?" Gray asked.

"I think Laxus and the others will be fine. But still…I do wonder what is occurring down there…" Mira trailed off. Laxus didn't tell anyone but his group what was going on, but she still trusted that the situation was under control.

"I wish he'd just tell us these things…" Cana grumbled while grumpily taking a sip from her flask.

"Me too…" Lisanna sighed.

"I'm sure he has his reasons." Anna spoke with a soft smile. "Keeping quiet isn't easy on the one staying silent. When he returns, I'm certain he'll share his…." Before Anna could finish, Mest reappeared with Mio in tow, shocking everyone. "Ah…?"

"Mest!?" The members of Fairy Tail exclaimed in shock.

"Sorry for dropping in so suddenly, but I've just come back from a job…" Mest said while Mio stepped forward.

"That's…" Erza's eyes widened.

"First…" Lucy gasped quietly. The tournament occurring was just a second thought now, as they were reunited with Mio.

"This is all so very sudden…" Mio said while rubbing her arm. "It's hard to explain right now, but there are two people after me…"

"Two people?" Happy tilted his head.

"Mhm…" Mio nodded. "Prometheus and Pandora, I believe. I attempted to outrun them, but I was cornered…" The blonde then trailed off and shook her head. "Oh, forgive me for speaking so suddenly. Now isn't the time to be talking about me. A few of your own are currently busy dealing with the ones who attacked me."

"Laxus and the others. Should we go help them?" Romeo asked. "If it's Prometheus and Pandora, then…"

"We should go help!" Cynthia proclaimed.

"Giehehe, bailing Sparky out of a bind?" Gajeel couldn't deny that he wanted to hold that one over him!

"They'll be fine." Mest said. "She was their goal, but we've managed to pry her away from their grasp. If they wanted to make a big move, they would've done so earlier in the day." And Mest was correct in this deduction; Prometheus and Pandora went through all the trouble of attempting to sneak off with Mio as opposed to making a grand demand.

"So why are they fightin'?" Cana asked.

"It was a ploy to buy time." Mio nodded. "I suspect they'll be departing. It is far too dangerous to continue a fight in this stadium. I'm sure Laxus knows this as well."

"Mmm…" Wendy tilted her head.

Carla furrowed her brows. "That may be true, but Prometheus is a wild card. We can never know what's up his sleeve…"

"I just hope Laxus and the others come out okay." Lucy sighed quietly while turning back to face the fight. Her mind was still on the situation surrounding Mii and Emmeraude as well; adding Prometheus and Pandora onto that pile just stressed her out even more…

* * *

A direct hit. With the help of the Raijinshu clearing the way through Pandora, Laxus was able to slam his fist directly into Prometheus's jaw. The impact reverberated through the stadium and the Grim Reaper's head snapped to the side violently. Laxus held his follow through, keeping his guard up in case that single blow wasn't enough to do the trick. "…"

"Prometheus!" Pandora's eyes widened and a twinge of worry laced her tone. "Are you all right?"

"….Kyahahahahahaha!" The tense silence was broken by the sounds of Prometheus's heinous cackle. "Not a bad punch at all! I think I felt that one!"

The eyes of the Raijinshu widened. "Are you serious!?" Freed gasped. "He took a direct punch from Laxus and he's just _laughing_?!"

"This guy is insane…" Evergreen narrowed her eyes.

"So what's the plan now?" Bickslow asked Laxus. Whatever he decided, they would follow through.

"We have to be mindful of the people above. No doubt some have already figured something is going on down here." Freed added.

"What is the next course of action, Prometheus?" Pandora asked, ready to retreat or fight. "I suggest we employ a tactical retreat. The battle we've attempted to fight has been lost."

Laxus and Prometheus were still face to face, neither one budging. Prometheus was grinning while Laxus held his infamous scowl. "I want to have just a little bit more fun before pulling back."

"Pull back? That's funny. You think we'll be giving you that chance." Laxus then nudged his head. "Freed."

As soon as Laxus uttered his name, Freed placed a hand on the ground. Runes emerged from every corner of the walls, soon blocking off the corridor. "This is a Jutsu Shiki that I've inscribed with a very specific condition. That condition? None other than those who bear the Fairy Tail mark shall pass through these runes. Your power may be great, but the power of Dark Ercriture is absolute."

"Absolute?" Pandora of course wished to test this and swung her scepter at the wall of runes barring her and Prometheus from escaping. As soon as her scepter made contact, she was met with a nasty shock. "…!"

"Don't go doubtin' Freed here!" Bickslow said with a laugh. "And now that this wall is up, you're trapped in here with the Thunder God Tribe! You can say your prayers!"

"Because this is the end for you." Evergreen smirked, closing her fan while pointing it at the Demon and Goddess duo. "We have you right where we want you."

"Is that a fact?" Prometheus' black eyes lit up with excitement and malicious intent. In the next instant, he swung his scythe for Laxus's chest, but Laxus was fast enough to evade this with a leap backwards.

"This is the part where we crush you once and for all." Laxus said while drawing his fist back, a yellow magic circle appearing in front of him. "Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!" And he swung his fist through the magic circle, where it shattered, turning into a larger version of his fist composed of lightning magic. This fist soared across the corridor towards Prometheus, where it would erupt in a flash of lightning should it connect.

But that wasn't going to be the case. The big boys were talking now. Prometheus drew his scythe and easily cleaved through the Breakdown Fist, then made way towards Laxus. "As I see it, you're trapped in here with me, foolish mortals! Deus Eques!" By making use of the magic from the soul of Eileen, Prometheus increased his attributes tenfold. In the span of seconds, he appeared before Laxus, swinging his leg at the man's chest.

Laxus grunted as he brought his arm up, the sheer power of Prometheus causing him to slide backwards. There was a bruise on his arm, but it didn't faze him. "Is that all?" Laxus then popped his jaw open, a blazing bolt of lightning shoot forth with no warning. "Lightning Dragon's Roar!"

"Hmph!" Prometheus held his hand forward as the roar collided against him. The sparks of lightning amounted to nothing as he was granted complete immunity from it due to making use of God Serena's attributes; another fine Spriggan Soul from the war added to his collection. "Cavern Dragon's…."

"If he does an earth based attack here, he could destroy the stadium!" Freed barked, assuming that was precisely what Prometheus was going for. Based on the Grim Reaper's widening grin, Freed was right on the mark. Destroying the stadium endangered everyone.

Laxus understood this and kicked his Lightning Body up, reaching speeds never seen up until now. Before Prometheus could even utter the last word and activate his spell, Laxus's foot was already slamming into his jaw, sending him crashing into a wall! Immunity to lightning didn't change much to Laxus, as he still had the physical strength to back it up. "I don't think so."

Prometheus rebounded from the wall, laughing at the damage sustained, if he had even taken any. "Hyahahaha! This is far too much fun!" There was a purple aura around Prometheus. He wasn't powering up, but the conflict between them stirred up chaos, and chaos fueled him, empowered him, thus making him stronger. "Wisps of Chaos!" Dark purple ember started to appear around Laxus before exploding with no warning, completely consuming the Lightning Dragon in its wake.

"Laxus!" The three members of the Raijinshu cried out. They were nearly caught in the explosion and could feel its devastating power.

As the smoke cleared, Laxus was seen still standing, but now he had a few bruises and burn marks around his body. It admittedly stung, but considering this was Laxus, he'd give no more than a scoff at his opponent's efforts. "Is that the best you can muster?"

And finally, Pandora made her decision. "Prometheus. We are leaving. Now."

"And how do you intend to do that? We have you trapped." Freed reiterated.

"Do you?" Prometheus held a knowing smile. In a flash, with the use of Neinheart's Historia, a familiar figure appeared before all of them: Makarov Dreyar. There were many ways for Prometheus to go about this, but he absolutely enjoyed the method that stung the most.

"Old man…" Laxus knew this was a trick, but that didn't stop his initial reaction.

"You brats…" Makarov grumbled. There wasn't anything he _could_ do but obey the command Prometheus had already given. Makarov sighed, walking up to the runes before placing his hands on it. Just before he could open the rune walls, Prometheus stabbed his hand through the old man's chest, causing everyone's eyes (excluding Pandora's) to widen in shock. Makarov faded away right before everyone a second time, and the Fairy Tail mark appeared within Prometheus's hand.

"No one other than a Fairy Tail mage shall pass through this wall, correct? Then consider us official members for a moment." Prometheus gripped the rune wall, the Fairy Tail mark he stole shining brightly before he could rip the wall from the seams and part it easily.

"…What the…" Evergreen was aghast.

"We were never trapped." Pandora simply stated as a rift appeared before her and Prometheus. "We were simply biding time."

"I had so many ways to toy with you, but we're out of time. Mavis escaped our clutches." Prometheus glanced over his shoulder, grinning directly at Laxus. "But don't think for a second that this battle is over. We'll be seeing you again real soon." With those parting words, Prometheus and Pandora stepped into the portal and vanished.

* * *

"And Jeager has done it!" Chapati yelled. Going back to the fight in the tournament, Jeager just managed to defeat Sherry by restraining her with vines and slamming her into a building. It was a narrow victory on his behalf as Sherry put up an extremely good fight, but in the end, the WILD spirit of Quatro Cerberus prevailed at the end of the day!

"With that Quatro Cerberus now has 2 points." Hisui reported. If by some miracle the tournament continued past this next match, they would be eligible to win in the next round!

"Sherry, too…" Lyon clenched his hand into a fist. Sherry did great, but it was grating to him that Lamia Scale wasn't doing as well as he wanted. If Chelia had her magic, or if Raven were alive, maybe….

"HELL YEAH JEAGER! WILLLLLD!" Bacchus's drunken self yelled at the top of his lungs, the entirety of his guild cheering along with him. They were absorbed in the hype as they always were.

"These battles have been wonderful shows, but I believe it's about time to move onto the main event." Alfred said with a slight grin.

"I agree." Hisui nodded. "It's time for what could be the final battle of Fiore's Finest! Fairy Tail vs Black Phoenix!" The crowd roared in excitement before the Queen could even finish speaking!

"Wendy and I got this!" Cynthia piped up immediately.

"Huh?" Romeo tilted his head. "What do you mean you two? Only one person has been…"

That's when Wendy tilted her head. "What do you mean? The Queen said we can choose who gets to battle; she never said how many can battle at once."

There was an awkward silence as Wendy made her point. Awkward because nobody else considered that when Hisui spoke. The queen just nodded in response to Wendy's words. "That is true. More than one person from a guild is allowed to battle. I did word it that way intentionally."

"…Huh." Sting shrugged. "It does make sense now that you mention it…"

Wendy and Cynthia were fast to head to the arena to be transported to Crocus. While that happened, the members of Black Phoenix were debating who would take the challenge in what was about to b 2, considering most of their members were injured from the fights so far. "I know I can handle it!" Ethan said with a firm nod.

As this discussion went on, Zelos looked around and noticed about two things. "Huh…so, the tremors stopped. And secondly, it's weird how quiet Natsu's been this whole time."

Now that he mentioned it, Romeo did realize something was off. "Yeah…where _is_ Natsu-nii anyway?"

"Yes, weren't there more of you?" Mio inquired. She felt like something was missing.

"What do you mean where did he go?" Lucy turned to point at the spot right next to her. "He's right he…" And there was nothing but a dotted outline of Natsu's person where he once stood. "WHAAAAT!?"

"Natsu!?" Happy looked around frantically. When did Natsu leave and where did he go!?"

"Uhhhh…" Mio pointed the lacrima screen above. "I think you all should take a look…"

"Oh no…" Lucy sighed.

"I…didn't think he would do something like this…" Anna placed her face in her hands. For some odd reason, she was getting second hand embarrassment from this new stunt of Natsu's.

"That idiot…!" Gray could only groan at what happened.

"Natsu…" Erza sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. As for everyone else, there were confused murmurs about what was happening.

"Natsu-sama…why are you like this?" Yukino had a sweat drop.

Chapati, Alfred, and Hisui could say nothing at first. Soon, a sweat drop just formed on her forehead. "…Oh no…"

"HEY! WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?!" Asuka yelled.

* * *

Wendy and Cynthia arrived in the city, but they were not expecting what was awaiting them. Because of that, the two young women were frantically waving their hands. "Oh no…no no no…" Cynthia shook her head.

"Why…?" Wendy's face comically paled at the foe that stood before them.

"So you two think you're the best tag team, huh?" Natsu asked with a wide grin spreading his lips. Something about those words lit up his competitive nature and he simply couldn't hold back his urge to fight the two of them! How long had he been lurking in the city? Since Sherry's fight. "If you can't even beat half the real best team, is that even true!?"

"Natsu?! What are you doing!?" Cynthia flailed her arms. "We were about to win the tournament!"

"Is this even allowed?" Wendy whispered. Considering Hisui hadn't said anything, they weren't sure. Then again, this was unprecedented, as events with Natsu usually were.

"I'm already here and I'm ready for a fight." Orange flames erupted around Natsu's body as he faced the two girls. This was a ludicrous idea at first, but since it was Natsu, there was always a reason for his actions, ridiculous as it may seem. And once Natsu set his mind on something, he'd always see it through. "Fight me, both of you and don't hold back."

"…" Wendy and Cynthia looked at one another. Despite this situation completely differing from what they had in mind, they made up their minds as well. "I don't know why you're doing this…" Cynthia began. "But fine, we'll fight you head on!"

"We won't hold back, Natsu-san!" Wendy added, clenching her hands into fists.

Those were the words Natsu wanted to hear! Intentionally taking this tournament off the rails was something he'd probably hear about from everyone later, but right now, these two were his main focus. He wanted to fight them with everything he had and this was the perfect chance to do so. With the duo accepting his challenge, Natsu held his hand forward, flames spelling the words 'come on' on his fingertips. "Now that's what I wanted to hear from you two. Let's do this! I'M FIRED UP!"

.

.

Next Time: Dragon Frenzy,


	141. Chapter 141: Dragon Frenzy

"An unexpected development within the tournament! Just in what could have been the final round between Fairy Tail and White Eclipse, a surprise turn of events have unfolded! Natsu Dragneel challenging his own guild mates to a battle! It's a Fairy Tail vs Fairy Tail showdown!" Chapati was hyping up this situation. It wasn't the first time Fairy Tail mages have clashed during a tournament, but it was the first time it was done willingly!

"Is this even allowed!?" Asuka asked as she felt robbed since Black Phoenix was supposed to overtake Fairy Tail and win. But leave it to Natsu to ruin things a second time!

"What's that idiot doing!?" Gray shook his head.

"Uh…" Hisui had to pause for a moment. Was this allowed? Her initial reaction was going to be no, understandably. This wasn't at all what she had in mind for a battle that could potentially cap off the tournament. But when glancing at the screen that showed Natsu, Wendy, and Cynthia, she could see that determined fire in their eyes. This tournament wasn't just about winning, but displaying something much greater than that. That was her goal with this tournament, to draw out Fiore's best no matter what. In a way, Natsu's actions were doing just that. "I will allow it. However, the result of this battle will not change Fairy Tail's score."

"And there you have it! The Queen has allowed it!" Chapati yelled.

"Hm…" Alfred was actually silent while keeping his gaze on Natsu. _"So this is the one that Keele had his eyes on, is it? I'm interested to see why."_

"Leave it to Fairy Tail…" Waiston shook his head and groaned.

"It's always something, I swear." Skye shook her head.

"You know, this isn't the first time he's done this either…" Luke pinched his nose.

Around this time Ilaria came back, a little chilly, but fine. "Guys, guys!"

"There you are!" Reiss turned around. "Where'd you go?"

"There was a guy with a scythe attacking someone! It was the same guy that was giving off those weird vibes! And then…!" Ilaria was frantically explaining where she went. With the tension gone she was allowed to be as dramatic as she needed to be. "But they're gone now, I don't feel their presence…"

"The Grim Reaper, hm…?" Helena took those words curiously.

"Also, what's that?" Ilaria pointed at the screen.

"Three idiots fighting." Reve explained with a scoff.

While the others in Fairy Tail were murmuring about Natsu's decision, both Lucy and Anna were staring at the Salamander. _"Natsu…what are you thinking…"_ Lucy wondered. It wasn't uncommon for Natsu to pull off any type of brazen stunt, but why would he do one now?

* * *

"I want you two to give me everything you got!" Natsu held that wide, confident grin. Only he knew what was going through his mind, and now that Hisui officially approved of this bout, there was no stopping the wheels from turning.

"As if we'd give anything less!" Cynthia turned to Wendy, giving a firm nod. "We can do this, Wendy, all right?"

Admittedly, Wendy was still a little shaken, and shaking, at the thought of fighting Natsu like this. The girl's face comically paled and her eyes were wide. It was sinking in that this was a thing they were really doing, but once the initial shock passed, she steeled herself by patting herself on her cheeks. "Okay. I think I'm ready now…"

Cynthia then pointed towards Natsu. Fighting him was a little more personal than it was for Wendy. Over the years they had sparred and fought many a time, but in the end, Natsu was always the winner; in their tag battle in the games x794, she and Wendy lost to Natsu and Gray. "Natsu! This time, I'm gonna win!" She said that every time, but this time there was far more confidence in her tone. Without wasting anymore time, crimson flames wrapped around Cynthia's body, red scales forming along her face, arms, and legs! She entered Dragon Force without hesitation!

"We won't lose!" Wendy followed suit. Her blue hair wavered in the wind, shifting to a vibrat pink color along with her eyes, as crystalized air formed along her shoulder blades, wrists, and ankles, signifying the activation of her own Dragon Force. The dragon duo of Fairy Tail was prepared for this bout.

"That's what I wanted to hear." Smirking, Natsu would join in on this. Orange flames wrapped around his body, scales appearing along his skin. Wendy and Cynthia weren't the only two who could activate Dragon Force at will! Natsu's training over the year allowed him to do this.

"It's a Dragon Force frenzy!" Chapati remarked. "All three combatants have tapped into such incredible power right off the bat! No punches are being pulled! Which side will prevail!?"

"Let's go, Wendy!" Cynthia proclaimed while sprinting off.

"Right!" Wendy nodded and followed suit. Due to her superior speed, she was bound to reach Natsu before her partner did. Cynthia veered to the right while Wendy took the left, both of them closing in on Natsu rapidly. The two dragon slayers then leapt up, their respective element swirling around their leg. "Sky Arrow!"

"Fire Arrow!"

The two dragon slayers swung their extended legs towards Natsu's chest. The Salamander held his ground, crossing his arms to soften the blow. They were strong and he had to dig his heels into the ground, which caved in under the pressure he was up against. But Natsu didn't back down, uncrossing his arms just as quickly to swung two punches at Wendy and Cynthia. Cynthia blocked Natsu's hit, while Wendy was fast enough to pull back with a flip to avoid his hit. "Tch!"

Wendy landed on the ground, and as soon as she did, she moved forward, appearing as a blur to even the trained eye. The sky dragon had already slipped behind Natsu in a crouched position, arms crossed over one another in an X formation. "Sky Dragon's Wind Wave!" Upon that cry, a powerful whirlwind manifested with Natsu in the eye of the raging storm!

"Guh!?" Natsu found himself lifted off his feet due to the intensity of the wind. To make matters worse, the winds were slicing into his body, but that was the least of his concerns.

Cynthia was riding the wind current, using the air to increase the power of her flames. The wind and fire blended together overheard, creating a giant crimson fireball over the eye of the storm. Before Natsu could do anything about it, Cynthia leapt to the top and swung her leg down, sending this fireball into the tornado, creating an explosion of omega flames and wind with the Salamander right in the middle of it! Cynthia landed next to Wendy, a confident grin on her lips. "We got him there."

There was a cloud of smoke around Natsu, but his blazing red gaze pierced through the smoke. This was very good, but it would take more than that to put him down and he was about to show the two girls that. Flames erupted from the soles of his feet, rocketing him forward towards the two girls without delay! Flames trailed from his arms and he slipped past the two of them with his 'wings' of flame. "Fire Dragon's Wing Slash!"

"Ugh!"

"Kyah!"

Wendy and Cynthia cried out as the attack hit directly. While the flames did not effect Cynthia, that did not stop her from feeling the power the senior fire dragon put behind it. Natsu didn't plan on giving either of them time to recover and focused on Cynthia! Her attributes always made her a troublesome opponent when compared to his own; she could consume his flames, but the opposite was not true unless Natsu pulled some risky strings. "Fire Dragon's…!" But as he closed on the recovering Cynthia, Wendy was in front of him before he could even finish his attack.

The sky dragon protected her partner, extending her palm outward. "Wind Palm!" From her palm, a potent blast of wind forced Natsu backwards. He wasn't going to fly back, but it bought enough time for Cynthia to recover and follow up!

"Twin Talons!" Leaping over Wendy right after the Wind Palm, Cynthia swung her legs for two consecutive blazing kicks. Natsu was able to narrowly evade the first one, but since his balance was still off, the second connected and knocked him off his feet.

"Oof!" Grunting, Natsu flipped to catch himself. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he planned to lunge forward again, but his feet were stuck! "What the..!?" It was Cynthia's doing! Her earth magic allowed her to manipulate the ground at will, so she used that to her advantage to 'glue' Natsu to the ground. "Hey! That's not fair!"

"We got you!" Cynthia said as her cheeks inflated. "Omega Flame Dragon's Roar!"

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy followed suit, the two slayers releasing large funnels of wind and omega flames. These funnels merged together perfectly, the spiral of wind and fire rapidly approaching Natsu with the intent of taking him down then and there.

But this was Natsu. He wouldn't let their clever trap get the better of him! Natsu drew his arm back, a wildfire igniting around his arm. "Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!" Thrusting his arm forward, Natsu unleashed an unrelenting torrent of flames forward. The two attacks clashed, immediately exploding upon collision with so much force their battleground in the city shook. Before the tremors died down, Natsu took this chance to leap forward, this time gunning for Wendy before she had the chance to strike. "Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!"

"Huh-!?" Wendy saw it too late. Natsu emerged from the smoke and swung right for her cheek! Wendy did manage to block at the last second, but was still sent skidding backwards as a result.

"Haaah!" Cynthia jumped from behind Natsu with a blazing punch of her own, but he blocked it and retaliated with a fierce kick to her side, knocking her back. This is when Wendy attacked with a Sky Dragon's Claw, and Natsu showcased his reflexes and bent back, Wendy's arm swipe just narrowly grazing his chest.

Natsu held a slight edge in close combat over the two of them and it showed. Individually, he was capable of fending off their assault. But as the two got more in tune with one another, it became that much harder. Just as Natsu weaved a kick from Cynthia, Wendy was following suit with a Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang. This left Natsu with no choice to block, as the fierce winds from Wendy's kick caused him to slide back slightly. But before he could even fully slide back, Cynthia was in front of him, using the wind to propel herself forward and kick at his skull! Natsu blocked with his forearm and jumped back, causing Wendy to pursue. "Heh…" Just what he wanted! As Wendy threw her leg forward, Natsu caught it!

"Huh!?" Wendy's eyes widened at this sudden turn of events. She knew Natsu was one who quickly adapted to the situation around him, but she thought she had him!

"Fire Dragon's Gripping Strike!" From his hand, a burst of flame consumed Wendy and threw her back, dealing moderate damage and delivering some burns as a result. Just as Wendy flew back, Cynthia jumped over Natsu with a kick that he was able to sidestep in the nick of time.

Cynthia spread her arms apart before bringing them down, unleashing wave after wave of crimson flames towards Natsu. "Omega Flame Sky Dragon's…"

"Blistering Heatwave!" Wendy recovered from Natsu's attacks. With their positioning, they were now in the perfect position for a pincer maneuver! The sky dragon released her Sky Dragon's Wing Attack, the whirlwind and waves of heat mixing to form a raging heatwave that ultimately exploded. Wendy and Cynthia slid back while anxiously awaiting Natsu's response.

Natsu didn't have time to waste against these two and he knew it. Jumping high into the air from the smoke, Natsu revealed himself and the bruises he wore on his body from their attacks. Two orbs of flame were within his hands and he merged them together over his head, causing the size to multiply tenfold. "Dazzling Blaze!" With no warning he dropped this gigantic sphere on the opposing Dragon Slayers, consuming them within the flames! Landing, Natsu found himself panting softly.

Wendy and Cynthia let out a cry of pain as they were consumed by the Dazzling Blaze. But that cry quickly died down as the explosion of flames funneled into Cynthia's mouth and she breathed a sigh of relive. The suddenness of the attack nearly made her miss that opportunity. "That was close. You all right?"

"Mhm." Wendy nodded. The two of them had their fair share of bruises and burn marks, but they weren't down yet.

Natsu held a grin at the two of them. "Not bad, you two. You've really come a long way. I can tell that I won't win this battle like this…" He admitted, but at the same time, that only meant he had to take things higher to prove his point. The scales on his body receded, but the flames that flared around his body only grew more intense! So intense that the surrounding buildings and anything else in the area started to melt! The color of his flames darkened ever so slightly and the area sweltered with immense heat. "Flame Dragon King!"

* * *

"And Natsu is turning up the heat against Wendy-tan and Cynthia-tan! I think I can feel it from here…!" Chapati started to fan himself.

"It is rather hot…" Hisui admitted, waving her hand as some sweat started to form on her face.

"This heat might be hotter than that of Deserito…" Alfred remarked. "One of my movies took me there once, and I dare say that heat pales in comparison to what I'm feeling now."

"What's he doing!?" Carla questioned as if anyone had a clue to the inner workings of Natsu's mind.

"He's really going all out against them, isn't he?" Anna tilted her head. Now she was a little worried that Natsu might be overdoing it.

"Oh…that's mean." Zelos frowned. "Subjecting those two girls to such brutish strength. But I still believe they can win~!" Because he'd always cheer for the girls and place his faith in them purely on that.

And on that cue, Laxus and the Raijinshu returned and it seemed they were already aware of the situation. "I told you." Bickslow said in a matter of factly tone.

"I don't believe this. What is that idiot doing…" Evergreen rolled her eyes. This was, without a doubt, probably the stupidest thing she's seen Natsu do.

"….." Mio tilted her head ever so slightly. "Hm…I wonder…"

"Might as well wrap this up…" Cygnus shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever chance the two of them had is gone. What was the point of this again?"

"Did Fairy Tail fall so far down that they needed to flex on their own members?" El Rayo laughed at the thought.

"It wouldn't surprise me." Reve let out a scoff. "This has just been a waste of time, but leave it to Fairy Tail to do that.

Meanwhile, from the stands, Keele from Al Dente! was just watching with narrowed eyes. "…"

And then Vernal poked him, causing his annoyance to grow. "That's the one that caught your eye, riiiiiiight?"

"Shut up, I'm trying to watch this." Keele sucked his teeth and Vernal just giggled.

* * *

Flame Dragon King. It was Natsu's current peak of strength. Back against Mii, it wasn't enough to overcome her strength. But against Wendy and Cynthia, it provided the edge he needed against their teamwork. "I'm going all out so I hope you're prepared!"

Wendy and Cynthia were shocked to be facing this power for themselves. But Cynthia's shock then turned into a grin. "See, I knew we could push him that far." She told Wendy. "It's only right that we go all out now too, don't you think? I know we can do this."

"Cynthia…" Wendy trailed off at the look in her partner's eyes. "Mhm. I think I'm ready." She extended her hand and linked it with Cynthia's. At that moment, wind and flames began to circle around the two of them. "This is our first time making use of this in a real right, but I believe in you! And as long as I do, I know we can do anything!"

"That's right! Together, we're unstoppable!" Cynthia exclaimed and as she did, the duality between them grew ever stronger! The wind and fire grew more intense as it circled the two of them. The area began to rumble from the amount of magic power the two of them were drawing out.

"….." Natsu watched curiously. This was different from anything he'd seen or felt. Just what were they up to?

The crimson red flames Cynthia produced shifted color rapidly, turning in a brilliant blue flame; the flames of friendship that Wendy helped forge all those years ago. "If it wasn't for Wendy and Fairy Tail, I would only be a shell of who I am now. You all helped me forge these flames several years ago, and I'll use them to beat you today, Natsu!"

"That's right!" Wendy spoke confidently. The two of them were then consumed in their own magic, only for it to take an entirely different shape. The bond between them was being weaponized and pushed them to further heights! The flames condensed around Wendy's body, taking the shape of a blazing red wing that emerged from her right shoulder, while the wind formed around Cynthia's left shoulder in a wing. The scales on their body intensified and the two of them now possessed even greater magic power than before.

"This is our Dragon Force! Our Dragon Frenzy!" Wendy and Cynthia explained in unison. An evolved version of Dragon Force, brought out by the power of a bond that these two possessed. The magic they had was now off the charts!

* * *

This transformation had everyone stunned. Just when it seemed that Wendy and Cynthia were done for, they unleashed a rather surprising trick from their sleeve! "This is incredible! WENDY AND CYNTHIA HAVE ASCENDED TO A NEW POWER TO RIVAL NATSU'S!?" Chapati was far from the most shocked person here as well.

"W-When did they learn how to do that!? What even is that…?" Lucy was taken aback.

"I can feel it from here…" Erza mumbled unintentionally. "They're so in sync with one another; it's as if they've become one person…"

"To think they've taken the power of Dragon Slaying so far…" Anna could barely get those words out. "Their biorhythm is perfectly in sync."

"…." Needless to say, the other dragon slayers watching were awestruck and could only look on.

"Looks like this just got a lot more interesting…" Zelos whistled lowly.

"THIS BATTLE IS ONLY JUST GETTING STARTED!" Chapati continued to announce.

* * *

Natsu was just as surprised as everyone else. That surprise showed with his wide grin. "…You two are pretty amazing, you know that?"

"Save it for after we win." Cynthia said, giving Wendy a slight nod.

"HERE WE COME, NATSU!"

The two girls exclaimed in unison before rushing Natsu together. Their Dragon Frenzy state was a vast improvement over Dragon Force and it showed with their movements. Cynthia jumped first, swinging a blazing punch at Natsu's chest, but he was able to use an arm to block this, holding his ground despite the massive power increase. Just as Natsu was about to use his free arm to retaliate, he felt his legs give out under him. "…!" It was Wendy, performing a sweep kick to knock Natsu off his feet, and as Natsu fell, Cynthia spun around and slammed her leg into his chest, knocking him into a nearby building. "Gah!"

"T-That happened so fast…" Levy swallowed the lump in her throat. She was barely able to keep up with their actions. All she saw was Natsu fly into a building and the same could be said for a few others.

Natsu was never one to stay down long. As soon as he was on his feet, he immediately realized he had to up the ante even further. Pushing himself from the rubble, he dove forward headfirst, slamming his flaming crainum into Cynthia's chest and rode this momentum to push her backwards. "Flame Dragon King's Sword Horn!"

The impact caught Cynthia for sure and her grunt of pain signified that. While Wendy couldn't physically intervene, she did have another option at her disposal to support her partner. "All ability raise: Deus Eques!" A glow appeared around Wendy and her partner, signifying the increase of their attributes.

With increased defense, Cynthia was capable of withstanding Natsu's direct hit more effectively. Grinning, she was able to push herself off of Natsu and land, grimacing at the impact. It still hurt plenty. "Oof…"

Natsu had enough control and pivot to a stop, sliding across the ground with his palm pressed against it. Changing his momentum, shifted around to leap over Cynthia and attack Wendy, but found that she had already beat him to the punch. "Sky Dragon's Wing Slash!" She slipped past Natsu, her sharp 'wings' of wind cutting into his side.

"Gh…!" Natsu sucked his teeth before flipping in the air, lifting his blazing hand above his head. Sparks of lightning danced around his body as he dove down towards the ground near the two slayers. "Lightning Flame Dragon King's Demolition Fist!" Natsu roared as he swung his fist at the ground in front of Cynthia and Wendy. The result was a massive explosion of lightning and flame that easily consumed his opponent and definitely damaged them. Explosive, destructive power was Natsu's strong suit and it played out well in his favor, being able to attack two targets at once. The cost was using a lot of magic power, but this was Natsu after all.

"Ouch!" Cynthia grunted as the lightning inflicted a decent amount of damage on her person. Wendy didn't have immunity to either element so she suffered a little more damage; however the enchantment placed on the two of them did soak up plenty of damage on its own.

"Ngh!" Wendy bit her tongue to suppress the cry of pain, but boy did that still hurt. Natsu's strength was never in question.

Natsu took one small breath and that was all he needed. His cheeks inflated and plenty of magic was stored within. "Lightning Flame Dragon King's Roar!" Exhaling, a powerful wave of fire and lightning instantly shot towards the opposing dragon slayers, attempting to consume them within this unrelenting pyre as it melted everything in its path.

Despite the dangers, Wendy stepped up to the plate. Natsu's Flame Dragon King could burn through magic itself, but that didn't stop her. Wendy threw her arms to the side, creating a barrier in front of her. This caused the roar to split apart, keeping Cynthia safe, but as mentioned, the sheer firepower was going to burn through the barrier in no time. "Go!" Wendy said.

"Right!" Cynthia jumped into the air, blue flames igniting around her person. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Radiant Fang!" The blue flames around her arm took the shape of a dragon's head. Cynthia gave this swing her all as she planned to crush Natsu into the ground! Fortunately for her, Natsu was just ending off his roar, so all he could do was cross his arms to soften the blow. Impact was made and an explosion of blue fire scattered across the city streets. Cynthia jumped back and narrowed her eyes.

If she wanted to play the secret art game, then he could as well! "Secret Art: Crimson Lotus, Exploding Lightning Blade!" Natsu attacked before Cynthia knew what hit her! An explosion torrent of fire and lightning was unleashed in a counterclockwise manner, consuming the omega dragon in its destructive wake. The omega dragon let out a sharp cry of pain from this impact, leaving Natsu to believe that this was the most effective hit on her thus far! The secondary element of lightning at his disposal helped in dealing with Cynthia…but that was the least of his concerns. Wendy came flying in with a kick that Natsu barely managed to deflect with his arm.

Wendy wasn't giving up there. With her increased speed, keeping up with her was practically impossible. She bounced around the rubble and buildings, never staying in any spot for too long. As she bounced around, she aimed wind infused kicks at Natsu's body, which he had to narrowly block, evade, or just outright take. This continued for a few seconds until Natsu was certain he had a read on her movements. While his eyes were useless against such speed, his other senses were primed for this. So when Wendy came in once more, he prepared to counter, but just before his fist could strike, she released a burst of wind from her palm to alter her trajectory, leaving Natsu to whiff entirely! "Sky Dragon's Storm Kick!" Wendy swung her leg at Natsu's back, a massive whirlwind exploding from her follow through, carrying him a few yards away.

"Gwwaaaaah!" Natsu cried out. As the whirlwind died he managed to flip and catch himself in a crouched position, panting harder than before now that the damage and magic exhaustion was catching up.

A battered Cynthia jumped next to Wendy, the two of them pulling their hands back. A small orb composed of blue flames and wind manifested into existence within their palms. The power within the orb swelled until it could no longer be contained. "TWIN WAVE!" The two shouted in unison, throwing their arms forward to release their signature unison raid. This brilliant blue beam of wind and fire cut through the skies while soaring towards Natsu.

Natsu merely grinned. He remembered this attack and expected to face it sooner or later. The Flame Dragon placed his hands at his sides, generating a massive orb of fire and lightning within the empty space between his palms. "Lightning Flame Dragon King's…Gleaming Flare!" Thrusting his arms forward, Natsu sent forth a beam of fire and electricity, clashing with the Twin Wave. The two attacks were incredibly powerful in their own right. There was only a brief power struggle before the two attacks collapsed on each other, exploding with enough force to melt the structure of any surrounding buildings. That technique was a struggle for Natsu and it showed he hadn't entirely perfected it, but Wendy and Cynthia pushed him to draw it out.

Not even a second passed as Wendy and Cynthia turned the tides, emerging from the smoke. "Wing Slash!" The two declared as they rushed past Natsu's left and right. The single wing they donned was not just for show; it was capable of being used for offense and the damage dealt truly showed on Natsu's face. It was high piercing damage of wind and flame that cut deep and caused him to recoil and gasp.

"Guh…!" Natsu took a heavy breath, caught off guard by the intensity of that attack! But he still stood up straight, panting just as heavily as the two girls. There was an astronomical amount of damage and magic being thrown out and it was affecting all parties involved. It was clear to Natsu that he had to finish this. His gaze turned to Cynthia and then ultimately fell on Wendy, the elements around his body intensifying. "Dragon Slaying Secret Art…Crimson Lotus! Exploding Phoenix Blade!" The two elements Natsu mastered wrapped around his body in the shape of a phoenix and he lunged forward, focusing all of this piercing power onto one target: Cynthia. His glance at Wendy was a fake out and he was barreling towards Cynthia at unstoppable speeds!

"…!" Cynthia's eyes widened, but she then steeled herself and prepared to take this head on. She had full faith she could do it; she was a durable one, and if Natsu challenged her then she'd accept!

It all happened so fast, everyone was taken off guard. Natsu made contact and the solid impact led to a cry of pain and part of a building being destroyed. It was a critical blow, but that wasn't what had Natsu, or anyone else so shaken up. Cynthia was on the ground, blinking slowly as she was unharmed. She wasn't the one that Natsu hit…so then… "…?!"

"…!" Natsu's jaw dropped at the sight before him.

Everyone watching was shocked by what happened! Wendy was the one lying in the rubble, one eye clenched shut after the extremely heavy hit she had taken, but it was for Cynthia's sake. The damage she sustained was severe, but she was barely conscious. "Nnn…"

"Wendy…." Carla's hands went over her mouth.

Cynthia's eyes widened as her body went on full autopilot. "NATSU!" She roared angrily, swinging a blue flamed fist at Natsu's face. Natsu was so stunned at what he was watching, the hit landed and he was thrown back. After that, Cynthia hurried to Wendy, crouching down to make sure she was okay. "Wendy! Wendy! Are you all right!? Why did you do that!? I could've taken it…!"

Wendy coughed, one eye closed shut as she attempted to speak. "I-I told you…you have to let me do the protecting sometimes too…" The managed a smile before slowly standing up, but not without Cynthia's help. "We promised, remember? I'm still standing, aren't I? S-So…I'm okay."

"You dummy…" Cynthia breathed a sigh of relief.

"I have to be strong." Wendy turned her gaze to Natsu, who stood up by now. "I don't want to drag anyone down…I don't want the guild to fall in danger again, or disband. I wasn't strong enough back then…if I were, I could've done much more! Being with you, Cynthia, makes me strong. And I want to use that strength to surpass you, Natsu-san!"

"Wendy…" Cynthia then recalled their time in Lamia Scale after Fairy Tail disbanded. "She's right. When the guild disbanded, we didn't have anywhere else to go. All we could do was try our best to get stronger for the day the guild returned. I thought about what you would do, Natsu, and that's when Jura told me something. He told me that if you admire someone, you'll never surpass them. All this time, watching you fight, I realize that I admire you the most out of anyone. When I first came to Fairy Tail and saw you fight, I wanted to be like you. Your fighting inspires mine…but it can't be like that anymore. In order for you to understand…I can't admire you anymore. We have to see eye to eye and surpass you!"

Wendy nodded in agreement, placing a hand on her injured side. "We've always been watching from behind you, supporting you as best we can. But I don't want to be behind you anymore, Natsu-san! I want to walk side by side with you and show you what I can do! To show you that I can walk in front of you too! If we were stronger, we could have saved Master; if we were stronger, we could've stopped the guild from disbanding…and if we get stronger, we can save Mii-san. So that's why…"

"WE WILL SURPASS YOU!" The two girls exclaimed at once. They admired Natsu like a brother, always fighting and taking the lead. That admiration burned into determination; to them, Natsu was a wall to overcome. Wendy and Cynthia held hands once more, their elements circling around them yet again. Only this time the wind and flames took shape into something greater than them. Their elements crafted a life-sized replica of Grandine, the two girls in the center of the dragon that towered over the broken city, glaring down directly at Natsu as it flew into the air.

"…." Natsu was still in shock, but it was over something else now. Wendy and Cynthia had grown up so much over the years. This was what he was pushing to see. No ordinary circumstance would lead to this revelation; it had to be here and now. That look of shock slowly faded as the manifested dragon appeared before him. Shaking his head, Natsu gave his piece. "Behind me? I've never thought about it like that. Every time we've fought together, you two have been right beside me this whole time. The same goes for everyone else." Clenching his hand into a fist, his flames circled around his body in great volumes. He thought about when the guild disbanded, the war, Makarov's death. If he were stronger, none of it would've happened; if he were stronger, Lucy wouldn't have suffered so much, he could have saved her sooner.

"Natsu…" Happy mumbled.

"But I can't let you two beat me." Natsu said with a determined stare. Between the Wizard Hunters, Alvarez, and Mii, there was far too much at stake in the future. If he lost here, he wouldn't have the right to face any of them down the line. Wendy and Cynthia's determination burned just as strongly and he knew it. If he wasn't strong enough to beat these two… "I WON'T BE THAT WEAK AGAIN!" As Natsu roared, the flames around his body manifested into that of Ingeel! Now there were two 'dragons' staring each other down in Crocus, each one fueled with their own desires of victory. "FLAME DRAGON KING'S ROARING IMPACT!"

"FLAME SKY DRAGON'S ROARING IMPACT!" The two girls exclaimed. The two dragons dove at each other for a climatic finish. It was the final clash of this bout; the two dragons slamming into each other with such force a shockwave rocked the entire city of Crocus. Another explosion took place, but this one was so potent that it ended in a brilliant flash of light that held no sound whatsoever. The lacrima screens were absolutely blinded by the display of power on all fronts.

* * *

"Wendy! Cynthia!" Carla cried out!

"Natsu!" Lucy and Happy cried.

"Oh my word…what power…!" Anna said.

"…" Laxus didn't say a word. He was just watching it all as intently as anyone else.

"Who won…!?" Sting finally asked. It was hard to tell as the explosion was dying down. It was still unclear if anyone even came out of that final clash.

"We're trying to fix the screen now!" Hisui said. She was suddenly anxious as to who came out on top.

The screens were able to get a clear view of the results. Such power completely annihilated a large section of the city, leaving Natsu, Wendy, and Cynthia, all in their basic states, standing still, covered in all sorts of injuries. "It appears they're all still standing." Alfred narrowed his eyes, attempting to get a closer look. "But…?"

There was tense silence. No one more a sound until…Natsu fell over on his back, completely motionless. This caused multiple Fairy Tail members to gasp. "Oi…" Gray had a sweat drop on his forehead. Did Natsu really go down!?

"NATSU HAS FALLEN!" Chapati could not shout any louder. His surprise and shock was immense. "THIS MEANS THAT CYNTHIA AND WENDY WIN!"

Before the crowd could go wild, Alfred raised a hand. "Wait a moment, Chapati." The actor said, causing everyone to pause. "Those girls aren't moving either."

"Huh?" Hisui blinked. Upon closer inspection, Alfred was correct! Neither Cynthia nor Wendy were moving a muscle.

"Are they…okay?" Lisanna asked meekly.

"…I think they passed out standing up." Mira placed a hand on her cheek. "They surely would've reacted by now."

"…." Gajeel had his arms crossed, furrowing his brows at the battle that just concluded. "…I'm not falling behind either." The strength to protect the woman he loved was more than enough for him, but after watching those three go at it, he realized he couldn't fall behind to them. Not like this.

"Natsu!" Happy immediately spread his wings and went to fly over to the fallen Natsu! Carla followed suit, grabbing Lucy on the way.

"Can we go check?" Lucy asked Hisui, who nodded.

"…What a waste of time this turned into." Reve scoffed.

"And here I was hoping they were able to soundly defeat the obnoxious one." Taya shrugged her shoulders.

It only took a minute or so for Lucy, Carla, and Happy to arrive on the ruins of the battlefield. Lucy went over to Natsu, who was indeed out cold, but she breathed a sigh of relief. After watching that fight, she understood why he did what he did, but his timing was still awful. "You moron…"

"He's all right!" Happy waved a paw.

Carla went over to Cynthia and Wendy. They were indeed standing, but when she looked at their eyes, she saw it: they were indeed unconscious. The exceed waved her hand to inform the spectators of this fact. _"You two have grown up so much…I'm so proud of you…"_

"This battle is a draw!" Chapati said, and still, the crowd cheered for the fight they got to witness. A fight that only Fairy Tail was capable of bringing out. The battle was so spectacular; many people still couldn't even digest what had just occurred!

"They're really something, aren't they?" Anna placed a hand on her chest.

Keele just had his arms crossed, still staring at the screen - or more specifically, Natsu - for some reason. What was he thinking about? Only he knew, and any attempt Vernal made to get information out of him was just ignored. "..."

.

.

Next Time: Mountain of a Man


	142. Chapter 142: Mountain Of A Man

Natsu, Wendy, and Cynthia were all out cold after their battle. The healing mages attending to the wounded continuously certainly had their hands full. The battle between Fairy Tail mages did satisfy those in the guild, but it was clear that anyone outside the guild wasn't entirely fond of the events that transpired. White Eclipse's consensus was that the battle was a waste of time, and the members of Black Phoenix were rightfully annoyed that what could have been their potential victory round was snatched away from them. Because of this, Hisui opted to use this as the start of round 5, giving Black Phoenix another bout against Blue Pegasus. This was the point in the tournament where repeat battles would begin occurring.

"With only a minor hiccup in the previous round, we are back with Round 5! There's no doubt that this battle in front of us right here could very well be the end of the tournament in Black Phoenix's favor!" Chapati reported. Most of the guilds had two victories and only needed one more, but there was nothing stopping Black Phoenix from taking it all after the little Fairy Tail incident.

"For their sake, I hope Black Phoenix can pull off the victory." Alfred said calmly. "If they miss their chance here, momentum is going to shift away from them."

"Yes. This may very well be the end, if not, then one of the other guilds may very well snatch victory." Hisui nodded. She was still thinking on the fight between Natsu, Cynthia, and Wendy. Fairy Tail had shown some determination over the course of the tournament, and the Queen understood full well.

Happy returned from the infirmary to the others. Gray was the one to take notice and turned to the Exceed. "Lucy and Carla stay behind?"

"Aye." Happy raised a paw. "They stayed to watch them recover."

"I wish Cynthia-chan and Wendy-chan a speedy recovery!" Zelos nodded. "Oh, and Natsu too, I guess."

"You really don't change…" Gray shook his head.

* * *

The battle that could end things off was Ethan Star vs. Jeanny Realight! Blue Pegasus' most beautiful lady had yet to step into the action and she refused to let the tournament end without showing her stuff! It was a duel between Machina takeover mages! Ethan was in his Neo Shining Blitz, the armor of flame granting him a sizeable increase in strength and speed. As for Jenny, she was her Machias Soul: Dragon! The battle between these two had grown intense. "You'll fall to my beauty!" Jenny exclaimed as the gem on her chest turned yellow. When she pointed her hands forward, a blast of lightning instantly shot towards her opponent.

Ethan was panting softly. Jenny's takeover was stronger than his own, but that was never cause to give in. If he could beat her, Black Phoenix would win! With this in mind, he used the flames from his armor to propel himself into the air, narrowly avoiding the lightning at the last second. Twisting his body in the air, he then dropped down with fire wrapping around his knuckles. "I won't lose to you! Black Phoenix is counting on me!"

Ethan was coming down faster than Jenny was ready for. She brought an arm up to block Ethan's hit, and this prompted in a burst of flame that did dish out moderate damage to her beautiful takeover. While it did initially take her off guard, those luscious lips of hers curve into an impish smirk as the gem on her chest shifted from yellow to red! That was the element of fire, and since there was plenty around, she was capable of absorbing it. "Thanks for the treat. You're so sweet~"

"What!?" Ethan's eyes widened as Jenny absorbed the flames from his attack. Seeing that this was a bad situation, he took the time to jump back, but Jenny wasn't going to allow him to get very far!

The flames she consumed were converted into magic. Arms crossed, Jenny smirked as the gem changed to green to access Sky Dragon slaying. "Wind Roar!" Puffing her chest out, the model unleashed a violent whirlwind that consumed Ethan, tearing through his takeover while throwing him backwards.

"Gaaaah!" Ethan cried out as he was thrown back violently, slamming into some rubble left over from a previous fight. There was no doubt that Jenny dealt pretty heavy damage to the young mage.

"Oooh! And Jenny strikes back with immense force!" Chapati said.

"That's my Jenny! So beautiful in action!" Hibiki was swooning at the beauty Jenny was bringing to the tournament.

"Come on Ethan! You can take her!" Asuka exclaimed, cheering for her partner to come through and win this for them.

Ethan groaned, but slowly made his way to his feet. There was a flash of light around his body, wind and flames booming up and outwards as he entered another Machina Takover: Skyforce Blitz. This takeover came with a set of crimson wings that allowed him to fly at supersonic speeds, and he would not waste this speed as he appeared before Jenny in a fraction of a second. "Haaah!" Swinging his fist up, a rising torrent of flames rose up to consume his foe, sharp winds coating the exterior of the twister to deal additional damage.

"Kyaaaah!" Jenny felt this attack and it burned quite a bit, breaking off parts of her takeover. As the twister of flame dispersed, she was seen with cuts and bruises along her fair skin, but she would triumph in the face of this challenge. "I'll make you pay for cutting my pretty face!" She was pretty miffed about that.

"Sorry, but this is for Black Phoenix!" Ethan was going to take this chance to finish things off, but before he could even take off; his flight was stunted by something! "Huh!?" When he looked down, he saw that diamonds were covering his feet! "When!?"

"That mad scientist made a rather amazing machine filled with numerous elements of Dragon Slaying…" Jenny admitted as she stayed airborne, a golden light wrapping around her body. "But there is one creation that has surpassed even that brilliant mind!" From the sounds of it, Jenny had one more takeover she wanted to show the world!

"She has a new one up her sleeve, does she?" And as her rival, it was only natural that Mira was curious about this.

"Ah, here it comes! The pinnacle of beauty!" Eve's eyes sparkled. The members of Blue Pegasus were waiting for their savior to turn this around!

The light died down around Jenny and she was donning a completely new takeover! This takeover was extremely similar to the pride and joy of Blue Pegasus, Christina! The upside to all of Jenny's fans? It was a little revealing in some places and her cleavage was barely covered. "Takeover: Christina V2!" Jenny winked.

"Did they really make another airship just for her to takeover?" Sorano blinked.

"WOOOOO!" Zelos was cheering loudly for Jenny. Mostly for the takeover's appearance, but nevertheless, he was in her corner.

"That's no good. Ethan, get out of there!" Tristan shouted.

It was no good. The diamonds around Ethan's feet were too sturdy! They were infused with shadow magic, making it far more difficult to escape from. _"Can't get out, so then…"_ Ethan turned his gaze to Jenny and prepared to strike from afar! She sustained as much damage as he did. One more attack he she'd go down, he was certain!

Jenny pointed her right arm down, allowing it to morph into a large cannon that was gathering a huge amount of magic energy. "Full Power Blast!" Jenny charged within seconds, unleashing an oval shaped blast that launched itself at sonic speeds. Before Ethan had the chance to muster his own attack, Jenny's attack exploded against him violently. This caused the ground to rumble violently, leaving a thick cloud of smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Ethan was down and in his normal state. He put up a good fight, but Jenny was able to edge him out at the very end. "AND ETHAN GOES DOWN! JENNY REALIGHT IS THE WINNER!" Chapati yelled. Just as he did, the fanboys of Jenny erupted into a loud cheer.

"Ah…so close…" Asuka held a smile.

"He did his best." Alexander nodded. They were still proud for their team mate to do so well.

"That is the parfum of true beauty…men…" Ichiya stated proudly.

"What an interesting development." Alfred said. "Now that Black Phoenix has had their chance of victory slip away from them, it truly is anyone's game. I wonder if which guild will snatch the title of Fiore's Finest away at the very end of this round?"

"With every round potentially being a decider, it will be hard to determine." Hisui said with a nod. Now she had no idea who would come out on top. Lamia Scale was the only guild who lacked the victories to completely tie things up.

"Thank you, thank you!" Jenny was waving to the fans, even though she was basically isolated in the city at the moment. This would not stop her from giving her adoring fans the affection she believed they deserved.

* * *

The next, and once again, potential final battle of the tournament was Fairy Tail vs. Lamia Scale. Gajeel leapt at the chance to fight. After watching Natsu, Cynthia, and Wendy, he was determined not to fall behind them! He'd never hear the end of it from Natsu if he did, and he was not going to lose to him again. Gajeel stood in the middle of a mostly ruined Crocus, whistling lowly at all the damage. "This place is gonna be a wreck by the time I win it for us, gihehe." As one would expect, Kurogane was brimming with confidence as he waited for Lamia Scale's contender. In truth, he had no idea who to expect; everyone important had already fought. Was he gonna get some small fry and win easily? It would be rather disappointing if so.

"I wonder who's going to fight…" Levy questioned aloud. "Most of them have done what they can…"

"If Lyon had anyone other than Reve, Lamia Scale would be in a better position." Gray added. It did irk him that Reve was the one person who managed to score a victory over the three Ice Maker's related to Ur.

"I will say that if Lamia Scale is unable to produce another contestant, the match will be forfeit." Hisui was giving Lamia Scale a warning. It was understandable that some guilds were running low on fighters, and with the structure of the tournament, it was intentional on Hisui's part. But it would be a shame if the tournament ended like this.

Gajeel had his arms crossed, waiting for Lamia Scale to send someone. It looked like they were at an impasse, but that was when a strong magic presence made itself known. This caused Gajeel's gaze to narrow. "Who the hell?"

"I'm sorry for intruding on the festivities. But it's been a while since I had a good fight." That voice belonged to none other than the legendary Jura Neekis. The Wizard Saint had his arms crossed while approaching Gajeel, a subtle grin on his lips. "I hope you won't mind humoring me for a spell."

"Jura!?" Lyon's eyes widened. No one was expecting him to drop in!

"I-Is that Jura Neekis!?" Chapati's jaw dropped. "The Wizard Saint has entered the fray on Lamia Scale's behalf!?"

"That is a rather powerful wizard…" Mio remarked. There was a faint hint of recollection I her memory; today just seemed to be filled with that.

"We were unable to stop him." Hyberion sighed, swirling a glass of wine in his hand. "But then I decided that there was no harm in watching this tournament. Of course Jura is the only one capable of participating."

"WAAAAAH!" Levy shrieked on instinct. Being in the presence of one of the Four Heavenly Kings still just kind of caused her to lose her cool; it was a little embarrassing in front of the others.

"Now this is an interesting turn." Alfred found himself invested in this matchup. "This reminds me of a movie I once did." As he continued to advertise his acting career. "I wonder if the Fairy Tail mage can overcome the might of a Wizard Saint. That would be a rather climatic finale for this tournament, don't you agree?"

"It would." Hisui agreed. This outcome was not one she expected, but this was a great boon nevertheless.

"JURA WILL WIN THIS!" Toby shouted.

Unfortunately for Yuka, Toby was always in his ear when he shouted. "You don't have to shout, man…"

Selene crossed her arms, furrowing a brow as Gajeel had to face off against Jura. "…." Would her sensei come out on top? While she did want to see him win, it was only natural that a part of her wanted him to lose for White Eclipse to take any chance to win the tournament. Her feelings were conflicting, but in the end, she did want him to beat such a foe.

"5,000 jewel says Gajeel loses." Reiss said confidently.

"Like you need it, rich boy." Tyson scoffed while rolling his eyes. "10,000 that this battle won't even be close." A similar condition, but Tyson was betting on the fact that Gajeel was completely outclassed and would not make much progress.

"You're on!" Reiss smirked.

Ilaria tilted her head at the bet in motion. "I think Ralo-kun will win this bet." The soul-binder said.

"I don't really think there is a need to bet…" Aira had a sweat drop. But it was all in good fun.

"Kick his ass Gajeel!" Gray shouted.

"Show him how much of a man you are!" Elfman added.

Zelos, on the other hand, rolled his eyes. No cute girls this round, so his cheering lacked enthusiasm. "Don't get crushed…woo…"

"You can do it, Gajeel!" Levy and Lily exclaimed in unison. Gajeel had all the support in the world for this battle.

* * *

"SO HERE WE HAVE IT FOLKS! GAJEEL REDFOX VS THE WIZARD SAINT JURA NEEKIS!" Chapati was shouting at the top of his lungs. This clash would be the decider!

"Giehehe…" Gajeel merely cracked a smirk as it all set in. "Wizard Saint, huh? I can't think of a better opponent to take down." Cracking his knuckles, the dragon slayer wasted no time in allowing his iron scales to cover his body, easily increasing both offense and defense. "If Sparky can beat ya, then I can too." Simple logic as far as Gajeel was concerned.

Jura merely smiled at Gajeel's words. "The war in Alvarez inspired me to grow stronger. Even with my standing in this country, there are still many outside of it that outclass me. God Serena showed me as much. It was a pathetic display that could have endangered Fiore as a whole.' Jura's magic aura made itself known. It was far more suffocating than last year. The ground trembled at the mere display of his power. "So I decided to go back to my roots and improve myself. Lamia Scale has fought well…and the least I can do for them after all they've endured during the war and before is fight for them once again. So, Gajeel-dono, I will not be holding back."

"Giehehe…" Gajeel chuckled at Jura's words. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

"Are both fighters prepared? 15 minutes starts now! Begin!" Hisui said to start the match.

"May the superior conviction win!" Jura stated while clapping his hands together. Conviction was something he knew to never underestimate; his philosophy was always constant. It didn't matter if one possessed stronger magic, the stronger conviction would always prevail, and this battle would be a testament to that. "Hup!" With all the scattered debris from previous bouts, Jura had plenty of magic to use. The Wizard Saint lifted up numerous chunks of rock, using his magic to hurl it all at the iron dragon.

"I plan to!" As Jura attacked, Gajeel sprinted forward, extending a hand upwards, morphing it into an iron blade. "Iron Dragon's Sword!" Swinging this new blade around, Gajeel sliced through the incoming rubble and reduced it all to harmless pebble. With the opening created, his cheeks inflated and he lurched forward, parting his lips to unleash a funnel of iron shrapnel towards his foe. "Iron Dragon's Roar!"

Unfazed that Gajeel was capable of dealing with his opening, Jura smiled and lifted a hand up, his middle and index fingers outstretched. "Iron Rock Wall!" Large rock formations appeared in front of the Wizard Saint, shielding him from Gajeel's attack. The wall did break, but this was exactly what Jura wanted, now using the broken rocks to form a large fist! "Iron Rock Fist!" He flowed from each attack seamlessly, turning defense into offense within the blink of an eye!

The incoming fist of rock soared towards Gajeel at high speed. There was no time for him to dodge, so he crossed his arms, taking the fist head on! Even with his iron scales, he could still feel the power of the attack and it nearly sent him flying back! "Guh!" Luckily he was able to land on his feet, but the assault was far from over.

"Watch out!" Lily shouted.

"It's coming back!" Levy warned.

Not like Gajeel could exactly hear them from this location, but he could sense that Jura wasn't done with him yet. The Iron Rock Fist was curving around, now coming back for a second strike! The iron dragon propelled himself into the air, landing on the elongated limb and started sprinting forward. "Iron Dragon's Lance: Demon Logs!" A green magic circle appeared in front of Gajeel, shooting out iron lances that raced towards Jura.

"Hm!" Jura swiped his hand to the side, using some debris to block Gaheel's attack.

This was precisely what Gajeel expected! The debris Jura summoned blocked his field of sight, which allowed Gajeel to finally get in close! As soon as Jura dealt with the debris, Gajeel extended his arm, transforming it into an iron pole. This pole pushed forward, striking Jura right in the chest for a direct hit! "Got'cha!"

Jura held strong. Despite the direct hit, the Saint was pushed back only slightly. "Impressive, but not good enough!" Within the blink of an eye, the former stationary target showcased his speed. In an instant he was in front of Gajeel, swiftly bringing his hand down onto the Iron Dragon's neck, fiercely chopping him into the ground! Jura's immense strength put Gajeel into the ground and everyone winched from the impact.

"Oh! I felt that from here!" Chapati shuddered.

"Gh…" Gajeel felt that. A simple strike, but that strike was so strong he felt his iron scales crack from the pressure. Jura really was a monster! But if Gajeel could conquer this monster, then he'd win for Fairy Tail! "I've taken worse…" As he spoke, darkness slowly wavered around his body and he dipped into the ground,

"Hm?" Jura attempted to stop this, but he failed. The ground around Gajeel could not contain him. " A new trick?" If Gajeel planned to vanish from sight, Jura could fight this. The Wizard Saint closed his eyes, using his ability to detect magical auras to his advantage.

Where did Gajeel vanish to? Closer than one would think. First, multiple iron lances infused with shadows rose up from the ground, attempting to strike Jura from various angles. Jura was fast, but his large stature made it a little difficult to avoid everything, even for him. But that wasn't Gajeel's intention! The dragon slayer rose from Jura's own shadow, rearing an arm back. "Iron Shadow Dragon's Hard Fist!" The dual fist slammed against Jura's cheek, the impact resonating with everyone watching! The blow was so strong even Jura was forced backwards!

"Oof!" A fine blow indeed! The youth surely had improved over the years, but his conviction wasn't something to be underestimated! Grinning, he came to a halt and clapped his hands together. This prompted numerous rocks to suddenly latch onto and crush Gajeel, making escape into the shadows difficult. The Iron Dragon was smothered between glowing rocks. "Supreme Rock Crush!" Two magical hands appeared to crush the rubble of rocks that buried Gajeel, massive damage being inflicted upon the Fairy Tail wizard.

"GAAAAH!" Gajeel cried out in agony. Jura was a monster; it only took one hit like that to make Gajeel feel like he'd been crushed by a mountain!

"Gajeel!" Levy cried out in worry.

"Can Gajeel recovery from that merciless blow!?" Chapati questioned.

"Guh…" On a knee, Gajeel panted heavily, grinning widely at Jura. He didn't expect this battle to be easy, but that was the point. Fighting a Wizard Saint was overcoming a mountain. This was a challenge! "Giehehe…is that the best you can really do!?" As Gajeel spoke he began to inhale, iron and shadows gathering within his mouth. "Iron Shadow Dragon's Roar!" Exhaling, a large blast of magic soared towards Jura. This roar easily dwarfed that of the one he used earlier in the match.

"Iron Rock Wall: Continuous Formation!" Jura flicked two fingers upwards yet again. Multiple spires of rock rose from the ground, serving as a long line for Gajeel's roar to break through. The roar did plow through Jura's defense, but it was greatly stalled with each pillar until exploding on the very last one! The cloud of smoke did cover Jura, but in the next instant, he emerged, gripped Gajeel by the face, and roughly slammed him into the ground!

"Oof…" Hisui shuddered from that.

"Oh…even I felt that…" Zelos said with a sweat drop.

"Amazing work, Jura!" Lyon cheered.

"Gajeel!" Levy and Lily exclaimed.

"Mm…" Anna frowned. "Taking a hit like that…"

Gajeel lied on the ground for a moment. His iron scales were cracking and there were some bruises visible on his skin. Still, he managed to make his way to his feet, panting heavily. Despite the damage he'd taken, he would endure. The iron wall of Fairy Tail was not going to break that easily. "Come on old timer, is that the best you can do!? I'm only getting started!" As he said this, he lifted a hand into the sky, morphing it into a gigantic iron blade that towered into the clouds above, swirling with shadows. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Karma Demon, Shadow God's Sword!"

"So this is it then?" Jura clapped his hands together once more, the earth under Crocus bending to his will! As Gajeel prepared his final attack, Jura opted to take a defensive approach. Rocks started to form around his body, taking the shape of a towering effigy that protected him from all harm. "Come then, Gajeel! Rock Mountain!"

"HAAAAH!" Gajeel roared out to the heavens while swinging his sword down, aiming to cleave right through the Rock Mountain! His blade struck true and there was a struggle, only for a brief moment. Rock Mountain crumbled under the might of the Shadow God's Sword, a vicious explosion occurring as the ground was now scarred with a deep fissure that spanned a kilometer or so. "Got him…" Kurogane spoke with a smirk. But then…his eyes widened as the smoke cleared.

Jura was still standing upright. He had taken a considerable amount of damage, but Rock Mountain still managed to soak up most of the blow at the end of the day. "Your conviction was admirable, Gajeel-dono. But it seem as though it could not topple my own today. Rumbling Mt. Fuji!" The ground under Gajeel started to rumble furiously. The immediate area in front of him was struck by an immense release of magic power, catching Gajeel in the middle of it as it wreaked havoc on everything it could find, surging several meters into the air as the earth it rose from was reduced to pieces.

"Sensei…!" Selene's eyes widened. They could all feel the trembling earth from the stadium!

All was silent as the smoke died down. There was Gajeel, sprawled out along the ground with broken iron scales. His eyes were white, signifying that he had been defeated. "…."

* * *

"And Gajeel has fallen! The winner is Jura Neekis of Lamia Scale!" Chapati exclaimed.

"He did it!" Sherry clapped her hands together happily. Thanks to Jura, Lamia Scale was still in this!

"I knew he'd fold." Reve chuckled. About time Fairy Tail finally dropped a fight, too. They were getting too comfortable.

"Gajeel…you were so cool out there…" Levy sighed. She was upset he had lost, but even so, Gajeel would always be number one to her.

"A mountain of a man…" Alfred remarked. "It seems that Gajeel was unable to finish his climb and surpass him. But then…what happens next?"

"…" Hisui paused for a moment. With Jura's victory, every guild competing had 2 points, making them all eligible for the title of Fiore's Finest. All went silent and everyone stared at the Queen. "I can't say I expected this outcome. I honestly believed we'd have a winner at this point."

"Do you have any ideas, Your Majesty? We must decide a winner somehow." Chapati asked.

"It seems we're at some sort of impasse." Gray crossed his arms.

"I wonder what Her Majesty will do…" Juvia tilted her head.

It was important to adapt to the situation. Hisui had one idea, but it wouldn't work the way things were now. "The tournament will take a 24 hour hiatus. This will give time for some fighters to recover and we will resume this time tomorrow. I have one idea that will settle the matter of the winner, but you shall have to wait for tomorrow. For now, all of you take a much needed rest."

"A full day to recover?" Sting glanced at the others. "I wonder what she has in mind."

Hisui stood up and smiled to everyone. "Thank you all for coming out today. I'm certain that tomorrow will be even more exciting than all the fights today. For tomorrow, we shall enter the final stage of Fiore's Finest: The Knockout Round!"

.

.

Next Time: The Knockout Round.


	143. Chapter 143: The Knockout Round

Nightfall. The Fiore's Finest tournament was on a 24 hour hiatus after the previous bout. This gave those taking part ample time to rest while they could. But this also allowed the two lurking in the darkness time to regroup. To avoid detection from Ilaria or Bickslow, Prometheus and Pandora were outside of Crocus. "We were so very close…" Prometheus clenched his hand into a fist. "Fairy Heart was within our grasp!"

"I apologize." Pandora frowned. "If I were more vigilant, she would not have given us the slip."

To that, Prometheus shook his head. "Nah, you don't have to apologize. I knew that Bickslow guy was keeping an eye on us, but I never expected there to be another demon with similar magic. But that girl gave me such a fun idea…she actually managed to rip a soul out of me for a moment."

"What?" Pandora turned to Prometheus. "That means she is a threat…"

"Maybe." Prometheus responded with a shrug. "But I learned something very interesting about her just by watching her. A fellow demon…and not just any demon, but the daughter of _him_!"

"Him…? Are you certain?" Pandora tilted her head.

"It's possible. That girl seemed like it. I'm glad we crossed paths, though." There was a sinister smirk curling onto his lips. "We failed to snag Mavis the easy way. That only leaves us with one option, and I was hoping it would come to this…"

* * *

Despite the destruction Crocus experienced over the course of the day, there was one place that was spared from the carnage: that luxurious inn. Perhaps it was luck, or maybe it was prepared just in case things did drag out for this long. Regardless, Fairy Tail was going to use this chance to rest and discuss their next move. That was after Mest explained the situation concerning Mio, Prometheus, and Pandora. "…And that's the story. That's the mission that Laxus had me on."

"How troublesome." Erza crossed her arms. "I wasn't expecting to have to deal with those two after a year."

"It was very strange…" Mio sighed. "They kept calling me Mavis and spoke about something called Fairy Heart. I honestly don't know what it means, but at the same time, it sounds familiar."

There was an awkward silence in the room. How exactly were they supposed to go about this? They couldn't tell Mio of her past life, could they? She seemed happy enough as is. "You have many similarities to the person they're talking about." Bickslow said.

"Even if there's an off chance they're mistaking you for someone else, they are our responsibility to deal with. So we will protect you from them until they are defeated." Freed said. He and Bickslow managed to smooth that over rather quickly.

"Oh, thank you! I'm sorry to be a bother." Mio gave a bow of appreciation.

"You don't have to worry about it." Lucy said while waving a hand. "It's important that you're safe."

"Oh, you're Lucy…" Mio turned to the blonde, presenting a soft smile. "Ironically, I was looking for you after your fight earlier."

This confused Lucy. "Me?"

Mio nodded in response. "Mhm. I wanted to congratulate you for finally overcoming your greatest hurdle and defeating Luke. I was cheering for you with all my heart out here!" There was a pause after Mio spoke. It was clear she didn't notice, but she was speaking as her former self as opposed to who she was now. "…Did I say something odd…?" The woman was a little embarrassed now since everyone was giving her such a strange look.

"N-No, not at all!" Lucy waved her hands. "It was just very surprising to hear. But thank you, Mio. That means a lot to me."

"Ahh…she's so adorable…" Zelos remarked.

"Don't get any ideas." Lisanna pouted.

At this moment, Natsu, Cynthia, and Wendy finally appeared. They were still bandaged up from their battle, but they felt decent enough to walk. "Ah, did we miss the fun?" Cynthia asked.

"Ah, you three were so fantastic out there as well!" Mio complimented the three dragon slayers. "The way you pushed one another was a sight to behold."

"Yeah, but we'd be done with this tournament by now if this idiot didn't interfere in the first place." Gray narrowed his eyes. Just like that, he and Natsu were head to head. "So what was your reason for that one, huh, dumbass!?"

"Who you calling a dumbass, dumbass!?" Natsu snarled. As usual their squabble was broken up by Erza forcing them apart.

"Stop it, both of you. It doesn't matter now. What matters is that we do our best tomorrow. I don't know what the Knockout Round will entail, but considering we only have a day to recover, we must take it easy." Erza told them.

"Mhm." Wendy nodded. "I can heal anyone that isn't feeling up to par, but I don't think I'll be able to fight at full strength. I'm still sore from fighting Natsu-san."

"Me too." Cynthia rotated her shoulder. While she and Wendy didn't mention it, they were perhaps the only two who could understand Natsu's motive for challenging them.

"The real problem is gonna be Jura…" Elfman said. "His manly performance earlier showed that he did get a lot stronger."

"Yeah…" Gajeel said bitterly. Despite his best efforts, he wasn't anywhere close to taking down that monster.

"He could carry Lamia Scale to victory. Which is dangerous." Mio commented. Another faint hint of nostalgia drove her to speak.

"I'll kick his ass!" Natsu exclaimed.

"You just got your ass kicked…" Gajeel rolled his eyes.

"Wanna say that again?!" Natsu said. Now he and Gajeel were about to get into it, but once again, Erza stopped them.

"We'll figure something out, I'm sure of it." Mira smiled softly. Even though they weren't at the guild building itself, its spirit still remained strong with all of them together.

Mio noticed this. This warm feeling being around these people whom she'd only just met. " I realize this may seem a little out of turn, but I have a request I'd like to make of you all, if you'd allow it."

"What's on your mind?" Laxus asked.

"I'd like to join Fairy Tail!" Mio exclaimed with all her heart. Her request made everyone stare at her once again. For some reason, she felt the need to explain. But ironically, she could not. "I do not know why I feel this way, but watching you all gives me such a warm feeling in my heart. Perhaps it was fate that we crossed paths on this day, but I can only ask that your guild has me. I'm sorry I can't explain this any further, but I…"

Mira held her usual soft smile. "You don't have to explain anything. I think I can speak for everyone when we say that we'd be happy to have you, Mio."

"Yeah!" Happy agreed. "You should join ag-" He was able to say again, but Carla took the liberty of silencing him with her hand before he had the chance to say it.

"Truly?" Mio looked so pleased to hear this. When looking around at everyone present, their warm smiles filled her with such happiness. She was so happy that she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. "Then it would make me very happy to become a member of your guild."

"We can do something about that right now." Laxus held his hand out. On that cue, Freed handed him the guild stamp. "Usually this takes place in the guild, but this is fine. So let me ask, Mio, where do you want your guild mark?"

Zelos watched from the corner of the rooms, arms crossed with a faint smile on his lips. "Ah, what a lovely atmosphere. It's almost as charming as I am…" The red head quietly chuckled. He saw Laxus give him a slight look, to which he responded: "Oh, don't mind me. Although…I do have one question for you later."

"…?" How odd. Laxus hadn't a clue what Zelos wanted. But why focus on that when Mio was anxiously awaiting her guild mark, as she was in the process of overthinking where she wanted it.

"Ah…Hm…" The petite woman frantically looked around her body for the perfect spot for her guild mark. A lightbulb then went off in her head. "Ah, I have the perfect place in mind…!"

* * *

It was time for the final act of the Fiore's Finest Tournament. They only had 24 hours to rest and not everyone was up to par, but that was the challenge the Queen had in mind. Everyone gathered back at the Domus Flau for the final round. "Welcome back everyone!" Chapati exclaimed. "The Knockout Round is already underway! The beginning of the finale of this Fiore's Finest tournament! Your Majesty, for those just tuning in, would you care to explain how this will play out?"

"Of course." Hisui said, gesturing to the four lacrima screens playing in the stadium. "Since all eight guilds participating reached the 2 point threshold, I deemed it impossible to determine a fair winner with the previous format. So I've decided to settle things with a regular tournament bracket. Four fights are happening simultaneously in separate areas of the city. When the winners of these fights have been decided, the remaining four will battle in the stadium: this is the Knockout Round!"

"This time, no one can afford any mistakes." Alfred added. "For one single mistake could be the end of a guild's run in this tournament. Furthermore, I'm enjoying the challenge you've presented. There are a majority of people who are still injured from the previous day who are fighting as we speak."

"That's right." Hisui nodded. "I have no doubt similar conditions will be present in the Ishgar's Strongest tournament. That's why I wanted to prepare them beforehand and grow accustomed to it."

"That's our Queen, always thinking ahead!" Chapati exclaimed.

* * *

Four battles shook Crocus to the core. Juvia vs Melody, Blues vs Ilaria, Jura vs Tristan, and Rufus vs Ichiya! Every combatant had their guild on the line and refused to give in. Juvia and Melody both slid away after an explosion, both moderately damaged from the wake of their battle. Juvia had the slight edge coming into this fight since Melody still had injuries from her bout with Gray, but since she had the longest time to recover out of anyone, it was only a slight edge. Melody managed to close that gap rather fast, displaying her superiority over Juvia.

Both women panted softly, but Melody was the one who held a grin. "You may have gotten the better of me once before, but I was young and foolish back then! Fairy Tail's run ends here!" Melody pointed her hand forward, unleashing a potent bolt of lightning that soared towards Juvia in a flash.

Juvia was able to jump over this bolt of lightning, lifting her arm up at the same time. Her watery arm extended and she brought the scalding hot limb down towards Melody. "Not if Juvia has anything to say about it! Water Cane!" The water was sharp enough to cleave through the ground. Melody recognized this threat and rolled to the side, just narrowly avoiding a strong hit. Juvia withdrew her arm, keeping her gaze on her foe. Gray was watching her, so she couldn't let them down!

Melody planted her palm on the ground, a smirk crossing her lips. "Steel Make: Floor!" The immediate area was covered in slick silver. Unlike the Ice version of this spell, it didn't hinder Juvia's mobility, which made her all the more cautious. "Now, it's time for a new trick!" Spreading her arms apart, the silver haired female released a discharge of lightning. "Ion Deluge!"

Juvia crossed her arms, expecting a damaging attack, but received nothing of the sort. Instead, electricity filled the air. She could feel her hair standing up on end due to the voltage. "Huh…?"

"Kagura's our anchor, so I have to make sure I win this." Melody then snapped her fingers. Since silver conducted electricity, and it was filling the air, she was able to manipulate the element at will. An explosion of lightning occurred right on top of Juvia! Luckily for Juvia she was able to sense this and desperately dove to the ground to avoid the hit. "Not a bad dodge, but let's see how you deal with this!" Melody was having fun now, creating a guitar composed of silver, an electric pick formed to strum her new toy. "OVERDRIVE!" Strumming the guitar once, a massive burst of lightning exploded forward, amplified by the silver floor and Ion Deluge.

"…!" Juvia's eyes widened as she had no defense for this. The Overdrive hit directly and she screamed in pain, flying backwards into the remains of a destroyed building.

"Juvia!" Gray exclaimed.

"Finish her, Melody!" Risley shouted.

"Nnnn…" Juvia groaned, feeling a strong numbness overtaking her body. Refusing to submit, she slowly stood up, one eye clenched shut. This situation was starting to slip from her control. _"Juvia has to turn this around somehow…"_ Wait, she just remembered something she did last year…!

"Here comes the encore!" Melody strummed that deadly guitar once again, sending another burst of lightning towards Juvia. Once again, this one hit directly, throwing Juvia back with another cry of pain! Anyone could see that the water mage wouldn't last against a third one!

"AAAAH!" Juvia screamed as she hit the ground. That hit staggered her greatly.

"Time for the finale!" Melody wasn't wasting any time! One more strum would finish this! One final burst of lightning moved to strike Juvia and finish her off!

"Geyser!" Juvia exclaimed. The battlefield rumbled before the silver floor was torn asunder by a rising pillar of water! Just like in the previous Grand Magic Games, Juvia took control of the pipe system, causing the water within to swell and explode, catching Melody in its wake.

"Gaaaah?!" The silver mage cried out, losing her makeshift guitar while groaning from the hot water. "What the hell…!?" Her yellow eyes widened as the rain from the geyser started to short out the Ion Deluge! "How did she…!?"

This was the opening Juvia needed! Water swirled around her fist, fueled by the makeshift rain from the geyser. The water mage closed the gap, swinging her fist at Melody's cheek for a direct hit! "Water Punch!"

A strong blow! Melody gasped as she tumbled, but managed to catch herself, sliding to a halt on a knee with a bruise now on her cheek. Her previous damage was acting up and would absolutely slow her down if she didn't end this now. "Gah…that hurt." Shaking her head, she pointed a hand forward, holding her index and middle fingers out, along with her thumb, lightning sparking dangerously around the tips of her fingers. "It's time to close this set! Legion Fulminate!" That sparking lightning turned into a roaring blast that threatened to consume Juvia.

But was Juvia deterred? Absolutely not. She faced this head on, spreading her arms apart as water swirled around her open palms. "Juvia agrees! She will end this!" Gray was watching after all. "Second Origin: Release! Wings of Love!" Throwing both hands forward, Juvia released a large spiral of water empowered by her Second Origin. This massive cyclone clashed with the Legion Fulminate, the two entering a fierce power struggle. Both Juvia and Melody held on strong and neither refused to give in. "Juvia will….prevail!" With one final shout, Juvia was able to push forward, her Wings of Love overpowering Melody's attack.

"Waaaaaait…!" Melody's eyes widened as she was completely overpowered. The Wings of Love consumed her, throwing her into a building with widened eyes. One final shout of pain was all she could deliver before she hit the ground, completely motionless.

"Ah…ah…" Juvia hunched over, panting heavily. It was a rough battle, even with her early advantage of coming in fresh, but she was able to prevail at the end of the day.

"Juvia has defeated Melody! This means that Mermaid Heel is out of the tournament and Fairy Tail advances to the second round!" Chapati shouted and the crowd cheered.

"Ah, Melody…!" Beth gasped. To think they were so close to winning the whole thing. But none of them were mad at Melody, she did her best and that was all she could ask for.

"Let's go Juvia!" Gray said proudly.

"What a genius move, using her water to short out the lightning!" Mio's eyes sparkled. Her Fairy Tail mark was on the back of her right hand and she waved it during her cheers for Juvia.

* * *

Rufus vs Ichiya. A strange matchup, but not one that would stop either side from giving their all. Rufus placed two fingers upon his temples, a red magic seal appearing behind him. "I will be certain to engrave your defeat into my memory, for it will be the stepping stone Sabertooth uses to ascend to new heights. Memory Make: Twin Wheels of Heaven and Hell!" This was a combination of Erza and Reve's Wheel attacks. A multitude of guns and swords appeared all around Ichiya. The swords dove down and the guns began to bombard him with bullets! Such a powerful onslaught left very little wiggle room.

But the handsomest man in Fiore already had a way out. Plugging two vials into his nose, his perfume enhanced his abilities. "Parfume of Manliness!" One of the vials gave him a high speed increase, which allowed him to dart around the destroyed city, easily evading the swords and bullets that threatened his radiant frame. "Such unhandsome attacks will not have the honor of grazing me!"

"Hmph…" Rufus merely smirked as he held his position. "I remember that technique of yours from before. I knew I could goad you to use it, so I could do this. Memory Make: Night of the Falling Stars." Another red magic circle appeared behind him and the area was blanketed in a pitch black, twinkles of light resembling stars in the night sky glimmering. These stars then dove down, tracking Ichiya to give him no room to escape! These stars were compose of lightning magic and they hit their mark!

"Nice one, Rufus!" Sting grinned.

But things did not go as planned. Ichiya was anticipating something of this nature! The battle against Badd in the war inspired him. As the lightning struck, it still dealt damage, but it was also absorbed with the other vial in his nose! The lightning vial made good use of Rufus' attack, supercharging Ichiya. "Men! I've learned how to use lightning against my opposition! Now take this! MANLY THUNDERBOLT OF JUSTICE!" Sliding to a halt, Ichiya pointed two fingers forward, unleashing a potent lightning bolt towards the now surprised Rufus.

"What the…" This was a new trick! One he'd have to record to memory. But he wasn't going to be outdone that easily. Just as the thunderbolt struck, he faded. What Ichiya struck was nothing more than an illusion; a memory of his former location. "A close one. That man is crafty…" The memory make mage admitted. When he took a slight breath, he smelt it. "Agh!? What is this rancid odor!?" It was wafting all across the field!

"That is my best smelling perfume yet." Ichiya remarked while striking a pose. Rufus' memory was his strongest suit, so the best way to tackle him was to throw new elements! "Commit this wonderful smell to your memory!"

As if Rufus had a choice! It was awful! "Agh…I must get rid of this…!" Rufus could barely breathe with what he could consider toxic air. "Memory Make…"

This was the opening Ichiya was waiting for! While he couldn't understand why anyone would wish to be rid of such a refreshing smell, he knew that Rufus would prioritize removing it. "MAXIMUM MANLIENESS!" His small, stout body suddenly hulked up. His muscles and entire stature enlarged greatly and he swung his fist towards the Tiger with no hesitation.

"Rufus-sama, beware!" Yukino warned, as if she could be heard.

Rufus felt the monstrous presence looming over him. "Huh…?" And before he could aptly respond, he received a powerful blow to his chest that blew him off his feet. "GAH!" The powerful blow had Rufus reeling.

"I expected nothing less from Ichiya!" Jenny smirked. "Give that pretty boy a beating he'll never forget!"

"I see. I'll commit your actions to my memory." Rufus recovered from the blow with a smile. "Allow me to return in kind. Memory Make: Wyrmwind." Swiping his hand forward, a blast of cyan and black wind erupted from the seal, blowing away the foul stench. The wind was a mixture of Chelia and Wendy's magic. "Now then. Memory Make: Karma of the Burning Land!" Touching the earth with his hand, it started to heat up and crack!

Ichiya remembered watching Eve get taken down by this technique, and he would not fall to it the same way! "Hup!" Bending his muscular knees, Ichiya took to the skies, well above a few buildings due to his new build! Unfortunately for him…

This was exactly what Rufus was hoping for! When Ichiya jumped into the air, Rufus was already waiting for him, a hand extended into the air. "Memory Make: Luminous Saber." A large blade of light shot into the sky, flashing with various colors that resembled elements; before Ichiya had the chance to react, Rufus brought this blade upon Ichiya, sending him into the ground while splitting it in half for a few meters!

"MEEEEEEEEEEEN!" Ichiya cried out before he was consumed by an explosion of an array of elements. When the explosion died down, Fiore's most handsome man had fallen to the jaws of defeat.

"And Ichiya goes down! Blue Pegasus has been defeated and Sabertooth moves onto the second round!" Chapati yelled.

"ICHIYA-SAAAN!" The Trimen cried out, comical tears streaming down their faces.

"It was a valiant and handsome fight…" Nichiya sniffled.

"Way to go, Rufus!" Lector shouted.

"Huh, he's not bad at all…" Sorano scoffed, trying to act like she wasn't so impressed.

"I expected nothing less." Minerva nodded.

Rufus landed on the ground, panting softly. "Now I hope you remember that the Tiger will always strike the Pegasus from the skies."

* * *

2 fights down, only 2 remained. A battle of titans was occurring right in the middle of Crocus: Jura vs Tristan! The Wizard Saint vs Black Phoenix's ace. Tristan was putting up his best efforts against this titan, but he was stuck on the back foot. "Steel Make: Calvary!" The armor clad knight exclaimed. In a flash, an entire squadron of knights on horseback charged towards the mountain of a man.

"Your Steel Make is impressive, Tristan-dono." Jura said while clapping his hands together. "But it will take more than a small army to take me down." Despite his battle against Gajeel the previous day, he was still feeling that spring in his step! He planned to shoulder Lamia Scale's burden and carry them to victory. "Rock Slide!" Jura took control of numerous rocks scattered along the city and lifted them into the air, only to drop them down onto the steel horseback knights, crushing them with the intensity used.

"Tch…!" Tristan expected this to be an uphill battle, but not by this much! But he was far from finished. By use of teleporting, he appeared directly in Jura's blind spot, rearing back the greatsword he had in his hand. It was a fierce swing, but one Jura evaded with natural instincts, swaying his body to the side at the last second. "Damn!" So close, yet so far! This was the strength of a Wizard Saint…

"Iron Rock Fist!" Jura pointed a hand forward, prompting an enlarged limb to emerge from the ground to his right. It struck Tristan, but not directly, for he was able to block the fist with his blade. That didn't stop the fist from carrying away from his target as it did try to crush him!

Tristan grit his teeth, summoning all his strength to slice through the arm that threatened to crush him. That was the least of his worries, as two more were heading right towards him! The second verse wouldn't be the same as the first, as Jura was wary of Tristan's movements, commanding the fists at will to circle about his sword slices. Tristan whiffed one fist and as a result it slammed into him directly, launching him backwards while breaking apart some of his armor.

"JURA'S GONNA WIN!" Toby screamed.

Unfortunately for Yuka, he was always within earshot of Toby. "You really don't have to shout so loud, man…"

"Tristan!" The members of Black Phoenix exclaimed.

"He'll be fine…" Leon said with assured tone. "I believe he can conquer this mountain."

Tristan landed on the ground, panting heavily. Jura had been swinging him around while Tristan barely managed to get any damage on him. That was going to change now. "Steel Make: Ballista! Archery Line!" 50 ballistae appeared in front of Tristan, each one of them loaded with 5 arrows. The ballistae all held different angles; some were pointed up while others were aimed straight ahead. "FIRE!" On his command, 250 steel arrows all flew out to strike Jura.

Now this was an attack to be wary of and Jura acknowledged this. "Iron Rock Wall!" Two fingers were raised and multiple pillars of rock emerged from the ground, blocking the arrows that were fired directly at Jura. This stopped about half of them, but the other half were still a threat, for they were angled up and now coming down upon him! With a smirk, he decided to attack, throwing his hands forward to send multiple rocks to clash with the steel. Things were in a deadlock, but to his surprise, a few arrows slipped through and struck his body! Damage was dealt, but not nearly enough to slow him down. "Hm! I see you are as formidable as your title says, Tristan-dono."

"Thank you. And you should know that I intend to win." Tristan made that very clear as he placed his hands together. "Steel Make: Phoenix!" Once again, he was putting his dynamic steel make into play, summoning perhaps his greatest creation yet! A large steel phoenix formed in the skies above him, letting out a loud caw as it flapped its wings. This caused steel feathers to fly at Jura with the intent of shredding him!

"I will respond to your efforts in kind. Behold my improved conviction! Rock Mountain: Assault!" Just as with his fight with Gajeel, rocks formed around Jura's body, the towering effigy standing tall against the Steel Phoenix. It was capable of weathering the incoming feathers despite the damage dealt, and then it used its large arms to grasp onto the wings of the phoenix, keeping it within a tight grip.

"What the…!?" Tristan gasped. He recalled Jura's defensive technique from the day before. What he didn't expect was it to suddenly have an offensive use.

"The Phoenix is a majestic creature. It will always rise when it has fallen. But in order to rise again…that means you must fall. And you shall do so, here and now." Jura said as the Rock Mountain crushed the Steel Phoenix, leaving nothing but glimmering lights of steel to rain down on the area. The Rock Mountain faded and Jura clapped his hands once more, planning to finish this. "Supreme Rock Crush!"

The rubble around Tristan started to move around. The knight instinctively used his sword to slash and crush them to bits. He couldn't keep this up forever as more and more rocks started to pile around him, soon constricting his movements. "Gah! No…!" And soon he was smothered within the rocks, which were then crushed under their Jura's might. Tristan's armor shattered from the explosion and he fell to the ground, unconscious. Despite his efforts, he could hardly hold a candle to the Wizard Saint.

"Tristan falls! Black Phoenix has been defeated and Lamia Scale advances!" Chapati said.

"Jura did amazing!" An awakened Chelia said, happily clapping her hands together. "He's like a new person now!"

"No kidding…he really might win this whole thing." Lyon said.

Despite Tristan's defeat, Leon held a smile.

* * *

Lastly, Blues vs Ilaria. Even though Blues lost to Sting in the previous round, he wanted to redeem himself! Injuries be damned, he'd fight! As for Ilaria, she was fresh and potent i scenario. That being said, Blues was capable of dishing out high physical damage that could close this gap fast and she was being made aware of this fast. "Can't wait to take down this White Eclipse mage!" Blues grinned while sprinting forward, using his White Water mode to do battle with the White Eclipse rookie. "White Water Dragon's Punch!"

"You really shouldn't talk like that." Ilaria said as the temperature around them lowered to a chill. A few of Blues' prior attacks left noticeable bruises on her somewhat frail body. "I don't want to disappoint my guild mates. If I do, you'll have to pay for it…" As Blues swung his fist, Ilaria shifted her body to the side, narrowly avoiding the powerful punch. The Soul-Binder then followed up with a kick to Blues' chest to knock him away, granting her time to fire a potent blast in his direction. "Soul Blast!"

Blues staggered from Ilaria's kick. It wasn't inherently powerful, but due to his injuries it did feel pretty bad on his condition. With the Soul Blast coming his way, he threw his hands forward, casting a 'net' composed of water in front of him to catch the blast. "Water Make: Net!" That defensive spell did not work the way he intended, as the blast of soul magic simply phased through it and him, causing Blues an odd sensation of pain yet again. Ilaria's magic attacked the soul and not the physical body, which is why nothing other than soul magic could interfere with it. _"Ugh! There it is again! I can't block her attacks for some reason. But she can't block mine either!"_ With the realization of Ilaria's double edged sword, he stood back up.

"Just a bit more! He's weak, finish him off!" Reiss cheered.

Ilaria couldn't let Blues stand back up. She sprinted towards him, manifesting chains of soul binding at her side. She intended to use this to chain his soul and force him to kneel! But as she neared, Blues held his hands at his sides. "White Water Dragon's Holy Ray!" Throwing his hands forward, beams of light infused water soared from all angles, striking Ilaria directly!

Ilaria let out a grunt of pain. There wasn't much she could do but try and avoid the rays of light. Her magic was a double edged sword, meaning she had little defense as the rays of light collided against her body for massive damage! She hit the ground, one eye closed while attempting to push herself up. "…"

"Finish her Blues!" Rocker shouted.

Blues wasn't going to let up on this pressure! He threw his hand forward once more, releasing a sphere of water with a faint hint of light hidden inside. "White Water Bomb!" This sphere was set to explode violently once it neared Ilaria, but the woman wasn't going to lie down and take that.

Extending her hand, she used her ethereal scythe to latch onto something most people couldn't see: a soul. There were various souls lingering around Crocus that no one was aware of, but Ilaria could see and interact with them. The scythe latched onto a soul and she used this to pull herself into the sky, way above an explosion that likely would've finished her. "That was close."

"Huh!?" In the eyes of Blues and others watching, they had no idea how Ilaria managed to avoid that.

Ilaria was starting to feel exhausted. Perhaps it was the accumulation of her prior damage against Prometheus along with what Blues was inflicting on her. It was time to end this now! Ilaria's magic surged strongly for a moment as she dove down. There was a bit of a transformation occurring within her body as one of the few souls within her reacted: The Warrior. The scythe in her hands turned into a large great sword. A blade of that size looked as though it could cleave through a building, but looks were deceiving considering her magic couldn't physically harm anything. Still, it was deadly nonetheless and she aimed to finish this bout!

"The grand finale!? I couldn't agree more!" Blues reared his arm back, gathering a large amount of water and light within his hand. "White Water Dragon's Ruinous Blow!" Blues and Ilaria swung at the same time. Their attacks collided against one another, resulting in a large pillar of water rising on the spot. All was silent as the water cascaded down upon the two fighters and the finale result was shocking for all to see…

Both fighters were down.

* * *

"Unbelivable! In a stunning turn of events, both Blues and Ilaria are down!" Chapati gasped.

"Ilaria…?" Tyson was trying to wrap his head around this. A draw!

"Ah man! That was wild…!" Bacchus laughed. "So what happens now!?"

Hisui had to think for a moment. This situation was unexpected but she already had an idea in mind. "Well…this wasn't exactly what I had in mind. But we'll have to move the final round up to this point. A three way finale between Lamia Scale, Fairy Tail, and Sabertooth!" Even though this wasn't what Hisui had in mind, the crowd seemed to enjoy it.

"A free for all in the stadium?" Gray lifted a brow. The remaining two guilds seemed just as confused, but just as excited.

"If the remaining three guilds would please sent out their last fighter!" Alfred said, overdramatically to get the crowd excited.

Two people stepped into the stadium. Yukino was stepping into the arena as Sabertooth's final fighter. "Everyone has worked so hard to get here. I swear I won't leave their efforts in vain!" She was the only one who had yet to fight. She had an advantage over everyone and after watching the fights, she could sit still no longer.

"Kick their butts!" Sorano cheered loudly for her younger sister.

"And the first person to step up is Yukino from Sabertooth!" Chapati declared.

The second person? No one should have been surprised. It took some time, but returning from the city was Jura. He stood with his arms folded, smiling at the crowd. "I will see this through to the end."

"Unfazed by his battles, The Wizard Saint Jura steps into the fray once more! Can anyone stop this monster, or will he claim victory let again!?" Chapati continued. So far Jura's rampage in the endgame of this tournament signified that Lamia Scale would be the victors.

"Lemme take this!" Natsu shouted. "I can take them both down!"

"You're still injured!" Lucy said. Heck, she was still not at 100% either.

"Pssh! I can take them both!" Natsu was confident.

"There he goes again, thinking he's all that…" Carla rolled her eyes.

"Uh, guys…" Cynthia was pointing down. "I uh…I think we got someone already?"

"Huh?" Elfman looked around, but didn't see anyone he knew from the guild missing. All but one person… "Wait…!"

Zelos was the one who hopped into the arena, waving to the screaming ladies and winking to them. "Hello! Hello! The most beautiful man you've ever seen is stepping into the ring!"

"Uhm…" Anna tilted her head. "This doesn't seem quite right."

"Zelos-sama…?" Yukino blinked a few times. "Can you step into this ring?"

"I recall hearing that this man wasn't a member of Fairy Tail…" Jura said quietly. "So then why…?"

"Of course I can!" Zelos beamed. Everyone was confused.

"A stranger has stepped into the ring on Fairy Tail's behalf?" Chapati was unable to make sense of the situation.

"HEY! COME BACK HERE! I WANNA FIGHT!" Natsu shouted.

"A stranger? That's so rude. I'll have you know I'm perfectly qualified to step into this ring. After all…" He opened his vest, revealing the Fairy Tail mark on his chest. "I _am_ a member of Fairy Tail after all!"

"WHHHHHHHHAAAAAATTTT?!" Multiple members of Fairy Tail fell out of their seats from this revelation. Everyone but Laxus and the Raijinshu.

Their reactions made Zelos laugh. "I'm here to wrap things up. I gotta say the tournament scene is pretty nice. Everyone staring at me, I can't get enough of it! The name is Zelos, don't forget it, announcer guy!"

"Hahaha…" Jura couldn't help but chuckle at this turn of events. "The fire of youth never ceases to amaze me. Very well then! Allow me to see how strong your conviction burns, Yukino-dono, Zelos-dono!"

This was all so confusing to Yukino and extremely out of the blue. But regardless, she was here to win this for Sabertooth! "Very well. No matter who I face, I will defeat them." The celestial mage said while taking a hold of two keys.

Zelos brought a hand to the handle of his sheathed blade, the Last Fencer. The air around him shifted, though his carefree expression remained. "It does pain me to hurt a beautiful lady…but it wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me if I gave her special treatment. All right you two; let's have a match to remember!"

.

.

Next Time: The Magic Swordsman Shines.


	144. Chapter 144: The Magic Swordsman Shines

Flashback: The night before.

With the excitement of Mio joining Fairy Tail dying down and everyone preparing for tomorrow, Zelos leaned against a wall, conversing with Laxus alone. "What a lively bunch. It must be fate that Mavis-chan's reincarnation came right back to Fairy Tail."

"It's a pleasant surprise. It'll be easier to keep her safe, too." Laxus kept his gaze on the magic swordsman. "But I doubt you wanted to chat with me just about that. So what's this about?"

"I hope that isn't a gaze of suspicion!" The red head put his hands up in the air. "I swear, I haven't done anything at all! I just had one simple request to make. Since you're Fairy Tail's master now, it would be best to ask you." Zelos thought they were alone, but in reality, Freed, Evergreen, Bickslow, and Mirajane were peeping around the corner. Couldn't blame them for feeling so curious since Zelos never asked anything.

"Ask me what?" Laxus lifted a brow. This was an extremely strange situation.

"Allow me to fight on Fairy Tail's behalf tomorrow." Zelos said. He was serious, too. It was rare for him to be serious which only added to the severity of his request. "I know you're keeping yourself on the sidelines so those two weirdoes don't snag Mio-chan away from the others. They're still injured and I doubt they could put up a good fight."

"So you want to fight tomorrow to ease the burden?" Laxus clarified. "That's a nice offer, but I'm gonna have to decline. I can't ask a non-Fairy Tail member to fight on our behalf, you know. We can handle this situation on our own."

Zelos sighed. "You know, I figured you'd say something like that. I also figured they wouldn't let me fight due to not being affiliated with a guild. Oh well, I suppose there's no way around it then. Let me join Fairy Tail then!"

"WHAT!?" Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen fell over, alerting the others of their presence. Since they were already spotted, Mira decided to come out of hiding as well.

"What?" Zelos blinked. "It can't be that odd a request. I mean, I _did_ almost join when I first met you guys two years ago. But Mii-chan beat me to the punch, and I didn't want to steal such a happy moment away from her." He wasn't wrong; he was going to join Fairy Tail at one point after seeing how they worked.

"It is a little surprising to hear now." Mira tilted her head, smiling. "But you've been with us for so long; you were basically integrated into the guild anyway. I don't see anything wrong with making it official."

"She's not wrong, but…" Evergreen regained her composure. "It's just odd to hear this request now of all times."

To that, Zelos laughed. "Odd? Nonsense! What's odd about me wanting to help out my favorite guild? We've been through so much; it's the least I can do!"

"Fine then. I can't say no if you're asking to join." In Laxus' eyes, it really was that simple. Sure Zelos was annoying at times, but as Mira mentioned, he was more or less apart of the guild already. "Mira, do you mind?" Laxus wasn't even going to bother asking himself. He already knew Zelos would rather get stamped by Mira or Ever.

"Not at all." Mira took a few steps forward, taking the stamp from Laxus' hands. "Where would you like your mark?"

"Ah! You know me so well!" Zelos clasped his hands together, grinning widely. He then opened his vest a bit, pointing to his heart. "Right there, if you please. That way, Fairy Tail is apart of my heart. Cheesy I know, but don't you guys love that sort of thing?" He wasn't wrong. At the very least he had Mira smiling.

"How sweet." The demoness said while pressing the stamp to his desire location. "There. You're now an official member of Fairy Tail."

Zelos kept his smile. "Thank you, Mira-chan! What an honor it is to be here!" As annoying as he was, Zelos never really did anything to arouse suspicion despite his affiliation with the Wizard Hunters. And yet…was this really a part of their grand scheme, or did he have his own motivations for finally joining Fairy Tail after two years? Only he knew.

* * *

"So…that's what happened…" Lucy was having a hard time accepting this. For whatever reason, Zelos actually joining the guild was just so odd to her.

"He did ask." Mira stifled a giggle.

"Still…" Gray had a sweat drop on his forehead.

"As odd as it is…" Erza began, staring down at the arena as the match was about to begin. "He's one of us now. So I think we should give him our full support."

"2 new members in the same night. It's hard to believe." Mio giggled. "Go Zelos! You can do it!"

"Yeah, show them how manly you are!" Elfman cheered. Zelos was one of them now, so they should have supported them!

Zelos waved a hand nonchalantly at the cheers coming his way. "Just sit back and watch as the great Zelos-sama does work!"

"I think he just brushed us off…" Cynthia said with a deadpan.

"I would've loved to see him kick the ass of a White Eclipse member! Oh but wait, they got taken out!" Natsu taunted White Eclipse.

"So did Quatro Cerberus." Reve didn't miss a beat. Despite not quite making it to the next round, nothing would stop the gunslinger from talking down to anyone. "Shame how a long standing veteran was unable win against our newest recruit. Just goes to show that we'll keep surpassing everyone."

"He always has a response, doesn't he…" Anna sighed.

* * *

"This is the final battle of the Fiore's Finest tournament! Are all three fighters ready!?" Hisui asked. "20 minutes is the time limit! BEGIN!"

Jura was the first one to start the bout off, clapping his hands together to manipulate the earth. Multiple chunks of rock were removed from the ground, now flying towards Yukino and Zelos to take them out. "Yukino-dono! Zelos-dono! May the stronger conviction prevail!"

"Gate of the Scales, I open thee! Libra!" Yukino's first summon of choice was Libra! The gravity spirit already knew what to do, changing the gravity of the rocks so they flew towards Zelos instead! She already knew that sending it back to Jura was pointless.

"Why me?!" Zelos whined before unsheathing his sword. A trail of wind followed his movements and sprung into the air with a rising, twirling slash, slicing through the rocks with the fierce tornado that surrounded him. "Severing Wind!" And his movements were so elegant; he could not help but pat himself on the back. "I'm so pretty…" His victory did not last long for Yukino had Libra fling him towards Jura with an intense push of gravity. "WAAAAAIT!"

"Iron Rock Fist!" Jura conjured a large gauntlet of earth, sending the elongated limb right towards the airborne Zelos! It was an intentional tag team on Jura and Yukino's part, leaving poor Zelos with the short end of the stick.

"This isn't fair!" Zelos whined before getting his act together. With a graceful spin, he managed to land on the rock limb, now sprinting along it towards Jura as his sword was enveloped in a veil of flame. Leaping forward, he reared his blade back. "Hell Pyre!" One would assume he was aiming for Jura, but he wasn't! Zelos flipped at the last moment while slashing his blade, sending the sphere of flame directly towards Libra!

"Ah…!" Yukino attempted to help Libra evade the attack, but it was too late. The Hell Pyre exploded against Libra, throwing the mute spirit backwards. Libra took a considerable amount of damage from that attack and Yukino found herself caught within the blaze as well. Libra took most of the damage, the explosion burned Yukino somewhat as well. "Libra, return!" There was no point in keeping Libra when she was so damaged.

While Yukino was dealing with the aftereffects of the Hell Prye, Zelos then made his move on Jura immediately after. The flames were extinguished, replaced by purple lightning! "Lightning Blade!" The magic swordsman thrust his sword forward, only for it to be blocked by pillars of rock that appeared in front of Jura, stopping his assault cold! At least, that's what one would assume. The red head smirked at this predictable notion. "Super Lightning Blade!" Another burst of lightning exploded from his blade, pushing him forward and managing to strike Jura's side! "I've been watching you fight old man, your tricks won't work on me!"

"Amazing! It looks like Zelos has taken control of the battle!" Chapati exclaimed.

"Wow, I didn't think he had any semblance of skill in him…" Gajeel scoffed.

Jura did take the hit directly. The lightning briefly coursed through his body but he recovered fast, bringing his arm backwards. "So your lackadaisical attitude is a ruse, is it? But if the foe is taking you seriously from the start, what do you do then!?"

"Not the face…!" Zelos shielded his pretty face, and as a result, Jura slammed his palm into his chest! It was an exceptionally heavy hit that winded the magic swordsman, throwing him for a loop and into the ground. "Ugh…my abs…"

"Ooh! And that must have left a mark!" Chapati and a few other winced at Jura's fierce attack!

"That man's ruse was hardly one to fall for." Hyberion remarked, continuing to swirl a wine glass around. No one really expected one of the Four Heavenly Kings to appear and give commentary, but they weren't going to complain either.

While Zelos was down, Yukino used this chance to act. With the two men occupying one another, the Tigress summoned Pisces and Deneb! "Deneb!"

"Ah…right…" The black swan sighed. Despite his demeanor, he was very fast, circling around Jura with lightning following his every movement! Yukino's goal was to entrap the Wizard Saint within lightning, while the two large fish dove down towards him! Jura was a threat that could not be ignored!

"Take him down, Sister!" Sorano cheered.

"And Yukino goes on the offensive! Will she be able to strike back against the mighty Wizard Saint!?" Chapati asked.

"Of course not!" Lyon said confidently.

"Ho?" Jura took note of Yukino's attack. Pisces was going to be an issue. The mother and son duo were capable of acting in unison at all times, and in fish form, they were too large targets to try and avoid. So Jura did the next best thing, flinging numerous rocks at the large fish, but their momentum and durability allowed them to break through. The mother fish slammed into Jura, but he used his hands to block the impact, now sliding back against his will as it was clear he was going to hit the wall! To make things worse, he passed through the triangle of lightning Deneb surrounded him in, giving an extra shock to his system. So multiple rocks emerged from the ground, giving him leverage to hold his ground and chop the mother right into the ground! But that was the least of his worries, for as he was in the midst of this, the son slammed into his side! A direct hit, one that caused him to slide backwards. "Hm! Not bad at all, Yukino-dono!"

Yukino was far from finished! While she hadn't quite mastered Star Dress to the degree that Lucy had, she could still use it aptly enough in combat. While Jura was distracted with the spirits, Yukino used Star Dress: Libra to give herself an edge! The shift in gravity allowed her leap high into the air, where she then came back down with gravity that could make Cygnus jealous! Her leg was raised high and she brought it down onto Jura's bald head! There was a resounding BOOM as she put as much force as she could into that attack…only for it to be blocked. "Ah…!"

Jura simply smiled at Yukino's attempt. It was a good effort, but… "Not good enough! Rock Tornado!" Bits of rock swirled rose up and began to swirl around him, slicing into Yukino before she was pushed away with a cry of pain. This technique acted as both an offensive and defensive measure for anyone that dared to get close.

"Kyaaaah!" Yukino cried out as she was flung into the air. Her landing wasn't looking so hot, but that's when the unexpected happened! Zelos sprang into the air, grabbed her, landed, and then set her down. "Huh? Zelos-sama, we're still in a fight…!"

"I know, but I couldn't let the lady have a rough landing!" Winking, Zelos' golden angel wings sprouted from his back and he pointed his sword forward at Jura. "Light Spear Cannon!" Spears of light rained down from above, slicing through the Rock Tornado. The final spear of light was so threatening that Jura actually jumped back just as it hit the ground! The impact caused a small explosion that left a burning hole in the ground! When Zelos landed, he found himself assaulted by a trident! "Whoa, hey!?" Using his blade to parry the weapon, he noticed he was being attacked by a dark skinned male. "Where did you come from!?"

The son of the Pisces pair kept attacking Zelos, using water magic from the trident to try and get the edge. Alas, he was a little more competent than expected! "Mother, now!"

"Mother?" Zelos turned, spotting the mother of the Pisces pair. She was hot and hearts appeared in his eyes as soon as he laid eyes on her! She had a son? She was so beautiful he completely forgot all about that! "Oh _hello!"_ And he proceeded to get kicked in the chest, a powerful beam of water magic following suit. Zelos grunted and tumbled along the ground after that. "Oof…"

"I don't think he's gonna last against fighting the women…" Lucy said with a sweat drop.

Jura was going to take advantage of this opportunity. His hands clapped together once more, making use of all the broken rubble in his surroundings. "Rock Avalanche!" The rocks then began to drop down on Yukino, Zelos, Deneb, and Pisces at dangerous speeds! It was his goal to crush and bury them under the rocks!

"Deneb, return!" Yukino quickly withdrew Deneb back to the Spirit World. As for Picses, the mother and son duo were easily capable of slicing through the rocks with their conjoined efforts! "Great work, you too!"

"Thank you, mom!" The son of the Pisces duo said to Yukino.

"Stop that! I am not your mother!" Yukino whined. Why did he always do that!? "Now, let's for for Jura-sama!"

"Yes!" The Pisces duo exclaimed in unison. By combining their magic power together, they were capable of releasing a powerful beam of water towards the Wizard Saint!

Jura lifted his hand up, creating numerous rock pillars in front of him. The line formation was broken, but he was pulling up more pillars than the conjoined beam of water could break through! Eventually the beam dispersed and Jura was completely unharmed, his confidence displayed to all. "It will take much more than that to get one over on me." Despite the fact he'd been damaged noticeably between yesterday and today, he was still standing tall. Truly deserving of the Wizard Saint title.

As for Zelos, a green barrier formed around his body. "Guardian!" This defensive spell shielded him from the incoming rocks. This green barrier then formed around his free hand as physical shield! "Man, I didn't think I'd have to use this now…" This free for all was becoming troublesome. Jura was a monster and Yukino was tough in her own right. "Ladies first as they say! I do this out of love, Yukino-chan!" The red head then sprinted towards Yukino and her spirits. The Pisces duo did attempt to stop him, but he elegantly evaded their attacks with a twist of his body, sliding right past them! He then drew his sword back and swung it along the ground. "Demon Fang!" The swing of his sword caused a large shockwave to travel forward, right for Yukino!

"…!" Yukino jumped to avoid the incoming shockwave. Its power was nothing to sneeze at as the ground the shockwave tore through the ground. That could've been ba…

"Double Demon Fang!" Zelos swung a second time! The first was a ruse and now Yukino was in trouble! Another, larger shockwave was coming her way.

Luckily for Yukino, she still had Libra's Stardress! So she was able to change her center of gravity and soar into the air! That was a close shave, but unfortunately, it seemed that Zelos was deadest on targeting her, for he was already in the skies where she'd be. "Ah…!"

"This hurts me more than it hurts you, Yukino-chan!" Zelos said while bringing the blunt end of his blade down on her skull! "Fierce Demon Fang!" The power of a Demon Fang was imbued within the blade, leading to Yukino receiving a powerful strike that slammed her right into the ground!

"Yukino!" Sting cried out. He felt that impact.

"I didn't think he had that in him." Gray admitted. That was pretty rough for a ladies man like Zelos, but he could appreciate that Zelos was actually putting in effort!

"As they say…woman or not, for the guild, or something…" Zelos scratched his head.

"WATCH OUT!" Romeo and Lisanna shouted.

"Huh?" Turning, Zelos noticed multiple Iron Rock Fists coming his way! He was an easy target in the air…at least, that's what one would assume! But his beautiful wings weren't just for show! With impressive aerial mobility, he easily evaded the incoming fists! One was on a collision course with him, but he brought his shield up, deflecting the arm just slightly to keep his flight path straight. "Super Sonic Thrust!" Zelos thrusted his blade as he passed Jura! It looked like it was a direct hit, but when he turned; he noticed that the Wizard Saint had thick rock around Zelos' predicted strike! "Damn!" Now he was really getting frustrated with this old man!

"As shown before, Jura is displaying why he's an immovable mountain. Will he win this bout?" Hisui questioned allowed. Nothing truly seemed to be fazing Jura now! He was a changed man over this year!

"Try this on for size then!" Raising his hand into the air, Zelos created numerous crosses of light around Jura. "Gospel!" These crosses all surrounded the Wizard Saint and exploded upon him! There was one final cross whose explosion was much larger than the previous! The smoke cleared…and it seemed like that attack was enough to force Jura to use Rock Mountain. The Rock Mountain soaked up a large amount of the damage dealt, much to Zelos' continued annoyance. "This is why I don't like fighting old men, they're stubb-"

Surprise knee to the chin! Yukino was still active! She caught Zelos off guard, striking him with numerous close combat blows; a kick to the chest, a palm strike to the cheek, a knee to the stomach! She was about to finish stroke with a punch to the face, but as one would expect…

"Not the face…!" Zelos continued to plead. Yukino's brows furrowed before she changed her target mid punch, feeling a bit bad and punching him in the solar plexus instead. The result was still the same as Zelos was staggering from the blow. "Ow…" And to everyone's surprise, the arena had been darkening, resembling a night sky with numerous stars filling the arena! "Huh?"

"Oh no!" Lucy gasped.

The whole time, Yukino was silently muttering the incantation to Urano Metria under her breath! It was time to finish this! "Shine! Urano Metria!" With Jura's defenses having been softened by Zelos' attack, and Zelos being staggered, this was the perfect chance! All 88 stars erupted in brilliant flashes of light, consuming everything in its wake!

"It seems that the night sky has come!" Alfred said, covering his eyes from the light.

"That's it, Yukino!" Lector cheered!

"That has to be the end." Sorano said confidently.

As the light died down, it did reveal that Zelos and Jura did receive injury from the attack! Zelos was panting heavily, groaning as he began to regret this decision of wanting to fight. "Why did I do this…" He rolled his eyes, rotating his shoulder. "That one hurt, Yukino-chan…a lot…" Honestly, he wasn't entirely sure how much longer he was willing to put up with this. It was all fun and games until a little while ago.

To no one's surprise, Jura was still standing tall. "I wasn't expecting that. It pleases me to see how far everyone has come since the war."

Yukino's eyes widened. She was honestly certain that her attack would be the end of it! She did manage to damage the both of them severely, yet it just wasn't enough. "They're both so strong…" And to make matters worse for her, keeping Pisces gate open, along with the continual drain of Star Dress was taking its toll on her.

"You two have put up an exceptional fight. But it seems that your conviction is beginning to wane, whereas mine is still strong. I commend the both of you for this battle. It was quite enjoyable." Jura clapped his hands together one more time, the ground beginning to tremble violently. Everyone knew what was coming.

"Yukino, get out of there!" Rogue shouted.

"Zelos, watch out!" Erza warned.

"Rumbling Mt. Fuji!" The fact that Jura still had magic to spare to use this technique twice within a day said a lot. Neither Zelos nor Yukino could do a thing as the ground exploded, a rising pillar of magic consuming the entire arena while shooting into the sky! The entire Domus Flau trembled under his might. Everyone could only stare at the destruction taking place, silently wondering if that was in fact the end. The signature technique was so strong the battlefield itself was nearly destroyed!

As the attack died down, one contestant was down: Yukino. Pisces was forced back into the Spirit World after sustaining so much damage, and Yukino was just unconscious. "YUKINO IS DOWN!" Chapati exclaimed.

"…She did her best against all odds. That is all we could have asked of her." Minerva said.

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch said sadly. He really wanted Yukino to win!

For safety precautions, Yukino was then teleported out of the arena. The battle wasn't over yet…because Zelos was still standing, brusied and bloodied after taking that hit head on! He did try to defend against it with Guardian, but his shield broke for it could only withstand so much pressure. "Ugh…my clothes, my hair, my beautiful skin, all ruined…" He whined while swaying back and forth. Fighting was a mistake.

"He's still standing?" Hisui was shocked as was everyone else!

"FINISH HIM OFFFF!" Toby screamed.

"You are a more formidable opponent than I expected, Zelos-dono." Jura admitted. "But it seems that your conviction for this battle is gone. Regardless, you've done Fairy Tail proud. I will honor your defeat with my strongest technique." He had another after Mt. Fuji!? That's right. Jura controlled every bit of rubble and rock in the arena, funneling it into the sky where it all merged into a large mountain overhead! This mountain completely covered the circumference of the arena, leaving no safe spot! Looking at Zelos' condition, he wouldn't be able to soundly block this either. "This is for Lamia Scale! WORLD'S END FALL!" And so, that gigantic land mass began to descend onto the arena.

"It's huge…!" Chelia gasped.

"There's no way he survives…" Reiss commented, sweating at the size of Jura's attack.

"…." Kagura didn't say anything. She just watched along with Memaid Heel.

Zelos looked up at the attack and sighed. "Well, I can at least say I tried." He was giving up. As it stood right now, he didn't particularly care about keeping this fight going. It was exhausting putting in so much effort.

"STAND UP!" Natsu yelled. He was the first one to tell, which was surprising. "I know you're not done yet!"

"Huh?" Zelos turned to look at Natsu.

"I've seen you fight! I know you got more than that in you, Zelos!" Natsu kept going. Zelos was one of them and he always supported one of their own. "Don't throw in the towel yet! Not until it's over! Face that attack head on! For better or worse! You're a Fairy Tail mage now, and you already know we fight until the end!"

"Yeah!" Lucy and Happy added.

"You can do, it Zelos!" Mio also cheered. Since hearing that she and Zelos joined in the same night, she felt as though she had to support her fellow newcomer! After Mio, the others started joining in as well! They were earnestly rooting for him to win!

What a strange feeling this was. Zelos couldn't help but smile. To have people actually supporting him like this? _"Is this how it felt for you, Mii-chan? I can see why you liked it here so much. Well then…"_ Sighing once more, Zelos turned his head to the incoming mountain falling towards him. How annoying! "You guys are actually really annoying! But I can't disappoint all the ladies going out of their way to cheer for me, now can I?! Zelos-sama will give everyone something special to behold!" And just like that, his motivation and conviction returned!

"It's too late! You cannot stop this attack!" Jura declared.

"Wanna see what a motivated man can do, baldie? Let me show you what I can do when I get serious! The magic swordsman is about to shine!" Lifting his sword into the sky, a brilliant white light shrouded the blade, doubling its size. "Angel's Crest!"

Lucy's eyes widened at that move. "That's…!"

This blade continued to grow inside. Zelos brought it down vertically, struggling against the World's End Fall for a few seconds before his strength came out on top, cleaving through the attack as though it were nothing! This was no small feat and everyone recognized it as it happened! As everyone was in shock about what Zelos just did, he winked and ascended to the air, several magic circles appearing on the arena. Zelos drew in divine energy from the area around him, focusing it all through the glyph that engraved itself on the arena, binding Jura in place despite his strength. "And for the beautiful coup de grace…SHINING BIND!" The collected energy was released in an extended blast of light, lifting Jura in the air for the duration of the spell. Multiple attacks were unleashed within this one spell, and when it was finally over, Jura was thrown away as Zelos landed back on the ground, now really exhausted from the amount of magic power he just used up. "Yeah…I'm just too beautiful for this world." Zelos stated confidently, running a hand through his hair.

The result was unbelievable. After that final attack, Jura was the one knocked unconscious. It was a decisive finish that left everyone in the arena speechless!

"…"

"JURA HAS BEEN DEFEATED!" Chapati shouted to break the silence. "THE WINNER IS ZELOS FROM FAIRY TAIL!" It took a moment for it to settle. Lamia Scale was in complete shock, while Fairy Tail erupted in a loud cheer.

"He won…?" Luke blinked slowly. "Who the hell is that guy…?"

"HE WON!" Mira and Lisanna were jumping for joy.

Even Hyberion was surprised by this outcome. "…That man…" Something about Zelos was different than any other mage he met thus far. He didn't know what it was, but it bothered him now.

"A beautiful parfume of victory. Men." Ichiya had to give his congratulations to the victor. Soon the crowd finally joined in.

"With this, that means that Fairy Tail is the winner of Fiore's Finest!" Hisui proclaimed. "Congratulations, Fairy Tail!"

"Wow." Freed crossed his arms. "He surprised me…I didn't think he had that much strength all this time."

"He's been holding out on us." Evergreen scoffed.

* * *

With Zelos claiming victory in the name of Fairy Tail, the guild met Hisui in the center of the ruined stadium. She had the trophy ready and handed it to the one who claimed it all: Zelos. "Congratulations on your victory, Zelos, Fairy Tail. Everyone fought spectacularly out there!"

"Not bad." Gray said with a smirk. "I didn't think you had it in you to do more than flirt and complain."

"Oh please. As an angel, my abilities are far superior to you guys." Now Zelos was kinda getting a big head.

"I think we praised him too much." Cynthia sighed. "But still, he really did do great!"

"Please, keep it coming." Zelos bowed.

"We should stop now." Lucy said. "Too much hot hair and his head will explode…"

The Queen couldn't help but giggle at the events unfolding before her. "With this tournament concluding, it will take a few days to decide those who will be selected for the Earthland's Strongest tournament. But thank you all for competing and coming out to…" And before she could finish speaking to the crowd, a surprise guest walked in.

"Oi, hold up!" Keele said, rudely walking into the arena. Now that the tournament was officially over, he could do what he'd been waiting for! "You!" He pointed at Natsu.

"Me…?" Natsu blinked. Did he know this guy? They did meet last year, but all of the events that unfolded after departing Crocus to revive Fairy Tail and onward just kinda made him forget.

"Yeah, you. I want to fight you and see if this weakling guild really is all that." Keele stated. He had his eyes on Natsu since last year! Now was the perfect chance to see what the Salamander was made of. After his fight against Cynthia and Wendy, he wanted to test this might for himself. But for what reason?

Weakling guild? Now that was one way to rile up Natsu. Flames flared around his body and he took a step forward, smirking towards Keele. "Weakling? I'm gonna make you take those words back."

Alfred sighed. "…And there goes Keele, doing what he wants again. I thought he was going to wait a little longer. I didn't think this would be right after the tournament was over.

* * *

Above the Domus Flau, Prometheus and Pandora were lurking above. The current events served as a perfect cover. "We are in prime position. Prometheus, are you prepared?"

Prometheus nodded in response, his wicked smile crossing his lips. "Absolutely. This time we will snag Fairy Heart without question!"

.

.

Next Time: The Harvest


	145. Chapter 145: The Harvest

The Fiore's Finest tournament ended with Zelos claiming victory over Yukino and Jura. This meant that he claimed victory for Fairy Tail itself! It was an astounding feat to end the tournament on, defeating the Wizard Saint would threatened to take it all. Just as the tournament came to a close, Natsu received a challenge from Keele of Al Dente! It was certainly out of the blue, but it was allowed. Hisui didn't see why not…plus the tournament ended, so they could use the stage as they saw fit. The others at Fairy Tail had to return to the stands as this battle panned out. Anna was a little nervous. "…Will he be all right? He's still recovering from his battle yesterday, isn't he?"

"He said he was fine." Lucy held a confident smile. "I believe Natsu will be fine."

Anna couldn't help but smile at the faith Lucy held in Natsu. "Perhaps you're right. I should have some faith in him as well."

"I did heal Natsu-san as best as I could." Wendy said. "I think he's in top form."

"Come on Natsu, kick his butt!" Happy cheered.

"He's gonna get his ass kicked." Cygnus scoffed." No way he makes it out of this."

Juilet was panicking. When Keele ran off so suddenly, she didn't think he would do this! "Ahhh! Why would he do this!? We were about to pack it up and go home!"

"Leave it to an idiot to fight an idiot." Blair rolled her eyes. "There's no point trying to stop it now. They've already started."

"What's the harm in it?" Vernal held a mischievous smile. "I didn't think telling him to fight that guy as soon as the tournament ended would lead to thissssss~"

Juliet cut her eyes at Vernal. "Why would you do thisssss!?"

"Hehehe…" The woman just laughed. She enjoyed causing strife for her guild members like this.

"Let him do his thing." Rowan, the head chef of Al Dente! said. "We still have plenty of time."

"Plenty of time? He'll be done in a few minutes." Cloud scoffed. "We might as well start packing up now. He'll be finished before we are."

"Pretty much." Yuki nodded.

* * *

Natsu and Keele were already fighting. As soon as the two of them were clear, the battle began. Natsu was sprinting towards Keele at full speed, rearing his arm back as flames ignited around it. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" He swung his fist right for Keele's face, but Keele evaded this by easily steeping to the side.

"Weak!" Keele taunted.

Natsu narrowed his eyes. It was coming back to him now. Keele was that guy who butted in during their clash with the Wizard Hunters the other day! The taunt did aggravate him a little, but he already planned to use his actions to shut this guy up. Even as his fist whiffed, he spun around, aiming a spinning kick for Keele's skull, which was blocked by his forearm. Keele then fired back with a straight punch to Natsu's chest. The raw power caused Natsu's eyes to widen and he was thrown back a considerable distance. "Gwah!"

"Natsu!" Lisanna cried out.

"Wow, that was quite a blow!" Chapati said, rather impressed by Keele's show of strength.

"That's Keele for you." Aflred rolled his eyes. "I can't help but feel concerned for the other fighter. Natsu, was it? I believe he'll be knocked unconscious before long." To Alfred and the others at Al Dente, Keele's victory was all but assured. But what really got under Fairy Tail's skin was the blatant disregard for Natsu's own abilities.

"They really think NATSU of all people is gonna go down in a few minutes? Now that's rich!" Bickslow laughed.

Natsu landed on the ground, digging his fingers into the dirt to forcibly stop his momentum. Keele was tough, but that made him grin. His cheeks then inflated and he threw his head forward, parting his lips in the process. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" From his mouth, a large funnel of orange flame shot forth, attempting to consume his target. As for Keele, he easily jumped to the side, but kept his guard up! From the funnel of flames, Natsu emerged once more! "And, Fire Dragon's Wing Slash!" Trails of flame appeared behind his spread out arms. The burst of flame gave him a brief speed increase which allowed him to close the gap and slash Keele's chest! Sliding behind Keele, Natsu had a wide grin on his lips after the direct hit. "How was that?"

Keele turned around. His shirt and skin were burned. Damage had been dealt, but he was rather unfazed. Instead, a mocking smile crossed his lips as he pointed at Natsu condescendingly. "I know girls that hit harder." To him, this was an insult. Keele's sexism made him believe that woman were the inferior and weaker sex, thus this was the ultimate burn in his eyes.

Natsu didn't quite get it, but he could tell Keele was still insulting him. Rearing his arm back, flames surged into a powerful wildfire around his arm. "Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!" Throwing his arm forward, a massive torrent of flames soared towards Keele! This inferno was even stronger than the roar he released a moment ago. This was an attack that would absolutely deal heavy damage in the event that it hit.

"Back when you came to Crocus a year ago, I thought you might've had some talent." As Keele spoke, his arm changed; it turned into a large ape's arm that was coated in dragon scales. "But then you couldn't even beat two girls? Maybe I was wrong about you. Then again, maybe it was a fluke? Engine: Burst!" And then he threw his fist forward. This single punch created a massive shockwave that uprooted the ground itself. The shockwave plowed through the Firing Hammer, forcing the flames to disperse and struck Natsu, causing him to fly backwards.

"GAAAAH!" Natsu cried out as he was thrown back with so much force, there was an indent in the ground from Keele's punch alone.

"That punch…" Erza was admittedly a little worried after that display of power.

"Natsu!" Happy said worriedly.

Clenching an eye shut, Natsu grit his teeth and regained his momentum. Flipping, his feet touched upon the arena wall and he used it to propel himself forward at incredible speeds. Fire and lightning now surged around his entire body. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Sword Horn!" As Natsu flew towards Keele, Keele decided to meet him more than halfway. Natsu didn't even make it far when Keele was already in front of him, swinging his gigantic fist down to slam it onto Natsu's back, crushing him into the ground with such force a small crater formed. "…!"

"Holy shit…" Luke mumbled.

"…How strong are the people from that restaurant…" Jenny couldn't believe what she was seeing. Natsu of all people was getting beaten down! The crowd was also silent.

"Hah, loser." Keele held that taunting sneer while looking down at Natsu.

Natsu's eyes were wide after that attack. Every one of Keele's attacks hit like a train. It didn't help that he wasn't entirely feeling the best after his battle with Cynthia and Wendy, but that was no excuse. He wouldn't lose here! Forcing himself up, he spun his body around, aiming a rising kick to Keele's chin! It was narrowly avoided, but Natsu used this self-built momentum to spring off his hands and flip, swinging his leg for the crown of Keele's head. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Talon!" The hit was blocked by Keele's arm. Natsu smirked and flipped away, and just as Keele went to chase…

A bolt of lightning dropped down from above, smiting Keele where he stood! "…Tch! Cheap trick…!" Keele grunted as he was temporarily paralyzed from the blow!

This gave Natsu the opening he was waiting for. Keele was strong, but it was his turn to land the direct hit! His cheeks inflated fast, now unleashing another roar at point blank range. "Roar of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" This one was a direct hit! The funnel of fire and lightning consumed Keele completely, leaving naught but destruction its wake.

"Atta boy Natsu!" Lucy cheered. "Show 'em what you're really made of!"

"That was an impressive action." Alfred said. "Although…."

The smoke around Keele cleared. While he was burned and took damage from Natsu's attack, it was far from enough to even make him flinch. That grin was still present. It was pretty clear at this point to members of Al Dente that Keele didn't need to take this seriously at all. "That it?"

"Tch…" Natsu grit his teeth, keeping a smile on his face at the same time. "I got plenty more!"

Mira was watching the fight with a frown. It was a considerable uphill battle for Natsu and everyone could see that. But what she noticed is what caused a dreadful feeling. "…He's a takeover mage as well." Mira said, catching everyone's attention. "However, he's only been using that one arm to attack Natsu, and that alone has been doing a considerable amount of damage. I'm not saying I don't have faith, but this opponent is very strong."

"I've seen him overcome worse!" Gray scoffed at the notion of Natsu losing.

"He can't lose after all that hard work I put in!" Zelos said, somehow making this situation about him.

"That man is very

Keele then let out a battle cry that caused tremors in the entire arena! Part of it was even breaking apart. Such a loud cry held no magic; it was just a display of overwhelming strength. Keele's arms began to vibrate like an old school engine, gathering power as they did so. "Third gear…"

Natsu barely managed to keep his footing in the rumbling earth. How strong was this guy? Too strong, but he enjoyed these types of contests! It was clear that Keele must have been getting ready to finish this off, and Natsu would do the same! Fire and lightning swirled around his fist and he lunged forward at full speed, rearing his arm back with everything he could muster. "Lightning Flame Dragon King's Demolition Fist!"

"Nitrous!" Keele exclaimed as flames ignited around his arm! He lunged and met Natsu first. The two did swing, but it was a matter of who hit first in this instance. The result was a massive explosion of flames that shook the arena. All fell silent for the few seconds the smoke lingered, and when that smoke cleared…the result was obvious. Keele was standing and it didn't even look like he broke a sweat. As for Natsu, he was on his back, eyes white to signify his defeat. "That was easier than I thought…" And Keele sounded a little disappointed at that. Shaking his head, he already started to make his exit.

"Unbelievable…!" Chapati gasped. "Natsu has been defeated…!"

Alfred stood up from his seat. "I didn't expect anything less. Thank you for having me as an esteemed guest for this tournament. But it's about time I take my stage left exit. Don't forget to watch my movies when you have the chance." The actor bowed and took his leave!

"Yup. Ass kicked." Cygnus shook his head. "I could've taken him."

"Natsu-san…lost?" Sting couldn't believe what he just witnessed.

* * *

"Natsu…!" Lucy's eyes widened and she wasted no time hurry to his side, along with Wendy.

"Natsu-san!" Wendy already placed her hands over Natsu's body, putting her healing magic to work. It was enough to bring Natsu back to the world of consciousness, but god was he in pain.

"Ugh…wait…come back, you bastard…! I wasn't…finished…" Natsu tried to sit up, but Wendy ushered him down.

"Natsu-san, you mustn't move…!" Wendy chided him.

That was a conclusion only a select few predicted would happen. For the sake of the people, it was the only conclusion they would have wanted. But things went from fine to bad as a heinous laughter filled the air. It came from above and there was only one person who could laugh like that. "Kyahaha! Now that was some quality entertainment." Prometheus said from the skies.

Mio's eyes widened. "They're here again!?"

"Prometheus…!" Erza narrowed her eyes. Were they still after Mio!? She wouldn't allow it! Shifting into her Black Wing armor, she already took to the skies to try and cut Prometheus down.

"I knew they wouldn't let it go that easily." Laxus entered his lightning body, zipping into the skies to strike Prometheus along with Erza!

Just before they could reach Prometheus, a barrier appeared in front of him, repelling them from the Grim Reaper; needless to say that this was courtesy of Pandora. "You will not touch Prometheus."

"These clowns again?" Luke clenched a hand into a fist. He couldn't exactly fly and neither could the others. "Cyg, bring 'em down!"

"Already on it!" Smirking, the demi-god snapped his fingers, creating an intense field of gravity around Prometheus and Pandora. Unfortunately it had no effect as it was offset by Pandora's magic. "Damn it!"

A magic circle appeared above the arena, giving off a ghastly aura. "We tried to do things the easy way, but alas, it was to no avail. We are here for Fairy Heart, and we'll take it one way or another! It's time for the Soul Harvest!" The magic circle created by Prometheus' hand began to spin slowly, drawing in the life force of those in the Domus Flau! It was a massive harvest, drawing in the souls of everyone in the arena!

"Everyone…!" Ilaria was still feeling a little beat up from her fight with Blues. That didn't stop her from creating multiple chains that stabbed into the souls of her guild mates. She was the only one capable of resisting Prometheus' pull, but it was only for so long! It was incredibly strong. For those without magic? It was an even faster process.

"He's…trying to kill everyone here!?" Kagura clenched her teeth, trying to muster the strength to move. Her body felt weaker with each passing second. She wasn't certain how long she could last, but she had to go for it! Lunging up into the skies, she swung her sword at Prometheus, but Pandora parried the hit with her scepter. "Ngh…!"

"There is nothing you can do about this situation." Pandora said flatly as Kagura fell back to the ground.

Sting grit his teeth, placing a hand on his chest. "Damn it…! I can't move…!"

"Sherri…" Chelia's gaze was dulled. "I feel…really tired…."

Sherri's eyes widened at Chelia's words. For her, the process was so and agonizing, but Chelia didn't have magic, so then…! "Hold on, Chelia! Don't close your eyes, I beg you!"

"Everyone, please…evacuate…!" Hisui was trying to get the royal guard to evacuate the civilians, but that was easier said than done right now.

"Were they really waiting for us to finish beating each other up!?" Asuka growled. What a dirty trick!

"I can feel it slipping away slowly…" Ren grunted. "But I won't allow my soul to be torn away from my wife's, you unhandsome devil!" His devotion was admirable, but devotion in this case only got someone so far.

Even the favorite host was feeling it! He didn't have much fight so Chapati's soul was slowly leaving his body in favor of feeding Prometheus! "KYAHAHAHAHA!" Prometheus cackled as the harvest only made him stronger and stronger! "There's only one way to stop this! Fairy Tail knows what it is!"

"We're not…handin'…her over…" Natsu was already injured and the events transpiring didn't stop him from attempting to stand. Of course it wasn't easy, but he wasn't handing anything over! He wasn't going to let these people be hurt either!

"Leave it to Fairy Tail to put everyone in jeopardy!" Waiston growled. Ilaria's help kept the guild grounded, but it was only for so long.

"Where are the old man and that Helena chick when you need them!?" Cygnus grunted. Of course they left the night before!

"It would matter not. Our strength is far too vast to be compared to the likes of them." Pandora's flat tone carried. "That aside, once we acquire Fairy Heart, we will leave."

Those words sounded way too familiar for a lot of people. Mio was frantically looking around at all the people in the process of suffering, or had already passed in the audience. The strangest part is that _she_ was the only person left alone throughout all of this. No, it wasn't strange at all. It was intentional. Prometheus and Pandora couldn't pull capture Mio by force, so they planned to make her go a different way. By harming innocents and people she cared about. It was a dirty trick, one that angered her, but…to see her new family suffering like this. It pained her heart. Was she really the only one who could stop this?"

"Babies!" Bickslow was one of the few who could resist Prometheus' pull. "Omega Formation!" The dolls at Bickslow's command lined up, all of them unleashing large blasts of Seith magic at Prometheus. As expected, Pandora blocked the hit. They couldn't hit Prometheus without getting past Pandora, but Pandora was already focused on defense and no one had the strength to muster an attack strong enough to push through. "Once again!" Bickslow kept firing and it only got the same result.

"Gh…now I really wish I didn't fight…" Zelos groaned. "This is so…not pretty…"

Mio continued to look around. Everyone was struggling. This madness was an impossible climb. It took all anyone had just to keep their consciousness. It was the foulest of tactics and Mio hated it, but it worked. She couldn't watch this. If she was the only one who could do anything about this, then she would save these people. These people who saved her, took her into their home, even for a day. That warm feeling Fairy Tail gave her meant so much and she would have hated for it to die out just like this. So Mio sighed and took a step forward. "Please, stop. I'll go with you."

"N-No, you can't…!" Lisanna shouted.

"Ho?" Prometheus tilted his head. "Are you finally giving in?"

"Please, don't hurt them anymore. I will go with you under the condition that these people will be left unharmed. All of them." Mio stared up at Prometheus and Pandora. Even if Prometheus wouldn't follow through, she had a strong feeling that if they agreed, Pandora would be the one to keep that word. "That is my condition."

"No! Don't throw yourselves at them!" Erza weakly objected.

Mio started to walk ahead. Despite the various objections from Fairy Tail, she would not stop. As Prometheus dropped down, Mio turned to face her old, new guild. "I cannot stand here and watch all of you suffer like this. I don't know why, but even though we just met, it pains me greatly to see you all hurt. We're family now, so I must do what I can to ensure your safety. You all have something you must do, correct? It wouldn't do you all well if you were unable to accomplish your mission. I know things have been very difficult as of late for you all, but I also know that if anyone can overcome the challenges that come ahead it will be you, Fairy Tail. I'm sorry that I dragged you all into this, but I will make sure you get out safely." Mio was very well aware of what awaited her the second Prometheus got his hands on her. She would die. But she was okay with that. "Thank you for everything, Fairy Tail." And for a moment, she wasn't just speaking as Mio, but as Mavis Vermillion.

"First, no!" Mira shouted on instinct.

"No, we can't!" Mest shouted. But until the deed was done, there was nothing they could do with Prometheus' pull slowly only to an agonizing crawl.

"Though out paths may have diverged, you must continue to live out your life with all your might, you must never consider your own life to be something insignificant, and you must never forget about your friends for as long as you live." Those were Mio's last words as she turned to Prometheus.

"NOW!" Natsu, Gray, and Erza all attempted to attack Prometheus one last time before he could get his hands on Mio. It was a last ditch effort, but as one would expect, Pandora kept the weakened wizards at bay with a single swipe of her scepter. "GAAAH!"

"Finally…" Prometheus' lips curled up into a victorious grin. Wasting no time, he thrusted his hand into Mio's chest, the surge of magic power blinding everyone in the arena. Mio let out a cry of pain as Prometheus grasped exactly what he was looking for. "Zeref caused an entire war all for this! And I was able to snatch it within a matter of moments! Fairy Heart is now within my grasp!" When he pulled his hand out, Mio's eyes dulled and her lifeless body collapsed. Prometheus then clenched his hand into a fist, absorbing Mio's soul and Fairy Heart into his body. The surge of magic power alone nearly destroyed the stadium! "KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" As Prometheus' power rose, Pandora's did as well. Their boost in strength was felt throughout the entire country of Fiore! As the light died down, Prometheus stood in garments similar to his Prometheus Titan state. As for Pandora, she had garb similar to Pandora Calamity, only she wasn't insane this time. "OH, THIS POWER! IT'S UNREAL! INFINITE MAGIC POWER SURGING THROUGH US!"

The Soul Harvest stopped. Whether Prometheus did it intentionally or not didn't matter. The causalities were high, but Chelia and Chapati managed to pull through. While others were struggling to regain their strength, Wendy and Cynthia hurried to Mio's lifeless corpse. "Oh no…" Cynthia frowned. "She's really…"

"DAMN YOOOOOU!" Natsu roared while swinging for Pandora. It already clicked that they needed to get past her anyway, so why not take her out? Unfortunately for him, Prometheus was the one who stood in front of him. There was a magic barrier in front of him that prevented Natsu's fist from even colliding with him! "What!?"

"KYAHAHAHA!" Prometheus laughed and swung his hand down. This prompted a large explosion that decimated a large section of the Domus Flau, blowing Natsu and Lucy away in the process. Evacuations begun thanks to the Royal Guard and the other guilds such as Blue Pegasus and Quatro Cerberus. "THIS FEELS INCREDBILE! AHAHAHAHA!" He brought his hand up again, only to be stopped by Pandora. "Huh?"

Pandora's red eyes narrowed into a glare. "We made a deal, Prometheus. We are to leave these people alone now." Sometimes Pandora being Prometheus' leash was a good thing. Prometheus was about to go on a tirade now that he was drunk on power, but she was the only being capable of reigning him in. "We will honor her final request."

"…" Prometheus remained silent before sucking his teeth in annoyance. "Fine!" He and Pandora started to float into the sky. "Thanks for the treat, Fiore! We'll be seeing you again _real_ soon! KYAHAHAHAHA!"

"DAMN YOU GET BACK HERE!" Natsu screamed, but his injuries got the best of him and he fell over. "Damn it..." No one could pursue Prometheus and Pandora as they left, leaving another trail of death in destruction in their wake. First Avatar, their own comrades during the war with Alvarez, and now the people of Fiore! Everywhere they went, they killed countless people for their own benefit. They were growing far too strong for anyone to stop at this rate….

* * *

Jacob witnessed the whole thing. He wasn't in the stadium when Prometheus and Pandora attacked, but he wish he was, if only to stop them from obtaining Fairy Heart. If he had done this, Emmeraude's job would have been much easier. But it was too late now. They had to roll with the punches that came in the future. "It's time to return to Alvarez and report to Her Majesty. Fiore will not be a threat in Ishgar's Strongest."

And that…is how Fiore's Finest came to an end. A sweet sense of victory, followed by a bitter taste of weakness and defeat.

.

.

Next Time: The Chosen 10.


	146. Chapter 146: The Chosen 10

It had been a few days since the Fiore's Finest tournament ended on a grim note. Everything was fine and peaceful until Prometheus and Pandora appeared. The trail of death they left behind impacted Fiore once again. If not for Mio's sacrifice, there would have been more sacrifices, so they could at least thank her for that. As it stood now, Hisui was in a meeting with Kemuri and the Four Kings of Ishgar. It was important that they discuss what happened, along with what their plan was moving forward. "That incident the other day was a mortifying experience." Hisui said. Her voice was stern but her expression had fallen just slightly. It took an emotional toll on the Queen who could do nothing but watch as her beloved people were killed before her eyes. But she had to remain strong.

"I deeply apologize for my inability to intervene." Hyberion said, keeping a glass of wine within his hand. "It was very disgraceful. A man of my position unable to do a thing as innocent people are being put in jeopardy."

Even Warrod couldn't make a joke in this tense situation. He was watering a few plants that he brought. The old man was filled in on the details and naturally had his own opinion. "We've been quite lax this past year. I wish I could joke about the situation, but even I can't do that seeing as how Prometheus has obtained Fairy Heart. It was an unexpected turn of events."

"We should take this situation seriously, Warrod." Wolfheim said, not in the mood to even hear the word 'joke'. "As it stands right now, Fiore is in shambles. The incident with the Wizard Hunters weakening ties with Alvarez, the situation concerning Her Majesty…"

"Yes, your plate is quite full." Kemuri remarked. He took a long whiff of his cigar, blowing smoke out of his mouth. "The people are in fear, confused, and that's just only a few of the issues we have to deal with." The Council Chairman held a serious look, but on the inside, the fact that things were slowly crumbling only one year into Hisui's rule brought him some joy. Clearly she wasn't as fit to rule this country as her father was, but even to Kemuri, that was a stretch as well. "We've been put into quite a bind, Your Highness. What will you do to ease the people's worries and bounce back from this situation."

"That's no way to talk to the Queen, Chairman." Hyberion narrowed his gaze as Kemuri. "We are here collectively to think of a plan to regain what we've lost."

Hisui remained silent for a moment. "It's true that as of late in my rule, things have been going rather poorly. The relations between Alvarez and Fiore have suffered due to my carelessness. Now, my own life is in jeopardy and I've watched my own citizens perish before my eyes." Curse the Wizard Hunters. They were the start of all this and Prometheus and Pandora were a separate issue entirely.

"It seems that many players in this game have played their hand against us." Warrod stated. "This is about the time we play our cards, yes? I have a joker card around here somewhere…" A lighthearted joke that only slightly eased the tension. It was better than nothing.

"We have many issues against us. I believe the most pressing issue is to deal with the Wizard Hunters." Wolfheim suggested. "Having Emmeraude as an ally against Prometheus and Pandora is only beneficial." He made a good point, too. The Wizard Hunters intentionally scuffed relations between the two kingdoms. If there was a way to be on good terms again, then…

"Yes, that is true. But…" Hisui shook her head. "I have to make some sort of statement about Prometheus and Pandora as well. The people are afraid of them. Afraid that they will strike again. I cannot remain silent on that issue."

"So what will it be, Your Highness?" Kemuri questioned. "Do you really think you have enough experience to handle the pressing issues before you right now? If not, I'm sure my men in the Council can take the burden for you and the people will be more than reassured."

"Your assistance will be appreciated Chairman." Hisui said. "But I must shoulder the responsibility myself. It is my duty as Queen. We must take things one step at a time and that means dealing with our first issue: The Ishgar's Strongest tournament." Considering her life was on the line depending on Fiore's placement, it only made sense for her to focus on this first. "I know not what we can do with Prometheus and Pandora just yet, but I do know that there _is_ a way to save the people he killed."

"Save?" Wolfheim asked.

"They looked pretty dead to me, Your Highness." Kemuri said.

"Yes…" Hisui turned around. "But I was told something interesting about them by Fairy Tail. If Prometheus so wishes and if the body isn't too badly damaged…a returned soul to a body can revive that person. We were able to keep the death toll to a minimum by some miracle, and of the corpses that were remaining, they were not severely damaged. I firmly believe that defeating the two of them will cause those who have fallen by their hands to return to the world of the living."

"Your Highness…" Warrod couldn't help but admire that fire in the Queen's eyes. Just a moment ago she looked crestfallen, but now, she was taking the role of a leader well.

All Kemuri did was chuckle. "I have to admire your determination, Your Highness. But you should know that all the determination in the world means nothing if you can't follow through."

"You are right." Hisui couldn't object to that. "This is not something I can do on my own. But I have to see to it that it happens." It was then that a lacrima screen appeared in front of her, displaying the numerous combatants within Fiore's Finest. "As I'm sure you are all aware, the tournament held was to scout the best mages suited for the tournament. I've already made a few selections myself, although I would like your input as well."

"Hmph." Kemuri wasn't so interested in this facet of the meeting. He made that clear as his back turned, leaving Hisui and the other three Wizard Saints to deal with this on their own.

* * *

The mood at Fairy Tail shifted. It wasn't what one would expect after what just took place a few days prior. Instead, there was determination in everyone. They were discussing their plan of action concerning Prometheus and Pandora. Mio saved them all so they had to pay those two back as fast as possible. "They've obtained Fairy Heart, making them stronger than most people." Erza held her chin in her hand, thinking over the situation. "If we are going to defeat them, we need a plan."

Juvia placed a hand on her chest. The mention of Prometheus made the scar on her chest burn. "Juvia was a victim of Prometheus during the war. I remember the sensation too well. Even though Juvia was killed, her soul lived on near him. That dreadful feeling still lingers…"

Juvia's words made Gray clench a hand into a fist. If he hadn't been so weak back then, Juvia never would have had to experience that. "…"

"But if we defeat them, or at least find some way to sever the souls that are inside Prometheus, we have a shot at freeing the people he's killed." Lucy said. After bearing witness to it firsthand in Alvarez, she knew it was possible. Difficult? At this juncture, absolutely. But it was not impossible. Fairy Tail never gave up and were always capable of bringing about the impossible. That was why they were so determined. The world had been against them lately, but this was their time to push back.

"When I get my sights on that Reaper, I'll show him why you don't mess with Fairy Tail." Bickslow said. He was one of the few people around that posed a threat to Prometheus and that was an advantage he couldn't wait to exploit.

"We'll make them pay. 100 times over." Natsu was determined about this.

"We'll deal with them when the time comes." Laxus said. "For now, I think the Queen said she was going to make an announcement sometime today. Likely about the tournament results and about Prometheus and Pandora."

"I hope this hasn't gotten to her too badly." Wendy poked her fingers together. "She's been going through a lot recently. I am a little worried."

"The Queen is strong." Carla reassured the sky dragon. "When it's her time to step up, she's proven that she won't back down." She was right, too. Hisui's determination always shone through when it needed to.

"I'm a little curious as to who made the cut." Zelos said before downing a mug of beer alongside Cana.

"Clearly we did!" Cana exclaimed. It was a little too early in the morning for either of them to be drinking, but as usual, that didn't stop them.

It was right on that cue that lacrima screens appeared all over Fiore. It was a broadcast from the Queen herself, presumably about the aforementioned topics. "Hello Fiore. I know as of late, things have been frightening to the civilians. The incident at the end of the Fiore's Finest tournament was an unexpected horror that claimed the lives of many. At the moment, I would like to express my sincerest apologies for being unable to save those fallen friends and family. I would also like to reassure you all of one very important thing: they are not lost forever. Prometheus and Pandora _will_ be brought to justice, and when they are, those lost souls will return to their rightful place. I would also like to thank the woman known as Mio for putting herself on the line for everyone else. Without her, we wouldn't be standing here right now."

"Always thinking of others…" Mira said with a soft smile. Mio's sacrifice would not be in vain. Fairy Tail already planned to make sure of that.

"I ask that if you have any faith in me, please hold onto it a little longer. I swear I will set things right." Hisui's gaze held that strong determination. It reminded some of the older citizens of her father back in the days of his youth.

"She's trying very hard." Erza said. "It must be tough for her. All of our shortcomings fall on her shoulders…which is precisely why we mustn't fail again." Titania proclaimed. "The Queen is bearing the burden of our failures on herself. We must act properly to lessen that burden!"

"She's right!" Romeo threw a fist into the air. "We're Fairy Tail! We don't back down, no matter what!"

With the primary announcement of the way, it was time to move onto another important topic. "And now, after careful deliberation, the team for the Ishgar's Strongest tournament next month has been decided. Before we reveal the chosen 10 to represent Fiore on the world stage in the country of Joya, keep in mind that winning fights was not the only important aspect of being chosen. There were many factors that went into selection, however, if one feels as though they don't deserve the spot, they are free to give theirs to someone they feel more deserving. Now, without further ado, here are the ten!"

Ten images appeared on screen. The mages chosen to fight in the Ishgar's Strongest tournament were: Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia, Erza Scarlet, Reve Volver, Luke Cloud, Bacchus Groh, Sting Eucliffe, Minerva Orland, Kagura Mikazuchi, and lastly…Zelos. "These are the ten mages who will represent us. The tournament is in one month. I advise you all to spend that time training. One week before we depart, I would like to meet with the mages and be notified of any changes. Until then, Fiore." And with that, the announcement was over, the lacrima screens lingering with the ten mages selected.

"HUH!?" The members of Fairy Tail turned to Zelos, who just acted cool and calm.

"What?" He didn't notice yet. But when he did, his eyes widened. "O-OH! Well, how about that! I impressed the Queen with my good looks and beautiful moves."

"How in the hell…" Gray crossed his arms. He expected Natsu, Lucy, and Erza, but Zelos!?

"Well, he _did_ defeat Jura…" Levy pointed out. "Which makes me wonder if he was originally a shoe in the moment he entered. Most likely…"

"He stole the spot from the Wizard Saint." Macao could not believe this.

Wendy and Cynthia seemed a little disappointed. "Ah…not us, huh?" Cynthia said with a slight smile.

"You two are strong." Laxus said. "The level of strength you have is incredible, but so far, you can only do it together. There's nothing wrong with that, but in this instance, there was a chance you two wouldn't be together. That would only make you half as strong. As for that knucklehead over there, his strength in your fight came from his own will. But if you two keep goin'? Who knows."

The dragon slayer duo couldn't really argue against that. In fact, it just told them they still had a long way to go. "Mhm." Wendy nodded. "We'll keep working!"

"HOLD ON!" Natsu pointed at Reve and Luke. "We really gotta be on a team with _them_!? Lucy beat Luke too, so he shouldn't even be there!"

"Ahah…" Lucy had a slight sweat drop. "Well, it wasn't like I crushed him. Plus she did say winning wasn't the only factor, Natsu! We're just going to have to deal with it." Although she didn't like the idea of dealing with Reve's attitude. She could already hear the insults. "I guess this means we should get training though." Lucy still had a lot of work to do with her duo Star Dress and Spirit King Star Dress.

A lightbulb flashed in Natsu's head. He knew _just_ the person he wanted to ask to train! Without any warning he grabbed Lucy's hand and sprinted out the guild doors. "C'mon Lucy! We're gonna train!"

"WAIT! WHERE!?" Lucy screamed as she was basically flying behind him unwillingly. Happy of course followed.

"You'll see!" Natsu didn't give an answer as always. Everything was always a surprise with him.

"Well then…" Erza turned to Zelos. "Zelos, would you care to train with me?"

Zelos finished his mug of beet and hopped from his seat. "I'd love to Erza-chan! But can we have a raincheck until tomorrow? There's a small errand I need to run."

"…" Gajeel narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Very well." Erza nodded, seeing no problems with that. They had a month after all.

"Wonderful! See you for our training date then~" Zelos winked and walked out the doors.

"…I hope he doesn't get the wrong idea about this." Erza sighed. For some reason, she felt like he did.

* * *

"Nice job, Luke, Reve!" Waiston said with a wide grin. "You two made the cut!"

"I knew Reve-nii would make it!" Skye beamed. "If only Calium and his lady friend didn't leave so soon…"

"I wasn't expecting anything less." Adamantine added.

"Of course I did." Reve responded so fast, so naturally, as if the possibility of him not making the cut didn't work. "Someone's gonna have to carry Fairy Tail all the way. They have four members in and they still won't do as much as I can on my own."

"Reve-senpai and Luke sure do have a lot on their plates, huh?" Ilaria turned to the others.

"They'll be fine." Micaiah said with a smile.

"A whole month to prepare? Seems like overkill. But we won't realty need that much time." Luke held a smirk. Truth be told, after losing to Lucy, he felt…pretty good. Because it meant that he still had some ways to go if he wanted to absolutely ensure that Fairy Tail wouldn't beat him ever again!

"They're just lucky I didn't get a chance to fight." Cygnus scoffed. "Knock some heads for us, will you?"

"Naturally." Luke chuckled. "Gonna need someone tough to spar with, so I hope you won't be too busy." The copycat told the gravity god before turning his attention to Selene. "You too, if you're up for it."

"We'll see." Selene crossed her arms.

"All right, let our celebrities figure out what they want to do first." Jaxon said. "After that, feel free to do whatever you guys want."

"I'll patch you guys up after training." Aira nodded.

"And I'll cook the biggest feast before you go!" Marlene added. While everyone was excited, there were of course a few who were jealous they didn't even get the chance to fight.

"Make sure to get some in for me." Taya told the both of them.

"I know I don't _need_ to say this…" A smirk crept on Jaxon's lips. Everyone already knew what he was going to say and braced for it. "But it's White Eclipse…"

"Or second place!"

* * *

The mood at Sabertooth was pretty high as well. Rogue was patting Sting on the back. "Not bad, master crybaby." Yeah, he wasn't letting that go. It irritated Sting a bit, but he brushed it off.

"You made it, Sting!" Lector was so proud of his partner!

"Congratulations Sting-sama! Minerva-sama!" Yukino was so happy she started to cry for them! It was a little much.

"I expected nothing less." Minerva held her usual smile. "We'll have a lot of carrying to do, Sting. So I hope you're up for it."

"Of course." Sting grinned. "We got Natsu-san on our side, though! So we'll be fine!"

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch said happily.

Sorano crossed her arms, cheeks puffed. "I was hoping I'd get chosen. I know she said winning wasn't the biggest factor, but after getting beaten like that, I kinda feel like it was."

"You did great, Sister." Yukino supported her sister with an encouraging smile.

"I cannot wait to see our master and our Lady engrave Sabertooth's might into the memory of their future enemies."

"You know we will!" Sting's grin widened. "Because Sabertooth is number one!"

* * *

"Congratuations, Kagura! You made it!" Melody clasped her hands together. "You were amazing out there!"

"You're doing our ladies proud!" Risley smirked.

"You'll do great out there." Arana gave a nod.

"If you need any help, let us know!" Beth was already thinking of several vegetable concoctions that would aid Kagura's strength in the future.

"We'll be rooting for you, Kagura!" Milliana nodded furiously. The excitement was a little overwhelming for Kagura, who simply kept her cool.

"Thank you all. I would like to spend the time preparing as best I can. I will need your help for that." The ace of Mermaid Heel said. With Erza and Minerva on her side, she really couldn't afford to fall behind either of them. There was one more concern on the back of her mind, but that was a bridge that would be burned at a later date…

* * *

"WWWWIIIIILLLLD!" The hype men of Quatro Cerberus exclaimed. They were all chugging down beer, except Blues who stuck to water.

"Not bad at all." Goldmine laughed. "I didn't think a blundering drunk like you would make it, but you're somehow stumbling onto the world stage."

"WILD!" Bacchus yelled. He was hammering away at the drinks in celebration. He barely heard what Goldmine said, which caused his guild master great annoyance. "I can't wait to see what kinda booze they have in Joya!"

"FOOOUR!"

"Make sure to tell us!" Jeager said.

"Yeah, don't hog it all to yourself!" Rocker added.

"If you do, I'll cry a waterfall!" Warcry said, as he was already crying.

"Seriously, is this all they think about?" Goldmine couldn't believe this. But these were his boys. His drunk, immature boys.

"Ah, let 'em have fun." Blues said, chugging down his mug of water. "They aren't changing anytime soon."

"At least you're normal." And Goldmine was glad to have one sober person in the guild. He really needed someone to try and balance out all this chaos.

* * *

Where was Natsu's destination? All the way to Dawn City. More specifically, the restaurant of Al Dente! He opened the doors and just shouted. "YO! Is Keele here!?"

"NATSU!" Lucy could not believe he'd walk into a public restaurant and just shout like that!

"Oh Natsu…" Happy wasn't surprised.

Yuki stepped forward, along with Vernal, staring at the two of them. "…That's the guy Keele beat, right?" Yuki asked.

Vernal leaned forward, examining Natsu from all angles. "Oh, he didn't just beat him. He totally destroyed and humiliated him in front of everyone! It was a real spectacle! Ahahaha!"

There was a tick mark on Natsu's forehead as Vernal just laughed at him. "Where's Keele! I wanted to ask him something."

"Yo." Speak of the devil. Keele appeared, arms crossed while looking at Natsu. "Oh, it's you. Did you want to lose again or something?"

"Far from it!" Natsu's lips then curled into a smirk. "Until it's time for us to depart, I want to train with you! Lucy and I!"

"Huh!?" Lucy's eyes nearly flew out of their sockets.

"Huh." Vernal blinked. "Didn't see that coming."

"I'll train and be even stronger than you!" Natsu took his loss in stride, now using this to climb even higher than before. "And after Fiore wins, I'll beat you!"

What a strong declaration. Keele considered this for a moment before laughing. "You're funny, you know that? Fine, I'll train you. But only you. I don't train girls, they're too weak."

"EXCUSE ME!?" Now Lucy was the one who felt angered.

"Lucy's stronger than you think!" Natsu said in defense of his partner. But Keele wasn't budging.

"Only you or no deal. Unless Blair wants to." Keele glanced back at the woman currently cleaning a few tables along with Juilet.

"No. I'm no charity." Blair denied that fast. Natsu and Lucy stared at Blair from afar. Was that the woman who nearly killed Chelia…?

"But…!" Natsu started, but Lucy shook her head.

"It's okay, Natsu. I'll train with the others at the guild." Lucy could see that Natsu was dead set on this, which is why she wouldn't mind backing down in this case. "I won't fall behind! We'll be side by side as always."

"Aye!" Happy said.

Natsu paused for a moment before giving a smile. "Okay. Then it's you and me, Keele!"

With his terms agreed on, Keele just nodded. "You're going to stay here then. We have a big field in the back. Meet me there in 5 minutes." Without saying much more, Keele walked off.

"He's dead." Cloud said.

"Yup." Yuki agreed.

"See you, Natsu." Lucy smiled softly. "Although, I expect you to visit sometimes."

"Of course!" Natsu slammed his knuckles together. With that, Fiore's team began to train in their own ways…

* * *

As Fiore's team began to train in preparation for the tournament, Zelos was not. At least not yet. As night fell, he waited in an open field, arms crossed while staring at the starry sky above. A few minutes passed and he smiled, speaking to the two who arrived. "It's a beautiful night, isn't it?"

"Indeed." Lucia placed her hands on her hips. "Fiore has some merit to it. But I must ask why you called us all the way out here in person. I would much rather prefer a call."

"Yeah." Mii scoffed. "I'm not exactly trying to be in Fiore of all places at the moment."

"I know." Zelos then turned to Lucia and the companion she brought…Mii. "But I wanted to speak to the two of you in person. It's very important after all. It concerns both you and Mii-chan." A subtle smirk crossed the magic swordsman's face. "So will you beautiful ladies hear me out?"

.

.

Next Time: The Executive Order.


	147. Chapter 147: The Executive Order

"It's not often you call me anywhere." Lucia crossed her arms. Zelos had called her and Mii specifically to an undisclosed location in Fiore. "So you have my curiosity if nothing else."

"Well, I've called you for dates, but you always reject me…" Zelos said with an exaggerated sigh.

"Get to the point." Lucia once again ignored Zelos' advances. Mii just snickered in the background, finding the interaction pretty humorous.

"Right, right. Well, first off…" The magic swordsman dug into his pockets, pulling out a small lacrima to hand to Lucia. "This is my recording of all the events that occurred within the Fiore's Finest tournament. As I'm sure you know we've got a team of beautiful ladies and gross dudes prepared. With the month that remains, some of this is subject to change, but I know adaptation is a part of a Hunter's duty."

"That was fast." Lucia accepted the lacrima, playing the feedback on a tiny screen in front of her. The fights were played in fast motion but the woman seemed to be pleased overall. "As always, your data collecting skills are the most impressive thing about you."

"I take some offense to that! My charming good looks are easily the best part about me." Zelos said, flipping his hair like the diva he was.

"Give Mii a break." Mii rolled her eyes. Why was Zelos the way he was? "So since you're dumping information faster than your time with women, why don't you tell us who's on the team? Lucia's gonna make Mii shift through this footage and I don't feel like it."

"Gladly, Mii-chan." Zelos winked. "We have your favorite Fairy Tail mages, Natsu, Lucy-chan, and Erza-chan, and from the others; Luke, Reve, Kagura, Minerva, and Bacchus. A motely crew that'll be carried by the ladies for sure."

Mii did the mental math and those numbers simply did not add up. "You're missing one."

"Oh, right! The last member is me!" Zelos pointed to himself. This news did catch Mii and Lucy off guard.

"Pardon?" Lucia's blue gaze narrowed. "Don't you have to be a member of a guild to even participate? What guild could you possibly have…"

Zelos then lowered his shirt, showing the Fairy Tail guild mark on his chest. "Everyone's favorite guild of course! Especially Mii-chan's."

"You did WHAT!?" Mii's eyes widened at this news. For some reason she was angry than she was surprise. "What the hell is wrong with you!? It's like you're trying to keep Mii bound to that stupid place!"

Lucia placed her chin in her hand, furrowing her brow at this sudden revelation. "That's an interesting development. I don't exactly recall it being a part of your mission to join them."

"But nobody said I wasn't allowed to." Zelos retorted with a wink. "Besides, I was planning on joining but Mii-chan did first. I didn't want to take the spotlight away from her."

"Tch…" Mii couldn't believe this.

Lucia, on the other hand, was quite pleased by this. "You're an exceptional mole, Zelos. I didn't think you'd be willing to go so far uncover just for our sake. This'll make the competition much eaiser to keep an eye on."

Zelos then held a hand up. "Now hold on, Lucia-chan. I didn't join Fairy Tail for the Hunters' sake. I'm not charitable, even if you asked me. I simply did it because I wanted to give them a helping hand. With the way things were going, they weren't going to even win. I'm a generous man; helping everyone around me!"

"In the end, it still benefits us." Lucia smiled. "So for your work, I have to thank you. They don't suspect a thing either, do they?"

"They're too stuck on Mii to even think about anyone else." Mii rolled her eyes. "Which reminds me. Em is gonna murder you when she sees you with that guild mark."

To that, Zelos waved a hand. "Oh, please. We both know that Em-chan always hated me. She always preferred you anyway. Plus, when I tried to talk to her during Lucy-chan's book award party, she completely ignored me! She was a little under the table by that point, but she knew what she was doing. How painful." The redhead clutched his chest as though Emmeraude actually had wounded him.

"Alvarez and Fiore are nonissues." Lucia's tone dismissed the two they practically forced to compete in the Ishgar's Strongest tournament. "That being said, I am curious. Why Fairy Tail, Zelos? You should know by now that they aren't anything special."

"I'm afraid I'll have to disagree there, Lucia-chan." Zelos began to pace around slowly arms behind his back while he stared up at the starry night sky. "If there's one thing I've learned, it's that Fairy Tail is actually really amazing. There's no other place in the world that could make Mii-chan smile and laugh like that."

Those words threw Mii for a loop. "H-Huh!? What are you talking about!?"

"Fairy Tail has had some ups and downs. They were right in the middle of a war that decided the fate of the entire world, defeated the Black Wizard, Acnologia, and even triumphed over angels and demons alike. Calling them 'nothing special' is a bit rude, even for you, Lucia-chan." As Zelos spoke, he took a glance at the leader of the Wizard Hunters. His words only perplexed the two women.

Eventually, the holder of Excalibur just let out a soft chuckle. "Oh, don't tell me that your crushes on the women there made you get a soft spot for them?"

"Ah, that's not entirely wrong." Zelos shrugged in response. "But that's not the point either. You'll have to forgive me for my words, but I get a little upset when someone calls the guild that meant so much to Mii-chan 'nothing special' when it clearly meant something to her."

"Enough!" Mii shouted angrily, pulling out Purple Pot and pointed the small, but deadly pistol at Zelos. "What the hell is your problem!? Why do you keep bringing it up?! I'm not a member of that guild anymore and I don't want to be! The fact that you're a member now just keeps me tied down to that wretched place!"

"…?" Lucia didn't quite understand. Clearly there was some connection between Mii and Zelos that neither of them were being explicit about.

"Let me die in peace, dammit!" Now Mii's arm shook. "The longer I'm here, I suffer. You know that don't you? I should already be dead!"

"I know that's how you feel." Zelos came to a halt, crossing his arms, staring at Mii's expression. This was a rare moment when he was being serious. "When I fought on Fairy Tail's behalf, I didn't understand at first. I didn't get why you were able to laugh so freely and do things you normally wouldn't while with Pergrande. But then I had their cheers on my side. It was a strange feeling…being invigorated by more than just beautiful women. When that happened, I began to understand. So I owe it to them to do this one solid and make an attempt to bring you back. That sounds fair, right?"

"Grrrrrr…." Mii growled angrily in response.

"Ho?" Lucia quirked a brow. "That's a cute declaration, but I really must ask how you intend to do so. You know she's under our thumb at the moment and we have strict orders along with our contract to keep it that way. Our contract is our bond with our client."

"I know, I know." Zelos' usual smile returned. It seemed that his serious tangent ended and the lackadaisical attitude returned. "But I have a solution for that! Lucia-chan, you remember the deal made to acquire my assistance, don't you?"

Oh, so that was the angle he was going for? Lucia crossed her arms, foot tapping on the ground. Her blue hair wavered in the slight breeze as she recalled the details. "Yes. In exchange for working with someone of your standing, you were granted the use of one Executive Order. An order over the Wizard Hunters that not even I can object to. Depending on the order." There were few exceptions…namely Zelos using said order to try and take one of the women on a date. They wouldn't allow him to make use of such a rare privilege on something so trivial. "In this instance, you're restricted to ordering anything involving us throwing the tournament. Client's orders."

"I'm glad you remember! I hope you don't mind if I used that now. I wouldn't really get too much mileage out of it anyway." Zelos said.

"Very well. What is your Order?" Lucia didn't bother fighting it; it was in their agreement after all.

"I want Mii-chan to leave the Wizard Hunters." Zelos said.

"Huh!?" Mii's eyes widened.

"Oh?" Lucia blinked. "That's a bold order. I'm not saying this to be spiteful, but I'm honestly not so sure I can just let you do that, even if it is an Executive Order. It _is_ a part of our client's request…but I was also the one to agreed to the notion…" This became a perplexing situation. "At the very least, my position as leader doesn't allow me to freely accommodate that request."

"Hey, don't just feed into the idea like that!" Mii huffed.

"Of course I knew that. Your hands are tied, though not in the way I would like," Zelos said. That last remark caused Lucia to groan. "Which is why I have a proposal! A duel! If I can land a single blow, then Mii-chan leaves. If not, then she stays and this order simply goes to waste as a dud."

"You want to duel?" Suddenly Lucia's expression lit up. She reached for the hilt of the legendary blade, preparing to draw it. "I like this idea. I've been itching to crush your blade with my own."

"Ah ah!" Zelos held a hand up. "Sorry Lucia-chan, but we won't be crossing swords today. I intend to duel Mii-chan."

"EH!?" Both Lucia and Mii gasped at the same time.

"Why Mii?!" Mii pointed at herself. "Let the hot woman do it!"

"This _is_ about you, Mii-chan. It's only fair that you fight for yourself." Zelos made a good point. "There's no point in making a deal over you if you aren't the one to participate."

"…He makes a fair point." Lucia stepped back. "So how is this duel going to work?"

"Don't just…!" Mii smacked her face with her palm. She could not believe this.

"Simple." Zelos drew his blade, twirling it around with a wry grin. "We aren't using any magic to attack. Just a simple duel between blades. The first one to land a blow wins. Simple enough, right?"

Mii narrowed her eyes while drawing the Eternal Sword from its sheathe. "This isn't just about Mii, isn't it? You're trying to make a point, aren't you? You're only putting yourself deeper into my shadow like this."

"Nonsense. Because if I win, you won't have that nasty shadow lingering over you." Avoiding what Mii truly meant, Zelos twisted her words into something that far suited his motives. This only made Mii roll her eyes in annoyance.

"Stop acting like you're trying to do something good for me." Mii scoffed while readying herself.

"That sword…" Lucia stared at Zelos' Last Fencer. Compared to the Eternal Sword, the auras the two blades had were strikingly similar. "Why do you…?"

"Let's just say that I've had this blade with me since I was made." Zelos winked. "Now then, our beautiful officiator, would you care to start the match? It won't even last a minute, I promise." As he said that, his golden angel wings sprouted from his back. It wasn't magic, but just a natural part of his body.

"You're right, it won't." Mii huffed. Just as Zelos' wings spread, so did Mii's rainbow wings.

" _Be careful…"_

"I know, Origin…" Mii responded quietly to the voice that only she could hear.

"Very well." Lucia lifted a hand into the air. "One direct hit. Begin!"

As soon as Lucia gave the signal, both angels were off! They flew forward, swinging their blades downward to clash with one another. The raw power of the two blades caused a shockwave that created a small crater. "Just so we're clear, Mii-chan, I _am_ doing this for your sake!"

"Shut up!" Mii snarled before using her overwhelming physical strength to push Zelos back. He had no choice but to retreat since he literally just remembered that Mii was a monster in terms of power. Mii scoffed and pursued, intending to end this farce quickly. With Zelos flying back, Mii held her blade and delivered a rising upward slash! Zelos was just nimble enough to evade this, but he could feel the air itself being sliced behind him.

"Whoa! That was close!" The magic swordsman landed on the ground, primed for a counter attack! He pushed off, thrusting his blade forward to stab at Mii's shoulder! "Sonic Thrust!" Not a magical technique. All he did was put a bit of force behind the attack. Mii dodged it, but there was a shockwave composed of pressure that exploded from the tip of the sword, uprooting the ground in a straight line for several meters.

Lucia was nearly caught in the crossfire, but she simply stepped back, allowing the dirt and debris to fly past her. "Hm…"

With his Sonic Thrust failing to hit its mark, Zelos resorted to a quick follow up. He took a step forward, swinging his sword horizontally to strike Mii. To his dismay, Mii flipped over his attack, now aiming a helm splitter at the back of his neck! "Whoa!" With desperation fueling him, Zelos rolled to the side, just narrowly avoiding Mii's attack. But she did manage to cut off a few strands of his hair. "My beautiful hair! How could you, Mii-chan!? This is a murder!"

"Shut up." Mii repeated while lunging at Zelos, aiming an downward swing at his shoulder. To her annoyance, Zelos was quick to retreat into the skies. Mii groaned and flew right after him, the two of them flying past each other while swinging their swords. Each clash caused shockwaves in the air. In the night sky, all one could see was a streak of rainbow and golden light bouncing off one another with each collision.

Lucia was watching the fight carefully. There was one thing she picked up within seconds of this duel starting. _"Interesting. On the surface it looks like they have two completely different styles of fighting. But upon closer inspection, once you get past Zelos' flashy movements…they swing their sword exactly the same…"_ This only made the infamous leader of the Wizard Hunters pout. She really wanted to fight. She never thought she was called out here to be some referee!

Zelos and Mii were evenly matched when it came to using a blade. Mii's edge was her superhuman strength that forced Zelos to retreat every time they clashed. It was clear that he was on the back foot. No magic was the best way to go about this, because then it would be a mess! Mii swung the Eternal Sword diagonally, but to her surprise, Zelos was competent enough to parry the blow, forcing her stance to break! "I got you, Mii-chan!" Zelos followed up with a strong vertical slice. But to his surprise, Mii's right boot exploded! The explosive bullets embedded within her heels served to push her back! It wasn't a magical spell to attack, therefore it was valid! "Ah!"

"Not in your life!" Mii shot back before angling herself forward. The bullets within her heels exploded once more, sending her rocketing forward! Mii viciously brought down her blade to cut deep into Zelos' body, but he just managed to block it! There was nothing he could do as she kept riding this momentum, forcing him backwards until he ultimately flew back.

"Waaah!" Zelos cried out before catching himself. "I knew you wouldn't make this easy!" And yet, Zelos was having some fun with this.

Meanwhile, Mii was not. "Is this just some game to you? Actually, never mind, I don't care enough to know!" And one last time, she flew forward, this time spinning around to become a dangerous whirlwind that would slice through anything in its path!

"Guess I have no choice!" Zelos mentally prepared himself. When he was ready he too flew forward, pointing his sword forward with all he could muster. "Super Sonic Thrust!" The two angels flew past each other after delivering their blows. All went silent after that until Zelos and Mii landed on the ground. "Gnk…!" Zelos cringed, noticing the rather deep slash wound on his arm.

Mii landed, sheathing her mythical blade with a confident grin. "Looks like I win. Again."

"Ah!" Lucia shook her head, pointing at Mii's chest. "That is actually not the case."

"Huh?" Mii looked down. As it turns out, Zelos' sword not only cut across her dress, but also sliced off the single strap holding it up. Classic Zelos move. So her chest was exposed and barely covered by her hair. She didn't feel the blade cut into her skin since she didn't feel pain. "…How did…"

"I couldn't let you think you won. Plus I get a little eye candy~" Zelos winked.

"That's flattering but also gross…" Mii rolled her eyes. Zelos was really the one man in the world she couldn't even try to flirt with.

"This is a draw." Lucia stepped forward. "What an intriguing fight."

"So what happens now?" Mii asked. "It was a draw. So does he lose that Executive Order, or…?"

"Hm…" Lucia needed a moment to think about that one. "I'm not sure. I wasn't expecting this outcome…."

Zelos wasn't either, but his quick thinking could save the situation. "All right, since I didn't win, but I didn't lose, let's do this; Mii-chan can stay with you guys, however, you can't kill her."

"No!" Mii objected to that, but black sparks immediately erupted around her body and she covered her left eye. Now she was visibly in pain and nearly fell to a knee. "Ngh…!"

"Mii-chan…?" Zelos blinked. That was new and dangerous too.

"Deal." Lucia shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry, Mii. But it seems like I'll have to axe our idea to end your pitiful existence. I can't go against the Executive Order and it's a fair middle ground that doesn't interfere with the tournament."

"I only agreed to work with you so you could kill me! This is bullshit!" The more Mii objected, the more intense the black sparks became. "Ngggh! I can't…believe this…." Eventually it stopped, and she just stood there angrily.

Zelos felt a little satisfied. "Looks like I win this one after all, huh?" He then used his Healing Stream on his arm to heal the wound. He couldn't return to Fairy Tail with a wound like that. With his work done, he started to make his leave. "Well, I shouldn't stick around here any longer. I do have some lovely ladies waiting for me…"

"Damn you…" Mii snarled. She honestly could not believe that things played out like this. Now what was she going to do!?

"What an interesting turn of events." Lucia walked over to Mii, fixing her dress since she needed some decency. "Even though he's working with us, this was clearly a rogue action. I wonder what he's thinking."

"…If you're gonna touch me at least make it more intimate." Mii grumbled. She was in a pretty bad mood now.

Ignoring this, Lucia glanced back as Zelos left. "Hm. Zelos…I wonder what you're thinking. No matter. We have a tournament to prepare for."

.

.

Next Time: One Month.


	148. Chapter 148: One Month

They had one month to prepare for the Ishgar's Strongest tournament. That was a lot of training but it had to be done. Since Natsu was training with Keele at Al Dente!, this left Lucy with Laxus and the Raijinshu. She was not expecting to be picked up by Laxus and his crew and it didn't bode well for her. "Put this on." Laxus demanded, handing Lucy a vest of some sort.

"Okay…" Lucy wasn't sure what this was. Still, she put it on. As soon as it closed around her, the lacrima inside the vest activated and weighed her down considerably. "Gnk…!" She nearly collapsed to the ground on the spot. It took all the power she had to stay on her legs, but she wasn't sure how much longer she would even be able to stand. "W-What is…this…?"

When Lucy looked up, she saw that Laxus and the others were wearing the same vest, but they weren't struggling like she was. "This is a lacrima weighted vest." Freed explained. "This is what we use to expand our physical capabilities. Magical strength can indeed carry you far; however it can only go but so far. There will be times when you have to rely on what you can do with your own power."

"You can stand, can't ya? That means you can run!" Bickslow started to laugh along his dolls.

"R-Run!?" Lucy's eyes widened. Did they really expect her to run with this thing on!? It felt like they tied a sack of bricks to her chest.

"Honestly, it's not that hard." Evergreen said while frowning at Lucy. "We do this very often it's become second nature to us. You're representing Fairy Tail and Fiore, so we have to work on your strength."

"Ugh…" Lucy groaned. She tried to move her leg but she could barely even drag it.

Laxus merely folded his arms over his chest. "You've done a lot of improving over the years, Lucy. But you're still not exactly a fighter like Natsu, Gray, or Erza. You've done some good things, but they've been close calls at the same time. So I'm going to personally make sure that we rework your fundamentals from the ground up."

Oh, lucky her. "I-I see…" Lucy didn't bother objecting. But she did get an idea! In a flash, she changed to her Star Dress: Taurus! The boost in strength made wearing the vest a little more bearable and she could actually stand up straight now. "Ah ha!"

As soon as Lucy did this, Laxus glanced at Freed. "Freed."

"On it." Freed then drew his sword, slashing at Lucy's back. The slash wasn't painful but he did inscribe some runes onto her vest. "No physical enchantments allowed."

As soon as this happened, Lucy ended up falling to the ground again. "Agh! What the heck was that for!?" It felt like they were just bullying her!

"You're not going to improve your physical strength if you use that Star Dress as a crutch." Laxus said. "Like I said, we're going to work you from the ground up. Improving your strength starts like this."

"…" As much as Lucy hated to admit it, Laxus was right. She wouldn't gain anything using Taurus' Stardress like that. She had to use her own strength.

"I'm sure you know that you'll have to fight Mii again sooner or later. You want to drag her back, don't you? When she starts kicking, screaming, and pushing back, do you or don't you want the strength to hold on and push back?" Laxus asked.

"Ah…" Lucy paused. Laxus was absolutely right. She needed to be strong enough to hold on when Mii tried to push her away.

"Do you understand now? It's rough, but we're not allowing you to give up." Evergreen said.

"So get ready to run." Laxus turned his back to Lucy. Without warning he started to sprint, Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen following. "And after that, we're working on that trump card of yours. I noticed a lot of flaws that need ironing out."

They were going to run now too!? Lucy groaned while lagging behind the others. "F-Flaws?" Her Spirit King Stardress had flaws? She already knew about the downsides of it, but…

"Your movement is horrendous. You can't use your speed well, your flight turns are too wide, your swings use excessive motions, and the fact it barely lasts you two minutes doesn't suit well at all. So after this mile run, we'll be focusing on that." Laxus explained. "And that's just the start of our day."

"A-A MILE!?" Lucy's eyes widened and she started to let out comedic tears. This was only the beginning!? She wouldn't last. She could only wonder how Natsu was doing and if his conditions were anywhere near as cruel and demanding as Laxus' were…

* * *

Keele stood over an exhausted Natsu, pointing down at him condescendingly with his transformed Dragon Ape arm. "C'mon, is that all you got? If you can't show me improvement then I won't bother training you anymore!"

"I'm just getting started!" Natsu roared excitedly. He pushed himself up with great speed, flames exploding from his feet to headbutt Keele right in the chin! It was a direct hit and Keele actually staggered back.

"Nice, Natsu!" Happy cheered.

Keele wiped his chin, letting out a slight scoff and smirk. "All right, so you aren't terrible."

Training would have to come to a halt. "Keele! Natsu! Rowan says that dinner is ready." Juliet told the two of them before hurrying back inside.

"Guess that's it for now." Keele said, making his way back inside as well, with Natsu and Happy following behind him. The restaurant was closed so the members of Al Dente! could take part in their usual weekly dinner. Everyone present was gathered around the table, and since Natsu was their guest, they included him as well.

Natsu and Happy were salivating at the delicious food in front of them. It was a feast! "It smells so good…" Happy dove for the fish and started to eat it.

"…I thought we had a no animals rule at the table?" Blair shot her eyes at both Happy and Keele. "They're going to ruin the food."

"Now Blair, try to be a little nicer to our guests." Rowan told Blair.

"No." Blair immediately replied.

Blair always had to be difficult. It made the others glance around before Yuki was the one that said something. "Don't mind Blair." The hostess said to Natsu. "She's always like this with new people."

"I agree!" Vernal commented from the other side of the table. Her annoying smile and tone already caught a glare from Blair. "Blair tries to act edgier than the steak knife she's using, but in truth, she's actually one huge softie~ I bet if you put that cat in front of her she would pet it!"

Happy had a sweat drop on his forehead. He didn't exactly feel comfortable near Blair, which is precisely why he was sitting as far away as possible from the woman. "Uh…"

Blair's bandaged arm let out fierce crimson glow. She was about to jump at Vernal but was held down by Juliet and Yuki, and that was far from an easy task. "I'm gonna kill you."

"Nwhehehe…" Vernal snickered at Blair's predicable reaction. She knew what she did.

"Vernal, we've talked about this. Don't provoke anyone at the table." Ezekiel said. Vernal just kept an innocent smile.

"Her acting skills aren't so far off from my own." Alfred quietly remarked. Vernal was quite the actor when she wanted to be.

"We have guests here, after all, B." Yuki said. It was then that she eyed Natsu for a bit before opening her mouth. One would notice that she didn't take too much out of the plate in front of her. Yuki was a different type of wizard, as she began to inhale Natsu's magic from afar and consume it! Even though Keele said Natsu wasn't much, his aura was different from a normal mage's and she couldn't resist.

Juilet noticed this and frantically shook her head. It didn't seem like Natsu was catching on just yet but he would soon. "Yuki…!"

Yuki blinked once before pouting and ceasing. She did get quite a bit and it was going to become a problem if she got more; everyone knew it but she couldn't help herself. "Fine…"

This place reminded Natsu a little of Fairy Tail. But he couldn't help but stare at Blair as she angrily ate her food. Blair noticed this and shot her glare towards the dragon slayer. "What do you want?"

"I have a bone to pick with you." Natsu said. "What you did to Chelia-"

"Don't feel like talking about this over dinner." Blair cut him off. She already knew where that conversation was going and she did not want to discuss it ever. She nipped that in the bud before the topic could bloom.

Natsu narrowed his eyes. He couldn't let what Blair did to Chelia slide, since Raven and Chelia sacrificed so much for Fairy Tail's sake in the war. For now, he'd let it slide, begrudgingly. "…"

"This fish is sooo good…" Happy munched happily on the fish. "I didn't know guild could be a restaurant too."

"It's the other way around, actually." Rowan said. "This was simply a restaurant before it became a guild."

"And what changed?" Natsu was curious as well.

"I came." Keele said smugly. The thing was, he wasn't wrong.

"He's right." Rowan said. "Keele came by from Pergrande and before I knew it, Fiore's best restaurant turned into a rather strong guild. We did have some trouble during the war with Alvarez. Some troops refused to leave."

"So we had to serve them the Al Dente special." Ezekiel said with a coy smile.

"They were chumps." The hybrid takeover mage scoffed. "But we're the strongest guild." Keele said once more. "Too bad the mages in Fiore aren't even worth trying to fight. All too weak."

"We'll see about that when I'm done training with you!" Natsu replied with a smirk of his own. Keele may have outpaced him now, but Natsu was always one to catch up.

Juliet couldn't help but giggle just a bit. This was a rare sight; usually banter at the dinner table meant that someone was about to fight. "This is a nice change of pace."

"You're telling me." Yuki nodded in agreement. "We've only had to stop B from lunging once tonight. It's nice when she's mellowed out."

"Mhm. She can be pleasant when she wants to be." Juliet also nodded.

This only annoyed Blair. A comical tick mark appeared on her forehead. "Can you two not talk like I can't hear you!?" And that's precisely why they did it. Blair was so easy to bait since she was so irritable.

"All right, I'm done!" Keele stood up from his seat, staring at Natsu. "We're going back to training."

Natsu had already scarfed down the rest of his food. As soon as Keele made the notion of more training, he was already on it. "I can beat you there!" A competitive spark was lit in Natsu's spirit and he sprinted off, he and Keele now racing to the back. But Natsu did feel a little woozy; he wasn't sure why, but it was Yuki's fault for sure.

"Animals, the both of them…" Blair rolled her eyes.

"Oooh! Maybe I should get a whip and become an animal tamer!" Vernal had a flash of inspiration.

"You want to deal with those rabid idiots? I hope you learn to like yourself." Blair shook her head.

* * *

Erza, Kagura, and Zelos were all training together, focusing on enhancing their sword play. Despite the effort Zelos displayed before during the finale against Jura and Yukino, he wasn't doing half as well against Erza and Kagura. They both noticed this and were rather annoyed. "You're holding back." Kagura narrowed her eyes. "We've already seen what you're capable of."

"We won't improve if you half-heart it." Erza scolded Zelos.

Zelos sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry ladies. I think I just need a little motivation before I can kick up that level of skill again. Being scolded by two beautiful women isn't all that bad, though~"

"Can we replace him?" Kagura turned to Erza. She wasn't sure how much of this she could take.

"Only if he wants to." Erza sighed. It was clear that Zelos wasn't going to do that.

Kagura rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to Zelos. That lazy stance annoyed her so she took initiative, swinging at Zelos with no warning. Zelos reacted on a dime, parrying her strike perfectly. Kagura withdrew her weapon, keeping that annoyed stare. "I knew it. Why are you holding back? Are you patronizing our abilities?"

"N-No, not at all, Kagura-chan!" Zelos waved his hands frantically. "Listen, it's not easy for me to attack a woman at full force. It really did take all of my willpower to even swing at Yukino-chan during that fight." It wasn't like he was lying either. Even during his secret fight with Mii, he wasn't exactly able to swing full force, even knowing full well it wouldn't even hurt her.

"That's a flaw we'll have to iron out." Erza immediately responded and glanced at Kagura. The two of them were in sync. "But before we begin, is there any reason you feel this way?" Erza was trying to poke a bit into Zelos' past. They didn't really know much about him; not that it mattered once he joined Fairy Tail, but she was curious.

"Woman are amazing. If I'm to blame for blame for even one unsightly blemish on their perfect bodies, I could hardly live with myself! After all, I think of all women as someone precious and important to me." Zelos responded oh so dramatically. The magic swordsman was aware of the curious prodding but decided to flip the tables on them. "Don't you two have someone precious to you? I mean, don't you have the hots for that Jellal dude, Erza-chan?"

As soon as Zelos said that, Erza's face matched her hair! "N-No! It's….it's complicated…!" That turned her into a flustered mess. Why did he have to bring it up like this!?

"And what about you, Kagura-chan? Anyone special on your mind?" Zelos continued to pry.

There was someone that came to mind. Kagura visibly shuddered as Zelos continued to call her 'chan' however. "Don't call me that." It reminded her too much that idiot. She also refused to answer his question because she was annoyed and largely because she was still trying to sort that part out.

"Ah ha! I knew it! I know that look." Zelos could see it on Kagura's face. "Why don't you trust me with your problems? I happen to be something of a love gen-" And before he could finish, he was put into the ground with gravity. "Guh!"

"Be quiet." Kagura grunted. "And get ready."

"G-Get ready?" Zelos managed to crane his neck upwards as Erza and Kagura stood over him.

"We're going to iron out your weakness." Erza told him. "We will be coming at you with everything we can muster. We hope you can do the same." Her expression darkened. This training session was no longer leisurely. Zelos was about to fight for his life.

"Wait, please! I beg you! Not my hair or my face!" Zelos begged. Would the two women listen? It didn't seem likely.

* * *

Bacchus' training consisted of both drinking and fighting. To a normal fighter this would seem extremely detrimental, but to the Drunken Falcon, this was perfect. Drinking kept his senses sharp and allowed him to fire back on all cylinders. Whereas most may have had predictable actions and movements, his inebriated style of fighting gave him an edge. If a drunk person didn't even know what they were doing, This held true as he practiced with Blues and the other members of QC. "C'mon you guys! I haven't even started yet!"

"Yes you have!" Rocker objected. Bacchus was going pretty hard on those drinks! Just one look at his face said that he had been drinking a lot. "But keep going! You'll be untouchable at this point!"

"Yeah! It's wild! So wild that it's bringing me to tears!" Warcry exclaimed, crying a river as he was elated to see Bacchus' progress. Training hadn't been this intense since, well, ever!

"We're only just getting started." Blues said with a smirk, cracking his neck as he entered his Dragon Force. "I was hoping to get chosen, but I wasn't so lucky. That means we're gonna put you through the ringer so the world can see how WILD Fiore can be!"

"HELL YEAH! FOOOUR!" Bacchus roared out at the top of his lungs.

Goldmine watched. On the one hand this band of idiots could come off as really embarrassing. On the other, watching them work so hard to support one another did warm his heart a bit. These were his idiots after all, and the fact that one of them was going to the world stage? Well, it did fill him with pride. "If you're going to go against the world, be sure to push back with all you can. Although with your drunken tenacity, I'm sure they'll have a hard time knocking you down. Wild…"

"FOUR!"

* * *

Sting and Minerva were taking on a different sort of training. Minerva sat cross legged on the ground, closing her eyes to concentrate on some meditation. She forced Sting to get in on this and he was a little fidgety. "Lady, are you sure this is going to work? I can't do this."

Minerva remained silent for a moment. "You best learn." The Tigress responded sharply. "This is for concentration. You act too fast sometimes."

"She's not wrong." Rogue remarked. "You're always rushing ahead, just like Natsu. You're a Guildmaster, so you need to think your actions through a little more. You don't know what kind of mages you'll encounter out there. Rushing ahead could cost you."

"Ah…" Sting sighed, because Rogue wasn't wrong. "Can we at least do combat training after this?!"

"Sting-sama, you should be more patient." Yukino said.

"Nah, let him rush in there and get demolished." Sorano waved her hand casually. "Maybe then he'll learn to wait a bit."

"But Sting rushing in always saves the day!" Lector objected.

"That holds some truth according to my memory." Rufus said. "Although there have been times Sting's nature has gotten him in trouble as well. It would not hurt to exercise come caution."

Even Rufus huh? Sting lowered his head comically. They had a point. He was a _little_ reckless. But it had done more good than harm, yet he could see where they were coming from. "Fine. I'll try to slow down just a little bit. I am representing Sabertooth after all."

"That's more like it." Minerva didn't once open her eyes. "And after this, I'll have Rufus attack us with every spell in his arsenal. It's best to be prepared for any and every type of spell. Although I'm certain there is magic we haven't even seen before waiting for us."

"I'll give it my best effort to prepare you both." Rufus gave a slight bow.

"Fro thinks they'll do great!" Frosch lifted his hand up.

"Yes! I believe in the both of them!" Yukino's eyes lit up and she clasped her hands together. "Sister and I will cheer with all we have!"

"W-Wait…don't drag me into that." Sorano said with a sweat drop.

* * *

Luke was busier than Reve. Luke spent every day either working out, or training with one of his guild mates. As it stood right now he was sparring with Cygnus, keeping his senses and combat sense sharp. After they finished, they sat in the snow, taking a quick breather. "I really have to work hard. The Queen said that winning wasn't an important factor, yet out of everyone who's been picked, I'm the only one who outright lost their fight."

"You lost to Lucy." Cygnus was rubbing it in a bit now. "She really pulled the rug out from under you."

"Yeah…" Luke glanced up at the sky. "I thought I had her just like usual, but she really surprised me. I'm not entirely sure what her motivation was for it, but it easily trounced me." Admitting that was just as painful as losing to her. But he was able to brush this off and move forward. "I can't have her show me up on the big stage."

"If you do, we'll never let you hear the end of it. I know Reve won't." Waiston remarked from the sidelines.

"But you'll be fine!" Kuro said with his usual smile. "You know how strong you are, so you can only go up from here!"

"Thanks guys." Luke said with a grin before standing back up. "But I'm not done yet! Keep coming! I'll take you all on!"

Meanwhile, Reve wasn't doing so much. Just some lazy target practice but he was content with this. Ilaria was curious about Reve's lack of effort compared to Luke's. "Not training?"

"Don't need to." Reve responded casually. "I'm always at the top of my game. It's almost cheating that I've been selected; I alone am worth more than those four Fairies we've been paired with. So that just means I'll be doing most of the work. Luke will be doing the rest, and I guess the others can watch from the sidelines as White Eclipse takes Fiore to the top."

"Wow! You're amazing!" Ilaria's eyes sparkled at Reve's cocky statement. She found it cool, while the others somewhat agreed. As for any other mage that would hear it? Of course they would be irritated.

"There he goes again…" Aira pinched the bridge of her nose. "Before you and Luke leave, I need to give you two a round of shots!"

"Don't need it." Reve said calmly.

"Don't want it!" Luke shouted.

"Nonsense!" Aira smiled while pulling out a gigantic needle. "We can't have you two getting sick in another country! My medicine is always the best, you know this!"

"A little needle doesn't scare you, does it?" Jaxon asked with a coy smile. "White Eclipse mages don't lose to sickness."

"Well…" Luke gulped.

"It won't hurt a bit, I promise!" Aira gave a sweet smile. Though to Luke that smile betrayed what he considered to be malicious intentions.

Everyone was preparing for the tournament with the time they had. A month seemed like a long time, but it also wasn't enough for some people. Regardless, time flew by. The month passed faster than anyone anticipated, and one week before departure, it was time for Team Fiore to meet with Hisui and discuss their plan of action and what awaited them…

.

.

Next Time: The Stakes.


	149. Chapter 149: The Stakes

A few days prior to the meeting of Team Fiore that Hisui wanted to call, Natsu found himself standing outside of Al Dente along with the others. Rowan was flipping the sign over, saying that the restaurant was closed for the time being. "You guys are leaving!?" Happy flailed his arms. "But the fish was so good!"

"You'll be seeing us soon." Rowan said. "As it turns out, we received a request to be the lead chef for the tournament. Al Dente! will be serving the world."

"About time." Blair scoffed.

"That's great news! But…" Natsu turned to Keele. "Does that mean our training is over? I wasn't done yet!"

"Too bad. It's over for now." Keele crossed his arms. "Although I can't say if you've made progress or not yet. I guess we'll see when you start fighting."

"Heh." Natsu's lips curled up into a confident smirk. "Don't worry; I'll knock down everyone in my way! And then you're next! You too, Blair!"

"Not interested." Blair responded immediately.

"Aww, after sharing meals with him for the last few weeks? Are you sure you can deny him so cruelly~!?" Vernal said oh so dramatically. Of course this only annoyed the ravenette. "Regardless! The world will be able to experience Vernal's wonderful menagerie and the delicious food that accompanies it!"

"Vernal, please…" Juliet had a sweat drop on her forehead.

"We'll be seeing you soon." Cloud said, already making his way off.

"Don't lose to anyone." Keele said while waving a hand. For now, Al Dente! was leaving early. Earlier than Natsu would've liked, because he still had a few days left and was pretty bored!

"Ugh! What now." He had all this energy from sparring with Keele daily that he wasn't sure what to deal with. Natsu tapped his foot impatiently before getting an idea. "Oh, I know! Let's go bother Lucy!"

"Oh, great idea!" Happy grinned mischievously. "We haven't had food from her fridge in a long time. I bet she has a lot saved up!" He wouldn't be wrong, but the thought process behind it was.

* * *

Laxus and the Raijinshu had put Lucy through the ringer. Luckily for her they decided to let her rest for today. Between the physical training exhaustive magic exercises, she really needed it. Lucy was face down on her bed, practically asleep from all the hard work she'd been through. Of course the sound of someone in her house was enough to wake her right up. "Who's there!?" When Lucy rushed out of her room, it was an all too familiar sight; Natsu and Happy raiding her fridge. "GAAAH!"

"Oh, there you are!" Natsu was scarfing down some of her food. After having the luxury of tasting Al Dente's! food, this just didn't taste as good.

"Natsu!" Lucy groaned. "I thought you were still training at Al Dente!?"

"They left early." Natsu explained. "But I got a lot stronger just by training with Keele. How did your training go?"

Lucy had some flashbacks. "It was rough. Laxus and his crew decided to take me under their wings. I barely had a chance to rest. Buuuut…" The blonde grinned, flexing an arm. "Notice anything?" She was trying to show off her new muscles.

"You gained weight!" Happy blurted out instinctively.

Wrong answer. Lucy nearly violently lunged out to choke the life out of Happy. "YOU STUPID CAT!" That training sure paid off since she reached Happy before he could blink and now he was crying out comically.

Natsu sure noticed. "Whoa, you look like you've gotten a lot faster!"

"Laxus didn't make it easy on me at all…" Lucy sighed while reluctantly letting Happy go. She figured he learned his lesson. "But it was worth it! I really think I've improved thanks to them."

"Oh really? Then why don't we do some training!" Natsu grinned.

This made Lucy sweat. "Well, I'd like to, but I'm pretty tired…"

"Come on, just for a little bit!" Natsu didn't have any other outlets! "Plus there's something I wanna try! After fighting Cynthia and Wendy, I had this idea!"

"I'm not sure I like where this is going." Because whenever Natsu wanted to try something new, it usually ended up with Lucy getting set on fire in some way. But ultimately she conceded. "Fine, what is it?"

"We should have our own unison raid." Natsu said firmly. "We're partners after all, right? So it makes sense we have a killer move that'll take down anyone!"

That was actually a pretty good idea considering it came from Natsu. This caught Lucy's attention for sure. "That's…not bad. We're going to need all of our strength for the trials ahead. Especially when we have to fight Mii again. She won't come quietly."

"I was shocked when Natsu told me, too." Happy added. Natsu having a good idea was a momentous occasion that deserved being taken seriously.

"Let's get to work then!" That put a spring in Lucy's step. They still had time to train and she was extremely motivated.

* * *

The day finally came. Team Fiore stood before Queen Hisui in the throne room of the palace. Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Zelos, Reve, Luke, Kagura, Sting, Bacchus, and Minerva all stood in front of Fiore's Queen. "Thank you all for coming out today. I'd like to speak with you all a little about what the tournament is going to have in store. I fear that not all of it will not be good news."

"Considering what we've been through, I think we can take a little bit of bad news, Your Highness." Minerva said.

Hisui nodded slowly. "First off, as you know, this tournament will be hosted in the country of Joya. It is in the center of Ishgar, thus it is easier for everyone to gather there. I've been told that accommodations for our stay are already taken care of, so we needn't worry about that."

"Something tells me that's the only bit of good news we're getting." Kagura crossed her arms.

"…The other is a bit more grave." Hisui took a deep breath. "As you know, the Wizard Hunters and Fairy Tail had a battle not too long ago. They kidnapped myself and Emerald Verde, the current Empress' mother. This information of course was not made public."

"Yeah, we all heard about." As soon as Reve opened his mouth, the gazes of Natsu, Erza, and Lucy cut to him. Reve was relishing in what he was about to say. "No offense Your Highness, but you should have picked White Eclipse for the job. We wouldn't have let you slip right out of fingers like that…or lose to those bounty hunters."

"I knew you'd say something." Erza was trying her best not to get riled up. The Hunters were tougher than expected.

"I simply hope that she won't make the same mistake again." Reve's lips curled into a condescending smirk.

Hisui had a sweat drop, because she hadn't even gotten to the truly bad news yet. "And…in that encounter with the Hunters, they have set some sort of bomb inside of me. If Fiore is unable to obtain first or second, well…"

"That…is quite the blunder…" Luke couldn't exactly defend that one. Fairy Tail was on their own.

"So they're threatening your life? How dare they!" Zelos said, as if he wasn't aware of the entire thing to begin with. "Those who endanger a beautiful woman's life must pay the ultimate price! I, Zelos, will ensure that judgment will fall on the foul villains who dared to lie a hand on your beautiful, royal head, my queen!"

"…He's not wrong, but I truly wish he wouldn't phrase it like that." Minerva pinched the bridge of her nose.

"That ain't wild at all." Bacchus held his arms behind his head. "Pretty dirty if ya ask me. But it'll be pretty fun to see if they're really as strong as they look or not. An opponent that can go toe to toe with Erza? The very thought of it has my soul quiverin'…"

Sting was infuriated at this news. "So those guys think they can do whatever they want, is it!? I'll make sure to give them a taste of hell if they think Fiore's that weak! I know Fairy Tail would crush them on a good day." And he was advocating for Fairy Tail, because he didn't believe the Hunters had them outmatched.

"If I remember correctly, they were using your former comrade against you, is that right?" Kagura turned to the Fairy Tail mages.

"Yeah." Lucy nodded. "They were using Mii against us. I don't know how or why they got to her, or what's going on inside her head. But I know that she's in a deep darkness that we need to pull her out of."

"They're also putting her life on the line if we don't win." Erza stated. "They're screwing with us, but they're going to find out soon that Fairy Tail hits back twice as hard."

"…." Zelos remained quiet. He didn't mention his meeting with Mii and Lucia at all. Fairy Tail didn't know that Zelos bought them some time concerning Mii's life, and as far as he was concerned, they were better off not.

"If you hit hard enough the first time, this would be a nonissue." Reve continued his smug tone. "But don't worry, Your Highness. If I encounter a Wizard Hunter foolish enough to fight me, I'll be sure to put them down swiftly. Unlike Fairy Tail, White Eclipse only needs one chance to deal with a threat."

"Tch…" Natsu was growling angrily. They were seriously going to have to put up with Reve's attitude the whole time, weren't they!?

Luke simply shrugged. He didn't need to say anything since Reve was saying it all. "So our main priority is taking out whatever team the Wizard Hunters are on, right?"

"Yes." Hisui said. "However, Alvarez has likely been put into a similar predicament. I cannot confirm this entirely since our relations have been severely damaged by the incident."

"So we have a fierce competition going on? Ha!" Bacchus laughed, as if the situation was naught but a game to him. But that was all the more reason to take it seriously. "If we're playin' for keeps, you got nothing to worry about. We've been through worse as a country."

"The drunkard is right." Kagura couldn't really believe she was agreeing with him. "Worry not, Queen Hisui. We will ensure that all is well in this tournament."

It was very reassuring to hear that. "I believe in all of you. With the bad news out of the way, I have two more pieces of information. The first is regarding the substitute of your team, should any of you be unable to compete for any reason. An 11th member, so to speak, but only if required."

"Makes sense…" Sting did calm down a bit. "There's going to be a lot going on. Preparing for the case of one of us being out of commission is best, even if it's unlikely."

"So who is this person?" Erza asked and it was funny she did.

Jellal stepped into the throne room on that cue, giving a slight bow. "It will be me. I know I'm unaffiliated with any guild, but I asked the Queen if I could step in if necessary."

"J-Jellal…!" Erza was taken aback. As was Kagura. On the upside, her animosity towards him truly died down since she could stand with being in the same room with him far easier now.

"Jellal Fernandes will act as your 11th member." Hisui said.

"Oh, we have someone reliable after all." Reve remarked again.

"Are you trying to fight!?" Natsu growled. "I'll beat your ass right here!"

"As if you could." Reve ignored Natsu, which in turn only angered him more! "I've already prepared my back to carry you Fairies. The rest of you try to keep up, will you?"

"Ugh…" Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose. "How long do we have to deal with this?"

"From what I've been told, the tournament will last about a week. So please try to get along with each other." Hisui knew that was easier said than done, but she had to at least say it.

"I trust you all won't need my help, but I'll be here." Jellal said firmly. "In the meantime, I'll be serving as the Queen's guard, since she will be accompanying us to Joya."

"I expected as much." Luke shrugged his shoulders. "And what's the other bit of good news?"

"It was initially for Fairy Tail, but it would benefit the rest of you to hear this just in case." Hisui pulled out a letter from Queen Ena. "Ahem…"

" _Dear Fairy Tail. I have done some intensive research onto the powers of the Eternal Sword. If you wish to have a chance against the Chosen, you must tear the sword from her grip somehow. The blade has a limitless supply of magic power that is given directly to her by the Celestial Spirit, Origin. If you can keep the sword out of her grip long enough to land a solid blow, you have a chance of victory! From, Queen Ena!"_

"Sounds easier said than done, but that's something." Lucy was grateful for this advice. Mii was already a strong opponent and the Eternal Sword made her unstoppable.

"Oh, so she has the blade as well? That's troublesome." Minerva sighed. "I can't say I disliked that woman. But it seems as though she has an inkling for getting into trouble often. I wonder where she picked that up from." Fairy Tail was guilty as charged.

"So we're saving the Queen and Mii?" Bacchus' grin never faded. "I'm game!"

"Cleaning up Fairy Tail's mess has become an annoying second job." Reve shook his head. "It wouldn't be this way if…"

"We get it, you can knock it off now" Lucy was getting annoyed. "It doesn't matter. What matters now is that we don't mess up this time! We have a lot riding on this tournament and we have to win. The Hunters can't get away with what they've done! I won't let them get away with twisting Mii the way they want either I _will_ bring her home…"

"Yeah!" Natsu agreed to that. "We have some unfinished business with her!"

"And she still needs a guild punishment." Erza nodded. "We have plenty in store. We won't lose to anyone."

"And we'll be here to back you up." Sting said confidently. "Just don't try to fall behind us, all right? But don't feel bad, Sabertooth being the strongest guild means it's only natural for us to lead."

"In your dreams!" Luke practically laughed.

Hisui managed a soft smile. The Queen had high hopes for Fiore's Team, they had her trust. "I believe in all of you. I know you won't lose to the Hunters." Hisui then stood up and pumped a fist into the air, breaking her royal character to express her true feelings. "Let us give it everything we have! Fiore will not back down from this challenge! The stakes are high, but our resolve is even stronger! We'll show the world what we really have to offer!" When Hisui was her true self, her speeches were extremely invigorating! For the most part, the more energetic members of the group followed her lead, giving off a resounding 'YEAH!' with the exception of Reve, Kagura, and Minerva. Still, the energy in the room was high all the same. Fiore was ready to fight against whatever the world planned to bring against them.

.

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Next Time: Trip To Joya.


	150. Chapter 150: Trip To Joya

The day arrived. Team Fiore said their goodbyes to their guilds as they went off to the country of Joya. The Ishgar's Strongest tournament was set to begin in a few days. All Fiore could do now was wish for the best; they'd be watching the event via lacrima screen since the tournament would be broadcast live across the continent! Laxus crossed his arms as Natsu, Happy, Lucy, Erza, and Zelos were off. "It's all up to them now. They'll be fine." The current guild master said confidently.

"I believe in them as well." Mira said with a sweet smile. "It won't be an easy fight, but they've overcome worse."

"I hope they kick some ass for me. I'll be rootin' for 'em." Gray crossed his arms. He was a little envious that he wasn't chosen. But he couldn't complain about those who were either.

"They'll do great!" Cynthia pumped a fist into the air. "We have to get stronger, too, Wendy. So next time it'll be us on the big stage!"

"Mhm!" Wendy balled her hands into fists, giving her partner a firm nod.

While the others were discussing the team that left, Gajeel furrowed his brows. There was something that bothered him over the last month and he figured he should act on it now. Juvia noticed this and slowly approached Gajeel. "Gajeel-kun? Is something on your mind?"

"I've been thinking about our new recruit lately…" The iron dragon said.

"Zelos? What about him?" Juvia tilted her head curiously.

"I didn't think much of him since he wasn't a member of the guild. But there are a few things about him lately that have had me wondering…" Gajeel said. "He didn't look it before, but I think he's a danger to the guild."

"Huh!?" Juvia's eyes widened. "But Zelos-san has been harmless! Annoying, yes, but…"

"I can't prove it with my words alone…" Gajeel admitted. This was more of a gut-feeling that he simply could not ignore. "If he's a danger to the guild, I can't let him act freely."

"But he's already gone." Pantherlily remarked.

"I know. He's a slippery one regardless…" As in Gajeel did try tailing Zelos over the last month, but it was clear Zelos had the sense he was being followed and acted naturally. "But now that he's gone, I'm going to start doing some digging."

"Doesn't that seem a little much?" Juvia asked. "He is one of us now."

"He is." Gajeel admitted. "That being said…I'm doubting him because I want to believe that his attitude lately is nothing." It was a tricky situation. As it stood now, Gajeel had his doubts about Zelos, but since he was a member of Fairy Tail that also meant that Gajeel wanted to trust him. That's why he intended to chase this doubt and find out where it led him.

* * *

The trip to Joya would not be a short one. Team Fiore had no choice but to go by train. This wasn't a problem for most of them…excluding Natsu and Sting. The two of them were suffering on the train ride the whole time! "Are we going to hell…?" Sting asked, groaning as he was unable to move from his spot on the floor.

"Yeah." Natsu was also down on the floor. It was a pretty pathetic sight in all honesty. "Gonna die…"

"You'll be okay…" Lucy was trying to rub Natsu's back so he'd feel a little bit better, but it wasn't doing anything. "Just a little while longer. You can do it."

Reve sat away from the others, not bothering to deal with the noise from the others. "Pathetic…"

"It's pretty sad." Zelos was polishing his sword to the point his reflection could be seen! And of course he was admiring said reflection as well. "They could stand to look a little more unsightly. They're scaring all the women away with how sickly they are!"

"That's rude." Erza chided Zelos. "They're trying their best."

"But they don't have to be so loud about it…" Kagura could hardly focus with Natsu and Sting moaning and groaning in agony.

"It's kind of hard to watch…" Hisui said with a small sweat drop. "Is there not anything we can do to ease their suffering?"

"Unfortunately, no." Erza shook her head. "I cannot speak for Sting, but in Natsu's case, he's built up a bit of immunity to Wendy's Troia spell. So his issues would only be solved momentarily."

"Dragon Slayers lead a difficult life." Minerva crossed her arms, staring out the window. "It wouldn't be wrong of me to whisk them away to pocket space or something? I'm feeling queasy just looking at them."

"Do it." Luke remarked.

"Do it!" Bacchus said, only because he just wanted to see it happen.

"I feel like that's a bad idea." Happy said with a sweat drop.

"I agree." Lector was there as well. As if he'd let Sting go anywhere by himself!

"We'll be arriving in Crown City within the hour." Jellal said, staring at the lacrima map. "I've never been to Joya's capital."

"It's a lively place. Just like Crocus." Hisui remarked with a soft smile. "I did receive a message from Count Waltz. He wants us to meet at the arena three hours after our arrival."

"That's plenty of time to check out the bars!" Bacchus laughed. No one was surprised that alcohol was the only thing on his mind.

"I wonder what that guy wants with us…" Lucy tried to think. She didn't recall exactly being a fan of Count Waltz when they were in Joya last. But it had been two years since then, so maybe things changed? For now, all she could do was try to ease Natsu's sickness.

* * *

A short while later, Team Fiore did arrive in Crown City, the bustling capital of Joya! The city was just as lively as Crocus, just as Hisui said. Perhaps even more so since a legendary event that only happened every decade was occurring in just a few days! Natsu and Sting fell out the train, graciously hugging the ground now that they were on it. "Oh sweet ground!" Both Natsu and Sting said at the same time. Naturally this caused a few onlookers to glance and stare at the two of them like they were weird.

"You're causing a scene. It's embarrassing." Minerva chided the two dragon slayers sharply while stepping out of the train like a normal person just as the others did.

"Three hours to burn? Ha! I'm going to the nearest bar!" Bacchus had his goals sent. He wanted to try some Joyan wine!

"I'm going ahead to meet with Count Waltz and figure out where it is we are to stay over the course of the tournament." Hisui nodded. "We'll see you there."

Before Jellal left to follow Hisui, he turned to Erza. "Erza, be careful around here. I've heard some rumors about Joya and this capital."

"Rumors?" Erza lifted a brow.

Jellal glanced around. Considering they were in the heart of Joya and he had his suspicions, it wasn't the best time to mention this. "I'll tell you later." Without another word, Jellel followed behind Fiore's Queen.

"Was he always like this?" Kagura lifted a brow curiously while staring at Erza.

"Yes." Erza let out a sigh. But she trusted that Jellal had his reasons.

"While you guys have fun, I'm going to see what kinda ladies Joya has around here!" Zelos went off before anyone could stop him!

"You should really put a leash on that guy." Luke told the Fairy Tail members.

"Mira's not here." Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose. Mira was basically Zelos' leash, keeping him from going too far on anything. Unfortunately the barmaid wasn't around.

"Aye, Natsu! Let's see if we can find Al Dente!" Happy suggested.

"Oh! Good idea!" Natsu nodded, sniffing around for Keele's scent, or the delicious food that Al Dente! could produce. Either or. "Yeah, they're definitely around here somewhere. But so are a lot of other people we know." Either way, they'd figure things out. "Come on Lucy!"

"Wait-!" Lucy didn't get a say for she was dragged off with Natsu.

"…So other competitors are already here?" Reve laughed. "Perfect. The world can see what Reve Volver can do."

Minerva side eyed Reve. "I understand the situation on our end, but I would be lying if I said watching you fall from grace would be extremely amusing."

"You can watch me carry the team." Reve smirked while walking off. "If Fairy Tail keep dropping the ball like they have been, someone has to clean up their mistake and show the world who's truly superior."

"I hate his ego." Sting grunted.

"I agree. He'll be in for a surprise when Sabertooth does the best!" Lector said proudly.

* * *

While everyone went their separate ways for the time being, Erza practically made a beeline for a certain shop: the wedding dress shop. She remembered visiting this specific shop last time she was in Joya and had her eyes on a certain dress. That wedding dress was still there! "Oh, it's still here. Perfect. I've been saving up money for the past two years just to buy it…" Last time she couldn't afford it. But this time? It would be hers. "Today…" And just before Erza could actually step inside the store, an arm wrapped around her. "Huh?!"

"You know, when I imagined you in a wedding dress, it wasn't exactly for the pure, happy occasion such as marriage." Mii leaned forward, giving Erza a wink.

"Mii!?" Erza wasn't surprised that Mii was here, more so that Mii was willingly talking to her in her usual manner. She already made it clear through her words and actions that she was an enemy now. "What are you..?"

"What? I can have a friendly conversation with an old friend." Mii stepped back, placing her hands on her hips. "So long as you're not spouting that nonsense about trying to bring me back, I don't mind speaking to you. Plus, when I saw you eying that dress, I just _had_ to come see if it would fit on you! But I honestly doubt you'll be able to buy it even with the money you saved up."

"Ridiculous." Erza shook her head, marching into the store with Mii behind her. Erza grabbed the dress in question and put it on the counter. "This dress!"

"Oh, a wonderful choice!" The woman behind the counter clasped her hands together. "With tax included, that'll be….50,000,000 Jewel."

"W-Wha…" Erza's jaw dropped. The dress was far less than that on the display!

"Oh! You must be a tourist…" The cashier held a sheepish smile. "Joyan tax is about 30-50% of the original price, you see."

Mii blinked. "Wow…that was a lot more than I was expecting." When she glanced at Erza, she could see dejection all over Titania's face.

"I'll take it." That voice came from Lucia, the leader of the Wizard Hunters.

"You…!" Erza turned to Lucia as the woman walked into the store and just…bought the expensive dress just like that.

"Oh? I didn't know you were getting married! Who's the lucky guy! Or girl, I don't judge." Mii tilted her head.

Lucia snickered while holding onto the dress that Erza had her eyes on. "Oh, I have no intention of getting married. I just wanted to see Titania's face when I snatch away yet another thing important to her."

Erza's gaze narrowed. So this was the game Lucia wanted to play. This was also the first time they've met officially. "So, you're the leader of the Wizard Hunters."

"Lucia Silverwind. A pleasure." Lucia gave a bow as she introduced herself. "You battled against my brother during our little game in Fiore. That alone makes me anxious to clash swords with you. Not many can battle Yeager and live to tell the tale."

"I'm not here for your compliments." Erza said. "If you think you can continue to string us along in this little farce of yours, you're sorely mistaken. Fairy Tail always prevails in the end."

"So I've heard!" Lucia was seconds away from drawing Excalibur on the spot! She had to restrain herself; not because they were in a store, but because it wasn't time to fight yet. She had to keep reminding herself of this, but her free hand twitched in excitement. "I'd love to see how you fare against my sword. Your comrade went down in moments. But you? You were once capable of wielding the Eternal Sword, were you not? That means you are an exceptional character that even Yggdrasil's daughter must accept!"

"Hey, don't get so hasty now." Mii cut her eyes at Lucia. "That was only once. She doesn't get my blessing again."

"Regardless…I'll have to wait." Lucia lowered her arm. "The tournament will begin soon. And perhaps then you and I shall cross blades…and I can relish in cutting you down in front of the world." Turning, Lucia started to exit the establishment, but not before tossing the wedding dress in Erza's direction. "Here. Think of it as a gift from me to you. I hope you'll be able to find happiness in the future." Each word dripped with sarcasm and a condescending tone of voice.

Erza wasn't even sure she wanted this dress anymore. "…"

"Hm." Mii shrugged her shoulders. "See ya later, Erza." And as she left, she thought to herself… _"I guess Zelos didn't mention our fight…or she's hiding that she knows. This is so dumb…"_

* * *

"NATSSUUU! SLOW DOWN!" Lucy begged as Natsu dragged her through Crown City streets. They didn't know this place at all and were just narrowly avoiding people!

"I think they're around here somewhere!" As far as Natsu was concerned, someone was close by. And they were just about to run into a familiar person as well. "Whoa!"

Lucy was just barely able to see who was ahead. "TIA LOOK OUT!"

Tia turned her head too late. Before she knew it Natsu and Lucy collided into her, resulting in all three of them going down. "Gah! What the hell you braindead moron!?" Tia rubbed her head, growling at Natsu's idiotic charge.

"You were in the way!" Natsu shouted back.

"Sorry, Tia." Lucy stood up with a bashful smile. "…Wait, you're here too!? Then that means…"

"Did you think we weren't going to participate?" Tia scoffed and crossed her arms. "In a contest to decide the strongest country in the continent, it's only natural we would."

"We're going to win this, you mean." Natsu said, rubbing the underside of his nose with his index finger.

"Fighting Dealer won't be easy. But we can do it!" Happy said.

"Oh wow, so Dealer's here too…" Lucy had to process this. On the one hand, competing against Dealer instead of having world risking battles sounded like a nice change of pace; on the other, facing off against Dealer with their stakes in mind made Lucy nervous. With foes like Ace, Heartless, Tia, Joker, and Jack…it wasn't going to be easy. It was then that Lucy noticed a faint sheen from Tia's ring finger, directing her gaze to it. "Huh? Is that a new ring?"

"Oh, this?" Tia's lips curled up into a smug grin. "This is an engagement ring. After this tournament, Ace and I are getting married."

"WHAAAAAT?!" Lucy, Natsu, and Happy all exclaimed in unison.

"MARRIED?!" Happy's paws slammed against his face in complete shock.

"W-Wow…!" Lucy's eyes sparkled. "I'm so happy for you!"

"And of course you guys are invited. But if you make a mess of my wedding day I swear to heaven above I will end all of you." Tia's friendly aura shifted to something much more menacing. It was a frightening fusion of Erza and Mira's threatening personas; enough to send the chill of death down the trio's spine.

"Y-Yes ma'am…" Natsu and Lucy swallowed the nervous lump in their throats.

And just like that, Tia's aura faded and she tilted her head. "So, when are you two getting married?"

Lucy's face lit up brighter than a tomato and she just started coughing profusely. "Ack! Agh! We're going now!" Lucy grabbed Natsu's wrist and started to tug him back, but he wasn't so eager to leave just yet.

Natsu didn't react to the question presented, at least not as strong as Lucy did. "Wait, before we go! Tia, did you see Al Dente! around here!?"

Tia had no idea what Natsu was thinking after Lucy's reaction. At the mention of Al Dente!, she shrugged her shoulders. "That popular restaurant? They're around here. I went by earlier but they weren't open though."

"Damn." Natsu grunted. It sounded like they were busy, which was unfortunate. "Guess we'll have to see them later." And he really wanted to test his strength against Keele again too. "Oh well. Guess we'll be kicking your ass later!" And with that, he finally allowed Lucy to drag him off.

As Natsu, Lucy, and Happy left, Tia stared at the ring on her finger and let out a dreamy sigh. "I wonder when they're gonna get married, too…" She was still on cloud nine and would be for a long time.

* * *

Count Waltz sat upon his throne. With one of the biggest tournament's ever happening in his country, it was only natural that he was keeping track of it all. Queen Hisui was due any moment now and as he waited, one of his faithful guards approached him. A large man with an eyepatch over his left right, a clearly in his later years as well; this was Tuba. "Count Waltz, we've made the preparations. Team Fiore arrived a little while ago."

"Is that so?" The young Count's elbow placed one elbow on the arm of his throne, resting his face against his knuckle. "Perfect. I want to give the crowd people of Joya a preview before the real show begins."

.

.

Next Time: Preliminary Bout.


	151. Chapter 151: Preliminary Bout

Team Fiore had their fun in the streets of Joya for a few hours. After those hours passed, it was imperative that they met in the arena within Crown City. It was huge, easily rivaling and perhaps surpassing the Domus Flau in size. Unlike the Domus Flau in Fiore, Crown Stadium had a bit more of a gaudy appearance. It was extremely flashy and could make one sick from how much effort was put into making the stadium look good. Currently, the arena was vacant, it's large size going to waste. Only Team Fiore and Count Waltz stood within the stadium. "This is Crown Stadium. This is where the tournament will be taking place." The young Count explained.

"It's very….bright." Lucy admitted.

"Seems pretty wild to me. I like it!" Bacchus nodded in agreement.

"If I may ask, Count Waltz. What did you need my team here for?" Hisui asked. When she met with Count Waltz, he simply thanked her for coming and asked that she meet him in the stadium.

"A rather simple answer." Adjusting the large crown on his head, Count Waltz took a few steps backwards before holding his arms up. "The tournament is set to begin in two days time, but before that, I wish to give the people a preview of what is to come. That is why I wish to hold a bit of a preliminary battle between Teams Fiore and Joya. An exhibition match, if you will."

"An exhibition match?" Kagura lifted a brow.

"Indeed." Waltz continued. "This is the grandest tournament the world will ever see. As such, I want everyone to see what is in store for them. A clash between the strongest mages Ishgar has to offer. This doesn't happen every day. We must make the most of it, do you not agree?"

"I can't say he's _wrong_ ," Luke scratched the back of his head. "Plus I'm a little curious as to what kinda mages Joya has in their pocket." In short, this would be a good chance to see what it was they were up against. Although the Fairy Tail members present, excluding Zelos, recalled the type of mages Count Waltz had under his command.

"None of them wouldn't fare very well against me." Reve added. His remark got him a few glances, but his usual smirk only served to irritate those people as well. His ego was out of control as usual.

"Reve, please, dial it down just a little bit." Hisui spoke with a sweat drop. The last thing she wanted was to appear conceited, but it was a little too late for that.

"That is a tall order." Luke laughed a bit.

"So, what say you?" Waltz asked. "I've already prepared one of our strongest magic users to do battle against Fiore." The Count then snapped his fingers and two people emerged; one, a young male with dark silver hair and blue eyes; his outfit consisted of a blue vest over a white long-sleeve shirt and a stylized cauldron over his right shoulder; his pants were olive green and the outfit was finished off with large brown boots with a unique design. The second was a young girl with long, pale blonde hair in braided pigtails. Her outfit was a blue dress similar to her eyes with matching socks, white sleeves, and white knee high socks. "These are two of the strongest knights in my army; Allegretto and Polka."

Erza remembered Allegretto well. That knight was the one who soundly defeated her in Joya Castle during the International Meeting two years ago. "I see…"

"Oh hey." Allegretto waved to Erza. "I hope you've gotten stronger since last time! It was fun fighting you." His response was so casual.

"H-Hello." Polka gave a slight bow. Her hospitality was pleasant compared to the violent reception received during that same International Meeting. She smiled towards Erza, Lucy, and Natsu. "It's wonderful to see you again. I hope you all are doing well. It appears we will be rivals in this coming competition."

"She's young…" Minerva was the first one to point that out. Polka was very young compared to the rest of them, yet the magic power she could sense was off the charts.

"Indeed." Waltz said with pride. "Polka has the highest magic out of any mage in Joya at a staggering 15 years old."

"WH…!?" Team Fiore was shocked at this.

"She was 13 when we met her?" Lucy whispered to Erza, who could only nod in response.

"In a sense, you could say that she is our strongest mage." Waltz said.

"A kid? Seriously?" Reve rolled his eyes. He was the only one who wasn't so shocked at this. "All the magic power in the world can't help you if you don't have proper experience. I don't know what you guys are so shocked over."

"O-Oh, well…" Polka's expression fell at Reve's words.

"I'll have you know, she trains with the strongest knight in Joya!" Allegretto jumped to Polka's defense. "Combat is our specialty!"

"I doubt it." Reve replied with a scoff.

"You shouldn't underestimate the younger generation." Jellal told Reve. "Mages are getting stronger, you know."

"These kids are more than welcome to come get a lesson in what experience tastes like." Reve immediately replied. "But I'd be wasting my time on a kid when we've got bigger things to deal with."

"I'll fight her!" Natsu lifted his hand up. All eyes turned to him.

"Wait, seriously Natsu-san!?" Sting was upset…because Natsu beat him to it.

"Fighting against Joya's strongest mage? I can't think of a better way to test all that training!" Natsu held a fist in the air.

"Going all out on a kid seems a little much." Lector said worriedly.

"You don't need to worry about me. I'll be just fine. I think this experience will be fun; I don't get the chance to fight people outside the country." Polka's lips curved into a sweet smile. "And after the exhibition, would you care to dine in the palace tonight? An associate of mine and I are going to prepare a large feast."

" _She's so sweet…"_ Erza, Lucy, and Zelos all thought at the same time. But Lucy and Erza ended up glaring at Zelos.

"W-What's with the fierce glare? I haven't done anything~!" Zelos said.

"Yet." Erza and Lucy said in unison.

"Very well then." Waltz held a proper, friendly smile. "It shall be contestant Natsu of Fiore vs Polka of Joya. This fight will be live, so I hope neither of you gets stage fright."

Jellal held a scrutinizing gaze when he looked at Count Waltz. He wasn't sure what was going on, but something about the young ruler was bothering him very much. Regardless, he shook these thoughts off. _"There's more to this than meets the eye…"_

* * *

Team Fiore took their assigned space within the stadium. Considering how large the interior of Crown Stadium was, it was clear that not only could it house a lot of spectators, but it was clearly prepared for the other countries as well. Erza could make out the symbols for the other countries such as Seven, Bosco, Pergrande, and even Alvarez. It was only a matter of time until this grand clash happened and Fiore was at the center of it all. "I'm curious to see what Natsu has been up to."

"Why does he keep fighting kids?" Luke rolled his eyes.

"Cynthia and Wendy are young women, thank you very much." Zelos remarked while flipping his hair.

"Come on, Natsu! You can do it!" Happy cheered.

"…Not exactly a statement that I wanna hear from you." Luke responded with a shrug of his shoulders. Regardless, all eyes were on Natsu and Polka.

A lacrima screen appeared in the sky, likely displaying to Joya and the rest of the continent. "Good evening everyone." Waltz began with a grandiose entrance. "As I'm sure you know, the world's biggest tournament is set to begin in a few days. In order to tide over the excitement, we have an exhibition preliminary against Team Fiore! This is only the beginning of what we have in store. The rules are quite simple: 15 minutes to battle. If neither side falls, it is a draw. Now then…begin!"

Natsu was the first one to make a move. He wasted no time sprinting towards Polka, orange flames igniting around his fist. "Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" Lunging forward, he reared his arm back, swinging downwards at Polka's skull with all his might! Polka was nimble, leaping back just before Natsu's fist could connect with her, thus causing it to crush the ground instead. Grinning, Natsu pursued instantly, using his momentum to throw at kick Polka's chest.

"Hm!" Polka brandished the weapon at her side. To all watching it was a surprise what she pulled out to defend herself: an umbrella. Before anyone could even question her weapon of choice, the umbrella opened just as Natsu's kick struck it. The timing was perfect and Polka parried Natsu's strike, thus throwing him off guard.

"She parried his blow with an umbrella?" Kagura was surprised.

"Nice! Let him have it, Polka!" Allegretto cheered.

"Guh!" Natsu was not expecting a mere umbrella to be his undoing. His stance was broken and he was hastily trying to recover.

Polka wasn't the fastest person, but she was still able to close the distance between her and Natsu easily, swinging her umbrella like a sword. She aimed several strikes at his body, all of which he was narrowly capable of defending against. Just before her final strike, the clouds above created a shadow over her. "Nether Wave!" The final strike came in the form of a downward swing. Natsu was able to jump back to avoid this, but that was his mistake, as the ground suddenly exploded in a cone shape in front of him! Darkness magic overtook Natsu and sent him into the sky.

"Gah!" That hurt a lot! Waltz wasn't joking when he said Polka's magic power was extremely high for such a young age. Still, if Natsu could defeat one of Joya's strongest, then that would show the world that Fiore was far from the bottom! Flipping in the air, the fire dragon held his hands over his head, creating a gigantic fireball overhead. "Dazzling Blaze of the Fire Dragon!" And with only his chant as a warning, he hurled this sphere of flame at his target.

The shadow of the flames took a circle over the girl. Polka responded on a dime, lifting her hand into the air as darkness swirled around her palm, taking the shape of a tiny obsidian sphere. "Shade Comet!" This small sphere was chock full of magic and she threw it to counter the Dazzling Blaze. The two attacks collided but ultimately the Shade Comet was beaten out and swallowed by the flames. "Ah…!" Polka gasped while bringing her parasol out to shield herself from the ensuing explosion. While she was shielded from damage, the explosion still kicked her into the air, where she managed to stick the landing. "Whew…"

As if Natsu would let her rest! The Salamander came barreling through the smoke, trails of flame following behind his arms. "Fire Dragon's Wing Slash!" With great speed, he sprinted past Polka, slashing at her with these 'wings' of flame of his. Natsu finally landed a direct hit against this young titan and the damage looked good on his end. Not finished, he pivoted on his heel, using his momentum to leap backwards, now aiming a spinning kick towards Polka's temple with flames to boost its power. "And Talon!" And just before Natsu could strike the young Joyan, once again, she parried his kick. "Agh!"

"A second time…" Minerva took note of this.

Natsu was wide open. This allowed Polka to get some solid hits in with her parasol, and as Natsu was learning, it was a surprising powerful weapon! The final hit sent Natsu staggering backwards. It wasn't a great distance, but it was enough for Polka, who then stabbed the tip of her parasol into the ground just as the sun shone above her. "Don't blame me for what happens! Disruption Wave!" This attack was extremely similar to the Nether Wave, only it was composed of light magic! And to make matters worse for Natsu, its range was doubled! Even as he tried to escape, a surge of light exploded and threw him backwards.

"That attack was even stronger than the last one…" Hisui remarked. "Did the sun have something to do with it? Her previous attacks…"

"She's utilizing Light and Dark magic, but it's different from how I do it." Luke mentioned.

Hearing Team Fiore speak made Count Waltz chuckle. "What you are seeing is the culmination of Joya's special training. Every knight has specialized in the Echo tactic, and the Day and Night formation. The Echo tactic is stockpiling magic by striking your foe normally, and the more hits that land, the stronger the next spell shall be. As for the day and night formation, their magic spells will differ if they are in the shade or not. Rather clever, don't you think?"

"No way, that's pretty cool…" Bacchus admitted. Changing fighting styles and spells based on the time of day? He could get behind that!

Natsu was recovering from the Disruption Wave. His ears caught onto what Waltz explained and that just made him all the more excited. "This is my first time fighting against someone like this. I'm fired up!" As he exclaimed this, lightning mixed in with his fiery aura. He had no qualms going into his Lightning Flame dual mode. Polka was an opponent deserving of his power and now he was getting an idea of how to fight her.

"Oh!" Polka's eyes widened in awe at Natsu's transformation.

"Watch out, he just got stronger!" Allegretto warned.

"Shush." Waltz demanded. "This is a valuable experience for the girl. She must learn on her own."

"Here I come!" Natsu roared while dashing forward once again, fire and lightning igniting on his fist. He threw a punch that Polka prepared to parry it just as before. Natsu anticipated this and grinned, for his punch was a fake out! Instead, he gripped Pokla's shoulder in a vice. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Gripping Strike!" And from his palm, a potent burst of fire and lightning exploded onto Polka's shoulder, causing the girl to cry out as she was thrown backwards. There was a severe burn mark on her shoulder from the hit.

"Nice, Natsu!" Lucy and Happy cheered.

Natsu wasn't done yet. He planned on finishing this here! His arm reared back, a wildfire of flames and lightning blazing around his arm. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!" With a mighty battle cry, Natsu threw his arm forward, releasing a gigantic torrent of the dual elements right at Polka!

The girl recovered in the nick of time. She held her parasol out to shield her from the infernal torrent, but it also did more than that. She twisted her parasol around, taking control of the flames and lightning and lifted it all into the sky, much to everyone's surprise. Polka then used the sun's rays to convert the fire and lightning into light magic, now taking the shape of a brilliant blade! "Solar Blade!" Polka exclaimed, bringing this large blade down.

"…!" Natsu was not expecting this in the slightest. It all happened so fast that his only options were to block or dodge. It was hard to discern which one he took as the blade came crashing down, creating a small earthquake while nearly tearing the stadium asunder.

"She converted his attack into light?" Sting was watching, although Polka's light based spells did make him a little hungry. Still, he could see how dangerous of a mage she was.

There was a thick, lingering cloud of smoke surrounding the area Polka struck. The girl started to pant before coughing into her hand. It wasn't a pretty sight as she coughed up some blood and felt a little dizzy. "Ugh…"

"Hey, is she okay?" Lucy asked.

Natsu managed to avoid the Solar Blade directly. The aftermath of the attack still caught him, but he was in much better shape than a direct hit. "Ngh…" It would've been very bad for him if he was hit by that Solar Blade. But he did notice that Polka was open and would take this chance. Natsu bent his knees and lunged forward, charging headfirst for Polka as she staggered. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Sword Horn!"

"Ah…Wait, Natsu! I think she's sick…!" Lucy exclaimed suddenly. Polka's condition didn't seem natural at all.

Despite her condition, Polka wasn't backing down. As Natsu approached she bent her knees, using her parasol to ascend into the sky. Since her coughing fit, her actions were a little sluggish, but still fast enough. Just as Natsu came towards her, she jumped into the air! Natsu was able to control his momentum and planned to pursue, but just as his feet left the ground, Polka's attack came into fruition! "Roundel!" As she spun around, multiple comets of light dropped down from the sky, crashing into the ground violently. The numerous explosions consumed Natsu and he had no choice but to defend himself from this powerful onslaught. Polka then landed, panting and heaving heavily as her attacks put an even greater toll on her body. "Ah…ah…ack…"

Natsu emerged, heavily damaged, but still active. The flames around his body grew more intense as the lightning faded, for he was in his Flame Dragon King Mode. He was pulling out all the stops for this one, decisive blow. As far as Natsu was concerned, Polka's recoil could have stemmed from being unable to properly control all her magic. Still, he pulled his arm back, a great quantity of flame gathering around him. "Flame Dragon King's Demolition Fist!"

"…!" Polka's blue eyes widened at the attack coming her way. There was no way she was going to be able to parry that in her condition, so she had to try and block. Her parasol was a very sturdy shield, holding strong against Natsu's punch. This was saying a lot since the air around Natsu sweltered and the ground itself was melting from the heat he let off. _"He's so strong…is this what a mage from Fiore is capable of…!?"_ Polka's stance was weakening. When it was a contest of pure strength, Natsu had her beat and it showed. The fire dragon let out one final cry before overpowering her and sent her crashing into the opposite end of the arena!

"POLKA!" Allegretto shouted.

Polka hit the wall, slumped against it in a KO'ed state. Natsu defeated her. Count Waltz clapped slowly at this result. "Well, well…would you look at that. It seems Team Fiore has mages that can rival even some of our own!"

Allegretto didn't waste any time! He hopped from the stands and rushed to Polka. "Hey, are you okay?! Did you forget to…!?"

Polka winced, staring up at Natsu who stood above her, extending a hand to help her up. "Oh, thank you. You're very kind." Polka took Natsu's hands and stood up, still feeling a little dizzy. "That was a very invigorating experience…"

"You were tough too. Your magic is pretty strong!" Natsu flashed a wide grin. After helping her up, the two held a handshake. If people had been watching, they surely would've been cheering for an exciting event. In fact, if one listened closely, the people watching at home would be both in awe and excited that this was only the beginning of what Ishgar's Strongest had to offer!

"….He had that much trouble with a kid? Ridiculous." Reve shook his head, already exiting the stadium. He couldn't bear to watch Fairy Tail embarrass them anymore.

"Is it bad I was rooting for the cute girl to win?" Zelos asked.

"Yes." Minerva responded on a dime.

"…Something was very wrong about all of that." Jellal remarked. But what was it? He wasn't sure.

* * *

The day came to a close after the exhibition match between Fiore and Joya. The reaction within Joya was amazement that there were mages that could match Joya's own. As for those in Crown Palace, things were going just as planned. Count Waltz sat in his throne, approached by Polka and Allegretto, the latter rather upset by the day's events. "You performed well, Polka. For your performance, I will lower the tax on the medicine you sell, and you are now free to take your own."

"Was that really necessary!?" Allegretto snapped at his ruler. "That was dangerous for Polka and you know it! She could've won if…!" His bias and concern was showing.

"Silence." Count Waltz pointed his rapier forward, a thin beam slicing into Allegretto's shoulder to silence him. It didn't cause injury but it did hurt. "Throwing the fight was important to the people and to Team Fiore. Now they are under the belief that they can match our strongest."

"Tch…!" Allegretto grit his teeth, holding onto his shoulder after Waltz attacked him. Yes, that was the punishment for stepping out of line, but he couldn't let Waltz do as he pleased with someone as sick as Polka.

"It's okay." Polka reassured Allegretto. "You don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine during the tournament."

"Those worms truly think they have a chance in this tournament." Standing from his throne, Waltz made his way to the window, a sinister smiling curling onto his lips. "Fiore has no use to me, thus it is best if they are eradicated as soon as possible. The people will enjoy a good show, that I promise. The rest of you better put forth your best effort. I won't allow Joya to become a joke in the eyes of the world." There was an evil glint in Waltz's eyes. It seemed that the young ruler of Ishgar's trade capital had his own agenda…

.

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Next Time: The Night Before The Tournament.


	152. Chapter 152: The Night Before

Joya was buzzing after the preliminary exhibition. To think a mage from Fiore could defeat one of their strongest! This buzz was the exact reaction that Count Waltz wanted from the match. Kagura was wandering around Crown City, taking in the sights. Truthfully, this was a very nice city and it wasn't as crowded as Crocus was even at night. "Hm."

"Wow, it looks like this tournament is going to be super good!" A bystander stand excitedly.

"Even if Fiore is that strong, Joya is waaaay stronger!" An excited woman replied. A few others joined in with similar thoughts. At the end of the day, despite Joya's defeat, the citizens of the country had faith in their strongest.

"This country is a far cry different than Fiore." Kagura mumbled to herself. She _did_ want to buy something as a souvenir, but the taxes in Joya were so steep she'd either be spending all of the funds she had on a single item, or simply just couldn't afford it. It was extremely disheartening and she wondered how the citizens lived like this. "For starters, I can actually buy the things I want to."

"I know right?" A familiar voice sighed. That voice caused Kagura to freeze. Daryan stepped forward, giving Kagura a smile and wave. "Yo! Fancy seeing you here, Kagura-chan."

"You've got to be kidding me." Kagura groaned. It wasn't that she didn't expect this to happen, but it was simply a matter of attempting to avoid this for as long as humanly possible. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't even make it a day in Joya before encountering the one person she truly did not want to. "You…"

"I didn't think you'd be here. But I picked up your scent and I wanted to say hey." Daryan held his usual smile. The relationship between Kagura and Daryan was strained for various reasons; reasons even they couldn't explain. Still, after all they'd been through…

"…Hi." Kagura crossed her arms, glancing away stubbornly. "I had a feeling you'd be taking part in this. I was trying to avoid you."

"Were you?" Daryan hadn't the slightest clue. "I thought we were getting along well after Alvarez!"

It was _because_ of Alvarez that Kagura's strange feelings just bubbled to the surface around him. "…You continuously annoy me even after that. Being _near_ you makes me feel annoyed and strange, and quite frankly, I'm tired of it."

Visible question marks appeared over Daryan's head. Clearly he was confused as to where this was coming from. "I'm not sure what you're trying to say, Kagura-chan. You don't really give me the chance to do anything anyway."

"Gh…!" Kagura wasn't making a great case for herself. But whenever she was around this idiot, she just found herself unable to properly convey any and all emotions besides her strongest one of pushing him away. "Just…don't bother me again, and I mean it. Alright?" Her tone lowered and she gave Daryan a death glare. It put a chill down his spine for sure. "Good." And with that, Kagura left. "I can't deal with being around you…it's bad for me…"

"….." Daryan stood in absolute shock. "Okay, I know I don't understand women, I know that Kagura-chan has difficulties with her emotions, but I know that was the strangest thing that's ever happened to me. Maybe Alex or Gaia know what that was about. Or the new girl…"

* * *

"You wanted to talk?" Erza was alone with Jellal. For all competitors of Ishgar's Finest, they had their own section in Crown City's Inn; its size was massive. It was so grandiose for a hotel that it could even rival Crown Palace in size. The two of them were on the roof of inn, staring at the brightly lit city below. "What about?"

"I wanted to keep prying eyes and ears away from the conversation. The queen turned in for the night and I know you plan to as well soon." Jellal said. It seemed like he and Erza only had the chance to talk about serious matters, which was extremely unfortunate since he was a free man. Still, this was for her benefit and safety, so he could make the exception. "It's about this country and its absurd tax rates."

"I know." Erza thought back to the wedding dress. "I was trying to buy a wedding dress, but the taxes made it impossible."

Jellal blinked and slowly turned to Erza. The thought of her in a wedding dress… "You…went to buy a wedding dress?"

And now that Erza said it out loud to Jellal, she realized how it sounded. A red hue appeared on Titania's cheeks and she frantically waved her hands. "N-No, it's not…I can explain!" No she couldn't, because she had no idea how to explain.

"W-Well…I think you'd look wonderful in one…" Jellal awkwardly added. Now he was starting to realize why they could only hold conversations when the topic was serious.

"Are you two done being awkward? Or should we leave?" That voice came from Ultear. She was on the roof along with Meredy.

"W-What are you two doing here?!" Erza was in shock. The awkward moment was saved by their arrival, but she also kind of wished she had some time with Jellal alone. It was complicated.

"I asked them to come." Jellal cleared his throat. "I'll be busy ensuring the Queen is safe and acting as your team's potential back up."

"So the investigation of Joya is on our shoulders." Meredy smiled while leaning forward. "Jellal filled us in on what's going on. We're going to see if there's a way to free the Queen so the pressure of winning is off your shoulders and you can enjoy yourselves!"

"And we're looking into Count Waltz. The taxes in Joya are absurd." Ultear scowled while staring down at the people below. "It makes me wonder how the citizens can live in such inflation. I've heard that the medicine sold by that Polka girl is heavily taxed."

"Even the medicine…" Erza sighed. "Being the trade capital of the continent, it makes you wonder…" How could Count Waltz put such an outrageous tax on his own people? It was a question on her mind, but not the one she should have been focused on. "Regardless, thanks you two. We appreciate your support."

"Anytime!" Meredy said, delivering a peace sigh in the process. "You focus on kicking butt!"

* * *

Natsu, Happy, and Lucy were roaming around Crown City once again. They were still trying to find where Al Dente! was, but there was no luck even now. "Darn, I was really hoping we could get their food." Natsu sighed. They found the location, but it was currently closed and not a member of Al Dente! was in sight!

"I'm sure we can find them after the first day of the tournament tomorrow." Lucy placed her hands behind her back. "It's getting late, Natsu. We should really get ready."

"Yeah, it's a big day tomorrow." Happy agreed with Lucy. This wild goose chase Natsu was going on would have to wait.

"Fine." Natsu sighed. But that's when his nose picked up something that made his eyes widen. "Huh..?! That's…"

"Natsu? Is something wrong?" Lucy knew that look. That was the look of 'I can't believe this'.

"This scent…" Natsu was frantically looking around. Without warning he started sprinting ahead. This was far more serious than looking for Al Dente and the way he ran off showed it.

"Natsu!?" Lucy had no choice but to follow after Natsu with Happy beside her. "Where are you going!?"

"This can't be right…" Natsu mumbled while frantically looking around. The source of this scent only belonged to one person, which should have been impossible. But his search was cut short, for he ran into another familiar face that he really didn't want to see: Julius Grandeur. "Tch! Outta my way!"

"Ah…!" Lucy gasped.

"It's that Spriggan from before!" Happy pointed.

Julius let out a small sigh. The corners of his lips curved up into a faux smile laced with malice. "Well, what have we here? The forces of Fiore meandering around the streets like the rats they are? I shouldn't be so surprised."

"You're walking around too." Lucy narrowed her eyes.

"Unlike you, I have purpose." Julius responded, his attention now going to his book, casually flipping through the pages. "By the way, that was a rather humorous display of strength back there. Struggling against a young girl, I pity you, Natsu Dragneel. After all your hard work, you've hardly made any leaps or bounds."

"What'd you say!?" Natsu's eyes gave Julius a fierce glare. "Are you trying to fight now!?"

"It would hardly be considered a fight." Julius responded immediately, so casually, that it irritated the Fairy Tail wizards. "How uneducated you are. It is against the rules for competitors to fight outside of the event itself. I would eliminate you here and now for Her Majesty's sake if I wasn't bound by such rules."

"I can only imagine where Emmeraude picked up such a loyal boot licker…" Lucy huffed.

Julius closed his book. The words at him, he did not mind. But he would tolerate no disrespect to the Empress. "Her Majesty has been working tirelessly to unify the land. Yet, as incapable as you are, Fairy Tail, you always find some way to stand in her way. Be it by chance or fate, your talent of getting in her way. I will personally ensure that you interfere with the Empress no more." That malicious smile of Julius' grew.

To no one's surprise, Alvarez and Fiore were starting things off as enemies. Lucy stepped forward, standing next to Natsu as they stared Julius down. "If you think we're here to lose to you, then you're wrong. Fairy Tail never backs down."

"Oh, I am well aware." Julius shrugged his shoulders casually. "Once again, I will have to personally show you your inferiority. As the strongest among the new Spriggan 12, it is my mission to eliminate any obstacles for Her Majesty's vision. I look forward to seeing Fiore flounder in the waters of this competition. If you struggle against a single mage from Joya, then Alvarez will crush you into the dirt for the world to see."

"You talk a lot, asshole!" Natsu shouted. Rules or not, he was ready to throw down right here and now for a second round. "Who cares about the rules!? Fight me here and now and you'll see what Fiore can do!"

"I already saw what Fiore can do from your fight earlier. It was laughable." Julius started to walk off. It was a chance meeting, but it was also the perfect opportunity to remind Fiore where they stood.

"Tch…" Natsu grunted.

Lucy understood why Emmeraude would be so serious about this competition. Still, she didn't enjoy the idea of having a target on their backs from the very beginning. "She always has to make things difficult…"

* * *

Unfortunately, Sting and Minerva were given the pleasure of lugging Bacchus along after he spent all of his money at the local bar. "I can't believe he spent all his money on the first day here…" Lector said, watching (mostly) Sting and Minerva carry the inebriated Bacchus.

"Neither can I…" Sting groaned.

"If he had half of his brain working, he'd realize he wouldn't be able to pay for even a 3rd mug of beer." Minerva scowled. "The taxes here are outrageous. We're not even being provided for, so we have to be extra careful with how we spend. A single meal at that hotel is half of what I brought."

"The taxes in this country make my head spin…" Lector felt overwhelmed with the drastic changes in prices once taxes were involved. "I wanted to get Frosch something, but I can't…"

"This place…wild…" Bacchus was totally out. His flushed cheeks and slurred words told the story. If he was in a battle, he'd be one of the toughest people to take down. But now? He was just any regular drunk that needed his friends to carry him home. They really needed him to focus for tomorrow after all. "But I managed to swipe a few mugs…gotta get ready for the tournament." Well, he wasn't that far gone.

"So he wasn't completely useless. But we're not lending you any money. You're on your own." Minerva made sure to get that point across.

"We're almost back." Sting said before his nose picked up something. A familiar scent that nearly made him drop Bacchus. "What the…!?"

"Sting, is something the matter?" Lector asked.

"Seriously, don't give me all the weight." Minerva groaned, as if she was carrying Bacchus at all.

"…This smell…" Sting was frantically looking around. "It can't be…!"

"Sting, what is the matter with you?" Minerva turned to Sabertooth's guild master. Her expression was both concerned and irritated. "Who are you smelling?"

Sting was about to answer, but the scent suddenly vanished, leaving him at a loss. "What…? It's gone…?"

"You must be stressed." Minerva pinched the bridge of her nose. "You need to rest just like this drunken idiot."

"Ah…yeah." Sting let out a heavy sigh. This whole situation was different than a Grand Magic Games. He was about to fight against the world and while it was exciting, it was also nerve wracking. Maybe the stress of what was getting to him.

"You'll be fine." Minerva told Sting.

"Thanks." The Drunken Falcon assumed those words were for him. Of course Minerva was annoyed by this.

"No, you're right. We can do this! I can't let anything distract me from our mission." Sting pumped a fist into the air.

"Yeah, that's the spirit!" Lector did the same.

" _Still…that scent…"_ This was going to bother Sting. But for now, he had to focus on what was ahead of him. Fighting for Fiore.

* * *

Unlike the others roaming about, Luke and Reve were in their hotel room. The copycat was looking outside the window, staring at the city. "We've got a lot of hard work ahead of us, don't we?"

"Not at all." Reve responded. "We'll be fine. But we're going to have to carry Fairy Tail and the others. After what I saw today, I doubt they're up for the task. Just leave the heavy lifting to me."

Luke laughed a bit. Since he and Reve were the only ones from White Eclipse, Luke was the only one who understood where Reve was coming from. "Yeah, I hope people aren't thinking Fiore is up the creek just because of Salamander's performance earlier."

"Like I said, we'll be cleaning up after Fairy Tail, although I don't care much for the job itself." Reve shrugged his shoulders. "Regardless, the rest of the competition doesn't stand a chance once I step out there."

"Yeah. Not falling behind anyone ever again." Luke remarked while staring out of the window once again. It was odd, but the longer he stared at Crown City, the longer he felt some strange feeling of nostalgia. It was odd because he had no recollection of ever being in Joya before. "We've got a lot of work to do. But even the Queen can see that White Eclipse is up to the task." He then let out a sigh. "Man, I wanted to buy a souvenir, but I can't…"

Hisui was quietly listening in from outside. While Jellal assumed her to be asleep, the truth was that the tournament starting filled her with all sorts of anxiety. Probably because at the moment, her life was riding on their performance. There was a bit of a sweat drop on her forehead at the borderline arrogance the White Eclipse mages were displaying. Still, she knew it wasn't completely unfounded. _"I hope such confidence won't be their undoing…"_

* * *

Zelos was somewhere he wasn't supposed to be: the roof of Crown Castle, happily relaxing with his arms behind his head, lying back on the roof while staring up at the quarter moon. A few moments passed before he was found by Lucia, Yumia, and Yukia. "Oh, ladies! Welcome to the best spot in Crown City."

"I'm not surprised to find you lazing about here." Yumia placed her hands on her hips, mirroring her twin's actions.

"Always lounging around." Yukia huffed.

"Now girls, that's not true." Lucia waved a hand. "Our little worm has been doing fantastically keeping us updated on Fiore's growth. After that display earlier, I'm very certain they'll be a nonissue."

"They've grown pretty fast in a month, but they're still playing catch-up with the rest of the world." Zelos said while closing his eyes. "But don't count them out yet. They tend to surprise people."

"Still, why are you apart of that guild?" Yumia asked. "Your mission didn't require you to…"

"It was the only way." Zelos replied. "Truth be told, I wasn't expecting to get a spot, but it seems my own glorious radiance caught the Queen's attention. I can't very well say no to such a request, you know?"

"Gross." Yukia shook her head. "Regardless, just keep doing what you're doing. We've got everything we need from you. You really are a pretty good worm."

"Why thank you." Zelos grinned, crossing one leg over the other. "But there is something else I'd like to worm in-"

"And that is where our conversation ends." Lucia cut that off for she knew where it was going. Zelos may have had luck with other women, but Lucia would not allow herself, Yumia, or Yukia to be caught dead with this man. A friendly smile crossed her lips as she led the way. "See you tomorrow. I wish your team the best of luck, for they're going to need it."

Zelos remained quiet, opening his eyes to stare at the night sky. "Yeah, this won't be easy for them." His lips then curled up into a coy smile. "But that's what makes watching them so enjoyable."

.

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Next Time: Ishgar's Strongest Begins.

**I hope everyone is going to have a happy new year! This next year may very well be the last one for this series, as the second to last arc is now officially underway!


	153. Chapter 153: Ishgar's Strongest Begins

Today was the day; the strongest countries in all of Ishgar gathered today for the grand event of Ishgar's Strongest. It felt as though a lot of events over the past few years had been leading up to this: a grand showdown unlike anything the world had ever seen before. Crown Stadium was filled with so many people who just had to witness this event in person. Considering the taxes in Joya, one can imagine how much a single ticket costed, but that was neither here nor there. Right now…

"Hello citizens of Joya!" It was everyone's favorite announcer who managed to book the job for this tournament as its MC; Chapati Lola! You simply couldn't have a tournament without him. "The time has finally come for Ishgar's Strongest! I am one of your hosts, Chapati Lola!"

Team Fiore was a little surprised to hear their usual host making his way onto the grand stage. Hisui prepared team uniforms for each member, each outfit generally consistent with the character's usual attire. As it stood right now, they were waiting in one of the hallways for their name to be called to step out into the stadium. A lacrima screen showed everything they needed to see outside. "I can't believe Chapati's all the way out here…" Lucy said with a small sweat drop. She could only imagine how much money he was making off of this chance of the lifetime.

"And I am the second host, Joya's crown glory, Count Waltz." Waltz said, taking a seat next to Chapati. The commentator's booth was filled with very special guests this time around. "I need no introduction, and before the 8 competing countries are introduced, I _would_ like to introduce the special guests we've invited for Ishgar's Strongest. The five strongest wizards in the world."

"The five strongest? How did he manage that…" Hisui wondered aloud.

"We'll start in ascending order. The fifth strongest mage in the world – Empress Song!" Count Waltz said.

Empress Song was a beautiful young woman who donned Japanese attire. Her black hair was tied in a traditional style and there was a beauty mark just under her right eye. There wasn't a soul alive who hadn't heard the name Empress Song; if you didn't know of her, and then it was likely you were a fool who lived under a rock. "It is a pleasure to be here for such a prestigious event. I am very curious to watch the strongest countries in Ishgar claw for the top spot."

"A beautiful, yet powerful woman. I would not wish to be on the wrong side of her ire." Waltz said before introducing the next person. "Now, for the fourth strongest wizard in the world: Lady Ice, the Queen of Iceberg!"

Ice was a tall woman with dark blue hair and eyes. The cold of her country did not bother her. Ice donned regal attire of shirt and pants, tailored with the symbol of the country Iceberg. "Thank you for having me. Even though I don't care much for my standing in this ranking, I couldn't very well pass up this chance. My country may not be participating in this tournament, but it will not stop me from attending." Needless to say, she gave off a chill on multiple levels. There was her icy glare that froze the hearts of many, quite literally, and her natural body temperature was extremely low due to her cold affinity.

"And onto the third strongest mage among us…." Count Waltz continued. "The King of Pergrande himself! King Ashnard!"

Emmeraude was present in the stands. Even as Empress, she could not help the scowl that crossed her lips. "…Tch."

"Now, dear…" Emerald tried to ease her daughter. But in truth, she was a little anxious as well; it had been over 20 years since she and Ashnard had even been in the same space…and that time back then was far from pleasant as well.

Just by glancing at them, it would be hard to tell that she and Ashnard were related by blood. Ashnard had long red hair that reached down to his shoulders and red eyes that completed his stern expression. The armor he donned was supported by his muscular build. Ashnard was red, and Emmeraude was green. The physical difference between them was staggering. "It is an honor for Joya to have me here." Ashnard said. As soon as those words left his lips, anyone that knew of his relation to Emmeraude could see it. They both had a similar ego. "Pergrande will be taking this chance to display to the world why _we_ are the strongest country to grace it. I will not be commentating much, for I'd much rather spend my time watching with my family, I do hope you understand."

Emmeraude furrowed her brows. On the outside she looked calm, but on the inside she absolutely could not wait to crush Ashnard under her heel. "Your challenge has been accepted, Ashnard."

"Of course those are the words of the King of Pergrande." Count Waltz did not bat an eye. Pergrande and Joya had very close relations after all. "And for the second strongest mage in the world. May I introduce the beautiful Helena Tiberius, the Queen of Valeria!"

Helena made her appearance during Fiore's Finest, but she did not stay for very long. The Empress of the sky kingdom was still a tad surprised to be invited to such an event. "I have only been in this time for roughly 2 years, and I'm not so sure what qualifies me for such a role. Regardless, I take great pride in my strength and role as Empress. I am curious to see how such an event will pan out."

"Such a weirdo." That came from Calium, who needed no introduction. In fact, he wasn't going to let Count Waltz even give him one, since he already began talking. "And I'm Calium. By process of elimination, you can tell that I've been named the strongest mage in the world. I was formerly the guild master of a guild in Fiore called White Eclipse. Some of those members are taking part in this tournament, so depending on their training; you have a lot to look forward here. And unlike the others, I would've come even if I wasn't invited."

"What an…irritating man." Waltz did not keep his filter on for that. "Now then, with those introductions out of the way, it's high time we introduce the 8 countries that will be fighting for the title of Ishgar's strongest country. We will start, of course, with Joya." Waltz then snapped his fingers, commanding the 10 fighters he handpicked to walk into the large stadium.

Allegretto and Polka were of course two of the fighters on Team Joya. The others were hardly familiar faces; the third was Tuba, the older, somewhat heavyset solider with an eyepatch over his left eye; the fourth was a younger male, shorter than the rest in terms of stature. He had on a green hat and his eyes were brown, this was Beat; the fifth was a tall male with black hair tied back in a ponytail. On his back was a massive board sword – this was Jazz, the strongest knight in all of Joya; the sixth was a young woman with pink hair, clad in light armor and two dual blades sheathed at her hip. This was Rondo, another one of Joya's strongest knights. The rest of Joya's team were familiar faces: Yeager, Yumia, Yukia, and Marx of the Wizard Hunters!

"…The Wizard Hunters…are on Joya's team?" Erza was completely befuddled by this. She knew they were taking part in the event, but this didn't seem right. "Does that mean Joya was the one who…?"

"We'll kick their ass no matter what team they're on!" Natsu stated confidently.

"Next," Waltz went on. "We have Team Fiore…the most troublesome country one could ever see." The Count was not letting their issues go under the radar.

"No time to think about it. We have to go." Sting said while taking a deep breath.

Team Fiore stepped into the stadium. Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Zelos, Minerva, Kagura, Bacchus, Sting, Luke, and Reve appeared before the people. Even outside of their country, Fiore did have some fans despite their reputation for being a problem country. "This is a lot of people…" Kagura remarked quietly."

"Oh ho ho! A pleasure to see you all again." Yeager bowed to Team Fiore.

"Chapati, take it away." Waltz handed the introductions to the MC now. He was growing tired of talking.

"Of course!" Chapati was more than prepared to do this. "Next on the list of teams to be introduced…the Pergrande Kingdom!"

Pergrande's team of 10 largely consisted of familiar faces: Mii, Lucia, Shade, Zell (one of the 13 Commandants), Blair, Keele, Rajaron, and the other 3 were unfamiliar faces. There was one male who stood next to Keele, his silver spiky hair and grin vaguely reminiscent of the hybrid takeover; this was Aki Makato, Keele's brother. The other was a young woman with blonde hair and purple eyes, donning the same attire as Zell, the gray haired commandant. This was Elly, another member of Pergrande's 13. The last was a masked man donning dragoon armor. There wasn't much known about this soldier other than his name: Xillia.

"What the…?" Bacchus pointed to Pergrande's team; more specifically, Lucia and Shade. "Ain't they Wizard Hunters too?"

"The Wizard Hunters are on two separate teams?" Minerva lifted a brow. She knew they'd be combating the Hunters, but she did not imagine like this.

"KEELE!?" Natsu's eyes widened in pure shock. "You're here too!?"

"Of course." Keele responded with a slight laugh. "Guess we'll be seeing if your training was all for nothing or not, huh!?"

"But how…?" Lucy was just as confused as the others. Mages of Al Dente! taking part on Pergrande's Team!? Along the Wizard Hunters no less!? What was going on here!?

"Don't think too much of it." Yeager said while adjusting his tie. "This is something of a friendly competition between our faction."

"A competition to see which of us can win, of course." Lucia responded after her brother's statement.

Erza had a slight sweat drop at this revelation. Fiore already came into this knowing that Alvarez and the Wizard Hunters would be their worst foes. Never did they imagine that the Wizard Hunters would split into two teams like this. This wasn't good because now they had two teams that would absolutely impede their progress. "How did you…"

Before Erza could get her question out, Mii interrupted. "Sssssh. We're still in the introductory phase." In other words, they weren't going to be answering the question yet, if at all.

"Next up!" Chapati continued with the introductions. "The fourth country taking place: Seven!"

The members of Seven's team were all familiar faces: Acid Ace, Red Joker, Heartless, Tia, Jack, Diamond Ice, Spade Magnus, Club Strong, Daigo, and surprisingly, Spade's younger brother, Spark. "This is a loooot of people…" Diamond said while glancing around.

"I hope you don't get stage fright." Jack scoffed. "We're here to win."

"Hellloooo Joya! We're gonna take this tournament by storm!" Ace proclaimed loudly to everyone. It was a little embarrassing for Tia that her fiancée was this rowdy in a public setting, which is precisely why she hid her face out.

"Ugh, calm down, would you?" Tia groaned.

Heartless was looking around rather curiously. This was the first time she'd been in front of so many people, for a sport no less. "I understand how Diamond feels. This is a lot to take in, but I'll be fine." As her pink eyes wandered about, they met with Lucia's, who instinctively glared at her. "…?"

"Demon…" Lucia's hand reached for the hilt of her sword. Lucia already made a point about her holy sword, Excalibur, being the blade of demon's bane, and how it was her duty to slay the darkness. But this reaction was more instinctual, primal…personal. Even the calm and composed leader of the Hunters could not suppress this urge to lash out. She was about to attack, but Yeager stopped her simply by placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't do it…." Yukia pointed her fingers together.

"…" Lucia relented and took a calm breath. "….Yeah."

Daigo noticed Lucia's malicious intent and was prepared to strike. But the situation was thankfully defused before it spiraled into chaos. "…That woman…"

"Onto the fifth team! Hailing from the country of Bosco!" Chapati yelled.

Team Bosco largely consisted of Cosmic Star members: Gaia, Alex, Daryan, Yakuza, Hiruka, Lore, and Magnus. Two others were faces that only Fiore would recognize: Nasir and Edna, the wind and crystal dragons from the Isle of the Dragons! Lastly, there was a woman dressed in a nurse's outfit, having red and black hair split down the middle. Daryan tried to wave at Kagura but she purposely turned away.

"H-Huh? You two?" Natsu pointed at Nasir and Edna.

"What are you doing so far from the Isle?" Kagura asked.

"Queen Edna wished to have an eye on this event." Nasir explained. "She wanted us to confirm the identity of this Rajaron…" Nasir's eyes and Rajaron's own made eye contact. Without a doubt, this was indeed the long lost heir of the Isle. But did Rajaron recognize him? That was hard to discern since he had been missing for over 300 years.

"It was such a drag…" Edna yawned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"But they contacted me." Gaia explained. "So I decided to allow them passage as temporary Cosmic Star members. It will help us win, too. We now have three dragons on our side."

"And this one?" Luke pointed to the unnamed woman.

"Oh! Hello!" The woman ran up to Natsu, Lucy, and Erza. "It's been so long, Fairy Tail! I hope you haven't forgotten me~"

"…That voice sounds familiar…" Natsu was trying to rack his brain for an answer.

"Oh, that's right, you don't know what I look like. It's me, Verona!" The woman clasped her hands together.

"HUH!?" Natsu, Lucy, and Erza's eyes went wide.

"Verona Partheon? Huh…she's even more beautiful than I thought." Zelos slicked his hair back.

"Back during the war with Alvarez, I was severed from Cynthia's body. I wandered around until I found myself in Bosco." Verona explained. "It's so nice having my own body back!"

"Still weirded out by the fact you were rooming in my sister's head…" Alex rolled her eyes.

"The sixth team! This is quite a surprise, all things considered! But it is the Alvarez Kingdom!" Chapati said. That name caused the audience to murmur amongst themselves.

"Alvarez?"

"Didn't they start a war a year ago?"

"They were allowed here?"

It fell to the Empress of Alvarez to answer that question. Emmeraude was so fast not a single person noticed she had grabbed Chapati's mic to explain. "Ah yes, I understand some of you are very confused about Alvarez's entry into the tournament. I am its new Empress, Emmeraude Verde. Unlike the previous Emperor, it is my sincere hope that war never happens again. As a goodwill towards Alvarez and Ishgar, we've been invited to partake in this tournament. This will be a wonderful chance for us to renew relations between our continents." And just as quickly as she appeared in the commentator's booth, she left. "Thank you, Dimaria."

"Mhm." Dimaria was the reason Emmeraude was able to appear to and fro so fast. No one was none the wiser to the time stop that had occurred.

"Wow, Em handled that pretty well." Mii shrugged her shoulders.

After their Empress handled the confusion, team Alvarez stepped into the arena. Alvarez's team consisted of Julius, Alice, Little Queen, Ken, Brandish, Jacob, Ragen, and three more faces that had yet to make their appearance. The first was a beautiful woman dressed in a crimson kimono; her long black hair was tied into two long pig tails and her red eye screamed a hint of insanity; this was another member of the Spriggan 12, Oriana. The next was the tallest one all; a man with short, messy blond hair and a muscular build. His expression was apathetic, yet not devoid of emotion. The Spriggan of Love: G. Last but not least, there was man dressed in a red shirt and pants; causal attire, but his expression hinted at pure malice. One could sense the bloodlust coming off of him. This was Zero, another member of the new Spriggan 12. As soon as Alvarez stepped into the arena, they made it a point to make their magical presence known.

"What the hell…?" Daryan took a step back out of caution. "These guys feel way more dangerous than the others…"

"That girl…" Heartless' attention went to Little Queen. "Could it be…?"

"No way…" Spade stared at Little Queen. "Midi's former ruler…our Little Queen is in Alvarez?!"

Little Queen caught the stares, narrowing her eyes at Heartless. But it was odd…she felt a strange pain in her chest. It was fleeting, but it was there nonetheless. "…"

"It is her." Joker responded.

"Brandish is here too?" Lucy had a sweat drop. Then again, Emmeraude did tell them that they somehow traumatized Dimaria to the point of not wanting to fight ever again. "This isn't even all of the 12, but their magic power…"

"It's hardly anything to be afraid of." Reve rolled his eyes. He was the only one not initially intimidated by Alvarez, but that was largely due to his own ego being higher than their magic power. "If these are the chumps that pushed you around before, then they're nothing to me."

"Could your head be inflated with anymore hot air?" Minerva snapped.

"Alvarez is here to ensure victory and nothing else." Julius stated for his team. "You have no chance."

"A bold statement!" Chapati said. "Now, onto the seventh team! The country of Minstrel!"

"Wow, Minstrel is _actually_ here?" Mii crossed her arms.

"Uh, what's that mean?" Sting scratched his head.

"Oh, right." Mii rolled her eyes. "I forget Fiore lives under a rock. Fiiiiine. I don't mind explaining to you. Minstrel is in a constant power struggle as every important guild is vying for dominance. The fact that they managed to get a team together consisting of several different mages is nothing short of a miracle in and of itself."

Speaking of Team Minstrel, they were coming out of another tunnel right now. Anyone who knew of Minstrel's struggle knew that the variety of mages they had was a thin alliance at best. The first to step out was a man with dark hair and black eyes, donning a black coat while smoking a cigar. This man was Rob Martell, a member of the Royal Viper in Minstrel. Alongside him were his two siblings: Raku Martell, a somewhat shorter male than rob with similar features, but his black hair was messy as opposed to Rob's, and Renae Martell, a beautiful woman with long black hair tied back in a ponytail, yellow eyes, and a curvaceous body. "Hmph…quite a crowd." Rob said, exhaling a puff from his cigar.

"Wow, the Martells are here!?" A few members of the audience were in awe.

Alongside the Martells was a man with short brown hair and an eyepatch over his left eye. His attire was a fancy dress suit and there was a blade attached to his waist. This was Asbel, another member of Royal Viper and Rob's best friend. "Look at that crowd, they're excited all right."

There were two more woman on Minstrel's team. The first was Byrnhild Renouf, the Silver Valkryie and an S class member Harpy's Nest. Her hair was pale blonde and her eyes were red, and she too had a blade attached to her waist. The second member of Harpy's Nest was Medusa Floros, a brunette dressed in business woman attire. She was beautiful, but one had to be weary of the snake's bite. She was also an S class of Harpy's Nest within Minstrel.

Zelos was hardly able to contain himself. All these beautiful women! "They're so…"

Lucy had to step in and pinch his ear. Mira wasn't here but someone had to. "Keep it in your pants."

Next were the two members of the Red Falcon guild: Amadio Zeki. His appearance was a mystery, for he covered his face with a mask. The other, however…you couldn't miss him if you tried. He was a gigantic man with a fine leather breastplate and a red fur-line cape. This was David Struan and he was far from a man to be messed with. "If the young ruler didn't demand it, I wouldn't be here with _him_." David grunted.

Who was this man that David spoke of? One of the last two members who had yet to be given proper introduction; Chimera Kingdom. The first of the two was a young man with spiky orange hair and blue eyes. The young successor to the guild itself: Felix Lander…and last but not least, the SS class, or 'prince' of Chimera Kingdom: Tyson Brock. Tyson was a large, muscular man with brown hair that was shoulder length, and also had an eye patch on his left eye. Anyone who knew Minstrel that this team was powerful…but the difference between them also put them on thin ice.

"That is…quite a team." Lucia brushed her hair behind her ears." The least threatening at the end of the day. They won't last the whole week."

"And last but not least…" This last announcement had everyone on edge. Just who was the last time to participate in the tournament? Chapati intentionally held the pause before. "Midi!"

"…Midi!?" Little Queen's eyes widened. "I brought that country to ruin! How can it…!?" Not exactly the thing to gloat in a public setting, but that wasn't the point, because the people who emerged from the final tunnel…had most everyone in shock.

Team Midi consisted of: Makarov Dreyar, Ajeel Lamur, Orga Nanagear, Rahkied Dragneel, Elieen Belserion, August, Bradman, Jigan King, and God Serena. This team was the walking dead, for all these people had passed onto the afterlife! "W-What the…" Even Chapati was in shock.

"What the hell is this!?" Luke shouted in surprise.

"I knew it…!" Natsu grit his teeth. That scent he caught the previous night was Makarov's!

"Orga!?" Sting and Minerva exclaimed in unison.

"King!?" Strong's jaw dropped. "I thought we got rid of you!?"

"HO HO HO!" King's annoying laughter echoed through Crown Stadium. "True greatness never dies!"

"Elieen…!" Emmeraude placed her hands on the railing, her lips curving into a frown. This didn't make sense; she had Elieen's body in a stasis tube back in Alvarez, so how…?!

"God Serena has descended once again from the afterlife! A true god never dies!" God Serena said while striking several poses.

Brandish had a slight sweat drop. All these familiar faces who died in the war… "This cannot be…"

"This only means one thing." Jacob said while adjusting his glove.

"KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" That heinous laugh. Everyone knew it by now. Prometheus and Pandora floated above the stadium, drawing all eyes to them. "Midi may be a ruined country, but that doesn't stop me from taking over as the king of a desolate land!" Prometheus proclaimed. The magic power he obtained from Fairy Heart was noticeable and just as strong as ever. "And that desolate land will march forward with undead soldiers!"

"So he was the one who brought them back…" Jack groaned.

"That is correct." Pandora nodded. Despite having her Pandora Calamity attire on, she did not dip back into the insanity like before. "Prometheus, the King of Midi, and I, its queen, have entered our own team into this tournament. Prometheus wishes to have some fun, you see."

"You can't be serious…! Using our dead friends and family like this?!" This made Sting extremely angry.

"The dead return to the land of the living when they have unfinished business." Prometheus cackled. "Their attachments to the world easily allow me to string them along as I please! So, Ishgar, who will reign supreme!? The land of the living, or the soldiers from the underworld!?" After he asked this, his heinous laugh echoed throughout Crown City, and the entire continent due to it being live casted everywhere. Ishgar's Strongest had officially begun, but not in the way anyone thought…

.

.

Next Time: Rocky Start.


	154. Chapter 154: Rocky Start

Ishgar's Strongest had officially begun. Fiore, Bosco, Seven, Joya, Minstrel, Pergrande, Alvarez, and Midi were the 8 teams fighting in the world's view. The shocking revelation of the tournament before anything could even get started was Midi itself; a destroyed country was now being run by Prometheus and Pandora, who used numerous souls of the dead as their own team. It was a cruel fate that naturally caused a stir among many. "Such a dirty tactic!" Erza was not pleased when her eyes landed on Makarov. The memories of the war with Alvarez resurfaced and how she was unable to save him, and how he gave his life to save everyone.

"….." Mii crossed her arms, glancing away from Makarov as well. That old man had done nothing but cause her pain and grief.

"How can you slap a bunch of dead people together and call it a team?!" Diamond exclaimed, clearly trying to find some fault in this, even though the statement was ironic coming from her of all people. "Even more so, how is that allowed!?"

"Uh, Diamond…you're dead, too, technically." Ace was waving his hand, trying to tell Diamond to be quiet.

Count Waltz could understand Diamond's complaints. "We are aware of the circumstances. That being said, this does not bar Midi from competing. They are able bodied mages capable of fighting, are they not? They fulfilled all of the requirements to enter the tournament and registered a team. Considering we have allowed a spirit such as yourself to take part, there is no reason why a group of them cannot compete." With the tone Waltz had, it was clear he was telling Diamond to shut up and the message was not lost on her.

"Competing against the dead?" Julius glanced up from his book, staring at the forces Prometheus and Pandora brought to compete. "How kind of them to flaunt one of the Empress' objectives in our face. That will make retrieving them much easier."

"I don't get it." Alice scratched her head. "Elieen is there, but Her Majesty has her body? So….."

"He's very clearly manipulating the soul he stole." Julius told his comrade. "Simply manifesting it into a physical shape."

Ajeel glanced around, specifically at the Alvarez team. His expression was that of annoyance, because it didn't look like the revived people could speak without Prometheus' say so. Prometheus caught the message and allowed Ajeel to speak, to which he said; "That old lady is running Alvarez?! You gotta be kiddin' me! She'll run it into the ground!"

"Hah!" Emmeraude let out an extremely haughty laugh at Ajeel's words. "And if you were to rule, it would be no deeper in the ground than the grave you dug for yourself in the war."

"Wow…" Dimaria blinked at Emmeraude's sharp comeback.

Natsu didn't say a word. The fact that Prometheus was abusing the souls of the departed like this pissed him off to no end and it showed. The temperature in the arena started to rise as Natsu's anger slowly boiled, but it wouldn't reach the boiling point. Not yet. "…Bastard."

"Are you all done commenting on our last team?" Waltz was growing impatient with all this idle chatter. The audience and members of the arena fell into a hushed silence, allowing him to continue. "Now that we've covered the countries that have entered the tournament, it's about time to explain the format. It's very simple: over the course of the next 5 days, there will be a series of fights and events that each team must participate in."

"Fights and events? So that's like a Grand Magic Games then…" Bacchus quietly remarked. So far they were in familiar territory.

"The events and their objects will differ. The winner of the event will get 10 points for their team. Anything lower than that receive 0 points. You either win, or you don't." Waltz's tone lowered as he explained the event scoring system. There was a chilling silence with such a brutal system.

"Seriously!?" Lore grumbled. "That's pretty harsh on the mellow, man…"

"…That's tough. If we don't win any event we'll be behind." Sting crossed his arms. He was trying to focus, but it was hard to do so when Orga was right there, not saying a word. Just being used as a puppet for the Grim Reaper's playfully cruel devices.

"As for the fights, this will be done differently. For every matchup, every team is allowed to choose who will participate. More than one person can fight for a team, but the maximum allowed is 3. It wouldn't be very fun, or fair, to watch ten people assault a single person, don't you think?" Waltz asked rhetorically. "Normal competitors are worth 10 points, but if one manages to defeat a captain, that is 15 points. 5 points can make all the difference."

"Tch." Reve scoffed. Why? Because he opted to take the roll of captain, and, well…

* * *

[Flashback]

Hisui gathered Team Fiore around. The tournament was set to begin in a matter of hours. "It is important that we decide on a team captain. I don't know the details yet, but Count Waltz has made it clear he requires this information before the tournament begins."

"No need to ask." Reve said while stepping forward. "It's clear this team needs someone competent to lead them. So I'll do it."

To which Minerva immediately replied; "We didn't ask you."

"Not at all." Kagura added.

This made Hisui sweat. "How about…we all make a group decision, then? I trust you all enough to make a good decision, so whoever you decide to be captain will be the one."

"I nominate Erza." Lucy pointed at Erza.

"Me?" Erza pointed at herself.

"Of course you do. But that's bias." Reve immediately replied. "Just because you _think_ she'd be a better leader than me doesn't make it true."

"No way in hell am I living in a world with you trying to boss me around!" Natsu shouted comically.

"I say we all do a vote." Zelos nodded. "It's only fair."

"A fairly sensible idea coming from you." Kagura had to admit.

"I feel like this will go poorly…" Luke muttered.

"Now then…" Zelos lifted up both arms gesturing to Erza and Reve, who stood on opposite sides of the room. "All those in favor of the rude gunslinger being our leader, join his side of the room! For Erza-chan, do the same!" To no one's surprise, Natsu, Lucy, Kagura, Minerva, and Sting went to Erza's side. Bacchus and Luke went to Reve's. The decision was 5-3, excluding Zelos who chose to opt out of it. "And there we have it!"

"At least some of you have sense…" Reve scoffed.

"I thought it'd be pretty wild seeing what White Eclipse's S class could do as a leader." Bacchus shrugged. His curiosity led him to picking Reve.

Now as the official leader of Fiore's team, Erza cleared her throat. "I may be the leader, but we all share this burden equally! We must all do our part. I will lead you all to victory!"

"Or defeat." Reve quipped.

[End flashback]

* * *

"A 15 point bounty sits on your head. I hope for our sake you don't lose it." Reve shot towards Erza.

"I won't." Titania replied calmly.

"Now, you may be wondering what the benefits and risks are of having 3 people in the ring at a time." Waltz's lips curled up into a smile. "Allow me to explain. In a 3 vs 1 scenario, on paper, it seems unfair that if the 1 should win, they only get 10 points. This is where the fun begins. Each person who steps into the field will be worth their point value. So if the 1 should emerge victory, they will receive 30 points. If a captain was also defeated, that will be 35."

"That's a looooot of points…" Edna said while yawning. "So why would anyone want to fight against one person like that if they risk giving them 30 points?"

"Excellent question." Waltz was waiting for someone to ask that. "The reverse holds true for the single combatant as well. That combatant becomes double, or triple the amount of points they are worth depending on if they are against two or three people. I shouldn't have to explain the math, but if a lone captain is defeated, that is 45…and that's just if it's three on one. Six people could be in the field at a time. The numbers begin to get high…so how you wish to do combat is entirely up to you."

Natsu's head started spinning at all the math being flung around. "I don't get all of it…"

Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's a lot to take in, but simply put, the highest yield of points from a single fight can at most be 90 in a 3 on 3. That's…a lot to take in with this format."

"The fights will have a 15 minute time limit and there will be a ring out rule; should any part of a competitors body touch the outer edge of the arena, they will be considered defeated." The count continued to explain. "Should neither side fall, the point value of each competitor will be divided evenly and split between the teams. In the event of a 1 on 1, both sides will receive 5 points; a 2 on 2, 10 points, etc. For a Captain, we will be generous and round their value up to 8 points. Now, if more than one person has stepped into the ring on both sides, but there is still one person standing, the opposing team will receive half the points to the fallen's value, for they did defeat a competitor. I'm sure you can get the picture by this point."

"Winning is imperative. Take risks when necessary." Minerva stated.

"Oh, and two more things…" Waltz held up his finger. "This is a friendly competition and we're all in it for the sport. I shouldn't have to say this either, but I will not tolerate an act of murder in this stadium. I will only ask this once: be civil. Take out your personal frustrations on another person to your delight. So long as it does not cross the line of life and death, I don't care." His tone was blunt, but he had to make that clear. "Lastly…once the fight has begun, no one is allowed to intervene in a battle until it is officially over. Attempting to jump in is grounds for having your team disqualified from the tournament and expelled from Joya as a result. And with that, we have officially covered every important rule for Ishgar's Finest. I've been talking for quite a while, so I'll hand things over to the MC now."

That was Chapati's cue to explain the rest. "All right! Now that the rules have been laid bare, it's time to get into the main event!" The crowd cheered. Now that they had a proper understanding of what was to come, they could be excited for what would take place. "By the order of Count Waltz, the events will take place after the 4 fights! If you participate in a fight, you cannot take part in an event the same day!"

"So we're fighting first! Finally!" Natsu could understand that. "So who's first?!"

"These are the day 1 matchups of Ishgar's Strongest!" Chapati exclaimed as a lacrima screen appeared in the center of the stadium. This stadium displayed the flags for each time.

Pergrande vs Fiore.

Joya vs Midi.

Alvarez vs Bosco.

Minstrel vs. Seven.

"Pergrande right off the bat!?" Lucy gasped and her gaze went to Mii, who turned away in response. "And we don't know who'll be fighting…"

"Everyone clear out except Fiore and Pergrande's participants." Waltz demanded. They were starting right now.

"Who's going first?" Bacchus questioned, stretching since he was prepared to take on anyone!

"Pardon me." Lucia took a step forward, standing across from Fiore's team. As the other teams went to their respective areas, Lucia's team, Pergrande, were all returning to theirs as well, just leaving her. The blue haired woman brushed her hair behind her ear. "It seems our teams will be fighting. I think it's only natural that we give the people a proper introduction of what this tournament is about."

"What's your point?" Sting crossed his arms. "Nothing's stopping us from taking three of us to put you down! You're the leader of the Wizard Hunters, right?"

"But your own team captain believes she alone is enough, right?" Lucia stared at Erza with those blue eyes of hers. "She's been itching for a swing at me, and I, her."

"What are you saying?" Minerva hated that Lucia was beating around the bush.

Lucia's lips curved into a subtle smile. "I'm saying I wish to challenge Erza Scarlet to a duel. I'll even make it worth your while; if you win, you can have any one thing you wish of me and my group and we'll abide by it…excluding your victory condition of course. I call this an Executive Order."

"A duel?" Erza lifted a brow. Lucia was betting an order that even she could not refuse to Erza? If she won, she could solve their stipulation and take out the Hunters in one fell swoop. "Very well. I accept. If I win, I demand you and your Hunters drop out of the tournament and surrender yourselves to Fiore authorities."

Reve quirked a brow. _"This is a trap."_ But he wasn't going to say that aloud. Why? Because that was up to Erza to figure out. He didn't trust Lucia at all.

"How bold." Lucia giggled a bit. "And if I win, I want your strongest weapon to claim as my own."

That was it? Erza was curious but this seemed like a winning trade in her favor, which made her a little skeptical. A weapon over the freedom of Lucia's entire organization? Regardless, how could she not accept this trade? There was no weapon Lucia could strip of her that would deter or demoralize her. "Fine. You have yourself a bet. I'll be quick." She told her team.

"Kick her ass, Erza!" Natsu shouted.

"We'll be rooting for you!" Lucy added.

"Good luck~" Zelos cooed. Little did the others realize he wasn't just speaking to Erza, but to Lucia as well.

"… _How did she know Erza was our team captain? We just made that decision before we stepped into the stadium and Waltz didn't even announce captains …"_ Luke thought to himself. This was bugging him too much but couldn't figure out any answers.

* * *

"AND HERE WE HAVE IT FOLKS! LUCIA SILVERWIND FROM PERGRANDE VS. ERZA SCARLET FROM FIORE!" Chapati yelled. "THIS IS THE FIRST MATCH OF ISHGAR'S STRONGEST!" The crowd roared in excitement. Two powerful ladies starting off the tournament? Who could ask for anything better!?

"Your 15 minute timer begins now! Let the battle start!" Chapati yelled.

Erza was the first one to start. Gray had told her his experience against Lucia and kept it in mind when approaching her. Erza started off simple, summoning two sharp blades and sprinted forward to close the gap. When she got close, she swung her two swords at Lucia, who blocked with her own blade. The sheathe of the blade, that is. "…"

"I've heard stories about you." Lucia said calmly, swaying her body to the side to avoid a sudden gut kick. She returned the favor, jabbing her sheathe blade into Erza's armored chest. Even with armor on that blow was still capable of sending Titania backwards a few steps. "A powerful swordswoman within Fiore's strongest guild. A jack of all trades in the world of weaponry. Truthfully, I was disappointed when I fought Gray, for he couldn't even land a clean blow on me. But you? My sword arm aches to clash with you."

"Then why don't you unsheathe that blade?" Erza responded on a dime, a heavenly glow appearing around her body as she switched to her Flame Empress armor, the fiery blade at her command. Erza swung the flaming sword from a distance, sending waves of flame at Lucia, which she was capable of dodging with some nimble flips.

"Simple." Lucia elegantly replied, landing on the ground with a confident grin. "Because I am also confident that I can defeat you without drawing Excalibur." That statement and Lucia simply reeked of arrogance. Her statement was loud enough so the whole world watching could hear her.

"There she goes…" Mii sighed.

"How arrogant." Erza stated calmly. "Do you think of yourself so highly you can defeat me without your weapon? I'll show you how badly you are mistaken!" Erza flew forward, aiming a blazing slash at Lucia's chest, but when she went to swing the weapon, she noticed that…it had been stolen from her. Erza slid to a halt, eyes wide in surprise and the rest of the crowd was also in shock. Not only did Erza lose her sword, but the corresponding Requip had faded as well. "Wh-!?"

Lucia stood with Erza's fiery sword in hand. The flames were far more intense than what Erza was capable of bringing forth. "You may be a jack of all trades, but there's something you must understand about me. I am a master of all." Assuming her combat stance, it was very clear that Erza's own sword was about to be used against her. Even more so, that the blade was far stronger in Lucia's hands than it was in her own. This battle was just getting started.

.

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Next Time: Master of All.


	155. Chapter 155: Master of All

The crowd watched in awe as Lucia had stolen Erza's weapon away from her. This wouldn't have been such a shock if the Flame Armor hadn't been forcibly disabled from Titania as well. Lucia's bold statement, telling Erza she could defeat her without even drawing her sword caused the audience to go into a hushed silence. The long haired bluenette stared at Erza with a smile that oozed confidence. "Did you like my trick? A former member of the Wizard Hunters taught it to me while he was still within our ranks. I think you know him as Roy these days? It's called Thief's Hand."

"Unbelievable!" Chapati shouted. "It seems that Lucia has stolen Erza's own weapon, and requip away from her! How will Titania respond!?"

"How did she…?" Jack rubbed his eyes, trying to make sure he was seeing things correctly. "Stealing her weapon is one thing, but…!?"

"Ugh, look at her." Diamond huffed. "I can feel the arrogance oozing off of every inch of her body!"

"Her confident goes beyond my charts." Joker stated flatly.

"This woman…I feel like I've seen her before…" Heartless couldn't quite remember, though.

"Haha…" Yeager chuckled at this turn of events. "Oh, my dear sister. Ever so talented. Not only is she blessed with the Silverwind magic, but she is also the holder of Excalibur, and an ability to master any and every weapon that she touches. Of course her skill is unparalleled, as not even I have been able to best her in combat since we were but kids, but I do hope that her confidence doesn't blind her to actual threats."

"Come on Erza, kick her ass!" Natsu shouted.

"Yeah, you can win!" Happy added from the sidelines. As far as most of Team Fiore was concerned, Lucia was in for a surprise if she thought she could underestimate Erza Scarlet of all people.

"She's digging her own grave." Minerva rolled her eyes.

Lucia's arrogance made Erza scoff. To think there was someone who was more confident than Reve. "I'll make you regret your decision." A heavenly glow appeared around Erza's body once more, this time donning her Heaven's Wheel armor. Without wasting any time, Erza flew into the air, summoning numerous blades at her side, all pointed down at Lucia. "Heaven's Wheel!" Pointing her arm down, these blades began to bombard the leader of the Wizard Hunters.

Lucia's borrowed flame sword flickered before roaring to life in a glorious blaze. "Flame Edge!" Swinging her sword a single time produced an incredible blast of heat that knocked most of the swords out of the air and scattered them elsewhere. The action was repeated for the rest of the swords she couldn't take out in a single swing. It took two effortless swings to take out the Heaven's Wheel, but Erza herself was diving down, raising two blades up to slash at Lucia! Lucia smirked and brought her blade up, clashing with Erza's own. Sparks flew from the collision of blades. "Is that the best you can do?"

"This is only a warm up!" Erza pulled back, charging in once more while using the power of flight to her advantage. She circled around Lucia, swinging her sword downward for a diagonal slice across her foe's lower left rib, but that slash was parried and forced Erza off to the side. Gritting her teeth, Titania tried once again, keeping close while aiming both swords for Lucia's chest in a slashing X motion. As Erza brought her swords down, Lucia brought hers up, blocking the strike and a shockwave boomed out from their power. "Gh…!"

"Hm!" Lucia used her physical prowess to push Erza away, then immediately pursued as the flames on her blade grew stronger than before. "Pyre Havoc!" The Wizard Hunter brought the flaming edge forward, aiming a fierce vertical slash for Erza's midsection. This blow was blocked but the sheer power behind it caused Erza to stagger and nearly broke her guard. The second hit was also blocked, but Erza hadn't regained her footing, so it ultimately broke her stance and left her exposed for the third hit; a rising, diagonal slash that sliced across Erza's stomach up to her shoulder. The sheer might of the attack sent Titania soaring backwards.

"Gaaaah!" Erza cried out in pain as the searing sensation shook her entire body. Even if she had her Flame Armor active, she wasn't certain if it would've been able to withstand a blow like that. Gritting her teeth, she flipped and stabbed her swords into the ground, bringing her momentum to a halt a few yards away from the arena wall.

"Well well, it seems her foe knows her way around a sword." Calium remarked. "I've heard of that magic. It's rare, but it's called Master of Arms. As long as I've lived, I've never seen anyone actually master it until now."

"I wonder if she will lose to her own sword…" Helena questioned aloud. That was the one thing everyone outside of Team Fiore was wondering.

"…" Elieen was silent. Not because she wanted to be, but because she couldn't speak without Prometheus allowing her to. It angered her and it was clear.

Erza took a deep breath, standing up to see that Lucia was allowing her to change her tactics. She was beginning to get a grasp on the type of opponent she was facing. "I see. Allow me a different approach then." Erza changed her attire entirely, shifting to the Flight Armor with the Wind and Water God Swords at her disposal. With the speed of the Flight Armor, she barreled towards Lucia in the blink of an eye, now slashing at her several times from various angle! Erza was a blur even to the trained eye and no one in the audience could fall her movements. All they could see was Lucia shifting around accordingly, swinging her blade to block and parry Erza's attacks. Whenever it collided with the Water God's Sword, steam filled the area, slowly covering the two of them in a cloud of steam. _"Now's my chance!"_ This was what Erza was waiting for. With Lucia's sight obscured, Erza had her opening! "Sonic Claw!" Speeding from the cloud of steam, all anyone could see were slashes before Erza appeared on the opposite side with her two swords held in front of her.

As the steam cleared, Lucia had not a scratch on her. "Is that all? I'm still waiting to be wowed."

Erza's eyes widened at this result. "What…!?"

"She blocked every hit!?" Lector gasped.

"Yeah." Reve responded. His eyes saw it all happen in slow motion. Erza struck at the speed of sound, but Lucia was capable of using her borrowed sword to block and parry every strike with the utmost precision. He was certain that Lucia was baiting Erza into this fight, but now that he saw that, he was certain this was nothing more than an enemy trap. "She's not going to win."

"Can it, asshole!" Natsu angrily shouted. "Come on Erza!"

"You can do it!" Lucy shouted.

Erza took a deep breath before a subtle smirk appeared on her lips. While she had an inkling Sonic Claw would fail, she did have a contingency in mind. By using the Water God's sword, she scattered tons of water all across the arena, especially near Lucia. "Let's see how you handle this!" In an instant, she dropped both blades in favor of the Lightning God's Lance. She stabbed the lance in the ground, releasing an electric discharge and used the water as a conductor!

"You think I didn't notice your novice trick!?" Lucia almost felt insulted! She stabbed the blazing edge into the sword, releasing a wave of heat that turned the water into steam! This wave of heat also overpowered the electric discharge, causing it to explode and fill the arena with smoke. "I'm tired of playing defense. I think I'll switch things up now!" Sprinting forward with speeds that would make Erza's Flight Armor jealous, Lucia appeared in front of Titania, thrusting her blade forward for Erza's chest! Erza managed to block this with her lance, but Lucia's strength was consistently forcing her backwards.

"I just…wanted you to get close!" Erza grinned as she dropped her lance, shifting her body to the side while wrapping her arms around Lucia's sword arm. As she did this, she changed into her Giant's Armor, using the physical strength boost and Lucia's own momentum to flip her over and slam her back into the ground!

"Ack…!" Lucia's eyes widened briefly in pain as she bounced off the ground with tremendous force. Before she had the chance to register what happened, Erza then swung her armored fist at Lucia's chest, knocking her away!

"She got a hit!" Kagura said.

"I knew she could it." Jellal said with a prideful smile.

"Yeah, that's it!" Bacchus laughed.

"Are the tables turning!?" Chapati asked.

"Boss!" Yumia and Yukia cried out. It was rare for anyone to get the better of Lucia like that!

Lucia tumbled for a split second, jumping to land on her feet. She rotated her shoulder, a smile now crossing her lips after that result. "So you got one over on me. Maybe this will be just as entertaining as I hoped!" And she started to sprint forward yet again!

"I will take you down!" Erza shifted to her Morning Star Armor, equipping the matching blades as she intended to meet Lucia halfway. Just as before, their swords met and another shockwave boomed out from their raw power. The two were engaged in a fierce sword dance, neither giving in. Two blades against one and Lucia was still easily holding her own.

"Neither side is backing down! It's a fierce display for dominance. Which one will come out on top!?" Chapati yelled into the mic.

Erza was using this chance to charge up energy into her swords. When she felt she had enough, she pointed the two blades forward after taking a step back, preparing to launch an attack from point blank. "Photon Slicer!"

It seemed as though Lucia had the same idea. As she took a step back, she pointed her sword forward in tandem with Erza. "Hell Fire Blade!" From Lucia's sword, a sphere of flame shot forth, and from Erza's, a condense blast of magic was released. These two attacks met at point blank range, immediately resulting in a powerful explosion that damaged and blew both combatants backwards! "Whoa…!"

"Ngh…!" Erza barely managed to catch herself. That explosion nearly did as much damage as her attack could've dealt. Erza peered into the smoke, waiting for Lucia to emerge, but…

"Above you!" Sting warned.

Erza looked up and there she was. Lucia was high in the air, cloaked in a veil of flames. "Fierce Hell Fire Blade!" The Hunter exclaimed. There was no time for Erza to dodge; all she could do was block the incoming strike. Lucia landed on top of Erza and a devastating explosion of flame occurred.

"Ngggh!" Erza was still thrown back despite her stance, pieces of her Morning Star Armor destroyed from the impact. As she tumbled, she saw that Lucia was actually still giving pursuit, not giving her a lot of time to think. The distance she had was ample enough to retaliate. Erza donned her Wing Blade Armor, the spinning swords moving on their own to assault and delay Lucia.

Lucia had also been damaged by the explosion. There were some bruises and burn marks on her body and tattered white shirt, but it was easy for her to press on. As the blades came her way, she swatted them down one by one with easy swings of her sword. "Did you really think those swords would buy you time?"

"Did you think you could escape my blades without being cut!?" Erza retorted.

"…" Lucia felt it. A blade had sliced into her thigh, but she continued to press on, unfazed by it. "Your cuts are only skin deep!" With a malicious smile, Lucia slid to a halt, turning on her heel as she aimed a horizontal slash at Erza's shoulder. It hit and burned Erza to the core, causing her to cry out as she was forced off to the side. It would've been more beneficial to send her closer to the arena's edge, but Lucia simply refused that sort of outcome.

Erza was certainly on the losing end of this battle, but she refused to give up! Standing up once more, she drew but one conclusion on how to defeat Lucia. Her Clear Heart Armor was her answer, throwing away all defense for the sake of offense. There were two blades at her side and it seemed nothing special in the moment. "I will defeat you here and now."

"Oh, is that a fact?" Lucia lifted a brow. "How do you intend to do that when you can hardly lay a finger on me?"

"High Enchant!" Erza proclaimed. This caused her two swords to light up in two different elements: the flames of a Fire Dragon, and the ice of a devil. "Fire Dragon's Flames; Ice Demon's Frigid Air!"

"What the…!?" Alex's eyes widened. "When could she do that!?"

"….." Elieen, once again, could say nothing.

"Ooooh!" Natsu's eyes were wide with excitement.

"That's new." Luke remarked.

"Hmmm…" Zelos stroked his chin quietly. "Erza-chan with new tricks? I think I just fell in love with her a little bit more." Naturally that comment caught Jellal's attention but he tried to play it off.

"Enchanting? Now that's interesting." Lucia bent her knees, taking a different stance. "A lovely dance of fire and ice." The ice of a devil made Ecailbur shine. The blade was begging to be released, but Lucia held fast due to her earlier statement.

" _Natsu….Gray, lend me your strength."_ Erza thought to herself before swinging both swords in an X formation. This prompted a cross wave of fire and ice to shoot towards Lucia!

"Hmph!" Lucia brought her sword down, clashing with the mixture of fire and ice. The struggle only lasted a few seconds before she cleanly sliced through it and focused on the approaching Erza. With the blazing sword, Erza attempted to cut Lucia's shoulder, but this strike was blocked and she fired back with a kick to Erza's gut, sending her staggering back. Erza recovered and swung the frigid blade down at Lucia's arm, but missed and hit the ground instead. She followed up with a thrust from the flaming sword, but Lucia stepped to the side to evade it. While she did this, she found that her other foot was stuck. "Wh-!?"

Erza was never aiming for Lucia's arm. She hit the ground where Lucia's foot was, using the ice to keep her in place. "You're open!" Pushing off, Erza's foot collided against Lucia's cheek; the swift kick to the face was strong enough to free Lucia and make her stagger, where Erza then followed up by spreading her arms apart, holding the blades at her sides as she closed the little distance between them. "Fire and Ice Blade!" Erza slashed Lucia in an X formation, cleaving the woman's chest as the flames of a dragon and ice of a devil burned into her body!

"GAAAH!" Lucia actually cried out in pain from this painful direct hit!

"BOSS!" Yumia and Yukia were exceedingly worried. It had been years since they saw their leader like this!

"Oh, worry not girls…" Yeager said with a small grin. "I think my dear sister is actually enjoying herself."

Right as Yeager said that, Lucia's pained expression turned into one of excitement. "Now this is wonderful!" She recovered from the blow like nothing! There was blood staining her white clothing as there was an X mark gash on her chest, but she took it in stride.

"What…!?" Now Erza was really shocked. A direct hit like that would have incapacitated most anyone!

"It's been so long since I've been able to cut loose like this. I wonder if you can keep up!" Lucia held her sword up, the flames igniting once more, only they grew even more dangerous. Silver wind started to swirl around the flames, feeding them and making them stronger in more ways than one. The properties of Silver Wind magic augmented the flames, turning them from orange to silver! "Silver Strike!" Lucia then brought her blade down towards Erza, who feebly attempted to block it. The blade sliced through the arena, exploding violently and tossed Erza into the air after sustaining heavy damage.

"Kuh!" Erza was feeling it now. But she couldn't stop yet. She saw Lucia lunging from below and dove to kick her in the face again, but Lucia saw through this and twisted her body around Erza's leg, much to Titania's surprise. "Ah…!"

"You won't get that kind of strike on me again, Titania!" Lucia grinned while returning the favor, spinning her body around to slam her boot into Erza's cheek, forcing her down towards the ground. "And here's a parting gift!" Another swing of her sword caused another Sliver Strike to pursue Erza!

If that hit her she wasn't sure she'd survive it! Erza grit her teeth, swinging her twin blades in tandem to clash with the Silver Strike. She couldn't stop it entirely, but she was able to greatly reduce its impact as it slammed her into the ground, bruised and burned, but as Erza always did, she stood. "Ngh…" Lucia was unbelievably strong, but Erza believed she could win this. She just needed a push…another direct hit would do it, she knew that. But she also knew that she was worse for wear and any wrong move could make her lose. She was panting heavily while trying to think of a plan.

Lucia landed on the ground, only panting softly. "This has been a lovely little warm up. But isn't time you started getting serious?"

"What?" Erza narrowed her eyes.

"If you truly think you can defeat me, I want to see your effort. All this dancing around shows me that you cannot face me head on. Not that I'm saying it's a bad thing; combating someone with tactics is just as important as strength." The Hunter said casually.

"What are you…?" Erza wasn't sure where this was going.

"I know your tactics, your strengths; your weaknesses…the Wizard hunters have been watching you like hawks." Lucia explained. "We've been spying on you for the past year, especially the past month. If those twin blades were your trump card, I can confidently say that nothing in your arsenal can stop me."

"A brave statement…" Erza said while readying herself once more. "However, I still have to pay you back for what you've done to Gray. Not to mention taking you in."

"Ah yes, your family." Lucia's lips curved up into a coy smile. "You trust your family with your life, don't you? What if I told you that a member of your guild was actually one of our spies? Leaking information about anything and everything you did? How would that make you feel, knowing you can't trust someone in your own ho-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Erza shouted at the top of her lungs. "I will not stand here and listen to your false words about my family! I trust every member of Fairy Tail and nothing you say can or will change that!" She was furious. How dare Lucia try and speak ill of the trust Fairy Tail had with one another.

"…." Zelos lifted a brow and crossed his arms. Lucia wasn't throwing _him_ under the boss, but she wasn't lying either. Unfortunately, only Zelos knew this, and of course he'd keep quiet. He actually wanted to see how this would go.

Now that Erza was angry, Lucia held her sword up once more. "Does the anger you feel towards me insulting your family empower you? Will you bring forth your strongest weapon?"

"Wishing for my best is one thing, but insulting my family to do it?" A glow appeared around Erza's body once more. If Lucia wanted her best, then she'd deliver it. Erza donned the Armor of Nagakami and its spear, glaring daggers into Lucia's eyes. "I'll make sure those last words are properly written on your tombstone!"

"Here we go!" Lucy was ready to see Erza finish this!

"HAAAAAH!" Erza pushed off, aiming the tip of her spear right for Lucia's chest. Naturally Lucia blocked this with her borrowed sword, the two of them ending up in a fierce deadlock. "Your guild has attempted to make a fool out of Fairy Tail for too long and I won't stand for it! This is where you go down!"

"So _this_ is the legendary armor! I've been…waiting for this!" Lucia's grin widened as she pushed back against Erza. This would've been a stalemate if not for one thing: the borrowed flame sword beginning to deteriorate due to the properties of the spear! Its properties to burn through magic itself. "Ah…"

Erza was pushing forward with all her might, the sword Lucia used to defend herself slowly breaking apart. This was the push she needed to finish this once and for all. "Nagakami…!" The sword shattered, leaving Lucia completely open. This was it! "STARLIG-" And then it all fell apart. It was so fast, no one saw it happen, but they saw the result. A blinding beam of light pierced through Erza's side, causing her to halt right then and there. It was so swift, the Nagakami armor was shattered and Erza's body was covered in broken pieces of armor. "….Ah…." Titania then collapsed onto her back, leaving everyone dumbfounded.

"ERZA?!" Natsu, Lucy, Kagura, Minerva, and Jellal all exclaimed in unison.

"W-What happened?!" Hisui asked. No one had a clue.

Yeager let out a quiet sigh. His sister had been playing around too much and it nearly cost her. _"So in the end, she had to resort to her true weapon for the finishing blow."_

"…" Even Reve was unable to witness it. It was faster than light. All he saw was Lucia's hand go for the hilt of Excalibur as the flame sword was breaking.

"E-Erza went down!?" Chapati was as confused as the audience.

"It seems that Lucia was faster on the draw than Erza." Ice remarked.

"Ngh…" Erza was attempting to stand, but Lucia's foot pressed against her chest, forcing her down. "It looks like I'm the winner." She now had no qualms drawing her weapon, pointing it down at Erza. "But do not call the match just yet. For we had an agreement."

Count Waltz shrugged his shoulders. "Very well. The exchange of weaponry will signify the end of this bout. It's clear that Erza cannot move anymore."

"Like hell! Stand up and take her out!" Natsu was pleading for Erza to do so.

"…" Erza glanced at the spear that was a few feet away. Lucia truly wanted that? Sure it would be dangerous in her hands, but Erza could fight back. She didn't say it aloud, but as much as it pained her…she lost. The strength and magic all left her body as soon as Lucia pinned her down.

"Everyone that knows Erza Scarlet knows that her strongest weapon is not in the impressive arsenal she wields." Lucia began. Everyone assumed she was after something material, but no, it was far worse than that. "Erza Scarlet's strongest weapon is the bond that she shares with her friends and family. And I intend to claim that weapon from her."

"What…" Lucy had a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Lucia pressed the tip of Excalibur into Erza's arm…more specifically, her Fairy Tail guild mark. "I will be taking this."

Erza's eyes went wind in horror. If she didn't have any strength, she'd certainly find some now to push Lucia off. "Don't you dare…!" Lucia wouldn't budge. Excabliur was pressed into her shoulder and a burning sensation caused Erza to cry out in pain as her Fairy Tail mark was…burning away, along with the skin around her arm. "AAAAAAAAAH!"

"ERZA!" Natsu was not going to sit back and watch this. He started to lunge forward but was held back by Luke. "LUKE, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"

"Don't be a dumbass! The fight is still going! If you jump out there and interrupt, we'll be DQ'ed you idiot!" Luke retaliated.

"He's right. Stay your ass right there." Reve cut his eyes at Natsu. He wouldn't be out of this tournament just because Natsu couldn't sit still. "She made this bed and now she has to lie in it."

"Are you insane!?" Lucy shouted.

"We can't just sit and watch this!" Sting snarled. Unfortunately, due to their circumstances, that was exactly what they had to do.

"…." Jellal clenched his hand into a fist. He couldn't bear to watch Erza in pain and had to do something. But his actions would put the Queen at risk! If Fiore was disqualified then she would die by the hands of the Wizard Hunters.

Erza's pained scream filled Crown Stadium. The audience couldn't watch this cruelty. Numerous members of Team Fiore were held back by each other and arguing. "…This is messed up…" Tia glared.

"…!" Makarov was ready to act on his own, but his soul was under Prometheus' control. As such, he was frozen in place along with Elieen.

"Ah ah…" Prometheus shook his head. "You have no right to interfere anymore. You belong to _me._ Kyahahaha!"

"How barbaric…" Emmeraude shook her head.

"That's…" Mii could only sigh and look away.

Eventually Erza passed out from the pain. It had been too much and when Lucia finished, there was just burned skin where her Fairy Tail mark had been. Whistling, Lucia sheathed her sword and stepped off Erza. "And with that, I've claimed the Fairy Queen's strongest weapon."

Count Waltz held his hand up. "And the winner of this match is Lucia Silverwind from the Pergrande Kingdom! For defeating a Captain, Pergrande wins 15 points!" A strong lead to start things off.

The match was over. As soon as this was made clear, Luke let Natsu go, as if he was able to hold him for much longer anyway. Natsu stood on the railing, his body cloaked in flames as veins threatened to burst from his forehead. There were no words to describe the rage he felt. "LUCIAAAAAAAAAAA!" Natsu roared so loudly it shook the entire stadium!

Lucia turned, tilting her head upwards to face the angered Natsu with her usual smile. The two had different expressions, yet the look in their eyes were equally fierce. Natsu's overflowing rage against Lucia's outstanding arrogance. "Hm? Is there something I can do for you, Natsu-san?"

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Next Time: Harsh Lesson.


	156. Chapter 156: Harsh Lesson

Crown Stadium was deathly silent. Erza had been defeated by Lucia, leader of the Wizard Hunters. The defeat was shocking enough to Team Fiore and the others that knew Erza, but Lucia then took it a step further. She forcibly removed Erza's Fairy Tail guild mark in front of the world. This was insult to injury, pouring salt on a deep open wound. Natsu could stand Lucia no longer and was ready to confront her. This was only the first battle of the Ishgar's Strongest tournament and things were already going south. "LUCIAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"Can I help you, Natsu-san?" Lucia asked coyly.

"RAAAAH!" Natsu leapt from the railing and high into the air, vibrant orange flames igniting around his fist. He was going to strike.

"Is he serious!?" Jack's jaw dropped.

"Is that allowed!?" Daryan questioned.

"Hahah! That's it Natsu! Don't take shit from any of 'em!" Keele laughed. The fact that Lucia was on his own team didn't make a difference to him; this was far too good!

"Flame Dragon King's Demolition Fist!" Natsu swung for the fences, aiming to knock that stupid, smug, irritating grin off Lucia's face! There was an explosion on contact, a massive wave of fire erupting within Crown Stadium. The stadium shook and the crowd watched in shocked silence. Natsu held his follow through, eyes narrowed as he felt his fist hit something.

Lucia conjured a barrier just before Natsu struck her. This came from Excailbur itself and was far stronger than the borrowed blade she used in her fight against Erza. "Is that how you ask a lady a question? How rude. We fought fair and square, and I claimed my prize fair and square. You have no right to intervene."

"You went too far!" Natsu snarled. "She never agreed to removing her guild mark!"

"Ah ah…" Lucia waved a finger. "In her heart of hearts, I know Erza was fully aware of what was on the line here. Her strongest weapon is her family. I have stripped that of her. You know that to be true as well. She is a wonderful swordswoman, but her swings are empowered by her faith and belief in her family."

Emmeraude crossed one leg over the other, letting out a quiet sigh. "So this is the game they intend to play."

Waltz stared at Natsu. "Are you done with your little tantrum? Get this woman out of the field if you're going to barge in so suddenly." The count was not pleased with Natsu's actions; however it was technically legal since he barged in before Waltz could announce the next fight. Natsu's timing was his only saving grace.

"You're going to pay for this." Natsu snarled. He wanted to finish this right here, right now, but there were too many factors preventing him from doing so. The audience and progression of the tournament was not one of them.

"Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed. She was just as angry as Natsu was, but they couldn't afford to do this. "Erza's hurt."

"….I know." Natsu grit his teeth, walking over to the unconscious Erza to lift her up. Their conflict with the Wizard Hunters was far from over. But for now, he carried Erza away.

"So sorry, Count Waltz. Fiore's mages can be so rowdy." Lucia shrugged her shoulders. "I'm going to get patched up."

"Hmph. Regardless, it's time for the next match. Joya vs. Midi. Tuba, you will fight." Waltz demanded.

The old man gave a nod. "Yes, sir!"

Prometheus stroked his chin. He was relishing in watching Makarov and Elieen's expressions at Erza's torment. But he wouldn't allow them or make them fight just yet. "Rahkeid, why don't you show your skills to the world again?"

"Yes…" Rahkeid looked absolutely unfocused. Probably due to the fact that the last thing he remembered before death was Zeref killing him; the man he came to know as father killed him in favor of his brother. Rahkeid's hateful gaze burned a hole into Natsu's body, but the Salamander was far too focused on Erza's wellbeing to notice.

* * *

Lucia let out a quiet sigh as she made her way through a tunnel towards the infirmary. While she was capable of withstanding Erza's blows, the worst injury she sustained were the two slashes to the chest. That was the blow that left a mark. "I had fun. But she wasn't as entertaining as I would've hoped.

"Is that so?" Yeager asked, leaning against a wall while questioning his sister. "It seemed you were having a little _too_ much fun, hm?"

"Whatever do you mean, brother of mine?" Lucia held a coy smile, but Yeager didn't seem so pleased.

"Lucia." Yeager's gaze narrowed. "You were playing with your food and it very nearly cost you. You had your poor girls worried about your wellbeing because you wanted to play around.

"…." Lucia's smile faded. She did hear Yumia and Yukia's worried cries during her fight.

"Everyone knows you are a much better swordswoman than that." Yeager continued to scold his sister. "The people may not have noticed, but in the end, you weren't able to fulfill your own handicap. I saw you draw Excalibur in the final moments of that battle. You underestimated your foe, and you know full well Mii and Zelos didn't warn you about them for nothing, ja?"

Lucia remained silent as her brother continued to berate her. A quiet sigh escaped the leader of the Hunters and she crossed her arms over her wounded chest. "…Perhaps I did get a little carried away. I wanted to have a little fun. That spear would've hurt quite a bit, but I would've been able to withstand that blow. In the end, Erza was doomed to lose. I simply wanted to give her a fighting chance. But I promise, if she, or anyone, decides to challenge me, I will not hold back."

Yeager smiled. His sister could be a bit of a handful if left to her own devices, which is precisely why it was his duty to keep her grounded. "That is all I ask of you. You are the leader, thus you carry an image."

"And now everyone thinks they have a chance at me, when in truth, that borrowed sword wasn't even half of Excalibur's. If I decided to dual wield, or just use Excalibur from the beginning, it wouldn't have even been a fight. Fiore has learned the harsh lesson that they are the bottom of the totem pole in this tournament." Cockily stating this, Lucia kept walking to the infirmary. "That being said…the demon that heartless demon that killed our parents is in this stadium. I don't care what the rules state; I will end her life with this blade. That is my sole purpose…"

* * *

The next battle of the first day of Ishgar's Strongest was Midi vs Joya. Midi's team consisting of fallen souls from various time periods in Fiore's recent timeline. Rahkeid Dragneel, former Spriggan 12, was duking it out against one of Joya's finest soldiers: Tuba. To those from Seven, Fiore, and Bosco, this fight looked like it would be a wash in Midi's favor. "That old guy doesn't stand a chance…" Daryan remarked. He could never forget that fight with Rahkeid.

"…." Sting clenched his hand into a fist. The fact that he'd have to watch the man who murdered Orga fight in this tournament made his blood boil.

"Sting-kun…" Lector said softly.

"Calm down." Minerva told Sting. She knew he was angry. She was angry, too. But they couldn't afford to collapse in the first day.

"You'll have to forgive me, but I intend to make this battle quick." Rahkeid said calmly, swiping two fingers across the air. This sent numerous blades of pleasure towards Tuba. "An old soul like yourself…I'll bless your time on this earth with pleasure."

"I don't have time for such a luxury." Tuba responded gruffly. The old man held onto his weapon of choice; a large mace with a shaft that required both hands to wield. As the blades of pleasure came in, Tuba began to spin around; using his sheer might to break apart the blades of pleasure while rapidly closing the distance between himself and Rahkeid. "Mega Impact!" The large elderly man swung his mace for Rahkeid's ribcage, looking for a devastating opening hit.

Rahkeid brought his arm up to defend against the blow and stop it in its tracks. That was a mistake on his end as Tuba's power was a bit more than he anticipated. While the fallen Spriggan did not budge, his arm was bruised from the impact. This made him furrow his brows before shooting a palm forward, striking Tuba in the chest with enough force to knock him away. "Unfortunately for you, it is not a luxury, but rather, the instrument of your demise." With Tuba knocked away, Rahkeid then placed his hand on the ground, causing multiple tendrils of pleasure magic to appear around Tuba. "Now fall into the depths of pleasure!"

Tuba had other ideas. The old man slammed his mace into the ground, using the force to push himself into the air, much to the surprise of everyone who'd battle the White Dragneel. For an old man, Tuba's reaction time was impressive. Now in the air, Tuba aimed his mace down, descending rapidly at dangerous speeds. "Ha! Learn your place, peon! Gigantic Slam!"

"…!" Left with no options, Rahkeid had to jump back, just as his feet left the ground, Tuba's mace slammed into the location where he had just been standing. A violent explosion occurred upon impact, throwing the White Dragneel backwards. At the very least he avoided a direct hit, but he was still skidding backwards and caught some bruises from the attacks. As for where Tuba landed, there was just a gigantic crater.

"…What is this?" Kagura questioned. Rahkeid's strength felt the same as it was a year ago; he was still insanely strong, but this old man was pushing against him?

"…" Sting felt the same way.

"What…did you…do…?" Elieen struggled to speak. It was a feat that she could even mutter a syllable without Prometheus' say so. Pandora tilted her head curiously and Prometheus just laughed.

"Kyahaha! You think I hindered his strength? Not at all! That old man is just really tough!" Prometheus explained. "Although when you or August fight, I may have to neuter your power just to keep this competition interesting!"

"Had enough, runt!?" Tuba questioned.

Rahkeid brushed himself off. "We are only just beginning. I cannot lose to you. Prometheus promised me my chance at revenge if I succeeded." As he said this he flung that cross on his back forward. It was a surprising tactic and Tuba just barely managed to parry the cross away with his mace. But as soon as he swung, he was left open and Rahkeid was in his face! A simple slash of his hand left a deep gash in Tuba's lower left side, causing the old man to grunt in pain. "That is a more suitable expression for your elderly face." With a malicious smile, Rahkeid then infused his palm with pleasure magic, slamming it into Tuba's chest to send him flying. "When you receive enough pleasure, you will be lulled into a dream where your eyes may never open again.

"Tuba!" Polka exclaimed worriedly.

"He's fine." Jazz said calmly.

"That old fart's lived this long." Rondo rolled her eyes.

"This battle is fierce!" Chapati exclaimed.

"Considering what I heard, I think it's impressive that he's holding his own against this Spriggan. Former Spriggan, I should say." Calium corrected himself.

"But will he be able to win? I wonder who's really in control of the battle." Song stated curiously. This entire affair was nothing more than passing entertainment she couldn't not watch.

Tuba came to a halt, panting softly. Despite only being hit thrice, Rahkeid's strikes packed a lot of power in them. "It's been a while since this old man's been pushed."

"I will push you into the ground." Rahkeid said while clasping his hands together, multiple talismans appearing around him. "Soul of the Forbidden Meal!"

 _Grumble._ Tuba blinked as his stomach felt empty. In fact, it felt like he hadn't eaten in weeks! "Oooh…" The old man hunched over for a moment. The hunger pangs hit and he was recoiling for a moment. "This hunger…"

"If pleasure does not suit you, then you can collapse from starvation. You may have strength, but even in the face of hunger, it simply does not matter." Rahkeid clasped his hands together. In his eyes, this battle was won. There was no way someone like Tuba could overcome the overwhelming sensation of starvation.

"This hunger…IS NOTHING!" Tuba roared while lunging forward. Yes, his movements were inhibited by his hunger, but the fact he still posed a threat was surprising. He aimed a full power swing at Rahkeid's left rib, managing the hit! It caught everyone off guard, especially the Spriggan. "I've been alive for more years than you could count! I've fought in many wars where hunger like this was common! Days on end without eating. I know this pain, but I fought through it anyway! You think this old man is just a pile of bones rotting away!? That's where you're wrong! FULL POWER!" Tuba's magic aura spiked through the roof, causing the entire stadium to shake and the crowd to gasp.

"This old man is nuts!" Lucy's eyes widened.

"Even when burdened by hunger…he still fights like nothing happened…" Brandish remarked quietly. The magic of the Spriggan 12 was mighty in all aspects, but to see someone simply withstand Rahkeid's magic was incredible to her.

"That is Tuba's power. His experience is world's beyond anyone else's." Waltz said smugly.

Tuba's power rose drastically, forcibly breaking through his own ceiling! Even Rahkeid was taken aback by the power of this man. "What are you?"

"A veteran soldier." Tuba responded before extending his palm forward. "Demonic Embrace!" From Tuba's hand, a massive wave of fire shot forth, consuming all in its path! Rahekid had no defenses for this and simply had to endure the hit, feeling the searing heat burn him to the core! His body was covered in burn marks as the attack ended and he didn't seem very happy about it.

"I see…then as an old soldier, you shall be put to rest and your soul will ascend to the heavens!" Rahkeid was losing his composure slowly. "R.I.P." A wave of sleep washed over Tuba. Rahkeid did have to tone this spell down for the sake of the no killing rule, but either way, as soon as Tuba's eyes closed, he would sleep and this battle would end.

Hunger, sleep, all of this felt like war: tired and hungry to the point of being on the brink of death. But Tuba persevered and pushed forward, even as his good eye grew heavy and wanted to close. "Come on you runt! Do you think this will stop me!?" Roaring, Tuba raised his mace over his head. "This is gonna be fun! HAH! MEGA MASH!" Tuba brought his mace down towards Rahekid, who avoided the hit, but the mace left a crater in the ground from its sheer strength. He simply repeated the motion, attempting to bring his weapon down on Rahkeid's skull. This second hit was blocked by the cross which the White Dragneel recovered, but now it was a relentless assault.

"Tuba has Rahkeid pinned down!? Is this the end!?" Chapati questioned.

"…" Sting wasn't sure how to feel about this.

"Finish him off, Tuba!" Allegretto exclaimed.

Tuba continued to slam his mace down on Rahkeid's cross. Each hit caused the object to crack and pushed Rahkeid into the ground. The fallen Spriggan could still feel each and every hit even with this defense up. This old man was truly something else. This continued until the cross finally broke, leaving Rahkeid defenseless! "…!"

"This is the end for you..!" Tuba screamed. But at that moment, his body halted. "…Gnk…! My…stomach…" As expected. Even though he was a veteran who had battled in these conditions before, it was only a matter of time until his body gave out. Rahkeid's magic was ultimately stronger than the natural sensation of hunger and tiredness. Still, the fact he managed this much was no energy was a frightening feat in and of itself.

Rahkeid saw his opening. Tuba could barely hold onto his weapon now that his magic had finally rendered him immobile. The White Dragneel palmed Tuba's face and viciously slammed him into the ground, rendering the old soldier of Joya unconscious. "…And it is over." Rahkeid stood over his fallen foe, clasping his hands together.

"A-And Rahkeid Dragneel takes the victory at the last second! This means Midi wins and gets 10 points!" Chapati exclaimed. The crowd was shocked, but some of them were excited.

"He lost…" The young Beat said with a frown.

"As strong as Tuba is, he's still human." Jazz calmly said, arms crossed over his chest. Battling against an opponent that can force the human body into a state of starvation or sleep is likely the most difficult thing one can do. Yet, he was one hit away from claiming victory. His life allowed him to deal with those conditions."

"And he still lost. What's he good for?" Rondo scoffed.

Yumia tilted her head. "Woooow. The old man was doing so well, too."

"Oh well." Yukia shrugged.

Julius shook his head at such a pathetic display. "Is _that_ the extent of what a former Spriggan could do? Struggling against a man with one foot in the grave already. How pathetic. The old man won that fight and even he knows it. Just look at his face, filled with relief and anxiety."

"Useless old man." Waltz scoffed. He had so much pride for Tuba a moment ago, but now that he lost, it had all gone out the window.

"Useless?" Lucy said. "How could he say that about one of his own…?"

Emmeraude crossed one leg over the other, staring at Prometheus and Pandora. "I don't know what those two are planning in this tournament, but I've had enough of it already."

.

.

Next Time: Overwhelming Might.


	157. Chapter 157: Overwhelming Might

The first day of fights of Ishgar's Strongest was halfway over. Pergrande battled Fiore and emerged victorious, and Midi battled Joya,, coming out on top. So far Pergrande held a strong 15 point lead due to Lucia defeating Erza, Fiore's captain. The 3rd matchup of the day was…

"And next we have Minstrel vs Seven!" Chapati exclaimed.

"Minstrel, huh…" Tia crossed her arms. "I know that every mage on that team is strong as hell, but…"

"Their cooperation is nonexistent." Ace reported. "The fact Minstrel has a team at all is a miracle. I know the people from different guilds don't get along, but I have no idea how well anyone from the same guild would act anyway."

"That's the team that might destroy itself before the week is even over, yeah?" Diamond asked.

"Indeed." Daigo said with a firm nod. "Minstrel is in the midst of his own little internal conflict…this may make things better or worse."

"Then I'll go." Spade said confidently. "If nothing else, I can scout and see what it is we'll be up against. I intend to win, but I know it won't be easy."

"You can do it, bro!" Spark said with exuberance.

"You got this Spade." Ace said with a thumbs up.

"He's going to get destroyed." Joker said calmly.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Spade said with a sweat drop.

"Joker, we talked about this. If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all." Heartless told Joker, but Joker scoffed at her words, as expected.

Spade jumped into the arena as Seven's fighter. "Ooooh! It seems that Seven's fighter will be Spade Magnus! Who will meet him in the arena!?" Chapati asked. And when everyone looked to see who Minstrel was choosing…

"It should be me!" Tyson Brock exclaimed. "I'm going first so the world can see what Chimera Kingdom is capable of!"

"That's utterly ridiculous." Byrnhild crossed her arms, letting out an aggravated sigh at Tyson's reasoning.

"Why should it matter who goes first?" David asked. But the fact the question came from him only irritated Tyson even more.

"Because when people think of Minstrel after this, they'll think of Chimera Kingdom." Felix said, completely understanding Tyson's desire to step to the stage first.

"It doesn't matter who goes first." Byrnhild rolled her eyes. "Besides, in the end, Harpy's Nest will have the most stellar performance."

"Yes, and I'll have to clean up whatever mess you're unable to finish." Medusa shot Byrnhild a look.

"As if I would need _your_ help doing anything." Byrnhild shot back, electricity appearing between their eyes.

"Is there really a need to argue about this now?" Rob asked, feeling the need to smoke. They hadn't even gotten started and they were already struggling at the first hurdle.

"They're really doing this now…" Renae placed two fingers on her forehead.

Everyone was silent as they witnessed this argument go down. No one could say a thing as Minstrel's team started to bicker with one another. "…They're fighting…." Lucy was absolutely shocked. She knew nothing about Minstrel but if they certainly got their first impression across all right.

Count Waltz wouldn't stand for this much longer. "You can argue on your own time." The Count said with an irritated tone of voice. "Choose a fighter or be disqualified. We don't have time to listen to you bicker over the smallest details."

The young Queen Raha of Minstrel had a sweat drop on her forehead. "All of you, please…we talked about this…"

"And now the short king is mad." Raku said. "We should pick someone."

When everyone glanced around, Renae was already gone. She took it upon herself to enter the arena and meet Spade head on. "I hope you don't mind, but I'd rather we didn't get disqualified over something so trivial."

"Better Renae than someone else." Asbel commented quietly.

"Seriously!? A Martell!?" Tyson was aggravated. But it was too late to do anything now. While he could've gone in to 'aid' Renae, he'd rather not cooperate with a Martell.

"Hm. Don't lose." Brynhild remarked with a roll of her eyes.

"And here we have it! Spade Magnes of Seven vs. Renae Martell of Minstrel!" Chapati introduced the fighters with excitement.

"Oooooh!" Zelos had hearts in his eyes immediately. "A beautiful woman! The last match had two sweaty dudes duking it out. Hard to root for anyone like that."

"One of those dudes is also a current enemy…" Kagura glared at Zelos, but he simply took it in stride.

"I'm starting to regret not replacing him when we had the chance…" Luke said with an aggravated sigh.

* * *

Renae and Spade stood across one another in the arena. The field was crackling with electricity just from the two of them standing near each other. "So you're my opponent? Let us make this an entertaining fight. But I must tell you, my brothers are watching me, so I don't intend to lose in front of them." Renae's yellow eyes stared into Spade as her hand hovered above the hilt of her blade.

"Oh? Is that so?" Spade's lips curled up into a slight smirk. "It just so happens that my brother is watching me. I don't plan to lose in front of him."

"Begin!" Waltz exclaimed. The 15 minute timer began now!

Spade was the one who made the first move, red and blue magic circles appearing in front of him. "Missile Barrage!" From each magic seal, a red or blue rocket shot forward, flying off in various directions. Each missile was packed of electricity and the chain of inevitable explosions would deal damage to even the toughest of foes.

Just as the missiles drew near, Renae drew her sword, revealing that it was in fact a katana. In a single, swift motion, she sliced through every missile coming in her direction, causing the explosions to occur behind her. The Martell was unharmed and pressed forward, plasma coating her body to increase her speed. "Ion Thrust." She uttered silently as her body was propelled ahead!

"Plasma!?" Spade was both shocked and excited. He'd never encountered plasma before! Renae closed the distance between them within mere seconds, swinging her blade at Spade's chest in a downward diagonal motion. Spade countered by summoning a blade of red lightning clashing with the Martell's own sword. Sparks flew all over the arena and the two were locked in fierce swordplay. Renae and Spade either blocked each other's hits or outright evaded them!

"Oh, wait a second…" Zelos' eyes narrowed. "That blade she has…"

Spade brought his other arm forward, now using both red and blue blades of lightning. By spinning around he created a vicious twister of lightning. His rotation stopped on a dime and the lightning twister sliced through the arena, making way towards Renae. "…!" Renae had to act fact. She held her ground, a field of plasma erupting around her body in the shape of a dome. "Plasma Eruption!" This dome protected Renae from Spade's attack, resulting in a loud BOOM as an explosion occurred, filling the field with smoke.

"She's not bad." Spade said as a radar appeared on his left eye, using this to scope out the area. "Unfortunately she won't be able to hide her presence from me." Renae's heat signature stood out due to the properties of plasma. "Target locked! Missile Strike!" A magic seal appeared in front of Spade, shooting off a small, but powerful missile at Renae.

"Plasma Torch!" Renae had the same idea. She fired off a strong blast of plasma from her hand just as Spade fired off his missile. As a result, her beam struck Spade's shoulder, blowing him back, while Spade's missile struck her lower left side, causing an explosion that forced her backwards. Renae landed with her left pant left completely charred and a bruise on her leg, but she was fine. As for Spade, he was grimacing from the attack on his shoulder, but he could keep going.

"She's pretty good. Wish I went in there." Ace said with a slight chuckle.

"You can do it, bro!" Spark cheered for his older brother.

"Checkmate." Spade said with a smirk. This was all the time he needed to activate one of his many tricks. A blue magic seal appeared on Renae's back, while a red magic circle appeared on the arena wall. This was the activation of his Magnetic Pull. Opposite attract, so Renae was rapidly being pulled towards the magnet on the arena wall.

"Oh! Is Spade going for a Ring Out!?" Chapati asked.

"Is that his best trick?" Raku had to withhold the urge to laugh. "If he's going for a ring out, I think that means he knows he can't beat her."

The Magnetic Pull was surprisingly strong. Renae narrowed her eyes, attempting to dig her heels into the ground to stop her momentum, but it was no use. "This is…"

"Your end!" Spade formed a large red and blue magic circle on his chest. "Missile Impact!" This missile was far larger than the previous ones, easily doubling the size of his entire body. This missile rocketed towards Renae at speeds that broke the sound barrier. Between the magnet pull and this missile, it looked like it was over for the woman of the Martell family. Spade held a confident smirk. With his radar in play, Renae had no means of his escaping his sight.

"…This is cute." Renae continued her statement as plasma started to gather around her body once more. "EMP Burst!" And just like that, a potent burst of plasma erupted from her body yet again, only this time with a different purpose. This blast of plasma sought to disrupt any and all electronics within the arena. This meant the magnetic field was disrupted due to its properties, thus freeing Renae in time to bring her sword up…and cleave right through the incoming missile, not even allowing it to explode. The missile split to Renae's left and right, leaving her completely unharmed.

"W-What!?" Spade took a step back. Due to the EMP Burst, his radar was offline and it made him recoil.

"Wow…" Jack said with an impressed look.

"Impressive. She rendered it all void." Calium remarked.

"For what it's worth, I think your setup was extremely clever. I can't imagine anyone else on my team aside from my brothers who would have made it out of that." Renae was giving a compliment. "But as I said, with them watching, I will not lose." Renae held her sword at her side, the plasma of the weapon morphing it into something entirely! It became a whip! She whipped her new weapon forward, wrapping it around Spade's torso before he even knew what happened.

"What the!?" Spade was struggling with the whip's grip. Before he could even react, he was flung into the air against his will. This then gave him a chance he needed! Spinning around, he dove down towards Renae with his newfound momentum. But just as he did this, Renae used her Ion Thrust to beat Spade to the punch, appearing in front of him before he could attack. Renae wrapped her thighs around his neck, using their combined momentum to slam him into the ground forcefully! That was the end of it. Spade was KO'ed.

Renae stood up, dusting herself off. After all of that, she only came out with a bruised leg. "Thanks for the fun."

"And Spade Magnus is down!" Chapati exclaimed. "That means Minstrel wins and gets 10 points!"

"She better have won." Tyson was bitter that it wasn't him out there. But as long as Minstel took the victory, perhaps it didn't matter so much in the long run.

"Whoa…Spade got short worked…" Strong said with a sweat drop.

"It was over before it began." Joker crossed his arms. "Anyone could see that. Minstrel may lack cohesion, but every individual mage on that team is a force to be reckoned with. You all are unlikely to defeat any mage from them."

"Your vote of confidence is always appreciated." Tia rolled her eyes.

"I got 'em…" Strong hopped down to go retrieve Spade.

"HOHOHOHO!" That laugh came from King. He was having a riot after watching Spade's failure. Prometheus was far too eager to let this fallen madman speak his mind. "Pathetic as always! What an awful showcase!"

"Ugh, why did _he_ have to be brought back!?" Diamond groaned.

"Well, the soul I _did_ want to use has already been taken. Despite my powers, I can't use a soul if it is within someone else's possession." Prometheus explained. "So I went with the next best thing. That soul is still lingering in this arena, though…" That wasn't something anyone wanted to hear. Prometheus had another target in his sights, and it just so happened to be in this arena….

* * *

"And now, it's time for the final battle of the first day of Ishgar's Strongest!" Chapati yelled. "Alavarez vs Boscoooooo!"

"Alvarez is fighting now…" Lucy felt a bit of unease. She was dreading the matchup of Fiore vs Alvarez for various reasons.

"Oh! Oh! Your Majesty, please, allow me!" Alice was waving a hand frantically. She was like an excitable child waiting for her turn.

This made Emmeraude chuckle just a bit. "Very well. Do as you wish. I have faith you will bring Alvarez victory."

"Of course!" Alice grinned and jumped into the arena, taking her coat off. "Come on Bosco…I'll take on all 10 of you." The aura shifted immediately; her red eyes gleaming with predatory intent, her tongue slowly dragging along her lower lip. She could only take on three at a time, but she was feeling exceptionally confident. As soon as Alice stepped inside, purple clouds covered the sky, giving the arena a strange violet tint.

"That one…" Sting narrowed his eyes. This was the same woman who attacked Sabertooth.

"Gh…" Gaia grit her teeth. "This woman is a dragon…no, she's something more than that…"

"Hey…" Edna yawned but held a serious visage, which was rare for the lazy crystal dragon. "That dragon…looks familiar."

"…Yeah." Nasir narrowed his eyes.

"Hmmm…?" Verona tilted her head. "Do you know her? She's kinda scarrrrry."

"She's freaking me out…" Alex swallowed the nervous lump in her throat.

"I think that's above my paygrade." Yakuza said, leaning back in his seat.

"You aren't paid at all." Lore said.

"I'll take her on." Nasir said, jumping into the arena. He needed to confirm something for himself.

"Oi, be careful." Daryan said. "This dragon ain't right."

"And here we have it! Alice Homura vs Nasir!" Chapati yelled. Little did he realize that this was about to be a bout between dragons.

"Hmmmm…" Alice tilted her head. "You smell familiar. Do I know you?"

"…" Nasir didn't respond. He realized that this fight was going to be difficult, for he could not simply go full power in a crowd full of people in such a restricting space. He had no doubt that Alice may have noticed this as well. His light blue hair wavered in the wind as he kept his eyes close. This scent was too familiar, but it couldn't be…

"Your 15 minute timer begins now. Fight." Waltz said while raising a hand.

As soon as the bell rang, Alice was the first to move. Her speed was surprising to most and she already had her scythe drawn. "Hey! Answer my question!" Alice exclaimed as she swung her scythe right for Nasir's head. Nasir leaned backwards to avoid it, grimacing as he could smell the scent of death from the sickle as it just whiffed his nose. "Oh! You avoided-!"

As Alice pulled back, wind wrapped around Nasir's arm and he brought his hand downward. "Wind Dragon's Claw!" With great force, he swiped Alice's face and caused her head to snap back. The Spriggan was forced a step backwards from his sheer might.

Alice lowered her head, grinning as Nasir hadn't even managed to break her skin. There was just scratch marks on her cheek, yet no blood was drawn, and no damage was dealt. That being said, Nasir had managed to do more than any person who did strike Alice, but that wasn't saying much. "Heh."

"What…?" Nasir was taken back.

Alice's tail then jutted from her backside, a poisonous aura coating the extremity. "Venom Dragon's Tail!" Spinning around, Alice's tail collided against Nasir's defending arm, forcing him to slide backwards several feet from the sheer power.

"As I thought…" Nasir grunted as his arm felt a little numb from blocking that hit. "Poison. Venom, to be more precise. Everything's lining up."

"Pay attention!" Alice was continuing her assault, cheeks inflated to a great degree. "Venom Dragon's Roar!" Exhaling, a vicious torrent of toxins tore apart the ground while racing towards Nasir at high speeds!

Nasir sprouted his wings using this to take into the air and over the incoming roar. He glanced at the roar, noticing that after it hit the arena wall, the wall itself started to crumble and deteriorate. "What in…"

"What the hell!?" Lore's eyes widened. "The wall…it's beginning to crumble from the inside."

"It must be…decaying." Magnus surmised. "Even if her poison was strong enough to render a human dead instantly, it couldn't be strong enough to affect inorganic matter like this. Which means she has a different power entirely along with her poison."

"Nasir is in trouble." Edna's blue gaze focused on her companion. "Alice…isn't a normal dragon."

Nasir commanded the wind within the arena for his advantage. The wind increased his speed, which helped him move about and negate his inability to fly since he could glide along the wind. With his speed heightened, he dove down towards Alice with a flying kick imbued with wind. Alice blocked this hit, but she was forced to slide backwards due to the opposing might of a dragon. With this opening, the wind suddenly picked up around the two of them and coated Nasir and he pushed forward yet again. "Tornado Strike!" Nasir's own body became a tornado and he enveloped Alice within slicing winds, consuming the Spriggan within the eye of the storm for a few seconds before she was thrown out violently.

"Oooo!" Alice flipped and landed on the ground. Her shirt and baggy pants had been torn, but an attack of that magnitude did manage to leave some marks on her skin. "That actually hurt a little bit. It's been a while since I've felt pain. But you just seem all the more familiar…I feel like we've fought before…?"

"…Perhaps." Nasir said calmly. The pieces were coming together, but the strangest piece that didn't fit was her power of decay.

"This is fun!" Alice let out a laugh before planting her scythe into the ground, now raising both hands over her head. A sphere of toxins and decay started to form over her, taking the shape of a small meteor. "Expiation!" She then hurled this sphere directly towards Nasir. This sphere was sent to explode in a deadly array of poison and decay that would contaminate the air, meaning that any method of dealing with it already put her foe at a disadvantage. Nasir, of course, was unaware of this.

"Wind Dragon's Roar!" By dropping his jaw, the wind dragon released a blast of wind to combat the sphere. His power was so great it pierced through the sphere, but it still exploded and sent poison and decay everywhere! The decay was so strong it started to eat away at the magical barrier that protected the spectators. "Even the barrier!?"

"It's decaying!?" Bacchus took a step back. If he touched it, would he decay?!

Alice's actions were causing a bit of a panic. The decay wasn't great and eventually stopped, allowing the barrier to slowly repair itself. The contaminated air was an issue for those inside of the arena, however. Emmeraude was worried about this. "Alice. Remember what we talked about."

"R-Right…" Alice rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "My bad."

"W-What incredible power! To render even the protective barrier useless!" Chapati was both a little frightened and in awe.

"That's not any magic I've seen." Calium said.

"I don't think that was magic at all." Helena confirmed.

"What is that power of yours, Alice?" Nasir questioned, fully aware of the poison still lingering in the air.

"It is my curse." Alice said with a smile. "Everything I touch turns to nothing. That is the curse of The Creation."

"The Creation?" Nasir tilted his head. He had many questions, but too little time to inquire about them here. Instead he inhaled, drawing in the poison and even the decay lingering in the air.

"What's he doing!?" Alex asked worriedly.

"Huh? Even if you resist poison, my decay's gonnna eat ya up from the inside?" Alice tilted her head curiously. Nasir's actions were incomprehensible to her.

"I am aware…" Nasir said, somewhat in pain. "But this arena will be required for use later…and this sickly air of yours could inhibit my team and the rest of the competition." After inhaling, he held a confident smirk. "Which is precisely why it must be purified. Wind Dragon's Purifying Breath!" Despite the damage it did to him internally, Nasir managed to turn Alice's attack around, unleashing a higher level breath that dwarfed his roar from before!

"Ah…!" Alice's eyes widened for a split second as the purifying breath struck her. She was sliding back across the ground as the winds sliced into her. As the winds died, Alice now had several bruises on her body and noticeable cuts. "That one…caught me off guard." She admitted. A closer look at her skin revealed that it was more scale-like than anything else. "But if that was a serious punch from you, then this fight is about to get exciting!"

"We can't go full power in this tiny arena. You know this." Nasir placed a hand on his stomach. He was hoping that his attack did a lot more damage to Alice, but that unfortunately wasn't the case. All things considered, that was the heaviest hit the Spriggan had taken in a while.

" _You_ can't go full power." Alice said mockingly. As soon as she said that, some stomachs started to drop. "Your dragon form doesn't fit inside this arena. I admit, mine doesn't either…but it doesn't need to."

"…I don't like what she's insinuating." Gaia started to sweat.

"Elaborate." Nasir demanded to know. This woman in front of him was a dragon, at least half from what he sensed.

Alice pointed up to the sky. The purple clouds were still hovering over Crown Stadium, but several red dots were visible through them. It sent a feeling of dread through most everyone in the Stadium. "My dragon form…is up there."

"…!" Sting took a step back. He could _feel_ that and it was nowhere close to him.

"Sting-kun, are you okay!?" Lector was more worried about Sting and Alice.

"What the hell!?" Natsu had returned by this point and this was what he walked into. This awful feeling of dread and death looming over him. It was worse for the Dragon Slayers than anyone else.

"Natsu!?" Lucy and Happy looked over at Natsu's rare, shocked expression.

"Whoa…whoa…" Daryan started to sweat. "What the hell is up there!?"

"I don't…want to find out…" Alex said nervously.

"I don't know, but it's not normal." Gaia said calmly.

"Hm! This presence…is a mighty dragon that only a god can slay!" God Serena posed, seemingly unintimidated by Alice's overwhelming might. In fact he was only that much more excited to redeem himself from the flounder of Acnologia.

"…" Rajaron licked his lips at this new power.

"….." Aki didn't say a word. His eyes narrowed and his body instinctively twitched.

"This is a demonic presence." A bandaged Lucia said. "I feel the urge to slay it."

David looked over at his masked guild mate, Amadio, who hadn't said a word since the tournament began. "You alright?"

"…..Fine." Amadio mumbled.

Nasir was in shock at this revelation. "You…what are you?"

"The Creation." Alice repeated. That didn't answer the question as far as Nasir was concerned.

Nasir had to take this chance and finish this with a ring out now. With the wind still at his disposal, Nasir flew forward in the shape of a tornado, planning to slam into Alice and carry her into the arena wall. "Tornado Strike!"

Things weren't going to play out the same as last time. Six wings sprouted from Alice's back and she flew forward with such ease that the wind wasn't even a factor. Her hand clawed into Nasir's side, causing all momentum to halt and he was suspended in the air with blood dripping from his lower left side. "That's all she wrote~" And with a simple motion, Alice hurled Nasir into the arena wall! This was the only method of victory, for using her full power would likely bring the arena to ruin. The only way this bout could end with a winner was with a ring out.

"Ah…" Nasir bounced off the wall and onto a knee. It was surprising that Alice hadn't even put him out of commission, but as per the rules of this tournament, that was more than enough.

"Nasir has suffered a ring out. This victory goes to Alice Homura of Alavarez, granting them 10 points." Waltz said, calling the battle then and there. "I think this goes without saying, but if for any reason an attack of a competitor hits a spectator, that is grounds for an instant loss."

"Sorrrrrrry." Alice shrugged her shoulders. The purple clouds vanished as did the red eyes burning into them. Her dragon form was gone.

Edna stood up and started to walk to Nasir. After watching that fight, her and Nasir's thoughts were confirmed. "Alice Homura…former resident of the Isle…younger sister of Venoma, Queen Edna's current advisor."

"And with that! The battle phase of day 1 has come to a close!" Chapati yelled. "To end the day off, we have the first day's event! Which team will come out with a lead on the first day of Ishgar's Strongest!?"

Scoreboard:

Pergrande: 15

Midi: 10

Minstrel: 10

Alvarez: 10

Fiore: 0

Bosco: 0

Joya: 0

Seven: 0.

.

.

Next Time: Damascus Demolition.


	158. Chapter 158: Damascus Demolition

The first four battles of Ishgar's Strongest came to a close. Pergrande was currently in the lead with 15 points, while Alvarez, Midi, and Minstrel followed closely behind with 10. Bosco, Fiore, Seven, and Joya currently had 0, but that could all change with the event that was about to be presented. "Now then…" Count Waltz began. "I've touched upon this before, but I'll repeat myself so you can understand the importance of events in this tournament. First off, if you've participated in a fight on the same day, you cannot participate in the event."

"Not like that'll be an issue for Erza." Reve scoffed.

"Reve…!" Lucy cut her eyes at Reve. Luckily Jellal had gone to keep watch over Erza; she was certain he wouldn't enjoy hearing that comment. The others could also agree that his comment was poorly timed and intentionally malicious.

"First off, there can only be one winner." Waltz clarified. "The winning team will be awarded 10 points, the others, 0. Furthermore, future events will require more than one person from a team to participate. But for the events that aren't a requirement, teamwork is still a viable option if you should so wish."

"Minstrel's gonna have a hard time with that…" Luke remarked with a quiet chuckle. Minstrel may have had strong mages, but the team itself was on thin ice that was rapidly breaking underfoot. No one believed they would last even half the week.

"Now, with the event proceedings made clear, one member from each team must step into the arena." Waltz said. It seemed that he wasn't spoiling the event before anyone made their decision.

"Leave it to me." Reve said, walking off. "Someone has to clean up Erza's mess and put Fiore on the board. I'm the best person to do it."

"You can't be serious." Lector held a deadpanned look. "Sting-Kun should be the one to go first!"

"Lector..." Sting began.

"I'm going to nip this in the bud before it begins." Minerva crossed her arms. "If we start arguing now, we'll seem rather hypocritical after criticizing Minstrel. So if the gunslinger wants to go first, just let him."

"Thank you, Minerva." Hisui let out a quiet sigh.

"I don't like what he said about Erza-chan, but if he can get the win, I'll let it slide this one time." Zelos shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't look at me." Renae told the rest of Minstrel's team, who, once again, argued over who should go first. "I already had to carry you all out of disqualification for pointless arguing." This Martell was already tired of the nonsense. In fact, she had half a mind to knock everyone out.

"Hmmm…" Verona tilted her head to the side. "All this arguing over such petty things. It's like all the humans of this world haven't evolved at all since I was last here…"

"Er…what does that mean?" Hiruka tilted his head at Verona's words.

The woman smiled and waved her hand, brushing her red locks aside. "You don't need to worry about a thing you adorable little cat you." Verona presented a sweet smile.

* * *

The eight contestants for the unknown first event were: Reve, Diamond, Rob, Ragen, Yumia and Yukia, Mii, Magnus, and God Serena. Clearly Minstrel wasn't so happy that yet another Martel was taking the stage on the first day, but this was the executive decision made by Queen Raha, so as much as the others disagreed, they had no choice but to obey. "Oh, look at this." Reve said with his usual smug tone. "7 losers."

"Wow…" Yumia nudged her sister's shoulder. "Get a load of this guy."

"What a loser, using his large ego to overcompensate." Yukia giggled.

"I'm Reve Volver. You'll see why White Eclipse is Fiore's strongest guild soon enough." Reve said with his everlasting confidence. His attention then turned to Mii, who yawned. "That sword. I'll prove it's nothing compared to what I can do." Yes, the Eternal Sword.

"Eh?" Mii's green eyes glanced at Reve as if he were crazy. "Do you know what this thing is?"

"Inferior to me." Reve responded on a dime.

"…Wow, okay." Mii shrugged. There was absolutely no point in arguing with Reve's massive ego. "You're more than welcome to beat its power, then. I'm just here to get my event over with, I'm not gonna feel like it later."

"Hup!" God Serena struck several poses while staring at the rest of the competition. "You mortals may bicker amongst yourselves all you wish! You are in the presence of a god!" His attention then went to Ragen. "So you are among the new 12 that dear Emmeraude has recruited! Unfortunately for you, your power pales in comparison to my own!"

"…" Ragen took a passing glance at God Serena. "I will do what is needed for Her Majesty." Was all he had to say. He was not the talkative type.

"Yeesh…feeling a little overwhelmed here…" Diamond swallowed the nervous lump in her throat. Ragen and God Serena's magic power was off the charts and they were so close to each other.

Magnus glanced around at his competition. Depending on this event, he would either succeed with flying colors or fall short, there was no inbetween. _"I know what some of these mages are capable of. My foresight will allow me to predict what these mages will do in the future, so even if I lose, it will be a victory in the long run…"_

Rob took a quick drag from his cigarette before tossing it on the ground, stomping on it to put it out. "So, what is this event?" It could be anything and he wanted to be prepared.

"The first event is rather simple." Waltz began. "We can call this a test of power, so to speak." He then snapped his fingers, causing several Joyan knights to lug in a black and gold square that was roughly the size of a large box. "The first event of Ishgar's Strongest is Damascus Demolition."

"Damascus?" Lucy tilted her head.

"How did he get a hold of Damascus?" Ace was relatively impressed by Waltz' work.

"For those unaware, allow me to explain what Damascus is." The Count could feel the mixed reactions of confusion and awe, so it was best to inform those who were not in the know. "As you know, diamond is often considered the strongest element in the world. In truth, it is the second strongest; however despite its rarity, it is still more common to find than Damascus. Damascus is truly the world's strongest element."

"And despite how rare it is, he somehow has a large brick of it…" Emmeraude remarked quietly.

"The first event is simple. Every team has one chance to attempt to break this Damascus square. If anyone is unable to break it, then we will simply use the power scaling system to see who dealt the most damage. The competitor who manages to break it entirely wins. The rules are simple as that. Now then, whoever wishes to go first may do so."

"This event would've been perfect for Strong." Spark said, staring up at the green haired musclehead.

"Dunno about that, kiddo…" Strong admitted. "I'm, well, strong, but Damascus is a different beast entirely. I don't think anyone has the power to damage that thing as severely as they think they do. I could probably chip it…"

"Okay, stand back everyone." Yumia said while walking forward with her sister. "We'll break this thing and send you all home crying. Ready?"

"Of course~!" Yukia held a smirk. "Boss is watching, so we can't disappointed." The two of them held their hands together, water and fire beginning to bubble within their palms, swirling together to create an orb of nature's most bitter rivals. The magic power the two of them could exude together was surprisingly high and caused the arena to shake a little bit.

"Ah, look at my girls, doing their best." Lucia held a smile filled with pride.

"Here's the big one! Inferno Tide!" The twins of the Wizard Hunters exclaimed in unison. They condensed the power of this infernal tidal wave to reduce its size, but not its power. A large wave of fire and water crashed down on the Damascus, submerging it completely within the fiery depths. It was a strong impact and the drenched arena had wisps of flame lingering around it. The two girls stared intently at the Damascus to see if any damage had been dealt at all. The eventual scale came up and their total damage output against it was…25. "25?!"

"Is that all?" Reve nearly laughed.

"I think it's rather impressive." Waltz said with a small chuckle. "The 25 means that you'd simply have to strike with 4x more force than you did in order to break it."

"WHAT!?" The two girls stared at each other in other disbelief. "There's no way…!"

"That element remains as strong as ever, I see." Helena rested her face against her chin while watching. "I want to try my hand at it, honestly…"

"And destroy everything within the arena aside from it, weirdo?" Calium said teasingly.

"…" This comment only annoyed Helena and she was a few seconds away from choking the life out of Calium.

"It's not called the strongest element in the world for nothing." Reve waved a hand, practically pushing the two girls aside so he could get his turn. "Now, allow me to show you how it's really done." A bright glow appeared around Reve's body, donning a white coat with the symbol of White Eclipse on the back. In his hands, the ever powerful Eclipse Cannon, resting firmly on his shoulder as he took aim. "Eclipse Cannon…FIRE!" A click of the trigger sent a massive orb of Eclipse Magic rocketing towards the Damascus. As soon as contact was made, an explosion occurred, creating a thick cloud of smoke that obscured the element from view.

"And Reve goes for a devastating shot, but will it have any effect!?" Chapati asked.

As the smoke cleared, the Damascus still seemed relatively unfazed without a single scratch on it. Reve narrowed his eyes for a moment, using his vision to see if he had done damage. After a moment he held a slight smirk and the score said it all…30. "…30?"

"Ha!" Yumia laughed at Reve. "All that big talk and you barely scored higher than us!"

"That just means my overall power is stronger than the two of you combined." Reve replied without missing a beat. The damage he dealt to the Damascus was barely noticeable, but it was damaged nonetheless. He was hoping to break it, but clearly that was out of the question now.

"I hope that's enough to keep him in the lead..." Lucy said.

"I dunno…Mii-chan is right there." Zelos pointed out.

"You think she's going to win?" Kagura asked Zelos.

"If someone else doesn't break it before she decides to go, I'm pretty sure she will." The magic swordsman shrugged.

"Way to have faith…" Lector said with a sweat drop.

"I guess I'll go next, then." Rob said while lifting a hand up. His magic was shown to all, fire magic. But this magic was a little different than your average fire magic. Flames wrapped around the Damascus, entrapping it in what could be considering a large sun. The heat was nearly unbearable for anyone who did not have any affinity for fire.

"It's so hot…" Diamond could barely keep up and keep herself 'cold'. Rob's heat was extremely oppressing and it made her feel dizzy.

"Supernova." Rob snapped his fingers, enveloping the Damascus in a gigantic explosion, one even larger than Reve's Eclipse Cannon shot. He was trying to melt it, but noticed that his flames hardly had any effect in that regard. So the ace of Royal Viper simply awaited the results as the smoke cleared. He did manage to leave the Damascus with a noticeable burn mark, and the scale he received out of 100 was a solid 35. Higher than Reve's. "I'll take it."

"And Rob Martell swoops in to take Reve's leading score!" Chapati exclaimed. Knowing Reve, he figured that this had to sting a bit!

"…" Reve's blue gaze turned to Rob. The two of them held locked eyes before turning away from each other.

"That's it!? I'd score higher than that in my sleep." Tyson scoffed.

"So much for our lead…" Minerva pinched the bridge of her nose. If this were like Fiore's GMGs, they wouldn't be out completely.

"Ugh…" Diamond rubbed the back of her head. The heat had died down but it still made her feel somewhat dizzy. "Right then. I'll take care of this next." Holding both hands out, a golden light manifested within her hands, taking the shape of a large hammer that required both hands to wield, her trusty Break Hammer. "Okay, let's do this. HAAAAH!" Diamond took a high leap into the air, swinging this hammer down onto the Damascus for an impact that shook the earth. This hammer's name implied it was specialized in breaking objects! Diamond jumped back after the impact, hoping for a crack to appear on the Damascus. Her overall score was…a 20, less than Yumia and Yukia's and the lowest score thus far. "Ouch…"

"How unfortunate." Ice remarked. "It seems she was unable to muster the same level of strength as those twins."

"I could probably muster a 30, too…" Strong said after Diamond's attempt.

"That Damascus is not breaking." Joker said firmly. "The mere idea of breaking it is a fantasy, let alone chipping it. A scratch is the most impressive feat that most of these mages can pull off in this scenario. Even I wouldn't be able to put a dent in it, but I'd be able to do more than the rest of you lot."

"I was about to say how modest you were, but then you pulled the usual." Tia groaned.

Magnus stepped forward, letting out a sigh. "Brute force is not my forte." The gray haired male shook his head. At the very least he had to give it his all, even if he was fully aware of the outcome the minute the event was announced. "Very well. I'll give this an honest try." A blade of ice appeared within his right hand and he dashed forward, swinging is sword in an arc. "Frost Arc!" His blade slashed the Damascus, leaving a mark of frost that shattered. It wasn't a very impressive strike on a non-living foe, and it showed as his score was a 10. A strike that required 10x the amount of force from him to break it? That wasn't happening.

"Ooooh! And that's the lowest score so far! A 10!" Chapati recoiled.

"Tch, of course." Lore shook his head. "The circumstances were not in our favor this time around."

"Move, mortals!" God Serena stepped forward, striking a pose. "Allow me to show you the full extent of my godly powers!" With a smirk that bared his fangs, God Serena pointed one hand up into the skies, causing the ground to tremble violently. Seven serpentine dragons rose from the arena, each one representing a different element within his arsenal. "Say God-Bye Bye, Damascus! Wrath of the Dragon God!" The seven dragons circled the skies before slamming into the Damascus for a brightly colored explosion that fit God Serena's eccentric personality. God Serena posed in front of the Damascus which had small, noticeable cracks on it from his attack. His score was an overwhelming 50! "Only a 50!? I could easily strike with that much force if need be!"

"You get one chance." Waltz nipped God Serena's excitement in the bud. "Considering it's the highest score so far, you may win. Who knows."

"He's still that strong, even in death…" Luke grit his teeth. Midi was a force to be reckoned with. Having most of the deceased Spriggan 12 among their ranks was nothing to take lightly and it showed.

"I would've broken it…!" Ajeel shouted. As if anyone believed him.

Next was Ragen. The silent masked man calmly walked towards the Damascus, placing a hand on it to get a feel for what he was dealing with. "So I just have to break this, then? Very well." He had no flashy attacks like everyone else. The new Spriggan drew his fist back and simply punched the Damascus in the center of the side that was currently facing him. As soon as his fist made impact, there was a dent on that side, along with cracks that spread out throughout the square itself! Ragen's score was a 55! "Hm…"

"A-And just like that, God Serena's score has been beaten…!" Chapati gasped along with most of the ground.

"How did he…" Polka questioned. It was so shocking because all Ragen did was punch the thing!

"That's my Ragen." Emmeraude clasped her hands together. "Always impressing."

"So striking Damascus with something as hard as itself isn't enough. It truly is a tough element." Ragen then went silent with this new information, walking off since he was done.

"There's only one person left." Waltz stared at Mii, who was hardly paying attention to the event at hand.

"Huh? Oh, is everyone done flexing already?" Mii shrugged her shoulders, walking towards the Damascus. "Okay then." And to some people's surprise, the first thing she did was reach for the hilt of the sword sheathed on her back.

"She wouldn't…" Lucy's brown eyes widened.

"Of course she would." Zelos nodded.

"I wanted to give everyone a chance to show off.' Mii said while unsheathing the Eternal Sword. Using the legendary relic for an event such as this? Right up her alley. The purple blade was held up with both hands, a heavenly light shining from the sword. "Nothing else I could do would work well, so I might as well do this."

"Koryuji…" Emmeraude's gaze narrowed. Emmeraude was the only other person outside of the Wizard Hunters aware of the numerous scars hidden under Mii's clothing.

A magic circle appeared under Mii's body, empowering the Eternal Sword. The purple blade shone brightly as a beam of light shot into the sky, piercing through the clouds above. "Angel's Crest!" Mii swung the sword down, aiming right for the Damascus! Even with the power of the Eternal Sword, it took a bit of effort and a massive amount of magic power, but in the end, Mii was able to slice the Damascus in two. For those that didn't know her, and even for those that did, the outcome was still surprising. The Damascus never stood a chance against the power of the Eternal Sword.

"U-UNBELIVABLE! MII DESTROYED IT!" Chapati gasped.

"That sword…" Song took some interest in the red head.

"Tch…" Emmeraude grumbled. Outdone by Mii…outdone by Pergrande as a result.

"Sorry Em." Mii waved to Emmeraude with a cheeky smile.

"There you have it." Waltz snapped his fingers. This action called numerous royal guard to come in and pick up the broken Damascus and carry it off. "The winner of Damascus Demolition is Mii Koryuji of the Pergrande Kingdom."

"That seemed a bit excessive if you ask me." Minerva pointed out.

"A-Aye…" Happy nodded in agreement.

To make matters even worse, Ashnard gave Emmeraude a coy smile. Despite her calm exterior, he knew that she was internally fuming. "Excellent work."

Mii waved to the crowd that now cheered for her victory. She then looked at Reve, a wide smile crossing her lips. "Looks like you're among the seven losers, haha~" And right after her comment, black sparks briefly appeared round her body. She held her composure but grimaced a bit. "Whoops…"

"Mii!" Lucy gasped. She remembered what happened last time she saw those sparks around Mii.

"And with that, the first day of Ishgar's Strongest has come to a close!" Chapati shouted. "These are the scores at the end of the day!"

Pergrande: 25

Alvarez: 10

Midi: 10

Minstrel: 10

Fiore: 0

Bosco: 0

Seven 0

"Tomorrow will only get more exciting from this point on! I hope to see you all tune in again!"

.

.

Next Time: The End of Day 1.


	159. Chapter 159: The End of Day 1

The first day of Ishgar's Strongest came to a close. The sun was setting on an action packed day and the various teams returned to their respective hotel rooms. As for Count Waltz and Team Joya, he sat upon his throne, looking very disappointed at his Royal Knights, specifically Tuba. "I'm very disappointed in your performance today, Tuba."

The old soldier was on a knee, showing respect to the Count. "Please accept my humble apology."

"You choked out there." Rondo rubbed salt in the wound. "In front of the Count no less."

"That's enough." Polka chided Rondo.

"I agree. Our foes in this competition are not to be taken lightly." Jazz said calmly. "But know that we will overcome them, Count Waltz."

"We won't lose." Allegretto said with a firm nod.

"We promise!" Beat followed up.

"You better. I will not accept failure when this competition is being held in our country." Waltz scoffed. "Now then…the matchups for the second day are already prepared. Joya will be battling against the Pergrande Kingdom. As you know, Joya owes Pergrande a great deal."

"Are you gonna tell us to throw?" Yumia asked with her hands on her hips.

"But I wanna have funnnn!" Marx pouted.

"Of course not." Count Waltz shook his head. "We will simply give Pergrande a fight to remember."

"Speaking of remembering…" The voice belonged to Yeager. "Excellent work on the event today, ja? The Wizard Hunters will be taking one half of that Damascus as payment for our services."

"Of course. I needed someone to cut that in half." Waltz waved a hand dismissively. "Your services are welcome. The Damascus will sell for even more than it's usually worth in Joya due to the taxes, so have fun splitting all that jewel among the 10 of you."

"Yaaaay!" Marx, Yumia, and Yukia all jumped for joy. The dollar signs in their eyes were clear as day.

"We owe this bounty to Mii, so be sure to thank the lovely cooperative angel when you see her~" Yeager told his companions with a wink. "Aeon, Crash, Weavile, Marta, and the others are keeping a watchful eye on the rest of the competition, and our dear mole is keeping tabs on Fiore for us. It's the perfect operation~"

"Angel…" Beat mumbled. The young boy grit his teeth, clenching his hand into a fist at the mere mention of that word.

* * *

"Well, today was a bit of a bust." Luke said with a sweat drop. Team Fiore was gathered in Erza and Lucy's hotel room, standing around as they waited for Erza to awaken. She had been out all day after being defeated by Lucia earlier.

"Yeah, good on our 'captain' to go and get herself knocked out within the first 10 minutes of the tournament starting." Reve scoffed.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't make such remarks." Jellal told Reve, visibly upset that the gunslinger would make such a comment aloud.

"Is now really the time to talk?" Minerva lifted a brow. "You talked quite bit earlier, only to fall short in that event."

"Yeah, you didn't win!" Natsu added. "So you don't get to talk like Erza didn't do anything!"

To that, Reve rolled his eyes. He expected this sort of response but brushed off his loss like nothing. "That sword was the only thing stopping me from winning."

"The several people who scored higher than you would disagree." Lucy added.

"That event was likely rigged." Reve said.

"That's a bit of a sore loser attitude, isn't it, Reve-san?" Sting asked.

"I know you can't handle losing, but that's pretty low even for you." Kagura added. Now everyone was giving Reve a look, but he simply sighed before explaining himself.

"So no one else thinks it's odd that the one person who has the power to slice through Damascus was the one in the event?" Reve crossed his arms, staring at everyone in the room. "Sure, everyone else had the potential if they had more time, but Mii?"

"Hmmm…" Zelos placed his hands behind his back. "That is a fairly interesting point. But can't we chalk that up to the luck of the draw?"

"Hmph." Reve shook his head. "That event was like the MPF back in Fiore, but it wasn't just a contest of strength. It was a show of strength for the world to see…anyone would be an idiot for revealing the best moves in their arsenal on the very first day of the tournament."

"And is that why you didn't charge the Eclipse Cannon?" Luke questioned.

"Didn't think I needed to." Reve responded honestly. "That being said, it works out that I didn't. Because now I know that I can stand above just about anyone."

"That…doesn't make any sense." Lector couldn't follow Reve's logic.

"You know, while we're on this topic…" Luke glanced at Erza, who started to stir. "Did no one else find it weird that Lucia challenged Erza as a captain? We had only made that decision earlier in the day."

"…You're right." Bacchus rubbed the back of his head. "I was a lil drunk but I know I didn't say anythin' to anyone."

"And like the idiot she is, she walked into that trap." Reve said.

"Reve!" Lucy glared at Reve.

"No…he's right." Erza's eyes opened. She sat up despite how injured she was. That last few moments of that fight felt like an utter nightmare. "I was ill prepared for what happened…" And she lost her guild mark as a result. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize for anything." Hisui told Erza.

"You were set up." Kagura said firmly. No one had thought much about it until Luke set it up.

Sting furrowed his brows. "So the enemy team knew who our captain was. Does that mean someone's leaking information?"

"That's the only outcome I can think of!" Lector lifted a paw up. "But then…who would it be?"

"They're getting their information from somewhere." Reve glanced at the four Fairy Tail mages. "And based on Lucia's words earlier, it's someone from Fairy Tail."

"Now you're going too far!" Natsu glared at Reve, taking a step forward. "No one at Fairy Tail would ever help those bastards!"

"Aye! We're all on the same side here!" Happy was beside Natsu.

"So are the Wizard Hunters, if we're bein' honest." Bacchus quipped. "They're the enemy, and their mages are split between two different countries, right? Seems a little suspicious…maybe he's not wrong after all."

"I can't see anyone from Fairy Tail betraying their guild. You should know better than anyone that they wouldn't do that." Jellal told Reve.

"I have no idea why anyone would betray Fairy Tail like that." Zelos let out a dramatic sigh. "Perhaps she was saying that to throw us on a false trail? You can never tell with the Wizard Hunters."

"Of course, you all trust Fairy Tail without a doubt. I guess that means someone like me has to be logical and cast doubt on them." Sighing, the gunslinger shook his head. He expected this outcome. "Whatever the case is, I'm taking over the role as leader now."

"You can't just…!" Sting started.

"I am. Erza clearly can't fight and we need someone who _won't_ drag our team down through the mud." Reve wasn't taking no for an answer on this. He was already leaving the room since had basically said all he needed to. "So tomorrow we're getting back on track." And with that, he was gone.

"Asshole…" Natsu grumbled.

"Erza, are you okay?" Jellal asked.

"I'm…not sure." Erza frowned. Her guild mark had been ripped away from her in front of the entire world.

" _Pergrande…Joya…"_ Hisui started to think as the others conversed. _"The Wizard Hunters are on both teams…this is no coincidence. There's a connection between the two countries, just as they said…"_ Something was very wrong here. "Everyone, listen. I know that today was not the greatest start. But now that we are aware of what we're up against, we must take more caution going into tomorrow."

* * *

Meredy and Ultear were on the top of a building in Crown City, both revisiting the day's events through Ultear's Orb. Ultear grimaced at Erza's defeat. "That Lucia…she's very strong. To think she made such short work of Erza of all people."

"The Wizard Hunters are very dangerous." Meredy said with a frown. "But that said…I really want to know where Count Waltz got Damascus from. I didn't even know it existed before today."

"I was under the impression it didn't exist anymore." Ultear said while taking a look around Crown City. "More surprising, I knew that the Eternal Sword was very powerful, but Mii made it look frightening. I worry about the others if they have to fight her. I hope they have a plan…"

"She's in league with the Wizard Hunters, and the Hunters are currently split between Pergrande and Joya. There's a connection and I think tracing it will be our best bet." Meredy said firmly.

"But we have to be careful." Ultear warned. "I saw some of the Hunters go into the palace. We can't just go sneaking into Crown Palace unprepared. If we get caught…" Who knows what Count Waltz would do to them… "We have to pick a time to strike. The faster we can liberate Hisui from the clutches of the Wizard Hunters, the more Fiore can let loose when the time comes."

"Mhm." Meredy nodded in agreement. The breeze nearly knocked off her hood, but she managed to keep it on to conceal her identity. "Count Waltz is clearly hiding something. Jellal is entrusting us to find out what."

* * *

The sun set and night was upon Crown City. Lucy was walking through the streets, using a map to lead her to Al Dente's! current establishment. Unfortunately for her, the line was extremely long. She could catch the likes of Blair and Juilet performing their usual waitress duties, but they were slammed. "Agh…" Groaning, the blonde had no choice but to find somewhere else. The day would be over by the time she got what she wanted. "I guess that place will do." A nearby bakery shop. Lucy walked inside and spotted a strawberry cake – precisely what she was looking for. She wanted to get Erza something to feel a little better and it was the last slice of one no less. "Oh! Can I have this slice of strawberry cake?" Lucy asked the man behind the counter.

"Of course!" The cashier gave a friendly smile. "That'll be 50,000 jewel."

"WHAT!?" Lucy's eyes widened. The price listed was 5,000 jewel. "T-That's…!"

"Ah, you're from Fiore, a tourist, right? These are the taxes in Joya." The cashier said so casually.

"H-How do people live like this…" Lucy proceeded to sweat. "I barely have enough to pay for a slice of strawberry cake…"

"Ha. Imagine not being able to pay for a single slice of cake. Then again, I should've expected that much from someone who can barely pay her own rent." Who else would be talking down to Lucy like this? No one other than Emmeraude.

"Ugh…" Just what Lucy needed. To be mocked. "How was I supposed to know taxes here are just as expensive as my rent!?"

"Do you live under a rock?" Emmeraude rolled her eyes.

"You're the worst." Lucy groaned. She then got an idea that was probably bad in the longrun, but it didn't hurt to ask. "…So, hey….."

"You want me to lend you a bit of cash so you can buy that cake for Erza?" Emmeraude surmised. Based on Lucy's shocked expression she was right. "Fine. I can be nice. You don't even have to worry about paying me back the money."

"…." Wow, that worked? Lucy was in awe. "Wow, that's…"

"You'll just have to pay me back in other ways." Emmeraude said casually.

That's when Lucy started to sweat. The notion of having to owe Emmeraude something made her shudder. What sort of things would the Alvarez Empress do to her and call it repaying the debt!? Lucy could only imagine that she'd get Emmeraude's heel on her temple again and that was unpleasant the last 3 times it happened. Even worse, she might publicly humiliate her by making her dance in a bunny suit or something! "Y-You know what…I'm good."

"Fine. I'll take that cake then." Emmeraude smirked, slamming the 50,000 jewel on the counter.

"Are you serious!?" Lucy gasped. "Did you really buy that cake just because I was going to?! How petty can you get!?"

"What? It's not like you were going to buy it." Emmeraude said this all while holding her usual irritating smile.

"Ghhh…" There was always a catch. Lucy was disappointed, but not surprised at the end of the day.

"Do you even have the time to be worry about a slice of cake?" Emmeraude said, eating the thing right in front of Lucy and savoring every bite. "Fiore is going to do poorly. Alvarez's only competition is the Pergrande Kingdom and I cannot wait to crush them under our heel."

"You're jumping to conclusions pretty fast after just one day." Lucy fired back. "You should know how we operate by now. We'll win, we always do."

Emmeraude rolled her eyes at such a predictable response. "The first day leaves a first impression. Pergrande and Alvarez will be the front runners with Alvarez taking the lead, Minstrel will fall apart before this week is over, and your team will be left in the dust behind the others."

"Do you ever get tired of hearing yourself talk? Your head is inflated with so much hot air I'm surprised it hasn't burst yet!" Lucy's voice rose. They were really having yet another argument in the middle of this bakery.

"I've never told a lie." Emmeraude scoffed. "Besides, you should be less concerned with my words and instead focus on your own actions, lest you have another pitiful day like today."

"Grrr…" Lucy could not stand Emmeraude. Even after a whole year after their grudge match during the war, these two just could not see eye to eye. It was mostly Emmeraude's fault but Lucy knew she was at fault too, since she allowed herself to continuously be provoked no matter how hard she tried. They'd never get along; their relationship, and fate, was a complex web that only these two could understand.

The tension in the air was cut when another familiar voice caught their attention. When Lucy and Emmeraude turned, they saw Mii, leaning onto the counter, the strap of her one strap dress falling off her shoulder intentionally, pushing her chest outwards. Her eyes fluttered, lips were pursed just slightly, and her tone lowered. "It seems I'm out of cash…but I _really_ want a piece of cake. Can you please let Mii pay you in…other ways…~?"

"U-Uh…!" The cashier's face went bright red.

"…" Emmeraude could not stand to watch this. She grabbed Mii's arm and tugged her away from the counter.

"Ah!" Mii gasped. "Oh, hey Em, Lucy. You two are in this building and it hasn't fallen apart yet? I'm amazed. Also, why'd you do that, Em!? I was about to get some free cake!"

Emmeraude was busy adjusting Mii's dress, making sure that the strap went over her shoulder again. "Because I couldn't stand and watch as you threw the last scraps of your dignity away."

To that, Mii giggled. "Oh Em, I think we both know I don't know what the word means."

"I think we both know I _taught_ you what that word means." Emmeraude fired back with a narrowing gaze.

"Uh…" Lucy had a sweat drop. The tension was between her and Emmeraude, but now it looked like it was shifting to Mii. This was the first time Lucy was witnessing a conversation between the two of them and it was already awkward.

"Ugh, such a killjoy. Not a 'hi Mii', or a 'congratulations on your win, Mii'!" Mii groaned, taking a step back from Emmeraude. "You never let Mii have any fun!"

"That's because I was trying to keep you from turning out like…this!" Emmeraude exclaimed. "I see I failed and now you're making mistakes left and right; like working with the Wizard Hunters and wielding that blade around despite knowing what it's doing to you."

Mii's gaze suddenly turned serious. "Maybe I hate myself that much I want to suffer, ever think about that?"

This was not a conversation Lucy needed to be a part of. "…I care about Mii as much as anyone else, but this doesn't involve me, so I'm going to…"

"No, you're going to listen to this." Both Emmeraude and Mii said at the same time.

"…." Lucy just stood in wide eyed shock. That was…scary.

"You're going out of you way to keep her alive, aren't you?" Emmeraude narrowed her eyes at Mii. "I need you to understand that Koryuji is a lost cause and that you can't save her."

"Is that what you think of me now? Lost cause?" Mii's tone lowered. "That hurts, Em."

"You've been treading down the wrong path for too many years, always avoiding the chances to turn back. Do you truly hate yourself that much? You're so far down the path no one can protect you anymore." Emmeraude said.

"Maybe I don't _need_ protection, Em!" Mii started to shout. "I'm not a kid anymore! I'm not and haven't been expecting you to come to my rescue like you did that day when I was 10! This is my choice and I'm going to see it through to the end. Not you, not Lucy, not anyone…no one will stop me. So how about you get over yourself and let things go already."

Emmeraude clenched her hand into a fist. The Empress was growing visibly frustrated and the bakery started to shake. "Koryuji…you truly are…the worst being I've had the displeasure of being acquainted with. If this is the path you've chosen, then I won't stop you. You're welcome to go and die just as you so want to. I can see that you don't want saving."

"…!" Mii's eyes widened at Emmeraude's cold tone.

"Emmeraude! How can you say that?!" Lucy was getting involved now. "Isn't Mii your friend!?"

Emmeraude remained silent for a moment before turning her back. "…A friend of mine is one who shares my dreams and convictions. Someone who knows how they want to live their life instead of being a pawn in someone else's game. There was a time when Koryuji and I were close, but I can see now that such times are a thing of the past. You want me to let things go, then fine. I'll take your advice right now."

"….." Mii's face went red. "FINE! IF THAT'S HOW YOU WANT TO BE, EM! FORGET IT! I DON'T NEED YOU ANYMORE ANYWAY!" And having screamed that, Mii ran out of the store.

"Mii, wait!" Lucy tried to stop her, but it was too late.

As Mii flew off to Crown Palace, she sobbed and rubbed the eyes with the back of her hand. "Be that way, Em…! I-I don't care anymore!" Her mind flashed back to that fateful day she mentioned before.

* * *

[Flashback.]

A young, scared Mii was cornered by a few angels. Even after the events of the Holy War, they couldn't do away with just kicking her out of her home. They came to finish the job and expedite the process of her death. Mii was currently crouched down, using her body to shield her fallen female friend around her age who tried to protect her, only to get seriously injured in the process. "EM, PLEASE HELP!" Mii cried out in vain, eyes closing as numerous magic blasts were coming right at her. An explosion occurred and she expected the worst, but nothing happened. When she looked up, all she could see was Emmeraude's back as the woman miraculously appeared to protect her. "E-Em…y-you came…"

"Of course I did." Emmeraude glanced back at Mii with a smile. "I told you, didn't I? If you call my name when you're in trouble, I'll always come running to protect you. No matter what."

]End flashback.]

* * *

Lucy glanced to Emmeraude, who went completely silent. The cake she took so much pride in eating was simply crushed into nothing. "…" Her back was turned and she wasn't going to let Lucy see whatever expression it was she had on her face.

Lucy knew not to say anything. Or rather, she thought it best to just leave Emmeraude alone. "That was ugly…" Lucy exited the bakery shop and so did Emmeraude, but the Empress went her own way. Lucy stared up into the sky, watching as Mii flew off into the distance. "I don't care what you or anyone else says…I'll make sure to save you, I swear it…!"

.

.

Next Time: Day 2 Begins.


	160. Chapter 160: Day 2 Begins

Lucy swore to save Mii as she flew off. She had no idea if Mii heard her or not, but the celestial wizard would see this through. It was at that moment she moved her leg to the side, just barely avoiding an emerald chain that attempted to pierce her thigh. "Knock it off, Emmeraude! Don't take your frustrations out on me."

"…." Emmeraude huffed. The one time she needed that to work and it didn't. "What transpired made me nearly forget that you have something of mine that I need back. If you don't mind, I'll be taking it back." This was all for the goal of retrieving the various 'pieces' of Sophie that had been scattered between those who stood against Emmeraude in the final battle of her revolution in Fiore. As such she also pulled out a needle of some kind. "So hold still."

"I do mind. You are _not_ stabbing me with another chain, that doesn't work anymore." Lucy's face then paled at the needle. "You're not stabbing me with that either! What's your problem? What do you…"

Emmeraude glanced back. It seemed she was out of time and let out a silent groan. She couldn't say what she wanted because a pair of unwanted ears were listening in. "I'll get it from you one way or another…" The Empress grumbled before leaving. This day had not been the best day for her.

"Geez…" Lucy was just dumbstruck. That entire encounter was just…bad.

Standing just around the corner from the bakery was Lucia, who watched the events that happened in and out of the store. She couldn't help but snicker. "Well, that was quite a show and an unexpected one as that."

Shade appeared from Lucia's shadow, overlooking the events that transpired. "But thissssss servessss asssss a boon to usssss."

"You're right." Lucia whistled. "Alvarez's Empress was probably the only person who could have wrestled Mii from our grasp with a good fight. But it seems she's done us a favor instead and pushed her right to us. Things are looking very good for us on the first day."

Lucy could overhear Lucia speaking from around the corner. Her head turned back curiously, but she was unsure if she should intervene or just listen. "…"

"Now then, we'll be fighting Joya tomorrow. I wonder if we'll see a battle between Hunters, that'll be fun to watch~" Lucia started to walk off and Shade returned to her shadow.

Lucy peered around the corner, a bit surprised at what it was she just heard. _"They know who they're fighting tomorrow…?"_ This only furthered the idea that there was some sketchy business going on….

* * *

Sometime later, Emmeraude returned to her Spriggan. While her expression was neutral, one could tell just by the air around her that she was irritated. Emerald was the first one to notice and approached her daughter with a smile. "Welcome back, Em."

"They didn't have the cake you wanted, Mother." Emmeraude replied.

"Oh, that's a shame. Thank you for going to check, though." Emerald said with her smile still present.

"Is it just me, or does she seem upset?" Dimaria questioned.

It was then that Jacob appeared from thin air. He had been shadowing Emmeraude with his stealth magic, ensuing that no one would dare make a move on the Empress as she wandered around the city at night. "There was…a not so rad encounter in the bakery. First Lucy was there."

"Oh…maybe I should've gone." Brandish said half paying attention. She was reclining in a seat, reading one of Crown City's magazines. Unbefitting of a Spriggan but Emmeraude let it slide. "I can only imagine how that went."

"About as you would expect." Jacob said. "But then Mii showed up. That's when it got ugly."

"The annoying one from Pergrande?" Julius questioned, flipping through a book. His eyes were on the book but he was paying attention to the conversation.

"Em, what happened?" Emerald's tone grew more concerned. She knew that Emmeraude and Mii's relationship was not one that one could describe with words. It was as complex as it could ever be.

Emmeraude remained silent for a moment before answering. "As it stands right now, Mii Koryuji is an enemy. In the event that one of you does battle with her, you have my permission to use everything in your power to bring her down."

"Em…" Emerald was not expecting that sort of response.

"As you wish, Your Majesty. It will be done." Julius replied.

"What the pretty boy said." Ken said before chugging down a bottle of water to keep himself hydrated.

"Yooooou got it!" Alice lifted a hand up.

"It shall be done." Oriana nodded simply. Ragen didn't say anything, but he too nodded in agreement.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Little Queen and Zero said.

"Tough love is still love, and I'll be sure to deliver it if that's the order." G said with a neutral expression.

"…" Dimaria and Brandish looked at each other.

"If that's what you really want." Brandish said to Emmeraude. She intentionally said it that way, curiously gauging Emmeraude for a reaction of any kind, but the Empress did not budge. "Oh well…even if it's a pain, I'll do it."

"Good. I have faith in all of you." Emmeraude said firmly. Dealing with Mii should have been a task for her and her alone, but her hands were tied and the situation did not allow it.

* * *

Back in Erza's room, she was currently using a communication lacrima to speak with the others in Fairy Tail. Zelos was lingering in the room since Erza wasn't exactly in the best shape to move on her own. "Erza, are you all right?!" That came from Gray, who was practically taking up the whole screen. Needless to say, they saw what happened.

"I'd heal you if I could, Erza-san…!" Wendy exclaimed.

"They're gonna get it, I swear!" Cynthia clenched a hand into a fist. Watching what happened to Erza infuriated her just as much as it did everyone else.

"I'm all right…" Erza said with a weary smile.

"Are you sure?" Mira tilted her head. She didn't want to press the issue, but anyone could tell that Erza was far from fine, despite the brave face she attempted to put on. "Your guild mark…"

"…." Erza stared at the burnt mark on her arm. Lucia completely burned away her guild mark in front of the whole world. That was a blow on an emotional and mental level that was not easy to recover from.

"Bastards! I swear I'll make them pay!" Gray clenched a hand into a fist.

"Your concern is greatly appreciated, everyone." Erza said with a soft smile. "As it stands right now, I'm out of the competition until I can fight again…it may be a day or two until my full recovery. As it stands now, Reve is filling in as captain…"

"Ugh, that asshole, really?" Max rolled his eyes. "Of course he'd take the position as soon as you were unable to."

"Erza-chan needs her rest." Zelos commented. "And while I understand your valid concerns for her wellbeing, she needs to sleep."

"He's right." Mira said. This call was just to check up on Erza.

"One more thing." Laxus said. "Prometheus and Pandora."

"Yeah, they were using your old man all right." Zelos answered for Erza, since he knew such a question would be difficult to answer. "I don't know what those two are planning, but we're not the only ones keeping an eye on him. I'll keep ya updated."

"Right." Laxus nodded and the communication ended.

"…." Erza slumped back into bed, letting out a pained groan. "I'm sorry for my shameful display earlier. I truly jumped the gun."

Zelos waved a hand. "Nonsense, Erza-chan. Acting like that is just like you. You were only thinking of Mii-chan and the Queen. Your actions had noble intentions, which is one of the things I adore about you. Now then, you should be getting some rest. Day 2 is going to start and we'll need your moral support." With that, Zelos left Erza to sleep.

But how could Erza sleep like this? Her guild mark robbed from her in front of the world by their current enemy. Titania sat in darkness, letting out a heavy sigh as her eyes closed. "…."

* * *

Tia leaned against a wall, crossing her arms with a sigh. "Maybe we should've checked up on Fairy Tail. Watching what happened to Erza left a real sour taste in my mouth."

"I feel that, Sis." Jack groaned. "That was pretty shitty."

"There's nothing you can do." Joker stated bluntly. "They are our rivals in this competition. Whatever befalls them is on them alone."

"Ignoring him," Daigo brushed Joker's brash comment aside. "We clearly have more things on our plate to be worried about."

"Indeed." Heartless was looking over the footage of the events earlier in the day. "Today was the first day. Tomorrow is going to be the true beginning, now that we know what we're up against."

"We'll be able to handle it." Ace gave a thumbs up. As usual, he was munching loudly on some snack. It was obnoxious as ever and his fiancé was considering breaking it off if this kept up. "More importantly, I'm concerned about Midi. Using the ranks of the dead as toys like that? Seriously uncool."

"Who knows what they're planning…" Diamond said.

"Whatever the case, we need to be on guard." Tia added. "I feel like this competition is more than just about winning. The Wizard Hunters in Pergrande and Joya, something fishy is going on…"

* * *

In a completely secluded location, Prometheus and Pandora were questioning Eileen. "Come now, won't you spill the beans?" Prometheus questioned with his usual heinous smile. "I've noticed from the start that you have a bit more resistance than the others and your strength isn't the factor in that. The soul I reaped from you is incomplete!"

"So what of it…?" Elieen was not keen on being a puppet to these two, but they clearly needed her, which made her resistance all the more amusing.

"Where is the other part of you sleeping?" Pandora asked directly.

"You'll never find out. It's sleeping in a place you'll never find." Eileen responded. "I don't enjoy being flaunted about like some cheap toy. I have far more value than that and a body of my own I'd like to be in."

"A shame." Prometheus shrugged. "Because I still have you bound, so you're going to end up doing what I ask of you whether you like it or not. With the power of Fairy Heart that you failed to capture, our power exceeds your own. There isn't a force in this world that can stop us!"

"…" Eileen didn't say a word. _"These two need to be stopped at all cost."_ She'd do it herself, but as Prometheus said, she was unfortunately under his control, incomplete or not.

* * *

Pergrande: 25

Alvarez: 10

Midi: 10

Minstrel: 10

Fiore: 0

Bosco: 0

Seven 0

"Welcome back everyone to day 2 of Ishgar's Strongest! I'm your main host, Chapati Lola, giving you the current scores from the end of the previous day!" Chapati began with a cheery voice. "In the first day, Pergrande showed a dominating performance, not only winning the first battle against Fiore, but also winning the first day's event for a complete victory. Will they be able to keep their momentum going into the second day!? We're all just dying to find out!"

"Not today, because Pergrande won't thrive as long as I'm in the lead." Reve said with a grin.

"Didn't you lose to Pergrande yesterday?" Lector pointed out.

"Only because I didn't use my full strength. I thought we went over this?" Reve shook his head. "Anyway, a cat like you doesn't have the right to talk. Leave the leadership to someone who knows what they're talking about."

"I wish Erza would recover sooner." Lucy groaned.

"Seriously, I can't stand this." Natsu was in agreement. As it stood right now, Erza was back at the hotel with Hisui and Happy watching over her, and watching the tournament from a lacrima screen. Jellal offered to stay and watch Erza, but since he was their backup, he was needed with them in case his abilities were needed. They did need their 10th after all.

"Just like yesterday, the four fights will happen first, then the event will finish off the day! So let's get started!" Chapati said.

That was Count Waltz's cue. "I'd like everyone to pay attention to the screen. The first match of the day will be Alvarez vs. Midi."

A chance to crush this new Alvarez? That had Ajeel's name written all over it! "This one's mine!" Ajeel exclaimed. Prometheus was feeling lenient today, so he opted to allow Ajeel this chance. "That old lady thinks her new Alvarez is so much stronger compared to the old…I'll remind her exactly where she stands."

"Allow me." Julius kept his book open, calmly stepping into the arena. A new Spriggan vs an old Spriggan! This was going to be a match to watch.

"And it seems we have our combatants! Ajeel Lamur of Midi vs Julius Grandeur of Alvarez!" Chapati yelled.

"Two Spriggan facing off against each other. I wonder what this result will yield; one being dead, while the other, alive." Calium questioned.

Julius and Ajeel stood across from each other. Ajeel held his usual high and mighty grin while looking at Julius. "So, you're one of the new Spriggan that old lady recruited? Don't make me laugh! You look like a twig. It'll be fun when I snap you in two, then I can show that hag that her kingdom is nothing before a true Spriggan! She'll be in shock when she realizes just how weak she and her new kingdom actually are! Hahaha!"

Julius closed his book, and as soon as his did, his magical pressure caused everything to stop. Every single spectator went silent the instant Julius made his power known. "Never mind the words aimed at me…but you had the audacity to insult the Empress. Ajeel Lamur, was it? We haven't been properly introduced. My name is Julius Grandeur, the Prince of Magic. The role of Spriggan was mine for a very long time, but that old man August stood in my way. Truthfully, I was hoping for a chance to face off and defeat him, but you'll have to suffice. I was going to allow you a moment in the sun to feel as if you still held any relevance…but after your words towards the Empress, I'm afraid I'm going to have to get serious…and I'm going to crush you."

"W-What the…?" Ajeel grit his teeth at this insane magic power he was feeling.

"It's actually a blessing in disguise that you crawled out of the grave when you did. Your grave in Alvarez is nothing more than an empty tombstone. So allow me to rectify that. Now then, I hope you have your final words ready. It's time to begin writing…"

.

.

Next Time: Your Eulogy.


	161. Chapter 161: Your Eulogy

Julius' magic power silenced everyone in the stadium. The new Spriggan was completely fine with proving his superiority to the temporarily revived Ajeel, but Ajeel took things a step too far by insulting Emmeraude. As everyone was learning, the man who dubbed himself the Prince of Magic was very defensive of the Empress. "You talk a big game, Ajeel. But allow me to show you the difference in our strength."

"W-What is this guy…" Lucy gulped nervously.

"This pressure is way too different than last time." Luke had a sweat drop on his forehead. Even with a month of training, it felt like Julius was still leagues above him.

It was at this moment that Count Waltz snapped his fingers, thus causing the arena to change drastically! What was formally a plain battlefield turned into a rocky, mountainous landscape. "And now that we've arrived into the second day, it's time to change things up a bit by altering the field of battle. This will be a regular occurrence from this point on."

"Just one more thing to worry about…"

Ajeel was taken aback at first by Julius' sudden surge of magic power. But he shrugged it off and let out an arrogant laugh. "Is that the best you can muster!? I ain't feeling anything special from you! Certainly nothing that I can't handle!" The former Spriggan then simply pointed both arms down, deciding to take care of this battle in the swiftest way he knew how. "Ant Lion's Pit!" He opened this 'fight' with his version of Hell's Door. A large section of the arena suddenly turned into a large pit of quicksand, aiming to drag Julius into it! "Let's see you-…what?!"

Julius had been sitting in an iron throne of his own creation, one leg crossed over the other. The floating throne was hovering above the Ant Lion's Pit without a care in the world. "Is that how you intended to start this battle? It's no wonder you perished in the war to mages weaker than you."

Ajeel grit his teeth. Being talked down to like this? He wouldn't stand for it! "Let's see you keep talking after this, chump!" Bringing his arms up, multiple tendrils of sand rose from the pit below Julius, all of them moving about erratically before attempting to wrap around him and drag him into the pit of sand! But to his surprise, a barrier of water appeared around Julius, repelling the sand before it got too close to him. "The hell!?"

Julius' book opened and he glanced towards Ajeel. "I do not need your filthy magic dirtying my person. Holy Spark." From the clear sky above, a bolt of white lightning instantly dropped down on Ajeel for a direct hit, causing the Spriggan to let out a cry of pain.

"Gaaaaah!" Ajeel grunted as the Holy Spark struck directly!

"And Julius is the first one to land a direct hit!" Chapati shouted.

Ajeel snarled after recoiling from the Holy Spark. "Think you're so tough, huh?" The Ant Lion's Pit faded, but instead, a sandstorm appeared around Ajeel's lower body to carry him forward, racing towards Julius who had yet to move from his spot. "Ramal Syfe!" Multiple spears of sand shot out from his body, all of them aiming to pierce through Julius' body.

Julius sighed and decided to finally make a move. It was a simple up, hopping up from his iron throne and sent the throne itself forward in his stead, allowing the spears of sand to collide against it. The iron throne then exploded into chunks of iron that honed in on Ajeel's magic. "Atom Bomb."

"That's not gonna work on me!" Ajeel smirked as the sandstorm around his body swirled around, growing even stronger to completely submerge the chunks of iron within the sand. Once this was successfully done he laughed and held both arms up, numerous bats of sand spawned into existence, all of them soaring towards Julius with the intent to bite him and suck the moisture from his body. "Try this on for size!"

Julius' book flipped through several pages within such a short time he didn't even need to think about it. A magic seal appeared in front of Julis, releasing numerous needles to destroy the bats before they could even get closer. A few needles did fly at Ajeel, but his Sand Body allowed the needles to pass through him with no issue. "I'm sure you've realized by now that we are on two completely different levels."

"Of course we are." Ajeel's hubris was still in full swing. "I'm a god, and as such, you will revere me!" And at that moment, his body turned into sand and he vanished into the rocky landscape!

"Even when he's dead, he's still cocky…" Lucy said with a sweat drop.

"Huh? Where'd he go?" Lector and Happy were both looking around.

Julius let out a quiet sigh at such a primitive trick. He didn't bother moving until Ajeel actually attacked; a rising hand of sand lunging from the ground made an effort to grab Julius, but the Spriggan saw this coming and leapt to the side effortlessly. That's when Ajeel himself emerged from the sand, pushing forward to actually grab Julius' ankle. "GOT YOU!" With a heinous grin his magic began to do its work, sucking the moisture from Julius' leg as he slammed his opponent into the ground once before throwing him away! "Hah! How'd you like that?!"

Julius flew across the air before landing with a causal flip. There was likely a bruise on his back where Ajeel slammed him and he felt very slightly thirsty, but none of that mattered. Instead, he brushed the sand off his of body and closed his eyes, letting out a heavy, irritated sigh. "…"

"What's the matter!? Not so tough now are ya!?" Ajeel grinned.

"…." Julius' magic power flared once again, even greater than before. "You've sullied me with your touch." On top of insulting the Empress, this was the second worst thing anyone could do to the Prince of Magic. He was already setting out to destroy Ajeel, but this just made things worse for the King of the Desert.

"What a rise in magic power." Song remarked with a casual hum. This battle was far too entertaining to not pay attention to.

"Now he's gone and done it." Oriana shook her head, a vindictive snicker escaping her. "That poor soul knows not what animal he's released."

Julius wasn't moving. To Ajeel, this seemed like a complete victory, so why not seal the deal? Rushing forward, a sharp axe composed of sand appearing within his hands. "I'll have your head, then you'll understand our difference! Ramal Fa'as!" And as Ajeel went to swing…a blade of water appeared from Julius' book, slashing into his arm. The cut was so deep and sudden; it forced Ajeel to recoil, as sharp, bladed water did cut through his sand body.

"Mercury's blade." Julius uttered. The blade had a mind of its own, slashing at Ajeel repeatedly. Due to its properties, he was unable to muster an immediate defense and suffered numerous cuts, to which he eventually had to back off, but the blade pursued him still!

"Tch! A blade of water?! This ain't happening again!" Ajeel remembered Erza thinking she could best him with wind and water. He wouldn't let anyone think so lightly of him! As the sword came in, he grabbed it with both hands, using an astronomical amount of sand to suck the moisture from the blade. "I'll just bleed it dry!"

"Sylph's Gale." Julius said. This prompted a powerful beam of wind magic to strike Ajeel while was so busy. It happened so fast he wasn't able to prepare himself and was blown away.

"Gaaah!" Ajeel tumbled along the ground, sliding to a halt on a knee. He was already panting somewhat heavily. Julius hit very hard, but Ajeel wasn't going to admit that. The Mercury's blade did dry up at least, so that was one thing he didn't have to worry about.

"The tide of battle shifted so fast…" Jellal said.

"No." Reve shook his head. "That Julius guy's been in control this whole time. Anyone can see that."

"You've been working under a grave misunderstanding here." Julius told Ajeel calmly, but there was unfathomable malice in Julius' eyes. "We are different, you and I. But not in the way that you think. I possess the magical ability to make you look like a child with no place on the battlefield, and that's precisely the impression I intend to give the world within the next 2 minutes."

2 minutes?! Was Julius really that confident? It pissed Ajeel off. So what if he got a few lucky hits!? "Are you looking down on me!? HOW DARE YOU!" Ajeel roared as the ground under him erupted, a large sand titan spawning from the rocky mountain field with him proudly standing on its shoulder. "I'll flatten you in 5 seconds, pipsqueak!" The sand golem then reared its fist back, throwing it down to crush Julius and finish this battle!"

Julius' book floated in front of him, giving a green glow. "Spirit of Zephyr." From his treasured book, a long, green blade imbued with wind appeared, towering high into the sky. Just as the golem threw its fist, this sword of wing slashed directly down, cleaving through the sand golem in an instant. An explosion of wind caused the sand to disperse and caught Ajeel in its wake, throwing him around before harshly hitting the ground.

"TCH!" Ajeel landed on the ground, his face contorted with rage. How could this be happening!? How could he be…losing to one of Emmeraude's lapdogs?!

"This battle looks extremely one sided." Ashnard remarked. "I suppose Alvarez _does_ have some notable firepower after all."

"Ajeel…" Brandish frowned.

Pandora looked to Prometheus. "Prometheus."

"Yeah, yeah…let's see how well he does with some real power!" Prometheus snapped his fingers, activating his Reaper's Toll. Adding strength to the fallen Ajeel's soul, Prometheus bolstered the King of the Desert's abilities noticeably!

A black magic aura wavered around Ajeel and he grinned. "Yeah…yeah…that's what I needed." Now standing on two feet, the King of the Desert let out a loud, victorious laugh. "This is all I need to crush you! I'll show you who's the INFERIOR ONE! SAND WORLD!" On that scream, a vicious sandstorm enveloped the entirety of Crown City! This powerful sandstorm was Ajeel's ace in the hole.

"I don't appreciate this attack on my hair…" Helena grumbled, feeling the need to put Ajeel down herself for this stunt of his.

"Not this again!" Lucy cried.

"Just when I thought we were done with sand…!" Happy whined.

This completely shrouded Ajeel from sight, fueling his god complex as he firmly believed this was the end for Julius. "How's it feel, being in my domain!? You never know when the final strike will come, or from where! If you get on your knees and revere me as your God, then I'll make your loss look swift and honorable!"

Julius's hair wavered in the wind kicked up from the sandstorm. "There is only one person who I will bend my knee for." His book shone brightly and it began to absorb all of the magic in the area. That's right; the book that Julius used was drawing in the entirety of Sand World, much to everyone's surprise. The magic funneled into the book within mere seconds, clearing up the sandstorm and revealing Ajeel, who was only a few feet away, who was now in shock.

"He absorbed all of it!?" Sting gasped.

"That bookworm is pretty wild…" Bacchus grinned. If he had to fight this guy…oh, he'd love it…

Emmeraude simply smiled at Julius' efforts. "That's precisely what I expected."

This couldn't be happening. How could this be!? Ajeel bared his teeth angrily and just lunged forward, forming two axes of sand in both hands. "I'LL CUT YOU DOWN!"

"Do you honestly believe you can defeat me?" Julius asked.

"OF COURSE I CAN!" As Ajeel roared this, he was struck by a continuous beam of magic! There was a compass above him, striking him down with his answer. He fought through it, but his charge slowed significantly.

"Ah. So you realize your fate is sealed." The spell used attacked if the foe told a lie. That alone told the Spriggan everything he needed to know. Julius' pages shone brightly once more. "You needn't feel terrible. Do you finally understand what our difference is? Today, you have fought the strongest Spriggan formed by the Empress. And though the results aren't what you sought after, you can rest easy knowing you had the pleasure of facing me. Unfortunately for you…this was a chore for me. As such, I will wrap this up, for your sake, and ensure you never dishonor the Empress with your tongue again." A cage appeared around the approaching Ajeel, its bars made of black lightning that gave its captive a violent electric shock upon contact.

Ajeel, of course, wasn't going to lie down and take this! He swung his axes at the bars, only to be violently shocked. "GAAAAAH!" And to make matters worse for him, when Julius tightly clenched his fist, the cage began shrinking drastically! This was done once more, giving Ajeel very little room to move while also giving the picture. "D-DAMN ITTTTTT!"

"I know you prided yourself on delusions of being among the strongest…but this battle has barely cost me a single page within my book. A shame…your eulogy ended and there was nothing significant to be said. That blank grave suits you perfectly." One final clench of his hand and Julius caused the cage to explode. Ajeel's body fell to the ground, limp and defeated.

"AND THAT'S IT! AJEEL LAMUR HAS FALLEN! JULIUS GRANDEUR IS THE WINNER, GIVING ALVAREZ 10 POINTS!" Chapati roared. At first the crowd was stunned; there were many people in awe, shock, and fear at Julius' magic power. It was the same with what Alice offered yesterday. Some cheered at the end, but the crowd's reception was mostly fear.

Emmeraude applauded Julius' victory. "Well done, Julius. I knew I could rely on you."

Julius bowed in response to Emmeraude's praise. "Of course, Your Majesty. I told you I would emerge victorious and lead Alvarez to victory."

"Alavarez is insane…" Jack Corvus said with a sweat drop.

Lucy was shocked as well. While they did get a taste of Alvarez's power a month ago, watching it play out in a fight like this was pretty unnerving. "Where did she find these people…?"

* * *

After the first battle, it was time to move onto the second battle of the day. "Now, with the first battle over, we will immediately move onto the second." And to match the next battle, the arena changed to a forested area, numerous trees scattered about. "Pergrande vs Joya!"

"Right, right…" Mii waved a hand, her angelic wings spreading out to carry her into the arena. "I'll score us this win real quick and my tournament participation ends there."

"It's Mii…" Happy pointed out.

"Based on what we saw yesterday, she'll be tough for Joya to take down." Kagura surmised. She wondering if Mii could even be defeated by conventional means.

"I-I'll go…!" The young boy, Beat, rushed from his team's section into the arena.

"Wait, Beat!" Polka exclaimed.

"And it seems we have our combatants!" Chapati said. "Mii Yggdrasill Koryuji from Pergrande vs Beat from Joya!"

"A kid vs a woman?" Keele was trying to turn the gears in his head. As far as he was concerned, women were weaker than men, but Mii was fighting a kid…

"Don't overwork your brain too hard, bro." Aki told Keele. "Mii's going to win this, which will make our goal that much easier."

"Let the battle begin. Don't disappoint me, Beat." Waltz was holding expectations for Beat, but he was clearly aware of what Mii brought to the table.

"A kid?" Mii looked Beat over. "I dunno how I feel about beating up a child. How old are you? 10?"

Beat didn't say a word. The first thing he did was pull out a sniper rifle, training his aim on Mii. "You're an angel, aren't you?"

"Huh?" Mii's green eyes blinked in confusion. "Yeah. Half. Daughter of Yggdrasill." And as soon as she said that, a blazing white bullet clipped her shoulder. The most surprising part of all of this is that Mii winced in pain! "…Ow?"

"…She felt that?" Tia raised a brow.

"Huh…?" Even Zelos was confused! "Mii-chan actually felt that?"

"What…was that?" Mii raised a brow.

"You're an angel. I've seen angels in action before. They aren't holy beings like everyone believes them to be. The angels took everything from me when I was younger!" Beat exclaimed angrily, taking aim at Mii once again. He clicked the trigger, firing off another white hot bullet that she narrowly avoided. There was so much malice within this child and it was noticeable in every shot he fired. "That's why I've devoted my entire life to hunting every angel I could and killing them! That's why I've learned the lost magic of Flame Angel Slaying! If I can kill the daughter of the leader of the angel's…then they'll understand the pain I've been through!"

"…This kid's been through it…" Luke sighed. They also saw the ugly, destructive side of the angels a few years ago, so they couldn't dismiss his claims.

"An angel slayer? That's…new." Emmeraude crossed her arms, keeping her gaze on Mii.

"Hmmmm…Well, you're right about angels, not being divine, holy beings. Truth is, they're all selfish assholes who only care about the decree of their fate, or banishing everything in the name of Yggdrasill." Mii tilted her head as Beat was probably aiming for her head. She wasn't moving, but that's when an idea dawned on her. "You want Mii dead, huh? Well…if your magic can actually make Mii feel pain, then I wonder…" Mii drew the Eternal Sword and…planted it into the ground, deciding not to fight with it. "I wonder…if you'll be the one who can actually kill Mii."

.

.

Next Time: Angel Trumpet.


End file.
